The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-12-24

where the additions are made before commencing
tiie!r deyotons by the Musllms.
THE BAZAAR AND THE CASTLE.
=, beyond the Mesdled lmaum-i.Jumnah. "Church OF
,ne chief Mollah," Is the body of the extensive
phAaar from which escape the murmurs OF vivacious
trade, and beyond the bazaar the Areg. or "Citadeln
caled the Castle OF Tabarak, which is very ancient
history Of Ispahan H Wih rs 'S walls there e
we're 10000 citizens massacred by that
oehg Sinister wn %ItO ve uour aag
called Tamerane 1t was very strong place, with
very thick walls and bastons and d deep wide
anu records OF the ancient Irant It's ruins vast
anu nave remained unrepared ever since the Afghan
INVASION, which occurred at the beginning OF the
eighteenth century, and struck the vital blow at the
spiehaor of lspahai. Around IL IL a sea of domes
minars folded in and ntersected by dark bands Of
oaase ana rains OF suburbs stretch south as lar s
TIE eye can reach.
PALACES, GARDENS AND FLOWERS
Immediately TO the north the view has a happier
pnase ior In THIS direction arc the palaces and their
extensive gardens uhohel Sittoon, with It's lustrous
saves disclosing one or two which, being slen
uel' appear IKE aaces OF crystal then 60 The right
Tor his master 'q Fah ~ n AN sSan os wacS Raa ne
FURNISHED nn,,,. SO completely that there was
nothing to be desired Tor the uses OF tire Kiag
anu MS women. An oblong court Is before
IT, where tranquil stretch OF water green from The
superaDunaant branches reflected therein-irom
TINS passage leads to q hare obscarea by large
curtain oi Whine cloth, decorated By crimson now
els. his harem was the scene OF The murder Of
shah Sultan Iiusseln, founder OF The Royal Med
reSsen already described, by Asnrof the Afghan
usMper hhi lines OF walls IN arc tdcs, painted
WIN sisncnes OK nososays separate these palaces
TO the left Is the Eighth Paradise the ornate
.iosS, more than hah covered by us forestgarien.
aild beyond looms the stately Royal College with its
TWO spring mlnars. This to the noftn Is most
pleasant vew-it haunts Of ROYALTY. bowers of love
and pleasure; and beyond them, northerly, extend
streams Of verdure which finally as the details iade
WIFI distance, conn0w nto one extensive and tran
Gull forest. bounded by tue Atesn Kun or .Iill or
the Fire Norslppels."
East oureyes overlook another verdnrous scene
the Chenar colonnades OF the Char-Bach-the wind
ing 'hivef oil ife,n the Armenian suDurb Of Julia;
Tue extensive dcniesnc known as the Hezar Jereb,
or lhe Thousand Acrcs;n Takht-i-poulaa. In which
laT'-the Armenian Cemetery; the kah.i-Suh
"Seu's HiN;' "Hustam's rGrone," anu the wonder
rnly strange scenery OF the Thousand Valieys''
clears Defrch.
THRONE OF RvsrAM
me Seii's Hi Is II sorrated, lofty ridge. which
r,'ns paraiiI VITA the zanderood about Aye mics
southwest OF lls bank. the road thiiher leads over
whifish and ARID expanse. with gentle and even
slope up % the base OF the hill. AT The northern ex-
tieniiy OF talS ridge Is the strange limestone rock
formation, known az tie "a nrone OF Rustamn The
summit OF the rock, or ridge, al TINS end happens
| 10 De OF mneh harder material than tie
sloFe. and bit by bit, during The centuries
which have passed, the sides have been eroded by
| rains and saows until now the summit oyeghangs
OF Almost ali sides the slope. like the cornlce OF
huge temple wall, and presents the appearance OF q
| gigantic altar. The summit Is nat, and on il mas
been built, either by IRE worshppers or Self ere
mtcs. on ordinary looking house which once had n
! dome. From tire base OF the hill TO IT'S oycrlappinr
| cap may be $50, perhaps 400 feet. This IS what
legend and superSttioas admiration OF the Persian
| Hercules nave denoninaIed IakhGtiiustam--
| "Throne OF Rustam.n
THOUSAND VALLEYS AND PLAIN or IsrAuAN
IL was an eaort II agility requiring cool mead to
ascend 10 II, and ii had teen cylden 10 that ex-
cept Tor the Iac view nothing would he derived
nom the toabe OF the ascent But when one IS
| travelling TO see things he might as well set his
i mind upon seeing everything notable, ana
| with That view | ascenued. AS / climbed
| Up from The western side passed some caves and
rock cut tanks, yesiiges. AZ firmly believe, Of
| either protesting Muslims or Fire Worshppers
Finally arrived upon the summit OF The 'Tnrole,n
ana the ''iaOusaAd Valleys ana the whole plain u
Ispahan were before nae. The Ispalian u ain IL an
area Oh about hundred square miles dotted with
/ bleak, barren hills. sometimes as mere iasula ed
peaks, others III serrated Knots, others with lie
length and height Of mountains, others again as
| mere dark and blllowy waves OF rocks: and be.
