'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.' [‎180] (211/582)

180
FROM HAMADAN
been a visible improvement in the state of agriculture and general
industry, resulting from the greater activity of the people alone
as the soil was the same, and the water not more abundant than
before. In the neighbourhood of Khomein, which was a large
village seated amidst gardens, we saw ploughed land sown with
grain and smoothly harrowed, extensive fields of cotton, and por
tions of the soil appropriated to other productions.
The village of Khomein occupies a great extent of ground,
though its population does not much exceed two thousand souls.
The Sheik, or civil governor, for there are no military in any of
these villages, has a large and good house, with gardens attached
to it. There were in this man's service three Russians, who had
been taken prisoners in the last war; and, with a number of
others, were then distributed over different parts of the country,
to prevent their being an expense to the state. Two of these
young men, calling at the khan to know what strangers had
arrived, soon became on an intimate footing with Ismael, to whom
they told their story. They wore the Persian dress, spoke the
Persian language, and expressed no dissatisfaction at their present
state, or a wish to return home; though we, as Arabs, sympathized
with them sufficiently to induce such a confession, if the feeling
itself existed. These young men were both shaved, and wore
mustachios:—so general is the wearing of the beard among all
classes of Persians, that these were the only two persons we had
noted without that appendage since our entering the country.
O ct. 1st. On leaving Khomein, we went up south-east by
south over a steep hill; and continued ascending for three full hours,
before we gained the summit of the range over which we had to
pass. We watered our horses near the top, and met at the spring
there a numerous troop of Persian horse-soldiers, from the dis
trict of Bactiar, on the west of Goolpyegan, two days' journeys,
^ ^ 6 m ^ un ^ ns Lauristan. They were leaving the service
° -f. t: ^ ere ' an ^ 8 0 ' n g to seek new employment un-
manshalf ^ Melyer ' and his ^ prince, at Ker-