KOOM. 
165 
which lay in their way; and Arsaces, according to Polybius, ordered 
the wells to be broken and filled up, upon the advance of Antiochus 
from Ecbatana; whilst Antiochus, on the other hand, seems to have 
been so well aware of their consequence to him and his army, that he 
sent troops to drive away the Persian cavalry who were employed upon 
this service.* 
As we travelled onwards we discerned the gilt cupola of the tomb of 
Fatmeh, at Room, about five miles before we reached the village of Pas- 
sengoon; and we were told, that on a clear day, when the rays of the 
sun strike bright upon it, it is to be seen from the caravanserai of 
Abshour, a direct distance of fifteen miles. 
Room is remarkable for three things : its numerous priests, its gilded 
cupola, and its ruins. The greater part of the inhabitants are Seyids^ de¬ 
scendants of Ali, who, besides the remains of the sister of Imam Reza 
that are here entombed, possess a great attraction in Mirza Abul Cossim, 
one of the chief Mushteheds (high priests) of Persia, who resides here. The 
Seyids form a powerful body in Persia. We were not permitted to enter 
within the mausoleum; but we were told that the tomb itself, and the bars 
of the grate which surround it, are of solid silver, and that its gates are 
plated with gold, upon which are inscribed sentences of the Roran. All 
around the tomb are hung up, in great display, various offerings, con¬ 
sisting of pieces of jewellery, arms, rich apparel, and other things that 
are accounted scarce and precious, One of the most costly offerings 
is a jilm, or ornament for the head, presented by His Majesty, and 
which formerly belonged to his mother. This circumstance will acquire 
more interest from the coincidence of Crcesus having consecrated his 
wife’s necklaces and girdles at Delphi. :|: Around all these riches, de¬ 
posited under a dome which itself looks like gold, are to be seen only 
broken mud walls, and an array of naked and arid mountains. Such 
is Persia: immense wealth lavished upon one object, the magnificence 
of which, compared with the surrounding misery, renders the contrast 
more striking. 
* Polybius, lib. x. 25. 
f Numbers, xxxi. 50. 
:|: Herodotus, Clio, 51. 
