'Persia and the Persian Question by the Hon. George Nathaniel Curzon, M.P.' [‎568] (635/714)

668
PERSIA
earlier Median kingdom, where Deioces erected the citadel with seven
concentric and coloured walls, painted like those of the terraced
temples of Babylon to represent the celestial spheres ? Upon this
point authorities differ, and are likely to continue to differ, until
the discovery of some relic or inscription throws light upon one of
the dark places of history. Outside the modern town is an eleva
tion, known as the Musallah, which has always been occupied by
a citadel (until levelled by Agha Mohammed Shah); but it is
doubtful whether this eminence can be made to correspond with
the Herodotean description. Sir H. Eawlinson has boldly sought
a solution of the difficulty, by locating the Median Ecbatana at a
spot called Takht-i-Suleiman (Throne of Solomon), about half-way
between Hamadan and Tabriz, where, upon a conical hill, are to be
found extensive ruins and the remains of a great fire-temple. 1 It
is certainly strange, if Hamadan be the site of a city, said by the
early Greeks to have been scarcely inferior to Babylon, that barely
a remnant worthy of the name should have been discovered. A
rudely carved stone lion, or rather the battered semblance thereof,
lies not far from the city, and is locally regarded as a talisman
or palladium against famine and cold. But the great beast tells
no tale, and until a really scientific attempt with pick and shovel
be made at Hamadan we can but imitate its silence. 2
Before I quit the subject of the western provinces of Persia,
let me revert once more to the boundary with Turkey, in order to
Turco- sa y that, ill-defined or dubiously recognised as 1 have
frontier described the frontier of Persia as being on the east, any
uncertainty existing in that quarter is as nothing com-
paied with the lack of exact delimitation that prevails here,
lSe<iil\ half a century ago, in order to prevent an impending
collision between Persia and Turkey on the Kurdish border, Great
Britain and Russia secured the appointment of a Turco-Persian
1 Journal of the It. G. S., vol. x. p. 1.
J For accounts of Hamadan ride A. Dupre (1807), Voj/ar/e en Perse, vol. i.
cap, xxm; J. p. Morier (1812), Second Journey, pp. 264-270; Sir H. Layard
(1840), Early Adventure*, vol. i. pp. 252-254, 269-273; J. P. Ferrier (1846),
Cciiatan Journeys, pp. 35-42; Mrs. Bishop (1890), Journeys in Persia, vol. ii.
e er sxiii. 1 he only Achasmenian remains found near Hamadan have been five
oi six bases of columns, one of which, presenting an inscription with the name of
rtaxerxes II. or Mnemon, was on view in the Paris Exhibition in 1889 (vide
iier Porter, Travels, vol. ii. p. 115; and Perrot and Chipiez, Bistoire de I Art,
V() ^ ^ ' an ^' on another spot, two other bases of columns (Flandin
and Coste, vol. i. pi. 25).