PLAIN OF MERDASHT. 
571 
like men of another age turned to marble, all these awful forms, 
with the silence, and magnitude of every object, gave a parti¬ 
cular grandeur and solemnity to my last impression of Nakshi- 
Roustam. 
June 21st. I left the village of Hadjee-abad this day; crossing 
its valley, and river, at a short distance from it; and continuing 
along the base of the hills, on its southern side, for about three 
miles, till they terminated nearly opposite Nakshi-Roustam. 
We then bent to the south-west, still close to the mountains, 
and so entered the celebrated plain of Merdasht, in whose bosom 
lies so many treasures of antiquity. A ride of two farsangs more, 
brought us to the village of Kanarah, which is situated about 
two miles from the ruins of Persepolis ; and within its humble 
walls I set up my head-quarters, while examining the interesting 
relics of one of the most splendid capitals in the world. 
June 22d. This morning I rode about a farsang back, along 
the plain, on the road we came yesterday; and at the foot of one 
of the mountains called Nakshi-Rajab, which constitute the 
Persepolitan range, approached a large natural recess formed of 
rude masses of rock, receding and projecting in a variety of 
picturesque shapes. On the faces of three of them, I found as 
many historic bas-reliefs. That to the right (Plate XXVII.) is the 
same in subject, but in smaller dimensions, of the one at Nakshi- 
Roustam which represents the two colossal horsemen holding the 
royal circlet between them. There is so much difference in the 
compositions, that the prostrate bodies are omitted in this, and the 
execution is evidently of a later age and less skilful workmen. The 
figures are more clumsy, and the draperies all in a flutter. It is 
greatly mutilated, but not by time; the marks of savage violence 
are scarred over it in a thousand places ; and have passed on to 
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