'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.' [‎70] (107/1024)

The Persian Travels
Bookll
in a large Volume, in the fame Language, writt’n in Vellum, all the CapitaTCtr’
being in Gold and Azure. They feera’d to be very^old ^ and one of their P 'a
lold me, that it is 9 37 years ago fince one of them was writt n 3 the other not ah
374fince. When Service is done, they put them ina Cheft, and hide them
Ground, I would have giv’n 200 Piafters for the oldeft, but they durft not f 11 ^
in regard it belong’d to the Church, and was not at their difpofaJ. C !t)
The twenty-feventh, after we hadtravei’d nine hours, we arriv’d at Kard ■
which had been formerly a great Town, and no doubt inhabited by Cbriftians • ^
•appears by feven or eight Churches half ruin’d, though the Steeples are little’th 5
worfe. They (land at a good diftance one from the other*, and upon the North fid 2
of one of thole Churches there is a Gallery, at the end whereof, through a M
Door you defeend about a hundred Steps, every Step being ten Inches thick. Whe 6
you come under the Church, you meet with a larger and bigger Vault, ftipported
with Pillars. The Building is fo contriv'd, that there is more light below than in
that above *, but.of late years the Earth has Hop’d up feveral Windows. The great
Altar is in the Rock *, on the right fide whereof is a Room, which receives the light
from feveral Windows contriv’d in the Rock. Over the Gate of the Church was
a great Free-ftone, wherein were certain Letters that I could notread. On the
NorthTide of the fame Church under Ground are to be feen two great Cifterns each
four hundred and fifty Paces long ; with two great Arches, fuftain’d with feveral
Pillars. Every year they fill them with the Water that falls from the next Mountain
and makes a kind of a River. A quarter ofa League from the Church, you defeend the
Mountain for above a hundred Paces together.among the Rocks, on each fide
whereof are Rooms cut out of the Rock, Upon every Door there is a Crofs-and
in every Room as it were a Bench, and a Table, with a little place about the length
of a Man, like a Bedded, all cut out of the Rock. At the bottom of theRockis
a Hall, round about the Wall whereof is a Bench to fit on. The Roof is all plain
without any Arch y in the middle whereof there is a Hole to the top of theMoun!
tain : but in regard it gives no Hght, ’tis very probableTwas only made to let out
the Smoak when they dreft their Meat y or elfe tolet in thefrefh Air, as I have feen
in many Villages ..upon the POrgan Gulf. Upon the higheftof thofe Mountains
Hands a paltry Village, where they buy their Viftuals. But before the Caram
arrives, certain Merchants ride before to inform themfelves from the Herdfmen
whether they-know of any Thieves in the Grotto's, that often hide themfelves there
in expedition of Prey.
In the year 163^) Sultan Arnurat going to befiege Babylon) march’d this very wnyj
as well to fee thefe Ruines, as to give order for the demolifliing a Fort that flood
not above two Leagues off of Karagera^ which the Thieves of the Country made
their place of retreat He alfo at the fame time caus’d the Road to be clear’d for
four days journey, by ordTing the Stones to be pickt up and laid in heaps, all along
the Road. He alfo built a Bridge over the River. And indeed, that March of the
Grand Signer was very advantageous to all Travellers thatpafs this way.
The twenty-eight we travel’d eight hours, and came to Nesbitt) anciently B
fibvs. Two or three hours travel on this fide, near the Road, is a kind of Hermitage,
being a fmall Room enclos’d with Walls, the Door whereof isfo low, thataMan
muH creep upon his Belly to get in. Three or four ymu went and perform’d their
Devotions at this Hermitage, believing it to be the place where the Prophet £li^
was buried. ; . : .
The Country from Coufafar to Nesbin is a large Plain, where for the firft days
journey you (hall fee no other green Herb upon the Ground but only Pimpernel 5
the Roots whereof are fo large, that there are feme a Foot and a half in diameter.
The next day, tne Fields arc cover’d with a large thick Leaf, the Root whereof is
bulbous, and as bi£ as an Egg. There are alfo great Hore of yellow, red, and
violet Flowers, Tulips of feveral colours, Emonies, and fmgle Daffadillies. Bot
in general Mefopotamta is a very barren Country, and there are very few places that
can be better’d by Art or InduHry.
Nesbitt is only the Shadow of the ancient Nifibis, being now only a large Village;
the Inhabitants whereof are ChriHians, both ^Armenians and Nefiorians. OmCa*
ramn lodg’d a little beyond, in a Church-yard adjoyning to one of the Armenian
Churches. The next day, hearing people fing, I went to the Church with the two
CaguchinS)