'Journal of a Journey from Persia to India through Herat and Candahar. Also Report of a Journey to the Wahebee Capital of Riyadh in Central Arabia' [‎45r] (89/268)

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over the tomb. Around the quadrangle are small cellular com
partments ; and in one of these is the tomb stone of a daughter of
Timour. It is of black polished granite, in one slab, most exqui
sitely chiselled in patterns of flowers and scrolls. It is perhaps
the work of the Europeans carried by the Conqueror from the West
into captivity ; or of some artist either brought or coming of his
own accord from Cutch, where, as also in the Jain temples at
Belgaum, I have seen work similar to that of this tomb. To the
proper left of the mosque is a domed building whoso walls and
vaulting are frescoed in golden arabesque upon Albert blue ; and
of unsurpassed beauty. This ornamentation is obviously by an
European artist, of more recent date than the sculptures in the
mosque which was reared by Shah Rookh Mirza. Various other
ruins surround the Gazer Gah; one by Shah Abbass must have
been of chaste architecture in its day. The view from the platform
among the ruins over the Herat plains is very fine, and in the hap
pier days of Herat this spot was the chosen resort of the citizen,
in the spring of the year. An old carver of tomb-stones showed
me over the ruins, and seeing my especial admiration for tho
tomb-stone of the Royal Princess, he told me confidentially that he
had himself recently cut one like it. He showed me his work.
It was the Venus, copied by a country stone-mason. I observed a
small hut in front of the mosque with some Mollahs reading
prayers in front of it. They stood over the still open grave
of the Sirdar’s young son, who died last Sunday of his wound
received in the recent affair with the Jamsheedees.
After my return from Gazer Gah, I looked at the old house of
Yar Mahomed Khan, near the northern gate of the fort. But I
could not give the modern hero his proper share of attention.
My mind would revert to the Uzbecks and the tomb of Timour’s
daughter. How strange to see these real monuments of a family
associated in one’s mind from childhood with the marvellous and
unreal.
In the evening went to the Hummums. The bath-man (as
usual with all the people here) asked me, when alone, whether the