'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.' [‎239] (270/582)

DEPARTURE FROM ISPAHAN.
239
ever, still continued attached to me; and though he was evi
dently averse to our setting out on the journey alone, yet he
affected to bid a loud defiance to all dangers, as he buckled on
his sword.
Mr. Armstrong insisted on accompanying us out of the city,
and the Topjee Bashee, Assad Ullah Khan, who was prevented
from doing us this intended honour, by his having an early en
gagement with the Governor, sent his own led horse, with his
young son, Mohammed Hassan, and a number of his servants to
swell our train. All this, as I had now resumed my former cha
racter of an Arab Pilgrim, I would rather have dispensed with,
but there was no resisting these kind attentions.
As we quitted Ispahan, we went out through the Shiraz-gate,
passing through the long avenues of the Char Bagh in our way,
and having gardens on each side of us, well watered by fountains,
canals, subterranean aqueducts, # and artificial cascades, the trees
in most luxuriant foliage, and full-blown roses adding their per
fume to this general breath of Spring, prolonged to so late a sea
son. Crossing the bed of the Zeinderood by the fine bridge
before described, we continued our course southerly, having
Julfa and the mountain of the fire temple on our right; and
passed through a mean but extensive burying-ground, where a
party of females were uttering their lamentations over a new-
made grave;f
In about an hour we had gained a line of small hills, in one of
the passes through which we filled our water-skins at an enclosed
spring,, as we learned that there was no water on the road before
* The aqueducts of Persia are all subterranean, and contribute nothing to the architec
tural beauty or ornament of the country, like those of Europe.
f This is a very ancient custom. We read of the hired mourners for the dead in the
Scriptures. Herodotus describes the practice as prevalent in ancient Egypt. And Herbert
has the following mention of it in his day in Persia :
1 Their marriages have not much ceremony, poligamy is tolerable. Their burials are
exactly performed by hired women, who for five hours space, scratch their ugly faces, howl
bitterly, tear their false hair, swoon and counterfeit sorrow abominably: these their ejaculations