 Section 21 of A Year Amongst the Persians by Edward Granville-Brown This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater A Year Amongst the Persians by Edward Granville-Brown Section 21 Next day, a short march of about three hours brought us to the post house of Sorme. On arriving there I was surprised to see a European traveller standing at the door who greeted me in English. He proved to be one of the telegraph staff at Chirot's, travelling up to Esfahan and Tehran and kindly offered me a share of the Bala Khaneh, up a room, which was the only respectable apartment in the post house. Even that was horribly cold and draughty, for a violent wind was still blowing. Notwithstanding this, we spent a very pleasant evening together and, by combining our resources, managed to produce a very respectable supper. Next day, after a leisurely breakfast, we parted on our respective roads. The wind had dropped, the sky was cloudless and the sun very powerful. We could see the roads stretching away straight before us for three parasangs or so, when it took a sudden turn to the left, round an angle of the mountains. As we advanced, very slowly, owing to the sorry condition of our beasts, the plain gradually narrowed and became broken by great crests of rock rising abruptly out of the ground. The mountains on the right, west, grew gradually higher and higher and their summits were now crowned with snow. On reaching the angle of the road above mentioned, we halted by some rocks for lunch. The spot was not devoid of beauty, which was enhanced by the numerous pink and crimson blossoms of the camel-thorn, Shahpassand, which grew in profusion round about. On leaving this place, we began to ascend and continued to do so till about 4pm. We reached the disconsolate stone caravanserai of Khaanehore, which stands quite alone and apart from other habitations. It was crowded with people of all sorts, Bachtiaris and other tribesmen on their migrations towards their summer quarters. People who had come out from Shiraz and elsewhere to meet the new governor and do him honour, and a certain small contingent of ordinary travellers. I might have had some difficulty in obtaining quarters if my acquaintance of the previous day had not informed me that there was a special room in the caravanserai set apart for members of the telegraph staff, which I might have by applying to the caravanserai keeper for the key. I did so, and thus obtained a warm snug room, where I might otherwise have been compelled to put up with the most miserable quarters. Though the caravanserai was in the most ruined and filthy condition, the ground being strewn with dead camels and horses in various stages of decay, the scene was not lacking in interest, owing to the strange costumes and stranger appearance of the tribesmen. The women do not cover their faces, and many of them are endowed with a certain wild beauty. After tea, I had a visit from the postmaster, Nao-eb Chao-par, who came to consult me with some disorder of the chest from which he was suffering. He soon, however, forgot the object which had brought him, and wandered off into a variety of topics which he illustrated with a surprising number of quotations from the poets. It was only when he rose to depart that he again recurred to his ailments. His dreamy, abstracted manner had already led me to suspect that he was a votary of opium and other narcotics, and in reply to a question to this effect, he answered that he did occasionally indulge in a pipe of teriyog when depressed in spirits. Perhaps you take hashish now and then for a change, I asked. Well, he replied, I don't deny that I do now and then. Of course you smoke the kalyan, too. Yes, he said, what else is there to do in this desolate spot where there is no society except these tribesmen? Well, I said, I wish very much that I could do anything for you, but the state of the case is this. The essential principle of treating diseases is to remove their cause, and unless this can be done, it is very little use to give medicines. Now, smoking kalyans in excess disorders the chest, and I understand that you do smoke them very often. Whether the opium and hashish, which you also take, are answerable for the evil in any degree, I can't say, but at any rate, it is scarcely likely that they do you any good. Just now you quoted this couplet from Hafez. Deh gaon is sol chorde, chechosh guft bo pesar. Kei nure chash me man, bejoz az keshde, nadravi. How well, said the aged farmer to his son, O light of my eyes thou shalt not reap, save that which thou hast sown. Now, people who sow palyans, opium and hashish, necessarily reap bad chests, and I am afraid that, unless you can manage to give them up, or at any rate confine your indulgence in them to moderate limits, your chest will not get any better. Do you think you can do this? You are right. He replied, convinced I feel sure, more by the quotation from Hafez than by anything else, and I will try to follow your advice. So saying, he departed and left me alone. Next day we started early, as the muleteers were anxious to break a stage, that is to go three stages in two days, so that our halting place for the night was not to be Deh-Bid, where there is a telegraph station, but Chone Ker-Gone, situated some two hours' march beyond it. Our road continued to ascend, almost till we reached Deh-Bid, and once or twice we enjoyed a fine view to the east, across the plain of Abarku, to the great range of mountains beyond which lies the city of Yazd. We were joined for some distance by a dark stalwart man who turned out to be a Gorsed, courier, carrying letters from Au-Bordet to Bavarnat. He was conversationally inclined and told me tales of encounters with wolves and other wild animals which abound in these mountains, but the dialect which he spoke was difficult to comprehend and prevented me from profiting by his anecdotes as fully as I might otherwise have done. Suddenly we came to a road crossing ours at right angles and thereupon our companion took a long draft from our water bottle and, without a word of farewell, disappeared in a valley leading down into the plain of Abarku. After his departure, Haji Safar entertained me with a long disquisition on Gorseds and their marvellous powers of endurance. He assured me that one had walked from Tehran to Shiraz in five days, while another had gone from Bousheer to Shiraz in two days. He added that the latter had come near forfeiting his life for his prowess because Prince Farhad Mirzah, then Governor of Fars, hearing of his exploit, had said, Such a man had best be put to death forthwith for one who can go on foot from here to Bousheer in two days might commit murder or highway robbery and be in another province before his crime was even discovered. I am faint to believe that this was only a grim jest on the part of Farhad Mirzah. At any rate, the sentence as I was informed was not carried out. The wind which had been gradually increasing in strength since the morning began now to cause us much annoyance and indeed, Deh-Bid, as I subsequently learnt by experience, is one of the windiest places in Persia. Houji Safar, however, declared that in this respect it was far behind Dom-Gon on the Mashhad Road. This is but a place which the wind visits at times, he remarked, but it lives there, its abode is in a well and anyone can arouse it at any time by throwing dirt or stones into the well when it rushes out in anger. Our road was redeemed from dreariness by the variety of beautiful flowers with which the advancing spring had bedecked the upland meadows. I noticed particularly the wild hyacinth and the sight of its long narrow dark leaves enabled me better to understand the appositeness of the comparison between it and the tresses of the beloved so often made by the Persian poets. It was nearly 1.30pm when we reached Deh-Bid, a small village consisting of about 15 or 20 cabins, a very dilapidated caravan sarai, a post house, and the telegraph office. To the latter I at once made my way and was welcomed