tween these stretch and wind and ramify the
valleys, eacl Oh which Is susie t.bc OF high cuiii-
| vaion. Hence the term Thousand Valleys 1t
Is Il very singular scenery. Ispahan Is 10 ad-
vantage buE not with the graceful details Which
present themselves from The top OF A-aii Capee. II
is one broad and large paradise, dimmed with the
| warm haze which hangs above forest and mgar
| dome and palace, CITY and plain, during the morn
| ing hours, and indistinct ana unreal appears TN
great dun plain around it. nccSed by its tnou and
cra8gy hills.
LEGENDARY STORY.
| Amused by the legends told about this dangerou
| rocky avalanche on winch l STOOD, turncd to M
! "What place is this Alias ~
''knslan's Chair or sofa. No, II Is Rustamt
throne"
'.And who was Russian ~ I asked again. though
knew very wei, having read that wonderful produc
tion "Shah Ealneh, by Ferdoussce.
sRusfam was one strong man, sir; stronger than
hon; much stronger than III elephant. he was
stronger than thousand living persansn
eyes, sir; he could tear up big mountains and
throw them ut his enemies. He had sword, q
dreadfully long sword, ana with that lie could cut
'!ie must have been very strong and big man,
eh And this house was the place he llyed in sup.
pose"
yes sr.n
"ut don't You think, Alias, that it is rather sma.l
for such man as Russian, II he was 80 big as you
describe him Z"
II don't know, sir"
"And suppose this was the room he slept in and
THIS smooth rock his dining table, and where. II he
was good Mussulmaa he must have spread his
carpet ana prayed oteD, ehf"
II am sure he must have been good MgsSuyan
Sir. Yes, sir, this Is the place where he prayed be.
fore going TO light, and IN the morning and evening,
ana just below here - the pace where he goI il i
water 10 drink and wash. Allah blew on tie rock
and II spit, and from the crack there came wafer
which you may see noa."
And we q seconded a lev feet and saw the crack
ana the water when pious Alias believed implicitly
was caused by the breath OF Allah.
TIE QUEEN OF SHEBA.
Another legend about the rock Is that Dallii
Queen OF SheDa, being very Ill with u strange
disease. was sent to be cured to Ispahan The only
district then known where The Climate was uniform,
where the seasons came ana passed in regular
intervals without being subject to variable weaers,
anu that solomon butt her this house that she inIg hi
enjoy Ihe ptireSt breezes.
The Queen OF Sneba, II seems, Is great charac-
ter III ne East The Abyssnlans claim her as OF
tneir country. Theodorus, the ualor5unate Enlpe-
ror OF ADyssinia claimed linel descent from her,
and so does the present Prince Ienllek, King Of
Snoa IRON Menilek her son. The Arabs Or Arabia
Felix nave also many traditions about her.
HILL OF THE FIRE woRSHIPPERS.
From Takht-i- Austam we rode to the Aesl KUN
"iiill OF the Fire Wolshlppors; and here again my
norliuate scepticism clasbed with the traditions of
the natives IL stands northeast about three miles
from lakhtiRustain. On lis southern and west
ern sides IT seems that IL has been used as quarry
by scores OF generations. But The wonder is where
all the mass CI sion taken from the immense
quarry has gone TO. We DO not see 1t IN ispahan
except In the pavement OF har.Bagh, the carb.
stones and bed OF the reservoirs the lntes OF doors
and windows and the stcles and coilnsha Cd
blocks OF the Persian and Armenian cemeteries,
While the stone taken away must have suiilced to
buld good-sized city all Oh stone.
We assembled the eastern face Of the Atesk
Kuh TO the summit. AL tree-iourths of the ascent
we passed through gap IN wall fifteen feet thick,