212 DISTRICT OF HAMADÍN. [CHAP. X.
and the slopes and valleys of the Elburz the other. Although
inferior to Fárs in fertility and cultivation, ’Irak contains fine
valleys and rich plains, with excellent pasturage, and considerable
tracts of cultivated land. Amongst the valleys may
be noticed those of Hamadán, Khoonsar, Yezdikhâst, and
Roach (S.W. of Ispahan), Kizil U'zen, &c. ; and, among the
plains, the great tract extending from Ispahan to Teherán,
together with the productive regions of Komisháh, Sultáníyah,
Káshán, Kasvin, and Ahman-abád. The last district is on
the confines of Fárs, and in it is situated, on the border line
between the two provinces, the singular castellated town of
Yezdikhâst, occupying an isolated rock of about 600 yards
long by 50 wide. The town commands the opening of a
valley bearing thé same name, which enters, like a deep
fissure, into the plain itself.
Along the slopes of the Elwand, the ancient Orontes, is
the elevated district of Hamadán, with which Kurdistán may
be said to terminate. The capital is in a cultivated amphitheatre,
shaded with elms, poplars, firs, &c., at the foot of
the picturesque Elwand. This mountain is covered with
verdure almost to its snow-clad peak, and abounds with
springs, in addition to the fine stream1 which traverses the
town. Arrow-headed inscriptions2 mark the antiquity of a
site generally considered to be that of Ecbatana, the capital
of Media Magna. It boasts of the castle of Darius, the
sepulchres of Esther and Mordecai, with the tomb of the
philosopher and physician Avicenna. The spacious Máidán
(now a market), and the once splendid mosque of Jumah, bespeak
the grandeur of the city at a time anterior to its destruction
by Timur. It contains about 10,000 houses,3 and the palace of
the governor, who has been usually a prince of the royal blood.
Towards the eastern side of Trák is the town of Komisháh,
consisting of three separate villages, which, with their
inclosures and garden grounds, cover a considerable space.
The bázárs are good, and, although much decayed, this place
still contains about 3000 souls.
1 The Narwend.—Morier, p. 264. 8 Ibid., p. 261.
8 MS. Journal of Mr. A. A. Staunton, R.A., returning to England.