78 
HOSPITALITY OF AMERAT. 
reservoir, near to the edge of which 1 slept. Ablution previous 
to prayer, and also before eating, is one of the ordinances adopted 
by the Koran ; but only the very strict observers of the law 
immerse themselves from head to foot: of this class were these 
matin devotees, who went through the regular routine of their 
pious offices, without the smallest apparent surprise or displeasure 
at seeing so many people lying about. Indeed, so much other¬ 
wise, that when the whole party awoke, and the good men 
discovered it belonged to a Frangy, so far from considering 
their temple defiled by having given shelter to a European and 
an unbeliever, they exclaimed “ Hoshe Omudi /” (You are wel¬ 
come !) and hurried off with the mehmandar, to send back what¬ 
ever the village afforded. His return brought every provision we 
could desire; and the leading persons of Amerat followed their 
hospitality, by coming out to us with every respect, and to offer 
us any further attention in their power. The contrast of man¬ 
ners, and of decency in their style of living, was certainly very 
striking between these well-ordered, industrious, and kind-hearted 
people, and the insolent, idle ruffians of Rhabad, whose boasted 
independence appeared to have engendered nothing within their 
walls, but rebellion against law, and contempt of humanity. 
Amerat is in the district of Kazaz, and is one of its two hun¬ 
dred and sixty villages. If the others be in an equally prosperous 
state with this, and the rest of the country over which they are 
ranged at all resemble the vale of Amerat in fertility, the district 
of Kazaz must be one of the richest in the empire. On making 
enquiry into the most abundant produce of the place, I was in¬ 
formed, that a vast quantity of corn is sent every year from the 
valley, to supply the markets of Ispahan and its vicinity. My 
informant told me, that the winters here are rather long; the 