very cordially by Mr. and Mrs. Blake. They expressed great regret on learning that I could not stop with them for the night and repeatedly pressed me to do so with a hospitality so evidently genuine that I would gladly have altered my plans and relinquish the idea of breaking a stage had that been possible. But the mulitier had gone on with my baggage and I was therefore compelled to adhere to my original intention, contenting myself with a halt of three or four hours for rest and refreshment. It was beginning to grow dusk when I again set out and the gathering shades of evening warned me that I must bestow myself, especially as the mulitier was no longer with us to direct our course. Mr. Blake kindly volunteered to ride some distance with me to put me in the right way and this offer I was glad to accept. Crossing the little river just beyond the village we saw a flight of about a dozen stalks and farther on four gazelles. Half a mile or more to the west of the road stood an old withered tree close to a ruined caravanserai and this spot, as Mr. Blake informed me, was reputed to be haunted by a white lady but with the details of this superstition he was unable to acquaint me. When we had ridden a farsach my host bad me farewell and turned back whereupon we quickened our pace so as to make the best use of what daylight still remained. Long before we reached our halting place however it was quite dark and we were left to pick our dubious way by the light of the stars and a crescent moon so that it was more by good luck than good management for the road had here dwindled to the nearest track that we were finally apprised by the barking of dogs of the proximity of human habitations in five minutes more we crossed a bridge and found ourselves at the solitary caravanserai of Khaune Kergaon. As it was quite dark and I was moreover very cold and tired I had no opportunity of making any observations on the nature of the place or its inhabitants that night but on the following morning I discovered that here also were domiciled multitudes of tribesmen on their way to their summer quarters on the road which wound through beautiful grassy valleys bedecked with sweet spring flowers we met many more all bound for the highland pastures which we were leaving behind us and a pretty sight it was to see them pass stalwart, hardy looking men with dark weather beaten faces lithe, graceful boys, clothed in skins and tall, active women with resolute faces not devoid of a comeliness which no veil concealed they were accompanied by droves of donkeys bearing their effects and flocks of sheep and goats which paused here and there to nibble the fresh grass early in the afternoon we descended into the valley of Murgalb and passing the hamlet of that name a well built and thriving looking village pleasantly situated by a beautiful clear streamlet halted at Dehenno some three miles farther on the feeling of regret at not having sought for a lodging at the former which the first sight of the somewhat squalid appearance of the latter caused me was at once removed when I learned that the group of ancient ruins generally identified with the sight of the city of Passargada on European maps and known to the Persians as the throne of Solomon and the mosque of the mother of Solomon was situated within a few minutes walk of the village as it was not much past four o'clock in the afternoon I determined at once to visit them and thus to obtain a general idea of their appearance and arrangement reserving a closer inspection of them for the morning they have been so often and so well described that I shall confine myself to a brief account of the more salient features leaving Dehenno on the south or Shiraz side the first object of interest reached is the Tach de Soleiman this consisting of a large platform faced with masonry projects from the face of a hill situated a little to the left east of the high road not five minutes walk from the village its frontage must be about 150 feet and here the conscientious, thoroughness and solidity of the masonry is most easily appreciated I noticed the holes for the iron clamps which have themselves been removed noticed by Sir R. Kerr Porter and also the peculiar marks on most of the stones which he, if I remember rightly, was inclined to regard as characters of some ancient language the villager who accompanied me declared that they were marks placed by each mason on the stone at which he had worked in order that the amount of his work and the wages due to him might be proved and I have no doubt that such is their nature at any rate they in no wise resemble the characters of any known alphabet from the platform of the Tach de Soleiman the whole plain of Pasar Gadi is clearly visible the Shiraz road takes a bold sweep towards the west ere it quits the plain and enters the grand defile through which flows the river Pulvar and all the ruins except the tomb of Cyrus or Masjedi Mordare Soleiman as the Persians call it are situated within a short distance of it and of one another on the left hand of the southward bound traveller the tomb of Cyrus lies about half a mile beyond them on the opposite side of the road it is encircled by a little village and is regarded by the Persians as a place of considerable sanctity the first building to which I came on descending from the Tach de Soleiman is that called by Ker Porta or Tashkade the fire temple my guide however gave it the name of Zendan Khaune the prison house it is situated close to the road which it faces and is very solid and massive in structure but bears no inscriptions or carvings the western end of the building only is standing it is about 30 feet high and contains 16 courses of stones and a window below which is a buttress the next object which presents itself is a solitary square pillar of white stone in 12 courses bearing a cuneiform inscription of four lines of which the second is separated from the third and the third from the fourth by a blank space I could not learn that it had any popular name a short distance beyond this lies the main group of ruins called Nagaurekhaunei Soleiman the music hall of Solomon amongst these the most conspicuous object is a very tall slender column about 60 feet high white in colour and circular in shape composed of four stones placed one on the other the length of each one diminishing from below upwards this column is quite plain and bears no inscription there are two or three other pillar-like structures which appear to have formed the corners of the ruined edifice at the back of each I noticed the hollowing out of the stone noticed by Kerr Porter one of them bears on its north face a cuneiform inscription similar to that already noticed on the first column but containing four or five different characters on the western side of this group of ruins that is on the side facing the road are the remains of two doorways each about five feet in width the stones forming the size of these are blackish in colour and susceptible of a high degree of polish they are broken off within two feet of the ground and on their inner surfaces are carved two pair of feet both turned towards the entrance of these the outer pair are human feet the inner pair feet like those of a bird both are beautifully executed a fragment of a similar doorway also exists on the south side and this is adorned with two pairs of human feet a little beyond this is a portion of wall standing some of the stones of which bear marks similar to those observable on the tach de soleiman a little distance to the east of this group of ruins that is farther from the road stands a solitary column on the west side of which is carved in bas relief the beautiful winged figure described and depicted by Kerr Porter and others I was still absorbed in delighted contemplation of this when my guide impatient at the long delay called attention to the approach of evening and urged me to return declaring that it was unsafe to be out in the plane after dusk and reminding me that I could complete my examination of the