_ 237 _ On the Saturday at nine o’clock in the morning we left there in the same direction, and after nightfall we arrived at a large city called Ardistan, having gone towards the north about half a league before finding it, where it was situated in the north-east quarter. It is very large, but ruined and broken down since the time of the Tartars, as was the greater part of Persia at the time they conquered it. Before, it was a very beautiful and populous city, as appears from its size and that of its buildings. It is populated by many Persian people, most of them red-caps of Shah Ishamel, handsome men, and the women all look very similar. It is well supplied with all the fruits, provisions and necessary things, and has two large bazaars, with raw and cooked food, and it has streets where artisans ply all trades. On the following Sunday, when we were still here, the clothes of all the merchants were weighed. It is the custom to do this in this city, because the hire of the camels is paid by weight. We were there on the Monday, and on the Tuesday, which was the 19th of the month, after midnight we left in a north-north-easterly direction, through the night, and around the bends in the road, and at eight or nine in the morning, having passed two more places, we camped a little before another one called Mohobad, in a flat
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