The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-12-24
pei you to acknowledge that great city Is falling
to utter ruin while yet In its youth.

| agent at lspahan. found myself riding over the
bridge or Ali Verdi Khan so-called from general
| who but III, which connects Julia with Ispahan
The bridge Is considerably quarter OF mile
| long and crosses the Zanderood. How poetical a
| name. "Rver OF Life,n or Zerinrood, the "Golden
| River" II Is all in the name however, you VIII
think II you but look over the broad bed OF 1t,
| utterly dry, save when deep depression In the
| gravel retains stagnant pool But TO preserve the
| forest OF vegetation which embowers the city the
river has already been distributed into the thousand
| channels by which the irrigation Is maintained.
From the bridge we emerge into the magnificent
| Char-Bagh. Those who have been TO Cairo will re.
| member the Shonbra road; those who have been to
| Madrid wen know the broad Prado; visitors who
have seen Paris WIN remember the Champs Elysecs.
The ChaT-Bagh Is 10 Iapahaa what the ShonDra road
the Pradc and the Champs Eysees are to their rcspec-
| tive cities Bat the CGar-Bash Is much superior to
| the sLonDra road aud not quite 50 new and trim
| looking rs the other two, but In month Its re-
establishment would he perfect.
| Ihe Char-Bagh, however. Is decidedly Oriental; it
| Is a wreck OF magnincence, but many a century
must elapse before the nride OF Shah Abbas viii lose
It's stately grandeur. The central road between the
dated state, It's square poc@s used for pavement
In q very BAD condition, and equestrlans, to
save their horses feet, ride cale.essy over the
dover plots. This neglect OF this grand
| avenue evidences the neglect, lnaolepce and
rapacity of Persian governors; for the governor
ofthc city receives io,OoJ humans annually to keep
were Well To- lspahan II Narscd. deem Shah could
| summon energy eaough 20 visit It once year.
THE ROYAL COLLEGE
We came TO the Medresseh Shah--the Royal Col
! leGe-efecied by Shah sultan Ha5sea, the last or
the SET kings, who reignel from 1884 TO $780, be-
| lievc. The portal is SIMPLY magnificent deep and
| lofty OF aa6aster, carved win the cunningest art
all well preserved. rive LOFTY folding doors, very
| heavy and solid, plated Witn silver, ornancntcd
with many varied design permit ineress Within.
] In the doorway, on either SIDE some PERSIAN shop
| men have established themselves Tor the selling or
sweetinepts, fruit and snerber. Beyond the door
! q nfrll Antr
| the middle, surrounded u lofty grunge, poplar ana
cypress trees. The Sides o. the square iied IN
| win the rooms OF the college, the libraries and
| studios AMI The mesdled OF the 6ledressca Every
| portion OF the walls was tiled WITH blue ana
yellow tiles. Of deeper and lighter shades one inch
! square, worked INTO mosaic, Zigzag ines, or
verses OF The Koran, especially applicable to
the purposes OF lbe establishment. me mosque was
! both roof and walls. AS The fanatical Morahs
seemed rather impatient at my inssectlcn after one
| walk aroGnd the square prtdently retired
EIGHT PARADlSES.
| About hundred PAGES further On along the south
| ern wan OF the CGar-Bagh from the Medresseh Is
| the entrance-0nce pliyate-to the Iasht.i-Bebesht
or "Eight paradises, or, as think 1t ought 10 be-
trees, ounces, sun-seeaed aprlcos, oranges chest
nuts and cherries, Is seen as we enter, and III the
Kiosk, designated Tor ITS rich ornature the Eighth
Paradise. The kiosk In Central Park u minia-
! ture OF 1t, but Is not SO elaborate nor so adapted
Ispahan prototype. In the middle OF the marble
noor directly under tie aome. - a fountain;
|
! ing rooms. Above, forming second door, run some
/ galleries ana secret chambers. Mercer has hap
/ PLY woven deiightfal charm about this kiosk In
his Nina Reclining OH carpets IN this superb re-
treat, close 10 The sivery Fountain he has placed the
Lady Su!taua OF shah ADbas The Great, While in the
| gallery above he has slowed the Prince OF Samar-
cand and the son OF The 5haas gardener WAC feast
their eyes upon theexposed beauties OF the Pearl OF
The tiafem.h and one day-the Princess having ial-
len N love VITA the Prince, and her maid with the
gardeners someone's tn, .eloeious aga, who with
hls sciinear is about to DO terrible things but Tor
/
/ Shah he deiers the murder.