ruins next day with regret I acceded to his request and reluctantly retraced my steps on the way back my companion talked freely of the state of the country and the dismissal of the old soheb divan from the government of force at which he expressed unbounded delight I asked if the soheb divan had been a cruel governor that he had so aroused the hatred of the people to this question my guide replied in the negative alleging his incapacity and lack of integrity as the reason why he was so much disliked he has made everything dear he concluded and we enjoy no sort of protection from the rapacity of the wandering tribes who carry off our cattle and flocks without the least fear of reprisals Rezachon, his old enemy is now encamped between Seidun and Sivand with all his tribe and has sworn to slay him if he can waylay him on his journey north in which attempt I, for my part wish him all success he has already begun stripping and plundering all the followers and retainers of the ex-governor on whom he can lay his hands including forty of the Zeynul Ar-Bedin's men who were sent out to catch him or drive him away and who came back to Shiraz crestfallen and discomforted with nothing but their shirts as for the new governor the ehteshomo dole if he is like his father Prince Farhad Mirzoh he will keep things in better order indeed already the Marauders have desisted from their raids and our flocks and cattle are once more safe so my companion ran on and I was surprised to see that his fear was not so much that the new governor might be too harsh as that he might not govern the province with a sufficiently firm hand next day on quitting dehino I again visited the ruins above described and after reluctantly tearing myself away from them proceeded to explore the tomb of Cyrus this as I have already mentioned is called by the Persians the Mosque of the Mother of Solomon and is regarded as a holy place so that I had some fear lest they should prevent me from entering it this fear fortunately proved to be groundless indeed one of the inhabitants of the adjacent village volunteered to accompany me as a guide though such assistance was quite unnecessary the tomb of Cyrus being built of white stone forms a most conspicuous landmark in the plain of Pasargada it consists of a rectangular roofed chamber of extraordinary solidity situated on a square platform approached on all sides by steep and lofty steps up which one must climb rather than walk to reach the low entrance the building bears no inscriptions in cuneiform or Pahlavi characters but numerous Mosalman visitors have engraved their names on its walls and steps I had hitherto imagined that the passion for leaving such memorials of one's visit was peculiar to the west and reached its highest development with the English and Americans but not only the ruins of Pasargadae and Persepolis but every post house and caravanserai in Persia bear witness to the fact that this habit is hardly less rife amongst the Persians de Sassi was, I think, the first to direct attention to these interesting relics of former travellers in presence of the ancient cuneiform characters which carry us back to the time of the Achaemenian kings one is attempted to overlook them though not a few of them date back to the earlier Mohammedan period the longest of these inscriptions is situated on the wall to the right of one entering the mausoleum this wall is adorned with a rude mehrab probably made by those who first conceived the idea of sanctifying the burial place of the ancient fire worshipping monarch by connecting it with the name of Solomon on the lower portion of which is cut the word Allah this is surrounded by a long rectangular border raised into a subsidiary rectangle by the upper side to embrace the mehrab the whole length of which is occupied by a much worn Arabic inscription only legible in parts beginning in the name of God the merciful the Clement verily we have opened unto thee a perspicuous victory at the left hand lower corner of this border close to the ground is a neo-Persian inscription in Arabic characters of an archaic type across the end of the chamber opposite to the door was hung a string on which were suspended ribbons pieces of cloth beads pipe bowls and other votive offerings brought by pious visitors to the shrine and in the corner lay a copy of the Qur'an leaving this mauslium I turned to descend examining the steps and the inscriptions cut on them on my way some of the stones bore masons marks similar to those referred to in speaking of the taht of Solomon besides these there were a great many neo-Persian inscriptions mostly undated or of comparatively recent date some almost illegible others as clear as though cut yesterday around the base of the steps is a small burial ground strewn with fragments of other buildings which have perished at its entrance are two long stones propped one against the other in the shape of an inverted V which form a sort of gate to the enclosure each of these is engraved on its inner surface with a line of Arabic in a fine, bold character the space left between the two stones is very narrow and their surfaces are worn as smooth as glass by the passage of generations of pilgrims and visitors these stones are supposed to be endowed with healing virtues and my guide informed me that anyone bitten by a mad dog can be cured by crawling through the narrow interstice which separates them to the faith of the people in this theory if not to its truth the high degree of polish on the inner surfaces of the stones in question bore witness turning at length with much reluctance from this interesting spot I again mounted the road forward and in a few minutes quitted the plane and entered the splendid rocky defile through which the river Pulvar flows down towards Shiraz this defile with occasional widenings into fertile grassy valleys continues to within two stages of Shiraz there a little beyond the post house of Poussé its rocky walls fall sharply away to the east and west as it enters the great plane of Marvdast at that point its width is three or four miles in the rocks to the right are the tombs called by the Persians Nagshiro Stam on the left opposite to these are the sculptures of Nagshirajab the ruins of Estachre and just round the angle formed the Kouherahmat Mount of Mercy the stupendous remains of Persepolis of which I shall shortly have to speak this defile of the Pulvar offers some of the finest and most picturesque views in Persia the rugged cliffs which hem it in on either side the rushing river meandering through fertile meadows under the willows which fringe banks the fragrant shrubs and delicate flowers which at this season perfume the air and delight the eye the gaily plumaged Hoopos the birds of Solomon which dart through the clear sunny air but most of all perhaps the memories of the glorious past which every footstep awakens to render this one of the most delightful parts of my journey soon after turning into the defile we ascended the rocks to the right for some distance and entered the Sang Bore Rock Cutting a passage two or three hundred yards in length just wide enough to admit a man and horse hewn out of the mountainside while marveling at this enduring triumph of the engineering skill of ancient Persia a vision arose in my mind's eye of gorgeously appareled horsemen spurring in hot haste with messages to or from the great king through the rock cutting I pictured to myself the white temples and lofty halls of Pasargadae bursting on their sight and sighed inwardly as I thought of that departed splendor and of the fickleness of fortune which has taken away the very tomb of Cyrus from him to bestow it upon Solomon soon after leaving the Sang Bore I was startled almost frightened by the sudden apparition of four or five armed men who sprang out from behind a rock and barred my progress. The reports which I had heard of the disturbed state of force the turbulence of its inhabitants and the deeds of Rezochon flashed through my mind and I was in full expectation of