4,700 divisions (mahallah) of the city, for the purpose of giving aid in repairing the fortifications. Many thousands of masons and builders having been assembled, the great work was begun, and happily finished in the space of one year, before the return of the Sultán from his victorious campaign at Riván. On receiving intelligence of the conquest of that fortress the joy was universal, and the city was illuminated for seven days and seven nights. It was then that a causeway, twenty cubits broad, was formed at the foot of the wall, along the sea-shore, from Seraglio-Point to the Seven Towers; and on it a high road was made for the convenience of the sailors, who drag their vessels by ropes round the point into the harbour. Close to the wall, all the houses, within and without, were purchased by government, and pulled down to make room for the road, and I then was enabled to measure the circumference of the city, by pacing it round as I shall now explain. Having said a _bismillah_ on setting out, and going along the edge of the ditch, from the Seven Towers to Abú Iyyúb Ensárí, I found the distance measured 8,810 paces, exclusive of the eight gates. From the little gate of Iyyúb to the Garden-gate (Bághcheh kapú), including the Martyrs gate (Shehíd kapú-sí), a space comprehending fourteen gates, there are 6,500 paces. The new palace (Yení seráï), which is the threshold of the abode of felicity (Asitánehi Dáru-s-se’ádet), beginning from the barley-granary (Arpá-enbárí), which is near the head-lime-burners gate (kirej-chí báshí kapú-sí), has, in its whole circumference, sixteen gates, ten of which are open, and six closed, except on extraordinary occasions. The entire circuit of this new palace, built by Mohammed (II.) the conqueror, is 6,500 paces. The distance from the Stable gate (Akhór-kapú), along the new-made high road to the angle of the Seven Towers, measures 10,000 paces, and comprehends seven gates. According to this calculation, the whole circumference of Islámbúl measures 30,000 paces, having ten towers in every thousand paces, and four hundred towers in the sum total; but, taking into the account those in the triple wall on the land side, there are altogether 1,225 large towers; of which, some are square, some round, some hexagonal. When Baïrám Páshá had undertaken a complete repair of the fortifications, he ordered the walls to be measured by the builders’ ell (arshín), and the whole circumference of the city was found to be exactly 87,000 ells or cubits (zirá’).