ISPAHAN TO TEHERAN. 175 
hitherto we had generally seen. The caravanserai at Gez, though fall¬ 
ing into decay, is still handsome, and is built of the same materials, 
and on nearly the same grand scale, as that which we had occupied at 
Mayar. This likewise is the work of the Seffis. Similar caravanserais 
were constructed at every stage on the road to Bagdad ; nothing, 
indeed, can equal the truly royal establishments which Shah Abbas 
the Great maintained throughout his dominions for the accommodation, 
of strangers. 
8th February. The bearing from Gez to. Mourchekourd is N. W. 
and the distance by our computation is eighteen miles, which we 
travelled in six hours. At about seven miles, we came to a ruined 
caravanserai, built of the same materials and in the same neat manner 
as that at Gez. Nearly facing it is a well, to which we descended by 
a path, excavated from the surface on an angle of forty-five degrees, 
and about fifty yards in length. We saw small fish swimming about 
in this well, which appeared to us to be a spring of fine and limpid 
water. After having travelled about six miles further, we came to a 
very handsome caravanserai. We had discovered it immediately on 
ascending the summit of a range of hills, over which the road carried 
us. It is situated on the right of the road, and, with its bath and 
reservoirs on the left, was built by the mother of Shah Abbas. The 
structure has suffered less, than any other which we have seen, by 
the injuries of time and man. It is built of brick on a foundation 
of the same fine blue stone, which we had so much admired at Mayar . 
The front is ornamented with an open brick-work, and with neat 
Mosaic. The portico is crowned by a superb dome, and leads into 
the square court; the sides of which contain the rooms for travellers. 
Behind are vaulted stables with much accommodation. The hummum 
is useless through decay; but the reservoir is still in good repair. 
From this we proceeded five miles to Mourchekourd, and passed 
over a part of the plain, on which Nadir Shah gained his decisive 
victory over Ashrepf, the Afghan Chief. The mountains to the 
Northward were covered with snow, and still presented a winter to us, 
ftl 