a summons to surrender my money or my life which I was reassured by a humble request on the part of the spokesman of the party that I would be kind enough to remember the poor Torfank Chee who watched over the safety of the roads I was so relieved that I readily gave him what he desired and it was not till I had passed on and these guardians of the peace had once more hidden themselves in their ambush that I was struck by the ludicrous nature of the proceeding imagine policemen or sentinels in England hiding behind rocks and leaping out on passing traveller to ask him for a present in recognition of their vigilance About midday I halted in a pleasant meadow by the river for lunch. The infinitely varied shades of green and red exhibited by the willows just bursting into foliage the emerald hue of the grass and the pleasant murmur of the rushing river flowing past me rendered the spot charming beyond all description Hoji Saffar whose spirits appeared to rise higher and higher as he drew nearer to Shiraz for whatever he may say in his heart of hearts every Shirazi thinks his own native city incomparable and peerless was in high good humour a fact which always disclosed itself by his giving me a better meal than usual and on this occasion went so far as to kindle a fire and make some tea which he brought me triumphantly when I had finished eating reluctantly quitting this delightful spot we again continued on our way through scenery as varied as it was grand and presently past through one of the wide cliffgirt valleys into which the polvar defile here and there expands here the rich pastures dotted with groups of black tents belonging to the wandering tribes Ilyalt moving northward into the mountains while their flocks of sheep and goats tended by dark eyed graceful shepherd boys moved hither and thither over the plain leaving this happy valley we entered another defile which brought us a little before 6pm to the village of Sivand in which is situated the last telegraph station before Shiraz here I was received with the utmost kindness by Mr and Mrs Whittingback whose little boy had ridden out to meet me some while before for I was expected earlier next morning I did not start till about 10 o'clock being unwilling to leave the hospital roof of my kind entertainers the post road to Shiraz continues on the left bank of the river but as I wish to visit the inscriptions on the rocks above Hogyabad which lies on the opposite side we forward the stream and following the western bend of the valley thus shortening our day's march by nearly a parasang soon after midday the village of Hogyabad came in sight and certain as to the exact position of the inscriptions I began carefully to scrutinize the rocky cliffs to the right in the hopes of discerning some trace of them presently I detected a small squarish hole hewn in the face of the rocks some distance up the side of one of the mountains which at this point receded considerably from the road and at once proceeded to scramble up to it as usual the clearness atmosphere led me to underrate the distance and it was only after a long and hot climb that I finally reached the spot where to my disappointment no inscription was visible nothing but the shallow excavation which in the distance looked like the mouth of a tunnel for what purpose and by whom it was made I do not know but I saw several similar excavations in the neighborhood disappointed in my search I again descended to the foot of the mountains and continued my way along their base eagerly scanning the rugged cliffs above me I was much afraid that after all I might fail in discovering the object of my search so numerous were the clefts valleys and ravines by which the mountains were indented and intersected at this point presently however I came to the opening of a wider valley running straight up into the hills where it divided into two small glens which ascended to the right and left to lose themselves in the mountain above in the mouth of this valley were pitched two or three tents near which a tribesman was watching his grazing flock accosting him I inquired whether he knew where the writing on the rocks was to be found do you mean the writing or the sculptures demanded the writing I answered I know that the sculptures are lower down in the valley and what do you want with the writing asked the shepherd suspiciously can you read it no I replied unfortunately I cannot nevertheless I have heard that there are writings from the ancient time somewhere in these rocks and I am desirous of seeing them you can read them I know very well said he and you hope to find treasures there many Ferrangis come here seeking for treasures however if you must know they are up there and he pointed up the valley I wish to ask him in which bifurcation of the valley they were but he had returned to his sheep evidently disinclined to give me any further information there was nothing for it but to explore both of the gullies in question and I began with the one to the right it led me up into the heart of the mountain and after scrambling up amongst huge rugged boulders I finally found myself at the mouth of a most gloomy looking cavern which appeared to run straight into the hillside from the rocks above and around the water dripped with a sullen plash a few bones scattered on the ground irresistibly suggested the thought that I was in close proximity to the lair of some wild beast and caused me instinctively to feel in my pocket for my revolver while the silence and loneliness of the spot whence I could not even see the road being hemmed in on all sides by beatling rocks made me a no wise sorry to retrace my steps as soon as I was well assured that the object of my search was not to be found there I now proceeded to explore the other ravine which if less gloomy was hardly less imposing than that which I had just quitted as I ascended its sides grew steeper and steeper until approaching one another more and more closely they terminated in sheer precipices at this point several huge boulders lay at their feet seeming to bar all further progress and I was beginning to doubt the advisability of trying to proceed farther when raising my eyes to the rocks on the right I aspired some distance up a long depression looking dark in the sunshine on the wall of which I thought I could discern a prepared tablet of cruciform shape hastily ascending to this I perceived with joy that my conjecture was right on the rock forming the back of this hollow was a prepared surface shaped roughly like a cross with thick limbs along the transverse length of which were four tablets hewn in the mountain face of these tablets the two situated to the left were bare having apparently never received the inscriptions for which they were destined but each of the other two were inscriptions of some length in Pahlavi characters the inscriptions in question have been fully treated of by Haug in his admirable essay on the Pahlavi language and it is therefore unnecessary for me to say more of them in this place than that one of them is Sasanyan and the other is Chaldeo Pahlavi that both belong to the reign of Shahpur I one of Ardeshir Bobakon the founder of the dynasty and that consequently they date from the third century of the Christian era having satisfied my curiosity I returned to Haugisafar who was awaiting me with the horses in the road and we proceeded in a straight line towards the village of Zangavar situated on the same side of the river as Haugi al-Baud nearer the end of the valley where I proposed to halt for the following day as it forms the best starting point for visiting Persepolis and the rock sepulchres of Nakshiro Stam our progress was however soon checked by innumerable streams and ditches and we were compelled to return to the road skirting the base of the mountains on the western side of the valley annoying as this delay at first appeared it was in truth a most fortunate occurrence for while looking about for signs of a path which would lead us more directly to our goal I suddenly