'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.' [‎161] (192/582)

THE SITE OF THE ANCIENT ECBATANA.
161
other articles of the toilette, to distinguish them from those of the
males.
The entrance to the town of Hamadan was as mean as that of
the smallest village we had seen, and great ruin and desertion was
apparent on every side. We saw an old dilapidated brick se
pulchre, standing detached, of a square form, and evidently of
ancient date as a Mohammedan work, but now entirely neglected.
This was said to be the tomb of Sheekh Aboo-el-Senna, or, as he
is sometimes called, Abu Ali-ben-Senna, the Avicenna of Euro
peans, a distinguished philosopher, and author of the Arabic work
called Mukamat-el-Arafin; but whose name and reputation seems
to be almost forgotten here.
We continued our way through poor bazaars and miserable
streets, until, after much difficulty, we obtained shelter in a half
ruined caravansera.
During our detention of three days at Hamadan, where we
were kept waiting for a safe opportunity to proceed on our way, I
had the ill-fortune to be seized with a violent fever, originating,
perhaps, in the combined causes of sudden change of temperature,
bad water, and the free use of fruits, which, from necessity and
convenience, formed here our chief food. This confined me to the
khan more than I could have wished ; but I still profited by our
stay, to examine many parts of the town, and extend my enquiries
to such particulars as most interested me at the moment; the
record of which was, however, necessarily very brief and hurried,
though there is no spot where I should have been more pleased to
have been able to make extended enquiries, and amass copious
materials for description and investigation. It is not in the power
of travellers, however, always to command what they desire; and
in barbarous countries especially, they are often detained against
their will in places of no interest, and hurried away as precipitately
from those at which they would gladly prolong their stay.
Up to the time of Sir William Jones, whose authority on sub
jects of Oriental geography, few dared to dispute, it was con-