PERSEPOLIS TO ISPAHAN. 157 
to have been so overwhelmed, as those which we had passed to the 
Southward. 
30th. Our road to Mayar was distant fourteen miles ; the village 
is situated at the foot of the mountains bearing N. from Rome shah, 
a point which we ascertained by setting the high hill over that place. 
At Mayar is a fine caravanserai built by the mother of Shah Abbas. 
It is a very extensive building, consisting of one front court, on the 
right and left of which, under lofty arches, are rooms and stables for 
the convenience of travellers. The front of the principal gate is 
inlaid with green lacquered tiles and neat cut bricks. It opens into 
the large square, in the centre of Avhich is a platform of the same 
shape. On the right of the exterior front, is the cistern, over the 
orifice of which is thrown a platform with a pillar at each comer. 
The general structure is of brick, except some of the better rooms, in 
which a fine blue stone is used. The whole is falling rapidly into 
decay as a caravanserai , and has now indeed been converted into 
one of the common forts of the country by raising mud walls 
around and turrets at proper intervals: a miserable contrast to the 
elegant and substantial workmanship of former times. 
Our camp was usually quiet, but in our later progress it was dis« 
turbed by the quarrels of our own servants (who were mostly from 
Farsistan ) and those of the Mehmandar (who were natives of Irak.) 
The rivality and hatred, which exist between the people of the two 
neighbouring provinces, can be conceived by those only who have 
witnessed their effects. They are much greater than between Chris¬ 
tian and Mahomedan, or Sheyah and Sunni. The two parties frequently 
come to blows, which would have closed the dispute to which I 
allude, if we had not interfered; and if the Mehmandar had not 
exerted his best influence and authority by administering the stick plen¬ 
tifully to all the offending parties. 
31st. We called it twenty miles from Mayar to Ispahanek. We 
reached the extremity of the plains of Mayar , and then wound* 