caught sight of a large cruciform excavation on the face of the rock which I at once recognized from the descriptions I had read and the sketches I had seen as one of the tombs of Nakshiro Stam which I had thus unexpectedly chanced Haugi Saffar seemed scarcely so well pleased as I was for he well knew that this discovery would involve a further delay and as the day had now turned cold and windy he would doubtless feign have reached the halting place as soon as possible since an hour or two of daylight still remained however it was obviously out of the question to waste it and as I knew that the morrow would be all too short fully to explore the wonders of Bacepolis I was anxious to get a clear impression of the monuments which so thickly beset this angle of the valley accordingly I spent about an hour in examining and taking notes of these a delightful hour which passed only too quickly the monuments in question are well known to all travelers and antiquarians and have been fully described in many books so I shall content myself with merely enumerating them they are as follows one four rock sepulchres dating from Achaemenian times externally these present the appearance of crosses cut in the rock with limbs equal in length and about half as wide as they are long the aperture affording access to the inner gallery which corresponds to the horizontal limbs of the cross in length, height and position is near the centre of the interior I shall have to speak shortly two pillars carved out of the rock stand on either side of this aperture which is 40 or 50 feet above the ground the upper limb of the cross is adorned with sculptured symbols amongst which is a fire altar surmounted by a crescent moon a priest engaged in devotional exercises and overall the winged figure girt with the symbol of infinity which forms so constant a feature in the Achaemenian tombs are most conspicuous two, six tablets bearing inscriptions and bas-reliefs of Sasanian workmanship close to the first of these proceeding from the north southwards is a modern Persian inscription bearing the date AH 1127 AD 1715 which is already almost as much defaced as the Sasanian inscriptions by the side of which it stands and far more so than the exquisite cuneiform of the Achaemenians This is not the only place where the kings of modern Persia have adopted this time honoured means of perpetuating their fame a similar tablet bearing a bas-relief of the king on horseback spearing a lion as well as a neo-Persian inscription which is clearly legible may be seen in the rocks to the north of what is generally regarded as the city of Rey near Tehran I believe that it was cut by the order of Fat Ali Shah another and a much better tablet containing besides the Persian inscription bas-relief portraits of the present Shah by whose command it was cut surrounded by his ministers forms a conspicuous object above the admirably constructed new road leading through Mozanderan from the capital to Almol about two stages south of the latter town this will be further noticed in its proper place of the six Sasanian tablets most of which are commemorative of victories over the Romans and one or two of which bear long Pahlavi inscriptions the first is adjacent inscription noticed above and stands about halfway between the first and second rock tombs but close to the ground the second is placed under the second rock tomb the third between the second and third rock tombs the fourth under the fourth rock tomb and the fifth and sixth one above the other just before the angle formed by the falling away of the cliffs to the west where the valley enters the plain of Marvdast three opposite the last rock tomb on the other side of the road which runs close to the face of the cliff is a square building of very solid construction bearing some resemblance to the tomb of Cyrus this can be entered by climbing without much difficulty it is called by the villagers Kat Beye Zarotost the Carba of Zoroasta four on a summit of the rocks which form the angle of the valley is a cylindrical pillar about five feet high sunk in a socket cut to receive it this is called Dasteye Piresan the old woman's pestle five beyond the angle formed by the junction of the Polvor Valley with the Marvdast and consequently concealed from the site of one standing in the former houses each about four and a half feet high hewn out of the solid rock these are well described and figured by Kerr Porter the above list comprises all the remains included by the Persians under the name Nagchirostam and with the exception of a brief description of the interior of one of the rock tombs which I shall shortly attempt I shall say no more about them since they have been exhaustively described by many writers far more competent in this matter than myself while engaged in examining the Nagchirostam we were joined by a villager who had been collecting a plant called Kangar in the mountains some of this he gave to Haji Safar who cooked it for my supper it is by no means unsavory and resembles more than anything else I can think of the villager proved to be a native of Zangavar the village wither we were bound and on learning that I proposed to spend the morrow there so as to explore the antiquities in the neighbourhood he offered to obtain the help of one or two other men who by means of a rope would haul me up to the platform of one of the rock tombs so as to enable me to examine its interior end of section 21 recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater recorded in London, England section 22 of A Year Amongst the Persians by Edward Granville-Brown this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater A Year Amongst the Persians by Edward Granville-Brown section 22 as the gathering dusk warned me that I must postpone further explorations till the morrow I regretfully turned my back on the Nagshiro Stam and after a ride of 15 or 20 minutes reached the large straggling village of Zangavar here I was informed that the Khad Khodaw, chief man of the village apprised by the mulleteer of my arrival had assigned quarters to me in the Taqye consecrated to the Moharram Passion Plays Proceeding thither I found a clean and comfortable room set apart for me in which I had hardly installed myself when the Khad Khodaw in person accompanied by one or two friends came to pay his respects he was a nice old man very courteous and kindly in his manners and we had a long conversation of which the antiquities in the neighborhood formed the principal topic he told me that a little while ago two Frenchmen working for Monsieur Dulafoy had been engaged for some time in making plans and taking photographs of Persepolis and the Nakshiro Stam in front of which they had erected a sort of scaffold manjani the better to reach its upper part they had lodged in this village but the Khad Khodaw complained had been very unsociable and reticent refusing to allow the people to watch their work or see their photographs and sketches this subject exhausted the Khad Khodaw began to question me concerning our religion and to ask me whether I had heard of the European doctor who had recently embraced the Muhammadan faith at Shiroz I answered that I had read about in a Persian newspaper which I had seen at Esfahon and that I was very desirous of conversing with him so that I might learn the reasons which had led him to abandon his own creed in favor of Islam perhaps you too said the Khad Khodaw will by the grace of God be brought to believe in the religion of our prophet you have come to see our country from afar do not, like the majority of the pharangies occupy yourself with nothing but dumb stones vessels of brass, tiles and fabrics contemplate the world of ideas rather than the world of form and seek for truth rather than for curiosities why should you not even pay a visit to the most holy tombs of our imams at Karbala and Najaf there you might see the miracles whereby they prove to all that they still live and rule gladly would I do as you advise I replied and I trust that I am not