"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. [‎٣‎٤‎٠] (٥٨٢/٣٧١)

340
VISIT TO THE RUINS OF SHAPOOR.
the sovereign, who looks that way, are all on foot, except the driver
of the elephant; and on the other side, or behind him, they are
all on horseback. #
A Mohammedan visitor had here also sculptured some Arabic
inscriptions. The figures of this tablet are small, but in full re
lief, and of more finished execution than any of the other side.
About a quarter of a mile west-south-west of this, and among
heaps of ruined dwellings, are the remains of a small square
edifice, which was probably a temple of worship, as it consisted
of only one apartment. It is not more than fifty feet square, and
faced north-north-west and south-south-east. It is deep in the
inside beyond the common level, and is filled with green bushes.
The north-north-west wall is standing, and would seem to be the
front; but there is a great peculiarity in it, as there is no door of
entrance in this, nor the mark of one in any other of the sides.
It has an arched window cut in a single stone, and this not placed
in the centre of the building. On the top are the mutilated
bodies of four sphynxes, which face inward to the edifice; so that
it would seem from this, not to have been roofed originally. The
stones are large, well hewn, extremely regular in shape, which is
an oblong square, and joined with much greater skill than those
in the platform of Persepolis, though, from being a soft lime-stone,
the edges are more worn and rounded. The walls are about
fifteen feet thick ; the space between the inner and outer facing
being filled up with unhewn stones, imbedded in lime; and
this, as a piece of masonry, is quite equal to Roman works in
general. This place is called Ser-a-goh, or the cow's head, from
the supposed resemblance of the sphynxes to cows.
About a quarter of a mile to the south-west of this, going
thiough heaps of ruined dwellings, all of a common kind, we
Sapor, or Shahpoor, the Sassanian monarch from whom this city was named, was con-
ucte to Antioch by a Pageant Emperor of his election, who wore the purple of the Ctesars.
—History of Persia, vol. i p. 98.