"رحلات في آشور، ميديا، وبلاد فارس، بما في ذلك رحلة من بغداد مروراً بجبل زاغروس وصولاً إلى حمدان، في أكباتانا القديمة، والبحوث في أصفهان وأطلال برسبوليس، ورحلة منها مروراً بشيراز وشابور وصولاً إلى ساحل البحر. وصف البصرة، بوشهر، البحرين، هرمز، ومسقط، وسرد لحملة ضد قراصنة الخليج العربي، مع رسومات توضيحية لرحلة بحرية لنيرتشوس، والمرور ببحر العرب إلى بومباي. [‎١‎٧‎٤] (٥٨٢/٢٠٥)

174
FROM HAMADAN
to us, on the left of our road, and distant two or three miles a
large castle, seated high on an artificial mound, and now contain
ing within it a peopled village. It is called Khallet Mohammed
Bek-Tahavildar, and is probably a modern work, though we could
obtain no accurate information as to its age.
There were a number of villages distinguishable from afar, by
their gardens and poplar trees, and some even near the road, but
of these we learned only the name of one on the right, called
Nazijan, which we passed about two hours after being opposite to
the castle before named.
The stream, which ran through the centre of the plain, flowed
to the north-west, so that we were again raising our level. Its
waters were highly transparent, but its bed was choked by long
grassy weeds, and the water itself exceedingly bitter and disa
greeable to the taste.
About noon we entered the large village of Kherdoo, which is
the usual halt of caravans; but as the next stage was said to be
only four hours, and I had continued to gain strength, and to lose
my fever as we went along, we made only an halt of an hour
here to repose a little, and then pushed on to regain our lost
time.
At Kherdoo the stream is larger than before, but its waters
were still of a bad taste. We noted at this place a rude bridge
formed of the trunks of poplars, supported by upright posts.
Separate portions of the town are enclosed by walls, and the
houses are large enough to contain all the conveniences which
the people desire.
From Kherdoo we set out again before El Assr, and going
still east by south along the plain, with the stream of water on
our right, we passed, in about two hours, a large village seated
amidst gardens, but as it lay a little off the main road, we did
not earn its name. The district from here onward is called
Char rah.
Two other hours on the same course brought us to Giaour-