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

correspondence from Persia, dated In the ancient
city OF Ispahan September 90. The writer presents
a finished ana most attractive picture OF that part
OF the Eastern world as 1t was and as It 49, its past
glories, its romance its mighty runs ana its stern
material realities to-day.
What Is Worth Seeing in ssDa!lan--Its An
cicnt Giery--Tho "Gslden Riysr,o or
River of Life "--The Char "a gl, or -Four
GarGeus~-iseyai College of shal, Husac:n--
Che Eighth Paradise Uss,t.i- 3ebeshi--vvon
dcrfml Palace OF the ssEorsy Piiiars''--A;ad-
din's Palace Exce,ied.
1spAnag Persia, sept. %, 1870.
1t has been serious question. long debated with
myself, how to conhne my description of Ispahan
one letter. At last decided that it were better
In order not to curta the pleasure which many OF
your readers must derive in wandering under my
guidance through the interesting scene Of the city
OF Abpas the Great, that | sholid describe ispahan
IN oae special letter, excluding everything extra
neous from IT..
How shall describe Ispahan3 How shall | pic
ture it SO that your readers shall welcome this let
ter, as palpable picture OF what lspaAan really is?
1t Is beyond my powers 10 do IL just &C. for II re-
quires poet 20 DO it. However, shah frst cnrme-
rate what IS worth seeing ana then we shall begin
our journey arm within arm, AMI let each reader
call to his ala whatever Imagination he may have
in order to assist the spare outlines which under
take to furnish.
CITY GUIDE.
Fu'st-There Is Caehel ssittoon, or the "PaIace OF
Forty Pillars" with It's pictures and gardens.
Second There Is The Ilashti.Bebesht or .'Eight
Paraeiscs,n built by Shah sulelman.
Tttru.-Is the Saad-et-abad, Residence or Man
sion OF Feliclty.n
Fomth.-Faih-abad, .1darsion OF Victory.n
F.fh.-Taa. Tav,leh "Iial Of the Sta5iea.u
Strh.-Good-es tch, "Buncl OF Roses"
Serentb.-EemcKadan q kiosk.
EtghG.-1he Char-Baal or "Four Garlens.n
Ntnh.--Ihe MADAM Shafts (Sha!is squarel
Te,rh.-Te Bazaars.
Eieuentb.--The Cathedral and town or Julia.
Observation-Disclosures or "Rustam's Throne.n
7nbtee'u7s.-Tnc Five Bridges Of Ispahan.
Eow1ee,tth.-rhe Castle Of Jaoarak.
Flteaatb.-The Thousand Valleys.
Sirteeaa.-The Rocking Minlrais.
Sepeateenth.-rhc FREY orshiprers' Temple
Etghteeath.-Tne Mesdjd.LSnah, or "Shalts
Mosque"
Naneteenth.-Thc Medrosseh Shah, college Of the
Shah.n
Toenuetn.-rhe Seat Of the last sea, on the lin
Sefres
Eere are twenty objects to be described besides
number OF others less Interesting; it is evident
then that shall have to be brief.
Gle who has not Ispahan has not seen
half the woild,n il the boosted saying OF q
Persian writer Yet the writer may have Deen
right, for lspahan In his days was a most
wonderful city. Shah AbDas raised it to its
zenith or prosperity until IT'S population almost
doubled that OF Constantn0ple, and Baghdad
was but q small town IN comparison One writer
estimates tile Inhabitants v number 100 600. while
the plain around IL contained 120 villages Another
writer set the population down at only ooOo While
In ia In
century there were l6o mesdls or mosques, over so
medressehs or colleges, ana 273 public baths. It's
palaces were very numerous, there being seven
belonging to the Shah OF unriyaed spendor with
gardens attached which stretched far and wide,
where whoever entered them might forget that
he was within great city SO large were they, so
dense the foliage, SO tail and numerous the
trees. Its Char-Bagh, or Fou Gardens, cannot be
exceled in any city. These gardens are four long
avenues, each having four lines Of chenar or plane
trees With nower-plots extending between the
pedestrian and the equestrian paths 1ley are about
one hundred feet wide and q mile long, and at short
intervals on either side are the Kings lodges palaces
OF the ministers, royal colleges, or kosks; SO one
may imagine, from these salient points alone, what
such city may have been. TO comprehend its
glorious extent one must needs ascend some high
building or one OF the mountains on the western
side. From the mountain tops one but vast
area teemtag with verdare, from which it Is diilcut
TO distinguish even the numerous minars, let alone
the obscured houses. Only from the OF All Capec
Gate may the scene be cohfprehcnded justly; where
an aggiomerate or beautiful views OF the special
characteristics OF Ispahan presented; where the
esty gathers itself, with all that Is bright and great
III II, within The scope OF the eyes,
HlSroRY-sHan ABBAs THE GREAT.
TO thoroughly understand what Ispahan was when
1t was the emporium OF Asia you must OF course,
lave first read all about shah ADbas the Great, of
Shah lsmael, Tahmast, Self Abbas the Second, Shah
Sueiman, shah Sultan Hussen, Hamas and Nadir
Shak; you must have read of the slaughter OF 600
Persians within the spacious of the Castle OF
Tabarak, OF the fearful Afghan Invasion and the
destruction Of the city by them, and its subsequent
abandonment as n royal city by the KaJar dynasty,
a prince of which reigns to-day at Teheran. You
must have known OF these things III order 10 kindle
proper sympathy with what remains now OF Ispa-
han .ast as much as you must know what Jerusalem
Ts In the days OF her glory in order to comprehend
the rhapsody OF David when he says 'Beautiful for
situation the Joy oil the whole earth is Mount Zionn
One may be pardoned for being scepcal as to the
oeau'y OF Jerusalem, as 1t presents such picture
OF utter contrast to what is written in the sacred
verse; eut about this city OF Abbas the Great the
'aueo spiehdor OF LIS numerous palaces, the miles
% ruined VILLAGES, the crumbing bridges, the
sparseEess OF tho population compared with the
NUMBER OF loity and magnificent bazaars the
vacancy OF the royal colleges The solitary minars,
me broad avenues, exclude sceptlclsm and com.