276 
SULTANIA. 
An hour’s ride brought us into the midst of the ruins ; 
amongst whose broken arches, and mouldering remains of all 
sorts of superb Asiatic architecture, I discovered the most 
wretched-looking hovels of any I had seen in Persia. Amongst 
these miserable dwellings, inhabited by a few poor husbandmen 
of the plain, the whole suite were to be scattered. But the 
Prince, sharing every disagreeable of the journey, entered one 
of the meanest huts ; and, to my surprise, established himself 
there, instead of retiring to the splendid residence in the neigh¬ 
bourhood, which, doubtless, would have been at his command. 
Sultania may be about six farsangs from Kairan ; and, accord¬ 
ing to observations taken by some British officers in Persia, the 
ancient city is in latitude 36° 32'. It is situated on a fine plain, 
or, we might rather call it, one of those very extensive valleys, 
which spread themselves to a vast extent through the different 
intermediate ranges of this gigantic mountain-country. The 
fertility of the vale of Sultan ia has been noted for many ages; 
and, I am told, it still maintains that happy reputation. The 
miserable huts in the deserted city do not witness the same 
account; but, as I have hinted before, prosperity of every sort, 
in this part of the world, bears its acquisitions meekly. The 
plain is bounded to the north-east, and south-west, by chains of 
hills, of every picturesque form, and covered in summer with the 
most luxuriant verdure. Some writers give the city no older a 
date than the seven hundredth and fifth year of the Hejira; 
ascribing its foundation to Sultan Aldjiapton Mahomed, son of 
Urghan Khan, a prince, perhaps, better known by the title 
of Sultan Maho m ed Khodabund. A Persian manuscript, written 
about a century after this supposed origin of Sultania, calls it 
“ a new city, between Casvin and Zengoon, extremely splendid ; 
