The Sun.
London, England, 1826-10-19 00:00:00

ISPAHAN.

Ispahan, the southern capital of Persia, is very
ancient, and mentioned by old writers under several
names. Herbert thinks it Ptolemy's Aspadana, be-
cause it agrees with his latitude, and supposes it to be
that called Spada, Where cunuchS were first castrated.
He says, that in his time it was nine miles round,
contained 70,000 houses, and 2,000,000 people, and
had merchants of most nations. The Holstein Am-
bassadors make it and the suburbs eight leagues
round, reduce the houses to 18,000, and the inhabi-
tants to 500,000. The fortifications are of earth,
and inconsiderable. Sir John Charden, who staid
ten years in this city, and was the Kin of Persia's
merchant, spends eighty-four pages in describing it.
He says it is one of the largest cities in the world,
and with the- suburbs is twelve French leagues
round. The inhabitants are by many reckoned
1,100,000, and they who reckon least make them,
600,000 ; but all the memoirs given him, agreed that
the number of houses in the city and suburbs was 38,249.
Upon the whole, he supposes Ispahan to contain as
many people as London, which he says is the most
populous city in Europe ; but Ispahan does not ap-
pear so populous, because almost all their women are
kept up, and none but the meaner sort allowed to go
abroad about business. The chief beauty of the city
consists in its great number of magnificent palaces,
pleasure-houses, spacious caravanseras, fine baaam,
canals, and those streets which are planted with high
plane trees on both sides. The walls of the city, ex-
cluding the suburbs, are twenty miles round, but so
covered with hbuses and gardens that in many places
they are not discerned. The city is washed on the
S. and S. W. by the River Zendcrout, divided into
two branches, one of which falls into the park, gild
the other is conveyed by canals to the Royal gardemi,
and by pipes 'to supply the city with water, besides
which, they are well stored with springs. This river
where the stone bridge lies over it, betwixt the city
and the Royal garden, is as broad as the Thames at
London, but not deep except in winter, when it does
mischief by its inundations. Sir John says, there is
another river called Mahmoudker, joined to it by art.
It flows from a deep lake betwixt rocky mountains.
The river is several places runs through cavities in
the mountains, and among others there is a round
passage as big as fair lons, through which the river
runs like a pipe, and falls into a large deep bacon
made by nature and art, and from thence it glides
through the plain, and falls into Zendcrout. The
bridges over the river are very curious and magnifi-
cent structures. Le Brun, who was here, says that
it was called 'Alla-Werdie-Chan, is five hundred and

forty paces long, seventeen broad, built of large stones,
and has thirty-three arches, with ninety-three niches,
some shut and others . open, and the two ends are
flanked with four towers. There are. six passagei
over the badge, viz, three above, that in the
middle broad enough for two coaches to go
abreast; and one on each side, being an arched
passage from the one end of the walls to the
other, for those who go on foot ; and . three of the
same sort in the story underneath, with stairs so easy,
that horses may go down to them ; and there nre two
other passages for people on foot, one on each side,
above the arches through which the river runs, which
are of white stone. The bridge called Hassan-Ahael,
on the east side of the city, is an hundred and eighty
paces long,. sixteen wide, and built of hewn stone, with
forty-two.niches on each side, some'open and others
shut. It has twenty-eight arches, and the structure in
the middle of the 'bridge has windows on each side,
and stairs from the upper part. There is a third call-
ed Sadel-Abad, which is a noble structure ; a fourth
called Ziareston, is also very. Magnificent, Ntithing
can be more pleasant than the alleys, planted with
trees from these bridges, on each side the river.
The great ineidan, or market-place, is one of the
stateliest, and Sir John Charden says, the most
universal market or fair in the world ; it is 710
pacei long, and 210 broad. There are 50,000 lamps
here, divided into 120 upon an arch, which being,
lighted on solemn occasions,, make the noblest illumi-
nation that can possibly be conceived. The Royal
mosque on the south side is one of the richest struc-
turesmarvellous architecture, adorn-
v:ithig:ictil:e universe of
adorn-
ed with niches of 1000
has large sorts of figures, beautified
It azure, transparent
smroaurhnlde
taintedm,jassuppepor,
supported
-by marble pillars,"thiatth and adorned with .fountains faced
isiseen at four leNues ' . , Hussein'
is kept the bloody
a donne of the
lOverthe
.. , ,
tore in Persia, and so high
iitasPer.
heat architecture in .
murdered, It I- - was
di‘stane,e ; m this mosque
country is reduce 0, 1
the priests make %Ash: jartrtdien,WAhiitehh ttlhiceYgSralateSt care, ft!r
of this shirt f The re-
Venue of this their: enemies to fligh-
irt tphuetPesiani believe, that when their
an-
num ; and mosquethereare i 8
about
vie retire during the heat .f. el' The noblest
entrance into the meitlan'D*
gate, which has a stately tlome,
the summer.
-000 sterling per 1
a el
t3igis ;tathd ea
thatthrough'd at
tniog.9wrl
1,
ttilhe: I the
m exposingpPee:a-i
china curiously painted ; the zefloors paved, and the
walls faced with jasper and . with tiles of
battles, &c. The palaee is 1)-PhYry, and
und.a half round : the chief on. the asear:need sipciaoi,n taeldep
league
Pile is of -Mosaic work,