Towards the north (according to Morier), Mader-i-Soliman
marks the tomb of Cyrus (son of Cambyses); and to the west
are the ruins of Kizla Sefid;1 and, nearly in the centre,
are those of the ancient capital, Persepolis.
The modern places of some note are Darabgerd, Jarem,
Fasa, and Firoz-abad, all towards the eastern frontier;
while, on the western side, are Kazerun, Mayeen, Oujan,
and several smaller places. Abu Sh6hr (Bushire), the
second place and the principal seaport, stands upon a low,
sandy point, running N.W. on one side of a bay, and the
harbour, though defective, is the best on this coast; Con-
goon, Bander Delem, and Cogoon, being only suited for
boats. Towards the land side, which is low and marshy,
Bushire is defended by a loop-hooled wall, flanked by twelve
towers,, and contains a population amounting to nearly
10,000 souls. The houses are of a very ordinary class, but
a few badgeers, or wind-towers, occasionally relieve the
sombre appearance of the place.
At 34 miles W.N.W. of this port are the rocky islands
Karrak and Corgo, which are separated from each other by
a narrow channel. The former is inhabited by a few pilots
and fishermen, who are chiefly employed at Bushire, of
which the island is a dependency ; and it is of some importance
on account of its good anchorage, and abundant supply
of excellent water.
Shiraz, the capital of the province, occupies the centre of
a mountain basin, with rich gardens and fields extending
from the walls to the foot of the surrounding mountains.
It is constructed2 of unburnt brick, and is surrounded by a
ditch and a wall, flanked by semicircular towers, which rise
some feet above the parapet. Within there is an ark, inclosed
by very high walls. It has also several good karvan-
1 MS. Journal of the Right Honourable Sir R. Gordon. 1812.
2 The name is derived by some from Sheer (milk), and by others from
Sherab (grape), both of which are good, as well as abundant.—Herbert’s
Travels into Africa, Persia, and Hindustan. London, 1638 : p. 134. Also
from Schir, a lion, because the city consumes the whole produce of the sur-
-ounding country.
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