so bigoted as to refuse fairly to consider whatever proofs can be adduced in favor of your religion unfortunately however, your countrymen and co-religionists so far from offering any facilities to unbelievers for witnessing the miracles whereby, as you say the imams continue to manifest their power and presence to the world drive me from their shrines like a dog if I attempted to approach them even as they did at the shrine of Shah Abdul Azim surely they act most unwisely in this matter for if, as you say miracles are there wrought they must be intended not so much for those who believe as for those who doubt and who might be convinced thereby you are perhaps right said the cadrodal after a moment's reflection yet still I would urge you to make the attempt even if you must disguise yourself as a Persian to do so it would be a pity that you should come here at so much trouble and expense and should take back nothing with you but a collection of those curiosities and antiquities with which your people seem for the most part to be so strangely infatuated so saying the cadrodal took his departure and left me to myself although I was up in good time next day all eagerness to make the best use of an opportunity which I should in all probability enjoy I was delayed in starting for some time by a crowd of people who hearing that I possessed some medical knowledge desired to consult me about their various disorders and it was not till nine o'clock that I finally left the village accompanied by the villager whom I had met on the previous day two younger men provided with ropes and a little boy who enlivened the way with his childish prattle arrived opposite the nagshi rostam my guides advanced to the second rock tomb which is somewhat nearer the ground than the others and more readily accessible one of them climbed up the rocks with marvellous agility to the narrow platform which crosses the entrance he then let down the rope by the aid of which the others followed him the rope was again lowered it firmly round my waist and not without sundry bumps and abrasions was holed up to where they stood entering the tomb by the low doorway opening onto this ledge or platform I found myself in a long gallery corresponding to the transverse limb of the cross carved on the face of the rock this gallery was 27 paces in length from end to end three paces in width 20 feet in height on the side opposite to the entrance four rectangular recesses are hewn out of the rock the width of each being about four and a half paces the floors of these are not level with the ground but raised some three feet above it out of each of these floors are hewn three parallel tombs or sarcophagi their greatest length being parallel to the gallery and consequently transverse to the recess in which they lie these sarcophagi were of course empty except for some debris of stones and rubbish and their coverings had been destroyed or removed on completing my examination of the tomb and descending to the ground I found a small knot of people collected these asked me whether I could read the inscriptions I hardly believe my assertion that I was unable to do so asking me if I were not a mollo indeed one or two appeared to imagine that they were written in my own language or in one of the languages of Farrangistan we now struck across the valley towards Persepolis Tachti Jamshid the throne of Jamshid as it is called by the Persians forwarding the river Polvar and passing a square stone platform on its further side called Tachti Taus the peacock throne following the eastern side of the valley for a short distance we presently turned the corner formed by its junction with the great plain of Mardasht and all at once their burst on my wondering gaze the stupendous ruins of Persepolis of the ruins of Pasargadai the tomb of Cyrus and the rock sepulchres of Naksherostam I have attempted to set down some description however meager in the case of Persepolis it would be vain to make this attempt since the three or four hours during which I wandered through its deserted halls trod its silent stairs and gazed in admiration such as I have seldom before experienced on the endless succession of lofty columns giant statues and delicate traceries whose beauty long ages kinder than the besotted Macedonian who first stretched forth his impious hand against them have scarcely marred were hardly sufficient to enable me to do more than wonder and admire to study Persepolis would require months to describe it volumes it has already been studied and described by others far more competent than myself all that I shall do then is to notice certain minor details which happen to strike me on the stones of Persepolis all the monuments which I have already noticed a host of travellers of many ages and many nations have carved their names their sentiments and their reflections by the side of the ancient cuneiform inscriptions only by as much as Persepolis exceeds all the other ruins in extent and splendor by so much do these memorials exceed all the rest in number and interest the two great stone lions which guard the entrance of the eastern hall and the adjacent walls seem to have been the favourite spots amongst the european names recorded here those of Malcolm and his suite carved in large bold roman characters are most conspicuous while amidst the remainder cut or written in every possible fashion the names of not a few distinguished travellers are to be found the sense of admiration and awe with which the place inspired me made me feel that to follow their example would be almost a profanation and I turn to examine the similar memorials left by Mosulman visitors many of these consisted like their european congeners of mere names and dates and to these I paid but little attention here and there however a few lines of poetry or a reflection on the transitoriness of earthly glory in arabic or persian showed me that the same feeling of mixed awe and sadness with which the place inspired me had affected others some of these inscriptions were not devoid of grace and beauty and I could not help thinking that if one must leave a token of one's visit to such a spot these records of the solemn feelings evoked thereby were more seemly and more congruous than ought else as a specimen of their tenor I append translations of two both in arabic one in prose, one in verse the first was written A.H. 1206 A.D. 1791 to two by a son of Shah Rukh Mirza and runs as follows where are the proud monarchs of Yor they multiplied treasures which endured not neither did they endure the second consists of four lines of poetry attributed by the carver to Ali the successor of the prophet where are the kings who exercised dominion until the cup bearer of death gave them to drink of his cup how many cities which have been built betwixt the horizons lay ruined in the evening while their dwellers were in the abode of death this was cut by Ali Ibn Sultan Khalid Ibn Sultan Khosrow in one of the windows a stone was pointed out to me so highly polished that I could clearly see therein my reflection as in a mirror here and there excavations have laid bare long buried chambers some of these excavations were undertaken by the command of Farhad Mirza the Shah's uncle less I fear from a disinterested love of antiquarian research the scope of finding treasure which according to the universal belief of the Persians based perhaps on traditions embodied in Ferdowsi's book of kings is concealed in the neighbourhood my guides assured me that a large brick or ingot of solid gold had actually been discovered and that it had been sent to Tehran where it was preserved in the treasury it also pointed out to me the spot where Farhad Mirza had caused some delinquent to be hanged over the parapet of the great terrace it was sad to note how in many places the faces of such vast reliefs and figures as could be reached from the ground had been willfully defaced by fanaticism or ignorance while many of the animals carved in the walls and staircases had been made the targets of