From Constantinople to the Home of Omar Khayyam: Travels in Transcaucasia and Northern Persia for Historic and Literary Research |
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From Constantinople to the Home of Omar Khayyam: Travels in Transcaucasia ... A. V. Williams Jackson No preview available - 2014 |
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ad-Din Shah AHUAN Aivan-i Kaif Alexander Alexander's ancient antiquity Arab arch Armenian Baku Barbier de Meynard bazar bricks Bustam called caravan caravansarai Caspian Gates Caucasus century citadel Constantinople Curzon Damghan Darius Derbent Dict east Eastern Caliphate Eastwick farsakhs feet Firdausi fortress Fraser Gabr géog Goeje Greek Grundr Hanway Hecatompylos horses Houtum-Schindler hundred Ibn Fakih Ibn Rustah India inscriptions Iran journey JRAS Kazem-Beg Khan Khurasan Khusrugird king Kumis Lasgird later London Marquart Mashad Masudi mausoleum mentioned Mihr miles minaret mosque Mount mountains Muhammad Mustaufi Nasir ad-Din Nishapur Olearius Omar Khayyam Omar's Pahlavi palace Paris passed Peacock Persian Philol photograph plain Rasht references road route ruins Russian Sabzavar Sar-Darrah Sasanian Semnan Shah Abbas Shahrud shrine side stone Sykes tablet Teheran temple throne tion tomb tower town Travels Turkoman village walls Yakut Zoroaster Zoroastrian Zotenberg
Popular passages
Page 239 - Strange, is it not? that of the myriads who Before us pass'd the door of Darkness through, Not one returns to tell us of the Road, ' "* Which to discover we must travel too.
Page 29 - Georgiania there is a fountain from which oil springs in great abundance, insomuch that a hundred shiploads might be taken from it at one time. This oil is not good to use with food, but 'tis good to burn, and is also used to anoint camels that have the mange.
Page 48 - Indians now worship ; near the altar, about three feet high, is a large hollow cane, from the end of which issues a blue flame, in colour and gentleness not unlike a lamp that burns with spirits, but seemingly more pure. These Indians affirm that this flame has continued ever since the flood, and they believe it will last to the end of the world ; that if it was resisted or suppressed in that place, it would rise in some other. Here are generally forty or fifty of these poor devotees, who come on...
Page 101 - ... carats, but there are some which weigh apparently 200 and more. As for the emeralds, there are plenty of good colour, but they have many flaws ; the largest may weigh 60 carats, and the least 30 carats. I counted about 116 ; thus there are more emeralds than rubies.
Page 102 - But that which in my opinion is the most costly7 thing about this magnificent throne is that the twelve columns supporting the canopy are surrounded with beautiful rows of pearls, which are round and of fine water, and weigh from 6 to 10 carats each. At 4 feet distance from the throne there are fixed, on either side, two umbrellas, the sticks of which for 7 or 8 feet in height are covered with diamonds, rubies, and pearls.
Page 30 - For there issueth out of the ground a marveilous quantitie of oile, which oile they fetch from the uttermost bounds of all Persia : it serveth all the countrey to burne in their houses. This oyle is blacke, and is called Nefte : they use to cary it throughout all the Countrey...
Page 100 - The entire fabric is overlaid with a plating of gold, which is exquisitely chiseled and enameled, and is absolutely incrusted with precious stones, among which rubies and emeralds are the most prominent. An elegant balustrade containing inscriptions in panels runs round, and the lofty back, which is one mass of gems, rises to a point in the center whereupon is fixed a circular star of diamonds, with scintillating rays, made to revolve by a piece of mechanism at the back. On either side of the star...
Page 49 - When the wind blows it rises sometimes eight feet high, but much lower in still weather. They do not perceive that the flame makes any impression on the rock. This also the Indians worship, and say it cannot be resisted, but if extinguished will rise in another place.
Page 101 - ... one the ruby is in the middle of four emeralds, and in another the emerald is in the middle and four balass rubies surround it. The emeralds are table-cut, and the intervals between the rubies and emeralds are covered with diamonds, the largest of which do not exceed 10 to 12 carats in weight, all being showy stones, but very flat.
Page 102 - The turban of gold cloth had an aigrette whose base was composed of diamonds of an extraordinary size and value, besides an oriental topaz which may be pronounced unparalleled, exhibiting a lustre like the sun. A necklace of immense pearls suspended from his neck reached to the stomach. The throne was supported by six massy feet, said to be of solid gold, sprinkled over with rubies, emeralds, and diamonds.