'A second journey through Persia, Armenia, and Asia Minor, to Constantinople, between the years 1810 and 1816. With a journal of the voyage by the Brazils and Bombay to the Persian Gulf. Together with an account of the proceedings of His Majesty's embassy under Sir Gore Ouseley, Bart. K.L.S. With two maps, and engravings from the designs of the author.' [‎294] (347/516)

S94
CAVERN NEAR MOURDEE.
ill
for riches is very great; for among other instances of it, it is affirmed,
that he sows 700 kherwar (nearly 500,000 lbs.) of grain annually: he
breeds a race of hardy horses, much esteemed throughout Persia.
He is one of the greatest of the elders of Persia, being called the Reish-
sefeed (White Beard) of Aderbigian.
After the Ambassador had returned his visit, and gone through the
usual forms of receiving and giving presents ; on the 30th October,
we again proceeded on our journey, and pitched at the village of
Mourdee, distant eight miles from Maragha. About four miles from
our encampment, we turned from the road to the right, to see a cave
in the mountains, which had been described to us by Ahmed Khan as a
great natural wonder. We travelled through the wilds of some high
and stupendous mountains, until we came to a river that flows at the
bottom of a deep vale. Here we dismounted from our horses, and
ascended a most difficult and steep mountain, at the very summit of
which was the cave. Our conductor, an Eelaut, whom our Mehmandar
had forced from his road to the town, in order to be our guide, stept up
the ascent with great facility, whilst we could scarcely proceed ten yards
without throwing ourselves on the ground to gasp for breath. Having
leached the object ot our search, we found a natural cavity, of vast di
mensions, and an admirable retreat in times of anarchy, but without
any trace of human workmanship about it. On the opposite mountain, we
saw a flock of wild goats, and the print of a lion's paw was remarked
on the banks of the river. As we returned from this fatiguing expe
dition, two men who belonged to some black tents, situated in the nook
of the mountain, came towards us, and made a formal request to the
Ambassador, that he would alight and breakfast, but being hurried to
reach our stage, we were obliged to refuse their hospitality.
A river which rises in the mountain of Sahand and falls into the lake,
ows by Mourdee, and is known by the name of the Mourdee chai.
r ^ le neX ^ reac hed Bilkabad, having traversed a country of
slight ascents and descents, with a tendency to table land like the hills
about Maragha. This region is of a considerable elevation; and