"عبر بلاد فارس على سرج ركوب جانبي" [‎٢‎٩‎٦] (٣٦٠/٣٣٧)

THROUGH PERSIA ON A SIDE-SADDLE
picturesque spur of the range of low hills, beneath which a
confused mass of mounds marked the site of the former
city, where we found fragments of dark red terra-cotta
painted in black designs, bearing a strong resemblance to
Greek or Etruscan vases.
Near at hand the warm spring of 4 Chashm-i-Ali' gushed
out at the foot of a wall of rock on which was a sculpture
of Fath Ali Shah and his sons, tradition reporting that the
monarch had ordered this glorification of himself and his
offspring to be chiselled upon a bas-relief of great antiquity,
and beyond the ruins lay the dakhma of the Parsees, a
large, low, unimposing-looking tower.
Our old friend the Farman Farma had come to Tehran
on the accession of the present Shah, to whom, as I have
mentioned before, he stood in the relationship of both son-
in-law and brother-in-law, and it was very pleasant to meet
him again.
Lady Durand took me to call one afternoon on the
Farman Farma's wife, who is the daughter of the present
Shah.
She was young and good-looking, but very stout, attired
m a gorgeous red plush robe with deep gold embroidery,
and wearing a quantity of diamonds, pearls, and emeralds,
the latter stones being of great size, but uncut. She
understood a little French, but was evidently ill at ease,
and the French governess did the honours, displaying the
accomplishments of the four sons, all of whom were most
intelligent.
On November 20th the Sadr Azem, the Prime Minister,
who had practically been the ruler of the kingdom during