'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.' [‎247] (280/1024)

Chap. XXL of Monfieur T A VERNI ER.
way to be levdPd out of the Rock about x 5 or 2© foot above the River, which
he fecur’d to the water-fide witha Wall three or four foot high. This way con
tinues for half a league, and then you come to lye at a great Village in a Plain,
where you take Guides to (hew you the Fords of the Ptiver.
Having paft the River, you crofs over feveral fertil Plains water’d with great ftore
of Rivers. Then you afcend a Mountain, from whence you have but a league
and a half to Tche-elminar.
At the point ofthe Mountain, upon the right-hand of the great Road, are to be
feen twelve Pillars fill (landing, that form a kind of a fquare. In the fpaces of
the Mountain are a great number of Niches, that are oppofit to the Pillars, and
were certainly the places where the ancient Perfians put their Idols. Thence you
come to Tche-elminars where are to be feen a great many old Columns, fome
(landing, and forne lying upon the ground, and fome ill-Qiap’d Statues, with
little four-fquare dark rooms. All which together, eafily perfwades me, who have
well confidefd the principal Pagods of India, that Tche-elminar was only a Temple
formerly dedicated to Idolatrous worftiip. And that which confirms my opinion,
is, that there is no place more proper for an Idolatrous Temple then this, by rea-
fon of the abundance of water. Befides, that the dark Rooms could be no other
then the Chambers for the Prieftsi and where the Rice and Fruits that were the
feigned n©uri(hment of the Idols, were the better fecur’d from gnats and
(lies.
Leaving Tche- elminar, you come to lye at a Village half a league farther, where
is very good Wine. From thence to ScMras is a hard days journeys efpecially
when the Snow begins to melt: for then the Pvoad looks like a little Sea.
2 47
CHAP. XXI.
Of the City of Schiras.
‘ ;, r| „ . 1 . ' J > ■ . s i). '
T HE City of Schiras lies in 78 degr. 1$ min. of Longitude, and 2p deg. 3d
min. of Latitude. ^Itisfeated in a plain that extends it felf about four
leagues from the North to the South, and from the Wed to the Eaft about five
leagues. Upon the South-eaft there is a Lake of fait water four leagues in com-
pafs; leaving the Plain as you travel to the South, you pafs between two Moun
tains, which are not fo clofe, but that they leave room for certain pleafant Valleys
3 'league and a half wide.
The Soil about Schiras is good, and fruitful^ and it is particularly famous for
the moft excdlent Wines of ail Perfia. As for the City it felf, there is nothing
handfonac in it: for it looks rather like a Town half ruin’d then a City. For
merly it was begirt with walls of Earth, which are now utterly decaid. The
Houfes are of the fame Earth dri’d in the Sun, and whiten’d over with lime i fo
that when it happens to rain, when the Earth comes to be well moiften’d, the
Houfes fall of themfelves. Only the Colledg which Iman-Kouli-Kan built, and
fome of the Mofqttces are of Brick: and the beft of thofe Mofquees is call’d
Sha-Sbiraque, which out of a particular devotion is kept fomewhat better in re
pair. However, there is nothing in it worth taking notice of. Upon the North-
call fide, the City runs within a quarter of a league of the Mountain : and from
a Stone-bridg, as you go out of the City to the foot of the Mountain, is a long
Street in a ftreight line, where there ftands a Mofquee, built by Iman-Kouli-Kan,
Without, it appears fair enough *, but within, it falls to ruine. There is an Otto-
gonal Piazza before the Gate, and in the middle of the Piazza an Ottogonal Vafe,
j^hich is fill’d by a little ftream that runs through the Street from the Mountain.
Both Tides of the Street from the Mofquee to the Mountain are wall’d in; and at
certain fpaces are great Gates one againft another, with rooms over them , the
Windows whereof open into the Gardens behind the walls: all along by which,
^ns a row of Gypxefs* trees in a diredfc line ; and in the middle of the Street
about