"رحلات من الهند إلى إنجلترا: تشمل زيارة إلى الإمبراطورية البورمية، رحلة عبر بلاد فارس، آسيا الصغرى، تركيا الأوروبية وغيرها، في السنوات ١٨٢٥-١٨٢٦، بقلم جيمز إدوارد أليكساندر" [‎١‎٥‎٢] (٤١٢/٢٢٣)

152 PERSIA.
occupations, we were met by crowds of men on horseback, rattling
over the stones at a furious rate, and leaving the dusky walls of the
town for the gardens and cool avenues outside. We passed through
several small arched bazars, covered in with lofty arcades, in the
same manner as that of Shiraz. As usual, the quantities of fruit
exposed for sale were enormous; we observed some very fine pears
amongst the heaps.
At a sharp turn we came unexpectedly on the grand Meidan-i-
Shah. This is a very large square, or rather parallelogram, formed
by buildings of two stories high, formerly used as barracks for the
troops. In the centre of the west side is the splendid and lofty
gateway of Allee Copee, in the bala khana, or upper story of
which, the mighty Shah Abbas used to sit and witness the evolutions
of his troops below, and the dexterity of his nobles in firing at the
popinjay, which was suspended to the pole in the centre of the
Meidan. On the south side is the Musjid-i-Shah, or king's mosque,
surmounted by a dome covered with blue enamelled tiles; on the
east side is the mosque of Lootf Ulla; and on the north, the entrance
to the large bazar, extending for several miles, and all covered in.
It was sunset, and the enamelled covering of the mosques was glit
tering from the evening rays, when all of a sudden the awakening
sound of trumpets and drums attracted our attention to a gallery
near the entrance to the great bazar. On inquiry we found that it
was the King s band, which plays here every evening at sunset.
We left the Meidan-i-Shah, and passing through several streets and
alleys, entered another noble avenue, the trees in which were of
great size, and one hundred and fifty years old. We drew up at the
entrance to the palace of the Husht-i-Behisht, or eight paradises, so
called