406 
ISPAHAN. 
on for considerably more than a mile, to where they terminated 
at the northern angle of the royal square, or Maidan Shah. 
Crossing one side of this immense area, we re-entered the con¬ 
tinuation of the bazar at the opposite angle, and having traversed 
its arcade also, issued forth into a vast space of what had been 
streets and squares, now covered with ruins of every description. 
This was a melancholy avenue to the residence of the great 
monarch, now no more, who had seen so many of those very 
buildings rise up under his own eye; who had ridden abroad 
through their populous and thriving streets, rejoicing in the 
prosperity of his people, and proud of the magnificence it 
produced. This sad desolation brought us to the gate of the 
Shaker Bagh , or four gardens, the superb domain attached to 
the palace of the great Shah Abbas. Notwithstanding I had 
dispatched my mehmandar the preceding evening, to prepare 
for my arrival, by some miscalculation of the time of my ap¬ 
pearance, he was out of the way, and it was some hours before I 
could get within its walls. However, the trial of my patience 
was amply repaid by the pleasantness of my quarters; the 
Ameen-i-Doulah’s people brought the keys, and I soon found 
myself in excellent apartments, overlooking parterres of flowers, 
beautiful fountains, and delightfully shaded by towering plane- 
trees. 
According to the observations made by one of the British 
officers now resident in Persia, Ispahan lies in latitude 32° 40' 24", 
longitude 84° 18'. The origin of the city is not to be traced 
with any certainty, but it is generally supposed to have arisen 
from the ruins of Hecatompylos, the Parthian capital; while some 
will have it to stand on the site of the Aspa, or Aspadana of 
Ptolemy. But be this as it may, the situation of the city to- 
