230 
ENVIRONS OF TABRIZ, 
seldom have a screen to keep them from the gaze of passengers; and 
as we generally rode out on horseback at a very early hour, we per¬ 
ceived on the tops of the houses, people either still in bed, or just 
getting up, and certainly no sight was ever stranger. The women ap¬ 
peared to be always up the first, whilst the men were frequently seen 
lounging in bed long after the sun was risen. This universal custom of 
sleeping on the house-top, speaks much in favour of the climate of 
Persia; and indeed we found that our repose in the open air was much 
more refreshing than in the confinement of a room. That this was a 
Jewish custom, may perhaps be inferred from the passage where it is 
said. That in an evening tide^ David arose from off his hed^ and walked 
upon the roof of the King's house. 2 Sam. xi. 2. 
During our stay at Tabriz we made such frequent excursions on 
horseback, that we became well acquainted with its environs. The 
plain in which it is situated is bounded to the north-east, the east, and 
south-east by a chain of barren mountains, conspicuous for their red 