marksmen as witnessed by the numerous bullet marks which they bore but in all cases so far as I saw the winged genius girt with the girdle typifying infinity which looking forth from almost every column and cornice seemed to watch still over the cradle of Persia's greatness had escaped uninjured on reaching the edge of the platform next the mountain from the face of which it is built out two sepulchres on the hillside above attracted my attention and I was making towards them when I suddenly aspired two figures approaching me the pith hat worn by one stamped him at once as a European and I thinking that it must be my friend and late fellow traveler H. hastened forward to meet him and her approach however showed that I was mistaken the wearer of the pith hat proved to be an English officer who had been staying for some days in Shiraz on his homeward road from India he was now bound for Tehran and thence for England by way of Russia from him I learned that H. had posted up to Persepolis and back to Shiraz a day or two before and that he had probably already set out for Bhushir after a short conversation we separated and I proceeded to examine the tombs above mentioned which in general plan closely resemble the sepulchres of Nag Shirro's Stam with this important difference that being situated on a sloping hillside instead of on the face of a cliff they entered without difficulty the inner floor being level with the ground outside besides this only contained two sarcophagi a piece and a single recess which is vaulted instead of being rectangular short as the time had seemed to me symptoms of impatience began to manifest themselves in my guides although it was not yet for a clock they declared that the lateness of the hour made it advisable to withdraw from this solitary spot lest robbers tempted from their hiding places in the mountains by the approach of night should wailay us without attaching much credence to their representations I was forced to yield to them and with many a backward glance of regret to turn my back on Persepolis on the way back to the village I lingered for a while to examine the Sosanion which are situated in a little hollow on the mountain side just behind the post house of Poussé and attempted to transcribe the greek inscription of Chapour the first which afforded the key whereby the mysteries of the anomalous and ambiguous Pahlavi tongue were first unlocked next morning I quitted Zangavar and again turned my face southwards our departure was greatly delayed by a crowd of sick people seeking medical advice and even when we at length escaped from these an unwise attempt to take a short cut towards the main road resulted in a further loss of time all the morning our course lay across the flat marshy plain of Mardasht a amphitheater surrounded by mountains of which some of those to the west assume the wildest shapes amongst these one on which the ruins of an ancient fortress are said still to exist is conspicuous for its precipitous and apparently inaccessible summit the day was cold and cloudy with some rain a state of things which rendered travelling thoroughly moist and marshy plain rather unpleasant I was surprised at this distance from the sea to observe a number of gulls they are called by the Persians Morkenoruzi New Year's Bird so that their appearance which is perhaps limited to this season was very appropriate for we were now within a day of that most ancient and most popular festival the feast of the new year Adenoruzi whereby the Persians have from time immemorial celebrated the advent of spring about midday we reached the end of the plain and entered another valley in which we presently came to a great sheet of water stretching away to the east towards the Bande Amir the Bande Amir stream of the poet Moor its name signifies the Amir's Dyke this is transversed by a stone causeway and swarms with a variety of waterfowl leaving this behind and bending somewhat to the left towards the mountains which form the eastern limit of the valley we reached Zargon our last stage before she rose to dusk during the morning we had passed eight or ten horsemen whose arrogant bearing and unprovoked incivility proclaimed them servants of the ex-governor and while passing the sheet of water above mentioned we had heard numerous shots in the surrounding hills and on the borders of the lake which testified to the presence of a party of sportsmen however apprised us of the fact that Prince Jalolo Dole the son of the fallen Zelo Sultan and the nominal governor of she rose as well as the aged Soheb Divan the virtual governor had quitted the city in which they had no excuse for remaining longer and were on their way northwards to the capital with a large company of followers and retainers reaching Zargon it was therefore with more annoyance than surprise that I found the whole town filled with the soldiers and servants of the young prince and his minister inquiries for lodgings were everywhere met with the same reply that there was not a room to be had for love or money in the place and it was only after a protracted search through every part of the town that I was fortunate enough to secure a lodging for the night in a small room which served during the day as a weavers shop while the implements of the owner's craft were being removed I was scrutinized with sullen curiosity by a small knot of villagers over whose spirits the presence of the soldiers appeared to have cast a gloom which rendered them silent and abstracted and here at Zargon I was like to have suffered yet grave a trouble and came near perishing as how Jisafar poetically observed like a moth consumed in the candle of Shiraz ere ever I set my eyes on that beautiful and classical city for while according to my want I lay smoking and reading in my camp bed before composing myself to sleep slumber overtook me and I lost all consciousness of my surroundings till I suddenly awoke with a sense of suffocation and contact with something hot a moments examination showed me that the quilt on which I lay was smouldering and a glow with sparks I immediately sprang up and dragged it onto the ground when I found the mischief to be much more extensive than I had imagined at least a third of its lower fold a state of ignition having neither water nor light at my disposal I was compelled to awaken how Jisafar who was sleeping outside on the ground and our united effort soon succeeded in extinguishing the flames but not till the greater part of the quilt had been consumed neither was this the only mischief done for my coat and waistcoat had both suffered in greater or less degree while the smoke and steam produced by the explosion and its extinction filled the room and rendered the atmosphere well nigh unbearable I was thankful enough however to have escaped so lightly from the effects of my own carelessness and leaving the door open and rolling myself up as best I could in the remnants of my bedding was soon asleep again how Jisafar who though at times self-willed and refractory was never wanting time of need insisted in spite of my remonstrances in covering me with his cloak which he could ill spare the night being chilly so that I enjoyed a greater measure of comfort than I deserved when I awoke in the morning all recollections of the disaster of the previous night were obliterated by the joyous thought that before the sun was down I should set foot in that city which for seven years it had been the chief ambition of my life to behold leaving Zargon we had at first to strike out into the plain to join the main road remarkable for its excessive stoniness which crossing over a low pass brought us to a building called Baljgao the Toll House where customs Jews were formerly levied I was surprised at the number of travellers whom we met more I think than on any previous day's march since we quitted Trebizond many of these were servants or messengers of the old or the new administration but at all times the traffic between Zargon and Chiroz seems to be considerable beyond this there was