ON the walls amid a variety Of artistic efforts in
/ bright and ford paint and gold are two pictures
! cae OF Faith Ali shan known by his cataract OF
! heard, WAC hunts The maneess lion OF Persia tue
British Ambassador, Richard Stracheg. with whom
| Persans OF all classes not excepting Faith Ali and
his Vlzlep) fell In love Tor his beauty. lie Is here
! represented In It Tyroean hat, vita an ostrich
leather, ana in 81. James Court costume Of .he
'''''' '''' PALACE or FonrY PILLARS.
FROM TINS SmtanaS bower, happily named, per-
| cense, we proceed along an avenue icadtn5 east,
then across daselate enclosure through an ugly
or OF ''Forty Piliarsr Yeu win know you are on
royal grounds by the extrayagan extent or the gar
round II. Bat Inc grounds are Ioui with wccds and
| the ineXpresstbie ncaaty OF the garden Is sadly
the reservoir which lies before the 'front.' OF the
palace Without looking behind, 50 that the effect
may be iull and complete. Having arrived at INC
Funniest end Of the extensive reservoir, AN told
may look around to behold the Palace OF the Forty
Pillars.
we are toll in the "Arabian Nights how the SUI.
! tan Stood motloness with as.on shment on telold-
i ing the wonderful palace OF Aladdin. am inclined
To tAiuk thai also stood IN Just the same way hen
| beleld this palace Ut Shah Abbas the Great
WHAT would be lie erect, think you, II the entire
| front OF the New York Guy HAL was covered
WIN unframed pier glasses, ami the Clear undinimcd
| ana sky 81 New York were reflected each
mirrors WHAT would the New Workers say Would
am placed n just sncn predcaincnt. Here il a
! deep, lofty and spacious piiaEed hail, forty feet
tall, slender piiars upholdlng the roof the Whole
open TO the view, sun, sky and reservoir reflected
ten thousand times By the small mirrors which over
lay every inch OF pillar roof and back walls here is
loCd OF brightness per Getty dazzling ocean OF
clear reflections sunuans the Whole OF th9 garden IN
front OF the splendid tabor, playing upon every tree
nay, ng0n every leai and hrancii. an ncxhaustible
uninterrupted su4h OF ciearness and sunshine.
Aud there mas bcea taste displayed IN This laying
| shaped round the pillars which rise rom their
/ pedestals OF qGAdrupled liol-!eads carved in ala
basler, to the roof, which Is covered with Smal MR.
| rors, forming vine branches, corollas OF lowers
stars, Saracenc patterns and frets nnumerable and
| 50 sre the walls perpetaal streams OF brightness.
! You VIII say 1t IL ali very sinplc-cover the
walls, and root and pillars with stucco, lay on the
bats OF looking glass Ia any design you wish the
moist plaster res but the effect Of all tnlsit is
| SIMPLY ndescrlbaDe.
IL Is called the Palace OF Forty Pillars yet there are
but twenty; The others are IN the wafer OF the
servoI, which reflects these pillars, ana these make
forty. THIS gorgeous and spendent poltlco or talar
has witnessed many q scene Of gayety Of Oriental
life, OF many an orgy and tragedy, and Morier has
added to 1t comic picture, where he describes I'm
entertainment which was given to the mollahs by
the great tbbas, that he might detect the So-dsSant
| NOLAN OF Ardebeel WHO had abducted the daughter
or the old Modh Ahmed, to the great scandal OF the
| piouS priests.
The building designated thus euphoniously yet
Worthly, IS oriental, yet not Saraccnic. Dismiss all
ideas OF the Alnanbra or the Scyiean AlcaZar, or
else you viii never he able 10 imagine it, 1t is q
square building, about 200 feet long by perhaps 1850
wide In 'front.' the mirrored taar occupies sixty
feet, perhaps more; each side 1t is winged. The
roof SO lar rs you see II from the garden, is fiat
II may not be quite 1at-and spreads out beyond the
perpendicular OF the walls into caves yard IN
depth Cn al sides. The wings present blooming eX.
all colors. The windows, except the largest appear
to have been made more Tor convcnence-for air-
ness than Tor mere beautifying. The largest present
us specimens OF Persian window architecture which
delights III wide arches and coored glass, into
q multiplicity or shapes to form the intricate de-
signs OF oriental thought. You must not stay TO
crtlcise the mode or the taste ana compare 1t
with your Digotcd European tastes; but yeu must e.