'Collections of travels through Turky into Persia, and the East Indies. Giving an account of the present state of those countries, as also a full relation of the five years wars, between Aureng-Zebe and his brothers in their father's life time, about the succession. And a voyage made by the Great Mogul (Aureng-Zebe) with his Army from Dehli to Lahor, from Lahor to Bember, and from thence to the Kingdom of Kachemire, by the Mogols, call'd, the Paradise of the Indies. Together with a relation of the Kingdom of Japan and Tunkin, and of their particular manners and trade. To which is added a new description of the Grand Seignior's Seraglio, and also of all the Kingdoms that encompass the Euxine and Caspian Seas, being the travels of Monsieur TavernierBernier, and other great men.' [‎86] (123/1024)

The Persian Travels Book II.
to go abroad but only upon Thurfdays, when they go to the Sepulchers to Pra 7 (o>*
the Dead. And becaufe that by their Law the Husband is,oblig’d to lye with hi
lawful Wife upon Thurfday-night or Fryday.night, upon Wedneiday-roorninp tl'e ’
Women go to the Baths, where they perfume their Pleads and Bodies with a iweet
Water. They may go abroad fometimes at the other feafom, ’when their Husbands
give them leave to vifit their Kindred *, but then they are to be wrapt ur> f roril
Head to Footjthat it is impoffible for their Husbands themfelves to know them if the V
meet ’em i’the Streets. By the way take notice, that the Wonien, unlefs
they be fuch as are very poor, would rather (lay within all the days of their l\ V rJ
than go abroad without a Horfe. And it is a certain fign to know .a Curtifan fron
an honeft Woman •, for that the Curtifans put their Feet in the Stirup, and the honeft
Women only in the Stirup-leathers. The Women of Bagdat are very richly habited
after their fafhions but they are not contented to wear their jewels about their
Necks and Wrifts, for they hang them like Bracelets about their Faces, and will
bore holes in their Ears to put in a Ring. The Arabian Women only bore the
reparation between the two Noftrils, where they wear hollow Rings, as well to
fpare coll as for lightnefs *, for fome are fo big, that you may almoft thrufl your Fid
through them. Beyond ail this, the more to beautifie themfelves, they make a
round Ring about their Eyes with a certain fort of Blacking: And as well Men as
Women, intheDeiert, put the fame near their Eyes, to prefer ve them, as they fay
from the heat of the Sun.
Of Chriftians there are three forts: NeJIorians, who have a Church •, Armenians
and Jacobites, who have none, but go the Capuchins , who adminifter the Sacra-
ments to them. The Chriftians go in Devotion to a Chappel, about a fhort quarter
of a League from the City, dedicated to a Saint whom they call Keder-Elias, paying
a fmall Fee, for admiffion, to the Turks, who keep the Keys. Two days jourriey
from the City Hands another ruin’d Church in a pitiful Village, where they fay,
that St. Simon and St. Jude were both Martyr’d and Buried. If a Chriftian dyes, all
the reft come to his Burial, and returning home, find a Supper prepar’d to welcome
them} the next day they return to the Grave, and pray for the deceas’d » and the
third day there is a Dinner for all comers and goers. Sometimes there will be a
hundred and fiity perfons at a Burial. They repeat the fame Ceremonies for the
feventh, fifteenth, thirtieth and fortieth days afterwards ; having a great veneration
for the Dead, for whom they pray too often. This cuftom of Feafting is very in
convenient for the Poor ^ for they being defirous to imitate the Rich, run themfelves
fometimes fo far in Debt, that they are forc’d to fell their Children to the Turks to
difeharge themfelves.
There are leverai Jews alfo in Bagdat, but more that come every year in Devotion
to vifit the Sepulcher of the Prophet Ezekiel, which is a day and ahalfs journey
fi om the City. In fhort, fince tipe taking of Bagdat by Sultan Amur at, the number
0. Inhabitants cannot be lefs than fifteen thouland Souls j which fhews that the City
is not peopl’d according to its bignefs.
About a day and a halfs journey from the Point of AJefopotamia, at diftance almoft
equal between Tigris and Euphrates, there appears a vaft Heap of Earth, which
tne people call^to this day Nemrod. It Hands in the midft of a wide Plain, and
oiay be aifeover d a great way off. The vulgar fort believe it to be the Remains
of the Tower of Babel-, but there is more probability cf the ArabiansOJmon, who
call it Agariouf, and believe it to have been built by an Arabian Prince, who
always kept a Beacon at the top to aftemble his Subjecfs together in time of War.
T his Heap of Earth was about three hundred Paces in circuit *, but it is not eafie
to guels at the ancient height, the reft being fall’n to mine, but'only eighteen or
twenty Fathom. It is built of Brick dry d in the Sun, every Brick being ten
Inches Iquare, and three thick. Ihe Building is thus rais’d, yllpon every rowof
Canes or Reeds bruis’d to pieces and mix’d with Wheat-ftraw, and fpread an Inch
and a half thick, lye {’even orders of thefe Bricks with a little Straw between each*,
then another Bed of Reeds, and fix rows of Bricks; then a third with five rows,
decrcafmg in that manner ’till you come to the top. I he form of itfeems to have
bven rather fquare than round ^ and in the higheft partof that which remains there
appears a Hole like a Window* if it were not rather an Out-let for Water, ora
x0ie f° r l ‘ le Scaffolding. In fhort, according to the Defcription of Mofes there