Page:The Six Voyages of John Baptista Tavernier.djvu/61
ones, and well vaulted, the Inns large and convenient: but there was one among the rest which was very magnificent, near the King's Gardens, at the entry of the City. As well the Inn as the Gardens were made by the order of Sha- Abas, the first of that Name, who was at a vast charge. The Inn is above a hundred Paces square, built of Brick two Stories high, containing twenty-six vaulted Chambers of a reasonable bigness. It was a Structure too fair to be so little regarded, as now it is, being much faln to decay. In the middle of the Court was a Fountain to receive Water, which is spoil'd. The Persians and Turks are of that bad humor, rather to build new Houses than to repair old Buildings. For which reason they have since built at Cachan four or five Inns, as fair and commodious as that of Sha-Abas. This Custom is grown to that height, that the Children are so far from taking care to repair the old Houses where their Parents liv'd, that they will not so much as live in them after their decease, covetous of the honour of building Houses for themselves.
Before we leave Cachan you must take notice, that as you travel from that City to Guilan you cannot avoid travelling thorough Plains for twelve hours together, which are all pure Salt; and there is nothing to be met with by the way, but one Cistern; nor can the Water which is in it be otherwise than very bad.
Leaving Cachan, you cross a Plain of three Leagues, after which you enter in among the Mountains, where you come to a very fair Inn of Brick. From thence you descend a pleasant Vale, where you travel a long time by the side of a River, over a very narrow way. At the end of the Valley you meet a great Wall, which crosses it, and joyns the two Mountains together. This Wall is above a hundred Paces long, above thirty Foot thick, and fifty high. It was the Work of the Great Sha-Abas, whose design it was to stop the Waters that fall from the Mountain, and to make a Receptacle for Water in that place, to serve his occasions. At the foot of the Wall there is a Sluce, which being let down keeps in the Water but is pull'd up to let out the Water over all the neighbouring Lands to the Plain of Cachan. From this Receptacle to Corou, is about two hours travel.
Corou is a very large Village, and well peopl'd, in a Soil environ'd with high Mountains, and planted with great store of Walnut-trees. The Houses consist but of one low Story, being built of Flint-stones; but the Inn therein is very fair and commodious. This Village consists but of one Street, but it is almost half a League long, and very troublesom in the Winter, by reason of a great River that runs through it, and the great quantity of Stones that lye in the way. All about this Village, as in several other places of Persia, there are a great number of Shacales; which are a kind of Foxes, that in the night time make an ugly noise; for if but one cry, all the rest will make answer, and set up a howling.
From Corou you must travel three Leagues between Mountains, after which you have but twelve Leagues to Ispahan. It is a continued Plain that extends it self beyond the City, and in many places the Soil is very good. At every three Leagues end you meet with Inns. The first is call'd Achaha-Agakamala; the second, which is the half-way between Corou and Ispahan, is call'd Michiacour. This place consists not only of one Inn, for there are many others, so that it resembles a large Village. From Michiacour you come to Aganura, another Inn, but ill built; and from Aganura, after you have travel'd three Leagues through a fat and fertil Country, you come to Ispahan.
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