wers appear
to have been enormous, as shown by the base of the nearer one in the
foreground of the photograph, and also by the second one, a portion of
which still remained standing.

The city boundary made a detour to the south-east at the third tower, all
the buildings visible being on the east of the wall and none to the west.
The modern village of Zaidan should, of course, be excepted.

There seems to have been a great space intervening between this wall and
the nearest habitations, but why that was would now be difficult to
ascertain except by digging to a considerable depth. It seems hardly
likely that a moat with water should have been constructed on the inside
of the fortress, although at first sight one might be led to conclude
that this was the case.

[Illustration: S.E. Portion of Zaidan City, showing how it disappears
under distant sand accumulations.]

[Illustration: Double Wall and Circular Unroofed Structures, Zaidan. In
the distance high sand accumulations above City.]

The city does not seem to have had a great general breadth, and is mostly
remarkable for its enormous length, although at several of the most
important points it has indeed considerable width. It extended mostly
like a long line, and one could still perceive, as far as the eye could
see, partially destroyed domed roofs, fragments of walls, and in some
cases entire structures still standing and bearing roofs. The ice-house,
which we had passed on the way, stood prominent to the north by
north-west and also the pillar, the _minar_ of Mil-i-Zaidan.

Major Sykes makes a very quaint statement in the _Geographical Journal_
for February, 1902. He says: "I have seen it stated by previous
travellers" (presumably Sir F. Goldsmid and Bellew) "that the ruins of
Zaidan extend for fourteen miles, but the fact is that _there were
villages lining the Rud-i-Nasru throughout its length_ (a length of 30
miles according to Major Sykes's maps), and these have been mistaken for
suburbs of the capital of Sistan."

It seems to me that Major Sykes has only strengthened the contention of
previous travellers and that, whether one calls them suburbs or a
continuity of habitations, villages, or by any other name, the fact is
that continuous miles of buildings can be traced. The Rud-i-Nasru
canal, according to Major Sykes's own maps as given in the _Geographical
Society's Journal_, is over 30 miles in length, and if the 30 miles are
lined _throughout_ by villa