"سرد لرحلة إلى موقع مدينة بابل في ١٨١١، طُبعت الآن لأول مرة: مذكرات على الأطلال؛ مع نقوش من الخرائط المدبئية للمؤلف: ملاحظات على طبوغرافية بابل القديمة،بقلم الرائد رينيل؛ في إشارة إلى المذكرات: مذكرات ثانية على الأطلال؛ في إشارة إلى ملاحظات الرائد رينيل: مع سرد لرحلة إلى برسبوليس: طُبعت الآن لأول مرة، مع كتابات مسمارية نسخت في برسبوليس ولم تُنشر من قبل: كتبها الراحل كلوديوس جيمس ريتش، المحترم، المقيم البريطاني السابق لشركة الهند الشرقية في بغداد. حررته أرملته." [‎٢‎٦‎٢] (٤٧٤/٤٠٥)

262
JOURNEY TO PERSEPOLIS.
in which I have verified this point, I consider it to
be now satisfactorily proved.
We had at dinner a dish of delicious fish from
the Araxes. At four o'clock we mounted, and
marched along the foot of the eastern side of the
ridge of rocks which commences at the Bend. Upon
my inquiring why we did not go by the west side,
which appeared to be the more direct course, I was
informed that a line of hills extended across from
the back of the Zergoon hills to the ridge of rocks,
and closed up that part of the plain, which I after
wards found to be the case.* After following the
hills for about five miles we crossed into the plain of
Zergoon, and our road was then west to the point of
the Zergoon hills, down which we turned south-east,
and arrived at Zergoon at twenty minutes after six
o'clock in the evening. Just outside the town I
observed a little mosque covered over with two
domes, and was told that it contains the remains of
the famous poet Nescemi, whose works contain
many good passages in the Hafizian style. By-the-
bye, I have remarked that all the Sufy poets are
canonised. We were entertained here at night, or
perhaps I ought more truly to say annoyed, with Per
sian musicians, who sang us many songs; their loud
and powerful voices being accompanied by the un
musical and noisy zoornaf and dombelek.J
* Our course was first N. W., and afterwards, N. 80 W.
f A kind of horn or trumpet. J A small hard-sounding drum.