_via_ Bafk-Kuh-Benan.
It has no possible resting place, and we therefore camped just outside
the town. The natives were not particularly friendly and seemed inclined
to give trouble. There was considerable excitement when we crossed the
town in the morning on our arrival, and even more when I went to inspect
the city alone in the afternoon.

There was nothing to see, the bazaar in the place being one of the most
miserable looking in Persia. It was not domed over like those of other
Persian cities, but the streets were merely covered with rafters
supporting brush wood and rotten mats. There were no shops proper, but
various merchants, and brass-smiths, fruit-sellers, or sellers of
articles for caravans, had a certain amount of cheap goods within their
habitation doors.

More quaintly interesting were the commercial caravanserais, or small
squares with receptacles all round for travelling merchants to display
their goods upon. Lawah's trade is principally a transit trade, the
caravans which occasionally come through the desert taking an opportunity
of selling off some of their goods here, as also, of course, do those
that come from Yezd or Kerman.

There is some cultivation of wheat and cotton in the immediate
neighbourhood, and of fruit, which is quite excellent. The water is not
very plentiful, as can be seen by the hundreds of borings for water and
disused _kanats_ to the north of the city, where most fields are to be
found, while the majority of fruit gardens and trees are to the east.

Here, as everywhere else in Persia, a great portion of the town is
uninhabited and in ruins, and to the south-west, outside the inhabited
part, can be seen an interesting ruined quadrangular castle with a double
wall and moat with an outer watch tower besides the corner turrets.
Inside this castle was formerly a village. Another smaller fort, also in
ruins, is situated to the S.S.W.

There are a great many palm trees within the place, and they produce
good dates. The climate is most unhealthy, fever of the desert being
rampant. Great use is made of opium, which is smoked to excess by the
natives and has very disastrous effects in such an unhealthy climate.
Personally, I have ever believed, and believe still, that opium used in
moderation has no worse effects upon the light-headed human beings who
choose to make themselves slaves to it than whisky or tobacco, but under
these particular circumstances and in this particular climate