'Travels in Assyria, Media, and Persia, including a journey from Bagdad by Mount Zagros, to Hamadan, the ancient Ecbatana, researches in Ispahan and the ruins of Persepolis, and journey from thence by Shiraz and Shapoor to the sea-shore. Description of Bussorah, Bushire, Bahrein, Ormuz, and Muscat, narrative of an expedition against the pirates of the Persian Gulf, with illustrations of the voyage of Nearchus, and passage by the Arabian Sea to Bombay.' [‎47] (78/582)

to zohaub and serpool.
47
trowsers, large shoes made of plaited woollen-yarns sewn together,
and a conical cap of the same thick white cloth as their jackets,
with the bottom part cut into several divisions, which are either
turned up or let down at the pleasure of the wearer, form the
more striking peculiarities of their costume. Most of them wear
their hair long, which is often brown, and hangs in curls upon
their shoulders. Their persons are stout and well made, though
rather shorter and thicker than the ordinary standard. Their
features are decidedly different from either Arabs, Turks, or
Persians, and are rounder and flatter than either, approaching
nearer to the Tartar face than to those named. Their lan
guage has a nearer affinity to Persian than to any other, which
may have been caused by proximity of situation, for in their per
sons they are evidently a different race of men.
As we approached the town of Zohaub, we were frequently
deceived into a belief of seeing the minarets of mosques in diffe
rent directions, but these proved on nearer approach to be tall
white obelisks in the burying-grounds of this people. Some of
these were seen for several miles off, and must have been at least
twenty or thirty feet high. Such as we saw were rudely built of
stone, and coated over with a white plaster. They were all of
the form used in ancient Egypt, and are here placed only over the
graves of the dead, the size and height being proportioned to the
wealth and consequence of the occupier. This was a kind of mo
nument that I had not noticed before, though we were assured
that it was in use among all the Koords, but was peculiar to them.
We reached the town of Zohaub about noon, entering it by the
southern gate; and passing through the greater part of the interior,
we alighted at a small and crowded khan, near the market-place,
at its northern extremity.
As this town is out of the common route between Turkey and
Persia, and, properly speaking, belongs to neither, since it is as
often independent as otherwise, our arrival here caused very
general enquiry as to what had brought us this way. A message