The travels of Monsieur de Thevenot into the Levant. In three parts Viz. Into. I. Turkey. II. Persia. III. The East-Indies / Newly done out of French [by A. Lovell].

Thévenot, Jean de, 1633-1667.

Date:: 1687

Credit: The travels of Monsieur de Thevenot into the Levant. In three parts Viz. Into. I. Turkey. II. Persia. III. The East-Indies / Newly done out of French [by A. Lovell]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$I fliall not obferve any thing here, of what I faw in Verfia on my return from Bender-Ahajji to Ifpaban, becaufe I have amply written of that in my fécond Volume : All 1 intend to fay, is, that having agreed with a Muletor who was going to Tauris, we went out of Ifpabanby the Gate of Tockchi • that ^ent oüt of I found it lobe a fine Countrey , abounding in Cotton, and full of Villages ]pa aru and neat Pigeon-Houfes,and that about four Leagues from Ifpaban, the Mu¬ let or s obliged us to tarry fix days in a Kervanferay , at a Village called Sin ,Sin* where the Armenians made them ftay for the reft of the Caravan -, which ve¬ ry much incommoded me , becaufe of the inconvenience of the place, and there I had a Feavor and Ague. We put out from thence the laft day of O Bo ber-, there were no lefs than two hundred Mules in the Caravan, and fome Camels alfo : After four days March we came to Cacban, having paft large barren Plains, and therefore we had nopleafure in our Journey before we came to a Bourg called Gourabad, where we refted our felves in Gardens full of Fruits, and furnifiied with excellent water. The Town of Cacban is begirt with a Ditch and two Walls, which began L(tcloan- to be ruinous -, it is two hours march in circuit ; the Bazars of the Town are Arched, and have the light by round Windows, which are in the Arches at a Fathoms diftance one from another, and thefe Bazars being very large, I went too and again in them a long while on Horfe-back : This is a Town of much Trade, and the Shops are as well furnifhed as at Ifpaban. They work here in Gold and Silk, and the lovely Flower’d Girdles that are carried to Ifpaban,are made in this Town, as alfo moft excellent Earthen Ware, which is fold through the reft of Ter ft a and in the Indies. The Kervanferas are pretty well built,but the private Houfes are fo ugly, (that except the Kings Houfe,)there is not any worth the minding: There is a Met da» there as in other Townsend I was told there were Scorpions there as long as ones finger ,whofe Sting was mortal -, but the people of the Coun¬ trey affirm,that they do no hurt to ftrangers,which 1 take to be a Fable,and I faw none of them -, we ftayed three days there, and leaving it on the third, we came to the Town of Com. Com» VCllllC- LVJ CUV JL W y* u v/t wr... This Town hatha Ditch and Earthen Walls like to thofe of a Village, and are ruined in feveral places -, it will require two hours to make the cir¬ cuit of it. The Streets are wide and {freight, and the Bazars narrow -, the Meidan is a pretty handfom fquare; the Palace of the King, and Houfes of the great Men are in the Suburbs, King Cha-Abas the Second died there, and there lyes buried. • < The Sepulchres of Mafoume, Sifter to Imam-Riza, and of the Kings Sep The Sepulchres the firft, and Abas the fécond, are in one Mofque there , into which they oï Mafoume. enter by three doors-, the Porch of it is Arched , the Pavement covered^/ 1. with Carpets, and the Walls varniflied with feveral Colours -, from the Abas 1 u Porch one enters into a dome which receives no light but by two doors, of which the Shutters that are feven or eight Foot high , and about a Fathom broad are of Silver, and the Threfhold of the lame Metal * the Dome is Arched and adorned with Niches, Folliages and painted Flowers : The Tomb of Mafoume (which is of grayifh Marble) is in the middle, and is full feven foot high, it is fquare, and each fide about three Fathom long ; it is enclofed within a Silver-Graté, and the Grate is not above three fingers breadth from the Tomb -, there are Alcorans at the fides of it, and two Ta¬ bles faftened to the Grate, with Prayers of the Akoran upon them, for thofe who go thither in Devotion; there are Lamps alfo, but they are not lighted The Body of the Mofque goes quite round the Chappel of Mafoume, the Pavement of it is covered with Carpet ; at the end of the Temple (on the The c , right fide,) is the Chappel of Cha-Sefi, which is Arched, and the entry into of it is by two Silver-Gates,the Threftiolds being of the fame Metal -, his Tomb is covered with Cloath of Gold, and I found there a Moula repeating the Al¬ coran ; behind the Tomb there is a Silver-Grate a Fathom high and three Fathom broad, going out of that Chappel one fees the Chappel of Cha-Abas the Second,which is diredly oppofite to it ; it hath likewife the Doors and Threfholds$