SHIRAZ TO PERSEPOLIS. 
125 
bourhood, each raised by a King. In the boloolc or district of Corbal, 
there is a village called Sedeh Nokara Khoneh, about eight or nine 
fursungs distant from Persepolis ; where, in the common story of Persia, 
Jemsheed kept his royal drums and trumpets: the noise of which, 
when sounded there, reached his ears at Persepolis . According to the 
reports, which we received from the people of the country, the whole 
plain of Merdasht for many miles round is covered with interesting 
monuments of antiquity, mostly taking their direction to the southward. 
From the bridge to the extremity of the plain may be ten miles. At 
two miles from our encampment, near the remains of Persepolis , we 
turned to the left to visit the ruins and sculptures of Nakshi Rustam . 
Although they appeared close to us, yet the great variety of the 
streams (drains from the Bend-emir and another river) which have been 
made to irrigate the country, obliged us to make a circuitous route of at 
least four miles. 
The tombs and sculptures at Nakshi Rustam are all contained in the 
space of about two hundred yards, on the surface of steep and craggy 
rocks, the fronts of which extend in a line from N. W. to S. E. On the 
N. W. they terminate abruptly, and take an Eastward turn : and this 
termination is marked by the shaft of a column six feet high, which 
stands upon the eminence, and is of the very same stone as that on 
which it rests ; though it has not been left in its present position by the 
excavation of the adjacent parts, for I thrust a kunjur (a dagger) several 
inches between it and the surface of the foundation rock; in which 
therefore there is obviously a socket to receive it. The top of the 
rock (on which the sculptures at Nakshi Rustam are executed) is 
levelled into a platform about twenty feet square: on this is an ele¬ 
vated seat or throne; the ascent to which is by five steps, i. e. two 
steps and a landing place, and then three more. I think however, that 
I perceived the remains of another step to the landing place. The 
throne itself is an oblong nine feet by six, and the whole rock is a fine 
marble. 
Nearly under this column is situated (see plate XV.) the first and 
