'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.' [‎253] (286/1024)

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Chap. XXII. of Monfieur Tavernier. 255
cently built by the Mother of Kan of Lar, when the great Sha- Abbas
took this Countrey from the Gaum * whom he conftrain’d to turn Mahu-
The 27 th I fet out at four of the Clock in the morning, and about feven I paft
through a Village feated in a fmall plain. A league from thence I lodg’d in an Inn
call’d Pai-Cotali •, that is to fay, the foot of the Mountain, as being built at the
foot of the Mountain. From thence to Lar is not above four or five hours tra
vellings but the way is very bad, and feveral fwift Torrents are, to be part
over. '
You may take another Road from upon the right-hand toward the Weft >
it is the (horter way by two or three leagues; but fobad, and fo narrow, that in
many places t wo Horfemen cannot ride a-breft, being for the moft part all Rocks
and Precipices. ’ . ;
Lar is the Capital City of the Province of the fame name, which formerly
bore the title of a Kingdom. It is but of an ordinary bignefs, enclos’d on both
fides with high Mountains, being built round about a Rpck, upon which there
ftands a Caftle of Free-ftone, wherein the King keeps a Garrifon. The whole
Country is very hot, nor have they any water but Rain water, which they pre-
ferve in Citterns, and which foiretimes caufes a wide Torrent that runs by one
fide of the City, and falls from a Cafcade two ftories high, made of Free-ftone. In
the City and parts adjacent, grow a great number of trees, efpecially Date trees
and Tamarisk. The Gardens alfo and Mountains are full of Orange trees.
There are but two Inns in Lar, the one within the City, which is not a very
good one*, the other at the end of the City towards Ortmts, jyhich would be
convenient, but that it is always afloat when the Rains falh for which reafon the
Franks generally lye at the Hollanders Houfe at the end of the City. And there
is a neceflity for flaying at Lar^ to change the Camels j for the Camels that come
from Ifpahan can go no furthers every City having their particular priviledges.
Which fometimes proves prejudicial to.the Merchant, in regard the Governour
will delay the change of the Camels till he is prefented.
The Fortrefs oi Lar takes up the whole furface of the top of the Rock * and
there is but one way to climb it up, with great difficulty. It is more long than
broad and the four corners arefortifi’d with four Baftions, or Bulwarks, between
which are rais’d feveral Towers, for the Souldiers Lodgings. That Fortrefs is the
Royal Prifon, whither the King fends fuch Prifoners as he takes in war, or fur-
prizes by ftratagem. I met wiih two there, one a Prince of Georgia, tht other
Mengrelia. The two Princes had each of them a Toman 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. a day allow’d them,
and tenor twelve Servants to wait upon them. Upon one of the corners of the
Caftle, toward the Weft, was built a Banquetting Houfe with three or four Cham
bers. In the middle of the Court hands the Magazine, full of Bows and Arrows,
Bucklers and Muskets, enough to arm fifteen hundred men. for the Inhabitants
of the Province, but more efpecially of the City of Lar, are accounted the beft
Mufqueteers in Perfia, and the beft at making the Barrels of Muskets, all but the
Breach, which they know not how to order fo well as we. The Governours Houfe t
anfwers to the great Road *, but there is nothing at all of neatnefs without, only
before the door there is a good handfomc Court, about fixty paces fquare, and
clos’d in with Walls, which leads you into two large Bazars of good Stone, very
well arch’d.
The moft part of the Inhabitants of Lar ate Jews, who are famous for leveral
Silk Manufa&ures, efpecially for making neat Girdles. The Countrymen wear up
on their heads a kind of a felt of fine wool, and very well wrought. It refcmbles
a Cap not yet ftiap’d, with four Corners behind, and cut on the fides j andthefe
forts of Caps are made at Kerman,
There are an infinite number of Cifterns, as well within the City, as in the parts
adjacent \ and all but little enough, in regard that fometimes it does not rain for
three years together. When the Rains fall they do not fill their Cifterns the firft
day, but rather cover them quite up, till the earth be well foak’d. Now for the
diftributton of this water they take an excellent courfe *, for they never keep open
above three Cifterns at a time} and when they do op’n them, the Governour or
fome other perfon appointed for that purpofe, is prefent > fo precious is water
- v H h 2 in >