aving merely an extensive graveyard, a few houses,
the large caravanserai at which I had halted, and a row of shops;
whereas, on the southern side was the bulk of the houses, two, three and
some even four storied, all of a monotonous greyish colour, the buildings
being mostly of sun-dried mud bricks. The little windows in sets of
threes and fives, with brown wooden shutters, relieved to a certain
extent the dulness of the architecture, while a certain relief to the eye
was afforded by a dome and another building, both painted white, in
marked contrast to the mud walls. Many houses had long verandahs and
balconies, on which the women spread their washing.

As the city was built in terraces upon undulating ground and two higher
hills, it covered a greater area than it at first appeared to do. The
streets were very tortuous and narrow, arched over in some places,
forming long dark tunnels, many of the dwellings having rooms over them
directly above the roadway.

Making a rough guess, there were, I daresay, some 3,500 to 4,000 houses
in Birjand and its suburbs, with a population of not over 30,000 souls.
These figures, the natives said, were about correct, but no exact
statistics existed.

The higher point of Birjand was at its south-east portion, and at the
most extreme south-east point of the town at the bottom of the hill was
the high, square, fortress-like enclosure with bastions and a high tower,
as represented in the illustration. It was in a dilapidated condition,
but was, nevertheless, the only structure in Birjand which had a claim to
some picturesqueness. It was the old citadel, inhabited at one time by
the Amir. The wall of the citadel facing south had a large window with
_musharabeah_ woodwork, and a lower building to the side. The adjacent
building also had quaint balconies.

A good view of the whole city was obtained from a high, isolated building
to the south of the town, in the centre of a large but somewhat untidy
fruit garden, an official residence, but now very little used except in
cases of emergency to accommodate passing officials or distinguished
people.

There were some Persian military officers staying there and they most
kindly showed me all that there was to be seen, after having entertained
me to some refreshments. They conveyed me inside the citadel where they
proudly showed me a battery of six nine-pounder guns of obsolete Austrian
manufacture; an eighteen pounder bronze gun and another gu