'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.' [‎106] (145/1024)

106 The Persian Travels Book HI
From dgiaoux to Spankfiere.
From Spankfiere to So Her,
From Soiler to Argiche. ,
From Argiche to ghtiarakierpou.
From ^uiarakterpou to Pertyri,
From Perkeri to Zuarzazin. /
YtomZmrzazin to Sonferat. ,,, r
From Souferat to Devan, where two Piajhrs are gatner d tor every Horfe-load,
or elfe you muft pay at ,
From Devan to Van y where there is a Duty of two Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. and tour Abajfis to
be paid for every Horfe-load. For though Fjrc be inthe Territories of the Grand
Signor, yet the Persian Money is better lik’d than his own Coyn.
Van is a great City upon the fide of a wide Lake of the fame name. There ha
good Fortrets belongs to it, that is feated upon the top of a high Mountain which
ftands by it felf. There is but one fort of Fifir in the Lake, a little bigger than
a Pilchard, of which they take great ftore in the Month of April, For about a
League from the Lake there is a great River that is call’d Bendmabi, which de
fending from the Mountains of Armenia, empties it felf into the Lake. Now in
* March when the Snow melts and fwells the River, vaft numbers of thefe Fi(h come
. down the River into the Lake i which the Fiflier-men obferving, fo flop up the
Mouth of the River that the Fifii cannot go back s for elfe they would not flay
above forty days i at which time they catch ’em up in wide-mouth’d Baskets at the
Mouth of the River, thinking to return *, it being lawful for any man to fifh.The people
drive a greatTrade in thefe Filh, tranfporting them into Perfta and Amenia^o^
the Perfians and Armenians both, drinking Wine at the end of their Feafts, they
then bring this Difh to the Table fora Reli(hing*bit. The people of Van tell a
Story, how that there was a certain rich Merchant who farm’d the whole Filkry,
paying a good fum of Money for it to the Ba(ha\ who thereupon fiddly forbad
any to fi(h but the Merchant j whereas before it was free for any man. But when
the Filhing-feafon came, and that the Merchant thought to have caught his FiOi,
he met with nothing but Serpents. So that after that time the Fifhery was never
more farm’d. And there ferns to be fomething in in for the Bajhas, who area
fort of people that will lofe nothing they can get, would be certain to farm the
Fifti again and again, were there not fome ftrange reafon to hinder it. There are
two principal Iflands in the Lake of Van \ the one call’d Adaptions, where there
ftand two Covents of the Armenians, Sourpbague and S ourp bar a: the other liland
is call’d Limadafi, and the nkme of the Covent is Limquiliafi, all which Armnitn
Monks live very aufterely.
From Van to Darcheeky
From Darchecl^ to Nucbar , it hands in the Territories of a Bey of Curdijlan,
being a paltry Village confifting of two or three little Houfes. Thefe Bey’s area
kind of particular Lords, upon the Frontiers of both the Empires of Turkje and
Perfia, who care for neither : for they lye fo fecure among the Mountains, that
there is no aflaulting them by force. The Curds in general are a brutilh fojt of
people *, who though they ftile themfelves Mahometans, have very few Moullah’sio
InffrudF or teach them. They have a particular veneration for black Grey-hounds:
fo that if any perfon ftiould be feen to kill one of them, he would be knock’d o the
Head immediately. Neither does any one dare to cut an Onion with a Knife in their
prefence * but it muft be fqeez’d between two Stones by him that intends to make
ufe of it i fo ridiculoufly fuperftitious they are.
The Bey to whom Nucbar belongs has his Toll-gatherers in that place, who exact
fixteen Abafffs for every Horfe-load, befides a Prefent which the Caravan^Bm
is oblig’d to prefent him, which comes fbmetimes to feven or eight Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. : fome*
times more: for otherwife the Bey would be fure to watch the Caravan at force
feurvy place, and plunder it to fome purpofe. As once it happen’d to a Caravan,
with which my Nephew went along in the year 1672} though he had theg& ocl
lucklofe nothing more than one*Gamel laden with Englijh Cloth, and anot er
with his Provifion. The Bajba of Van and the Kan of Tauris took the Field wit an
intention to remedy thefe diforders: efpecially the Bajha of Van, who perceiving
that the Merchants would forfake that Road by reafon of the Injuries they al .