_ 95 _ Item: Ardestan, a city situated to the north or north-east [of the road]. It is very large, but ruined since the time of the Tartars, as is the case of the greater part of Persia. It is peopled by Persians, most of whom wear hoods. It is very fertile and has two large bazaars, which are open spaces where both raw and cooked food is on sale. It has streets where all kinds of trades are carried on. Here all the cloth being carried by the caravan was weighed because the hire of the camels is paid by weight. We stayed there for two days, and left on 19 September towards the north-northeast and north. On that day we passed through two or three places and camped outside another called Mokhar. Item: Mokhar is a place in a flat plain by a river of good water, situated to the north-north-west, with similar people and customs. Here I saw the best pomegranates and quinces in the world. On the next day we passed through two more places and camped near another called Khalalabad. Item: Khalalabad is situated to the south or south-east. The houses here are better than in the last few places, built of wattle and daub and of more than one storey, with flat roofs and blinds. On the following day we camped outside another place called Buzabad.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTg0NzAy