S59 
CHAPTER XVIL 
As it appeared necessary, in the unsettled state of affairs between 
Russia and Persia, that the Ambassador should be fixed at some place 
where he might communicate with ease and dispatch with the Persian 
Court, it was determined that he should pass the summer at Hamadan, 
whilst the King should establish himself, as usual, at Sultanieh. Our 
preparations were made accordingly: Kerim Khan, one of the King’s 
officers, was appointed to be our Mehmandar; and orders were sent 
to the Governor of Hamadan, to prepare the best houses of that city 
for the reception of the Embassy. 
We departed on the 26th of May, and having crossed the bridge 
at Karaj, we quitted the Casvin road, and entered upon that to Hama¬ 
dan. We first pitched our tents at Pitkinah, a mud-walled village, 
situated at the foot of a conical hill, on the top of which are some 
vestiges of buildings, called by the Persians Takht Kai KaooSf or the 
throne of Kai Kaoos ; a nearly similar hill, distant about three miles, is 
called the Takht Rustam ; both are seen from Teheran.* At the foot 
of the Takht Kai Kaoos is a whitened sepulchre, in which is entombed 
one of the descendants of Imam Cossim. We carried provisions to our 
next encampment, which was near the ruined village of Shireenabad, 
(the abode of sweets,) although it was situated in the middle of the 
salt desert of Zerend. It is probably to this desert that Polybius alludes, 
when he says, that Arsaces was persuaded that Antiochus would never 
attempt to lead his army through the desert beyond Ecbatana j*, and 
which we found as destitute of drinkable water, as it is recorded to 
have been in ancient times. Being an invalid, I generally departed 
before the remainder of the company, in order to escape the heat of the 
sun; and on this occasion my guide, in the darkness of the night, ma¬ 
naged to lose the way, among the most rude and difficult mountains that 
• * 
See the article Caikatis, in d’Herbelot. 
L L 2 
-j- Polybius, lib. x. 24. 
