'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.' [‎61] (92/582)

BY THE PASS OF THE ARCH.
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when, in about half an hour more, we gained the summit, to
enjoy repose for a moment from the toil of our ascent, to feast on
an extensive prospect, and to breathe a delicious air. The summit
of the mountain is about three thousand feet above the level of
the Plain of Bagdad, and two thousand above the level of the
Plain of Bagilan, or Ghilan, on which its base reposes, there
being at least one thousand feet in progressive ascent from the
first of these levels to the last. As Bagdad, however, is elevated
from the sea by so much only as is necessary for the descent of
the waters of the Tigris into the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , it would not re
quire Collection of papers folded in half and stitched together to form a gathering of folios. much to be added to complete the height of this part of
Zagros from the level of the ocean; so that three thousand feet
may be considered as very near its total elevation from the sea.
On that part of the summit over which we passed, the snow lies
for three full months in the winter, so as to render it impassable for
caravans, though single passengers and messengers traverse it at
all seasons. There are other parts of the chain, to the north
west of this, which are considerably higher, particularly those
seen from Altoon Kupry, which were covered with snow in the
month of July, when I passed in sight of them; but such parts
of the range as we could see from hence to the south-east, were
but very little higher than this on which we stood. #
Our descent from the summit of Mount Zagros was more easy
than our ascent had been, this lying over round woody hills, with
grass turf and weeds on the soil; and in about an hour after leaving
the pass we came to the ruins of an old khan, with a new one
near it, now building, and not yet half finished. We found,
however, sufficient shelter for our small party, and consequently
alighted there.
This is called the Khan-el-Tauk, having no town near it to
* There was a Coele Persis (Koil6 Persist as well as Coele-Syria, both expressing a hol
low country, as a Syria or Persia between the mountains. The province of Media is styled
Kooestan by the Persians, and A1 Jebal by the Arabs: both express a region of mountains,
corresponding to the Zagros of the Greeks,