'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.' [‎302] (333/582)

302
SH1RAZ.
reem Khan, not more than forty years since. The period at which
Hafiz wrote is about four hundred and forty years ago. # The
original copy of his works, written by his own hands, was kept
here, chained to the tomb, until about a century since, when
Asheraff, the King of the Affghans, took Ispahan, and afterwards
Shiraz, in the reign of Shah Sultan Hussein ; and the book of Hafiz
was then taken by him to Candahar, where it is now said to be.
A copy was brought to us, of a folio size, finely written and em
bellished, from the pen of Seid Mohammed Ali, a celebrated writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping.
in the service of Kurreem Khan, who was personally known to my
Dervish, Ismael, and who lately ended his days at the tomb of
Imam Hoossein, at Kerbela.
In the open central portico of the building Which divides the
burying-ground from the garden, are some marble pillars with
Arabic capitals, no pedestals, and plain shafts, each in one piece;
their proportions being, like those already described, nearly Doric.
The garden beyond it has many fine cypresses and flower-beds,
but there are no tombs there.
We smoked a caleoon, and conversed with some of the Der
vishes here; but we were not suffered to depart without opening
the Book of Hafiz, for an ode suited to our respective conditions.
Ismael found one, which told him that the sickness of his heart
was occasioned by an absent lover for whom he pined. The one
on which I opened, inveighed against earthly fame and glory, com
pared with the enjoyments of the present hour; and others of our
party thought the passages found by them, on opening the book,
equally well suited to their several cases. From the time of Nadir
Shah, no one indeed comes here without making this trial of the
prophetic power of the poet, by opening his book at random, and
finding in the first page presented a passage suited to his con
dition, and all go away perfectly convinced of its unerring truth ;
Shiraz was in its greatest prosperity when visited by Timour. Hafiz, the poet, was then
there, and treated with distinction by the great conqueror Hist, of Persia, vol. i. p. 447.
Timour s battle and entry into Shiraz are described in the same work,—Vol. i. p. 463.