The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-20

to tho ruins OF Susa. This was, 1t seems. n
necdful procaution, rs the country is infested
by wandering Arabs. who hate Europeans visit
ing their RUNE, from the belief that they como
to carry of the gold which, according TO tradi-
tion, Ia buried there. Susa, or Shush, rs It is
called by tho Persians, marks the site Of three
distinct cities. Tho first and earliest of these
was tho capital Of the Elamito kingdom. 1t was
called Shushinnk, and one OF its kings was
Chedorlaomer, who reigned about 1000 b. @.
This city was laid waste by Assurbanipal,
King Of Assyria, in Gas d. G. One hundred and
forty years later it was rebuilt by Darius. tho
son OF Hystaspcs. This palace was destroyed by
fire, and another was erected by Artaxerxos II.
in 400 b.. c.; It was in this one. at Shushan in
the Palace" that Daniel saw the vision OF tho
ram. Hero, nlso. the jewish maiden. Esther.
was beloved, by Ahssucrns. now identified Will
Artnxerxes, and hero was situated the great
winter residence OF the kings.
Alexander destroyed Shushan in 1913 II. c., find
ing In its vaults incalculable treasures. Finally
tho city was. rebuilt in $50 A. d. by
Sapor H.. and flourished for some time
rs the capital of the Sassanian monarchs.
with tho decay of their dynasty, however,
the city fell into ruins, and nothing now re-
mains OF 1t but n long mound surrounded by
hillocks. which Is supposed to have been the
citadel. Close by flows tho river Shawl. pre-
suniably tho Ulni of Daniel. which ran through
tho market place. The Kcrkhah or Khonspos
on tho west and tho Khorates on the cast bor-
derod the walls. so the diameter OF the city must
have been over two miles. To the south lie fiat
green plains, which may have been the royal
deer park where young Cyrus hunted. Mr..
Bigham climbed up the mound and found
fragments Of brick and pottery, bcauti.
fully colored; these latter wcro doubt
less Of no later date than tho Sassanian
epoch. The relics of the older cities lie deeper
down. 1t sccns that the traces of Dieulafoy's
excavations are plainly visible. His chief finds,
tho friczcs OF the archers and tho lions. are now
in tho Louvre. and arc tho finest known exam
Piles OF Babylonian enamclling on brick. Near
the mound is the rcputcd tomb of Daniel, an
old square structure OF stone, long ago rihed
aud allowed to fall into decay. On the river
bank is II new and gaudy shrine. put up to the
saint by the modern faithful.
1t was on his way northcastward from Big
dad to Teheran that Mr.. Bigham inspected
what Is left of Ecbatana. He tells us that
not long after he left Kermanshah, he passed
Bebistun, where Semiramis Is supposed to
have built n city. and then came TO Kanga-
var, n queer little walled town, buried in
a clunip of bleached poplars. Next. he had to
cross a pass over nine thousand feet high, in
deep snow and n furious wind. Once over the
pass, q gallop of about twenty miles brought
$1,000 ~ an ~ Wv Slt Al lSlh-
Hamadan is the ancient Ecbatana, and is said
to have been built by Dejoces in $50 b. C. 1t
was the capital Of Media, and the original city
possessed seven distinct enceintes, of which the
outer one was colored white. the next one
black. the next purple, the next blue, and
the last three orange, silver and gold re.
spectiyely. Inside the seventh and Utmost wall,
lay the royal palace. where Astyages. grand
father Of Cyrus, had reigned. The population of
Echaf nm "a pnuy about Sn nnn n,,no,od - d.,
slams, Armenians. Kurds. and Jews. The latter
do q fiourishing trade in counterfeit relics, and
enjoy some prestige through n shrine where
Esther and Mordecai are supposed to have been
buried. Inside the tomb are two profuscly
carved wooden sarcophagi, with an inscription
to the effect that repairs were made in $50 A. d..
The saints bodies are alleged to rest in a vault
beneath, but Mr.. Brigham says that, when one
looks through the narrow hole in the floor
above. there is nothing to DO seen in tho dim
light. Nevertheless. the tombs are supposed to
be the most authentic in Persia. and are vene-
rated by Moslems as well as Jews.
Another somewhat memorable place visited
by our traveller while on his way to Meshed was
Danghan. in Khorasan, which disputes with
Shahrud the distinction of being the site of the
ancient Parthian capital, the real name Of which
in lost, but which the Greeks called Hecatompy-
los. 1t was there that Alexander found the dead
Douy u l1uTiub, AIT u II also famous as DelnR
the place where Nndir Shah finally beat the
Afghans In 1929. There is here an Arab brick
minaret dating from the tenth century. The
position of Shahrud. also visited by our author,
is remarkable. To the north lie the great snow
covered mountains Of the Shahrud range, and
to the south tho almost boundless wastes
Of the Salt Desert. Three roads meet here.
one from Meshed, another from Teheran, and
another from the Caspian. which. a little south
- = l-~ln
Tended mountain pass. An army stationed at
Shahrud would command the approaches from
the sea, and Mt the same time effcctually prevent
any junction between forces operating in Khora-
san and the west. We are told that, with a little
skilful engineering. the road from Astrabad
could easily be made passable for artillery, or at
least for light field guns. No doubt the Russians
realize tho strategic Importance of the place; 1t
is certainly dominated by Russian influence.
Shahrud was unquestionnbly one Of the great
cities of tho Parthian empire. II 1t was hot the
capital itself.
A chapter is devoted TO Meshcd. the great city
lying near the Persian border OF Afghanistan and
Russian Turkestan; 1t is $50 miles from Tehe-
ran. Our traveller rode into 1t up the Khineban
avenue. the longest straight street in Persia, at
the top OF which a chain is stretched across an
archway to protect the shrine OF tho eighth
Imam RIA from the sacrilegious foot of the Eu-
rOpean. Inc guardian OF THIS shrine Is the
greatest parsonage In tho city. and is able to
keep up greater state than the Governor of
Khorasan himself. since he has at his com.
mand the immense revenues OF tho shrine,
the "Vakuf," or endowments OF which
comprise lands and taxes all over Per-
sia. Although the Imam Ria was killed in
the ninth century, by the Caliph Mamun, son of
Haroun-al-R aschid. it was not till 1880 that the
shrine became celebrated. When tho Sefadi
dynasty adopted the Shah faith as tho State
religion of the empire, Meshed at once rose into
prominence. and is now ono of the chief objec-
tives OF pilgrimage to Persians, ranking, as we
have said. Immediately after Mecca and Ker-
bella. All sorts of privileges are enjoyed by tho
pilgrims during their stay IN Mcshed. Tho
principal one is that of making temporary mar
riages. the contract being operative from ono
day TO ninety-nine years. and terminable
at the husbands discretion. A foe is
paid to tho Mollah who performs the
ceremony. which is, 1t seems. merely a thin veil