"رحلات السيد بيترو ديلا فالي، وهو نبيل روماني، إلى الهند الشرقية وصحراء الجزيرة العربية. وفيها يصف بدقة البلدان المختلفة، وكذلك العادات، الأعراف، التجارة، الطقوس الدينية والمدنية، لهؤلاء الأمراء وتلك الأمم الشرقية: في رسائل وديّة إلى صديقه السيد ماريو سكيبانو. وتم إضافة سرد عن رحلة السير توماس رو إلى جزر الهند الشرقية" [‎٢‎٦‎٢] (٥٠٨/٢٨٣)

The Trave Peter Delia Valle,
fore doubting left he might fend to do us feme difpleafure^ al
though it was night, weremov'd our Quarters, andtravelldin
hafte till midnight.
June the twenty WeTet forth by day-light, and journied
till Noon, and after two hours reft, continued our way till night
over Lands ibmetimes moorifti with abundance of little canes 3
fometimes whitifh with ralt 3 aud fometimes cover'd with thick
ets of Shrubs.
« the twenty fecond. We travell'd again till Noon ^ and
as we were repofing in thefe Plains which were all cover'd with
fmall dry grafsj a little fparkle falling from fome of the Came-
• Hers, whoj according to their enftom , ftood fucking the fmoke
of 'lohacco^ fet'this grafs on fire, and the flame increas'd To fud-
denly that we had much ado to fave our Goods from burning •
but at length we extinguifh't it by cafting cloths and thick cover
ings upon it 5 for water the place afforded none, and we had
only enough for drink. Departing thence two or three hours
before night, we quarter'd in another place callM Ehathuer )
where two or three men whom we met with their laden Camels,
inform'd us that the great Cafila, which went fo many days before
us from Ba/fora, had incounter'd many difficulties, and was ftopt
by Emir Najir, who;, befides taking a great fum of money from
them, alfo conftraind many of the people to go to Mefched Hhuf-
fiinto fight with the grzilhafci, with whom he was now at en
mity 5 in which conflict, which .prov'd little fuccefsful to the
Arabians^ the chief Leader of the Cafila was (lain, his Sou fuc-
ceeding him in his Charge > with other like news, which made
me doubt of the good eftate of our Francks who went along
with that Cafila,
V. Jnne the twenty third,the twenty fourth^and the twenty fifth,
W« travelled and refted at our ufual hours, during which dayes,
we had the Hand of the Chaldean Lake on our right
hand , and on the laft of them, we repofed at a place wherein
grew certain low and thin plants, which to me feemed to be Ju
niper.
June the twenty fixth. We travelled from day-break till two
hours before Noon, and then refted near certain Pits, where wc
had on the right hand afar off Mefched-Ali^ the place where an
ciently ftood the City of Kitfa, and where Ali the Son-in-law of
Mabhammed wasllain 5 the name Adefched-Ali fignifying the place
oi the Martyrdom of Alt, whom they hold a Martyr. And
though the City of Kufa is no longer in being, yet^upon account
of the faid Sepulchre, venerated by Mahometans, and adorned
with a noble Fabrick, the place is frequented and inhabited;
when w 7 e pafled by, it was in the power of the gizilhafet, where-
asitufed to be in thatofthe Turks whilft they were Maftersof
Baghdad, From hence we continued our Journey till two hours
within night.
jf^ethetwenty feventh, We fet forth by day-light 3 and at
Sifli _ Noon