'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.' [‎312] (343/582)

312
SHIRAZ.
indifference and imbecility: he makes no pretensions to the
crown of Persia, and is therefore not an object of jealousy. The
Nizam-ud-Dowla of Ispahan had been lately appointed to the
government of Shiraz, to act under the Prince. This man is
said to be the greatest extortioner that even Persia has ever seen,
and is therefore a favourite with the King, who is cruel and ava
ricious, and is cordially hated by all his subjects. The people of
Shiraz are free, open-hearted, polite, and given to pleasure. Wine
is often drunk in private parties: and public women are in
greater numbers here than even at Ispahan. Literature and the
arts had been for years declining, and every thing has been grow
ing worse for the last twenty years.
There are but few Guebres, as the ancient disciples of Zo
roaster, the fire-worshippers of Persia, are called, at Shiraz.
They come occasionally from Yezd and Herat, but seldom re
main to settle. When they do, however, they live in a separate
class, like the Jews, and observe their own peculiar customs of
marriage, funeral, and other ceremonies, which resemble those
practised by the Parsees at Guzerat and Bombay. #
* Herodotus, at a very early period, makes the following observations on the manner
in which the ancient Persian funerals were observed. He says : ' As to what relates to then-
dead, I will not affirm it to be true that these are never interred till some bird or dog has dis
covered a propensity to prey on them. This, however, is unquestionably certain of the Magi,
who publicly observe this custom/—C/*o, 140. Beloe, in his note on this, says: 'The
Magi for a long time retained the exclusive privilege of having their bodies left as a prey to
carnivorous animals. In succeeding times, the Persians abandoned all corpses indiscrimi
nately to birds and beasts of prey. This custom still in part continues ; the place of burial
of the Guebres, at the distance of half a league from Ispahan, is a round tower made of free
stone ; it is thirty-five feet in height, and ninety in diameter, without gate or any kind of
entrance : they ascend it by a ladder. In the midst of the tower is a kind of trench, into
which the bones are thrown. The bodies are ranged along the wall, in their proper clothes,
upon a small couch, with bottles of wine, &c. The ravens, which fill the cemetery, devour
them. This is also the case with the Guebres at Surat, as well as at Bombay.'