'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.' [‎433] (464/582)

DOWN THE PERSIAN GULF The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
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employed an artist to drain the place, who dug a subterraneous
canal, and when he opened it, was himself chained round the mid
dle for safety, but was borne away by the strength of the current.
The passage itself then fell into ruins. Ardeschir subsequently
built on the same place the city of Ardeschir Khoureh, which was
afterwards repaired by Adhad-el-Dowla, a Dilemite prince, who
called it Firouzabad. Here the same writers assure us that all the
water which was used for drinking was procured from the brook
of Khanikan, since called Beraveh, or Bezazeh, and that the air of
the place was bad and corrupt.
Notwithstanding these defects, however, this capital of the dis
trict of Ardeschir was celebrated, as Dr. Vincent observes, for its
gardens, its vineyards, and its roses, as pre-eminent in Persia, as
those of Paestum in Italy; and Eastern geographers, while they
praise the inhabitants as being a sensible and honest race, do not
omit to mention, that there was finer rose-water made here than
in any part of the other provinces of the kingdom. #
The ruins of this city are still very considerable, according
to the reports given by a native of Fasa to Mr. Morier, and by
him, the Atesh Gau, or chief fire-temple of the Guebres, is placed
in a cave at Firouzabad. Col. Kinnier, however, who seems to
speak from personal observation, makes the Atesh Kudda, or fire -r
temple of Firoze Shah, to be a building with three immense domes,
and three small apartments before and behind, arched with small
rough stones, and cemented with lime. This, I should think, was
much more likely to be the remains of the lofty edifice of Ivan,
which was reared in the centre of the city for catching a pure air;
and the style of a building with three immense domes would be
more suited to such a purpose than to a fire-temple.
I remember a similar error of Captain Lockett, who is said
to have pronounced the Birs, or Tower of Belus at Babylon,
to have been a fire-temple also. It is well known, however,
that caves and elevated places, on the tops of mountains, were
frequently chosen by the fire -worshippers for their devotions; and
* De Sacy, Mfemoires, p. 346.
3 K