'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.' [‎71] (102/582)

BY THE PASS OF THE ARCH.
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known. The birth-place of this Caliph of Bagdad was the city of
Rey, the Rhages of the Scriptures, whose ruins are near to the
present Teheran, and this continued always to be one of the chief
seats of his magnificence, containing in its splendour, according to
Oriental Historians, three millions of inhabitants. As Bagdad
became, however, the residence of his latter days, and the tomb of
his wife Zobeida is still shown there, this town of Harounabad
might have been a station in his way from the one place to the
other, retaining his name from some connection with his presence
or patronage, now perhaps forgotten.
The stream which rises here is called Serneshoor, and is con
siderable enough to require a bridge near its source. It goes
easterly from hence, and probably falls into the Kara Soo, or river
of Kermanshah; but the people, satisfied with its watering their
plain, knew nothing further of its course beyond their immediate
neighbourhood.
Sept. 14th.—There being two horsemen going from hence soon
after midnight, who intended making the two stages to Kerman
shah in one, we determined to accompany them, and mounting
when the moon had risen, we went together south-east over the
plain, and along the stream of Serneshoor, for half an hour. From
hence we turned up northerly through rocky hills, by a nearer
bye-path, known to our companions only, and passing over them
came again into the high-road on a course of east north-east.
A little before day-light we ascended a very rugged steep, which
was appropriately called in Persian " Kotel-Nal-Shikund," or
" The horse-shoe-destroying Hill." Our course after this was all
the way east north-east, and we seemed to be gradually raising
our level by every successive hill, until the sun-rise opened to
us the beautiful prospect of " Mahee-Dusht," or the " yearly-
birth-giving-plain." This presented to us an extent of about
fifteen miles in length, by ten in breadth, of perfect level,
stretching from north north-west to south south-east, and bounded