he mosque.

The Katkhuda said that it was a very ancient god, but its age was not
easy to ascertain on so short an acquaintance. It certainly seemed very
much more ancient than anything else we had found and inspected at
Zaidan.

CHAPTER XXIII

A short historical sketch of Zaidan city--How it was pillaged and
destroyed--Fortresses and citadels--Taimur Lang--Shah
Rukh--Revolutions--The Safavi dynasty--Peshawaran, Pulki,
Deshtak--Sir F. Goldsmid's and Bellew's impressions--The extent
of the Peshawaran ruins--Arabic inscriptions--A curious
ornamentation--Mosques and _mihrab_--Tomb of Saiyid Ikbal--The
Farah Rud and Harut Rud--The "Band" of the Halmund--Canals and
channels old and new of the Halmund delta--The Rud-i-Nasru and
the Rud-i-Perian--Strange temporary graves--Ancient prosperity of
Eastern Persia.

It is not for me to go fully into the history of this great city of
Zaidan, for so much of it rests on speculation and confused traditions
that I would rather leave this work to some scientist of a more gambling
disposition than my own; but now that I have described what I myself saw
I will add a few historical details which seem correct, and the opinions
of one or two other travellers in that region which add interest to the
place as well as strengthen my statements. With the many photographs
which I took and which are reproduced in this book, I hope that a fair
idea of the place will be conveyed to the reader.

The following short historical notes were furnished to me by the
Katkhuda (or head village man) of the present village near the Zaidan
ruins. I reproduce them verbatim, without assuming any responsibility for
the accuracy of the historical dates, but the information about the great
city itself I found to be correct.

[Illustration: Arabic Inscription on Marble dug by Author at the City of
Zaidan.]

When Shah Rukh Shah was ruler of Turkistan, and one Malek Kutuh-ud-din
was ruler of Sistan and Kain, Shah Rukh Shah was engaged in settling
disturbances in the northern part of his dominions, and Malek
Kutuh-ud-din, taking advantage of it, attacked Herat and plundered it.
Shah Rukh Shah, hearing of this, collected an army and marched on Sistan.
During this march he devastated the country, which was then very fertile
and wealthy, and captured and dispersed the inhabitants of the endless
city of Zaidan--which extended from Kala-i-Fath, to the south (now