‘Gazetteer of Kermanshah.’ [‎145r] (294/504)

The mosque of Emad-ed-Dcwleh is said to be in very good repair. The
Mosque of Emad-ed- interior is covered with tiles which were manufactured
Dowleh. in Kermanshah. This manufacture is, so far as Ker-
manshah is concerned, an art of the past.
“ Emadieh is situated on the banks of the Karasu, a river, which, not-
Villa and garden of withstanding the drought of water at this time of the
Emadieh. year, has now 20 stone of water. In spring it is quite
impossible to ford this river . , . The other side of the river the plain
extends up to Kermanshah, of which town one has from here a very fine
view. Towards the Anderun (women's apartments) there is a large
garden, with tanks and plenty of water, extending up to the gate at the
opposite end. The Anderun is well proportioned, has many rooms and is a
fine building. It has a fine Hammarn (bath). I visited the building ;
the eunuchs and servants of the harem have separate apartments. The Biruni
(reception rooms) is a fine three-storeyed building on the bank of the
K arasu. It has a fine reception room giving on either side, bat as it is
situated to the west, from four hours before sunset till sunset the rooms are
exposed to the sun.' ; (Nasr-ed-Din Shah, “ Journey to Kerbela.")
The heirs of Emad-ed-Dowleh preferred seeing this splendid property go
to ruin rather than have to face the expense of entertaining for many days
any new Governor who thought it his right to put up here before entering
Kermanshah, and whose expenses, as well as those of his suite, had
consequently to be defrayed by the proprietors.
The villa and reservoirs of Tak-i-Bostan are about farsakh from Ker-
The villa and reset*- malishah, and are a favourite resort for holiday makers,
voirs of Tak-i Bostan. The villa which belongs to Vekil-ed-Dowleh consists on
the ground floor of a large vault under which there is a small tank from
which in winter and spring great volumes of water gush out and flow into
two large reservoirs, each measuring 121 paces square. The scene is very
picturesque when the reservoirs are full, but very desolate in summer when
they are empty. Emad-ed-Dowleh had steps cut in the rock leading over
the arches containing’the sculptures.
Pol Karasu bridge consists of six arches, and is very strongly built and
kept in good condition. The whole structure is of burnt
bricks. It was built by a certain Sheikh Ah Khan, once
Prime Minister under one of the Saffavi monarchs and an ancestor of the
present Zahir-ul-Mulk. The bridge is on the highway between Kermanshah
and Bisutun at 1 farsakh from the former and 5 farsakhs from the latter.
Jisr Yekilieh.
Jisr Yekilieh is a small suspension bridge of very primitive construction,
erected by the present Vekil-ed-Dowleh (the plan was
supplied by Mr. J. De Morgan). It replaces a muddy
box hauled on a rope * in which people were ferried over the Karasu at
this spot and shortens the road to Yekilieh and Tak-i-Bostan. The Governor
has prohibited vehicles going over it and it is with difficulty that horses
occasionally pass. In winter one has to go all the way round by the Pol
Karasu.
Pol Khosroe is a little to the east of Yekilieh. A strongly built bridge
of which there only remain the lower parts of the piers
which are still intact. The superstructure is all that is
Pol Khcsroe.
f Mrs. Bishop. ‘‘Journeys in i'ersia and Kurdistan,1891,