little to attract my interest till about 130 on surmounting another pass Hauji Safar cried out Ruk no Baud Ruk no Baud and with a thrill of pleasure I found myself at the source of that stream so dear to every Chirozi of which Haufez declared in perhaps the best known of his poems that paradise itself could not boast the like but for the rich associations which the sight of it evoked in my mind I might perhaps have experienced that sense of disappointment with which Van Berri declares he was affected by the first view of this classic stream as it was I saw nothing but the limpid water rushing from its rocky source heard nothing but its melodious ripple thought nothing but those thoughts which rise in the mind of one who first stands in the favourite haunt of an immortal bard which rises all that he touches one often hears the expression I had heard so much of such and such a thing that when I saw it I was quite disappointed this may happen in the case of objects admired or loved only for themselves but not of those endeared by their associations one does not love Haufez because he wrote of Ruk no Baud one loves Ruk no Baud because it was written of by Haufez in this pleasant spot I tarried for about an hour eating my lunch under the shadow of one of the trees which stand by the edge of the stream again setting out we came in about an hour to a building called as its name implies governors of Shirals honoured by receiving such a distinction from the Shah come out to meet the bearers of the royal favours and are invested with the robe of honour shortly after passing this spot we perceived a horseman advancing towards it who proved to be the chief servant of my host the Navvab Mirza Haydar Ali Khan after presenting the Navvab's compliments and regrets that he had been unable himself to come out to welcome me by reason of the multitudinous social duties incidental to the no Ruz the servant turned his horse's head and led the way towards the city we were I gathered quite close to it now and I was so full of expectancy that I had but little inclination to talk suddenly we turned a corner and in that moment a moment of which the recollection will never fade from my mind there burst upon my delighted gaze a view the like of which in its way I never saw we were now at that point known to all students of half-heirs called Tange Allahu Akbar because whoever first behold Shiraz hence is constrained by the exceeding beauty of the sight to cry out in admiration Allahu Akbar God is most great at our very feet grassy fertile plain girt with purple hills on the loftier summits of which the snow still lingered and half concealed amidst gardens of dark stately cypresses were in the rose and the Judas tree in luxuriant abundance struggled with a host of other flowers for the mastery of colour sweet and beautiful in its garb of spring verger which clothed the very roofs of the bazaars studded with many a slender minaret and many a turquoise hewed dome lay the home of Persian culture the mother of Persian genius the sanctuary of poetry and philosophy Shiraz riveted on this and this alone with an awe such as that where with the pilgrim approaches the shrine with a delight such as that the exile again beholds his native land my eyes scarcely mark the remote beauties of the scene the glittering azure of lake Mahalu to the east the interminable gardens of Masjid Bardi to the west words cannot describe the rapture which overcame me as after many a weary march I gazed at length on the reality of that whereof I no long dreamed and found the reality not merely equal to but far surpassing the ideal which I had conceived it is seldom enough in one's life that this occurs when it does one's innermost being is stirred with an emotion which baffles description and which the most eloquent words can but dimly shadow forth from the tangi aloh akbar the road runs broad and straight to the gate of the city to reach which a wide and well built bridge spanning a riverbed which even in spring contains comparatively little water except after heavy showers and which in summer must be almost dry is crossed descending this road which at this festival season was enlivened by hundreds of pleasure seekers who, dressed in their best had come out from the city to enjoy the fragrance of the air and the beauty of the fields we first passed under the arch in a chamber over which is preserved the great Quran of 17 Mons Quran e heftah manee whereof it is fabled that a single leaf if removed would weigh as much as the whole volume lower down just to the right of the road while another favourite haunt of Haalfez was pointed out to me the building which at present stands there is quite modern and the rose walks of which Haalfez dwell so lovingly have disappeared to the left of the road were the gardens of John Nomar Del Goshaal Chahel Tan and Haft Tan beyond these were visible the cypresses which overshadow the grave of Haalfez while farther still the tomb of Sat Di could just be discerned to the right lay a multitude of other gardens of less note everywhere the fresh grass clothed the plain with a robe of verger such as is seen but rarely in Persia while the soft spring air was laden with the perfume of a thousand flowers I ceased to wonder at the rapturous enthusiasm as he speaks of his native city or to regard as an exaggeration far removed from the truth that verse of Sat Di's which I have already quoted Pleasant is the New Year's outing especially in heroes which turns aside the heart of the wanderer from his native land nay in these meadows set with slender galling gale in this land where all things always seemed the same I felt constrained to fold my wings and cease from wanderings almost as though a voice from the unseen had whispered them there sounded in my ears the lines our island home is far beyond the wave we will no longer roam a little before reaching the bridge which leads to the Esphahon gate we turn to the right and continued outside the city wall till we came to the gate of the king's garden Darvosee Baubeshaw by which we entered a short ride through the narrow torturous streets brought us at length to the house of my host the Navvab dismounting at the gate I was ushered into a large and handsome courtyard paved with stones and traversed by a little stream of clear water which flowed from a large square tank at the upper end on either side of this stood a row of stately sycamores interspersed with orange trees while a mass of beautiful flowers tastefully grouped lent brightness to the view and fragrance to the air the Navvab himself came out to welcome me with that easy courtesy and unaffected hospitality where in the Persians excel all other nations taking me by the hand he led me into a room opening into the courtyard where as his customary at the new year and for the twelve days which succeed it during which all work is laid aside and paying and receiving congratulatory visits is the sole business of all a multitudinous array of all manner of sweet meats was laid out the Samovar, Urn hissing in a corner gave promise of the welcome tea which did not delay to make its appearance after I had partaken of two or three cups of this and answered the usual questions concerning the friends I had left at Tehran the journey and my health the Navvab rose and conducted me to the rooms which at the special request of his elder brother the Navvab Mirzo Hassan Ali Khan in whose house at Tehran I had spent so pleasant and profitable a month had been set apart for me pleasant and commodious as they were and luxurious as they seemed after the hardships of the road their chief charm in my eyes was that they had given shelter to poets whose names form the brightest ornament of modern Persian literature, poets amongst whom in sweetness melody, wealth of metaphor and purity of diction the brilliant genius of Qa'aunee stands unrivaled and unsurpassed End of section 22 End of chapter 9 from Esfahan to Shiroz Recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater recorded in London, England