There are altogether three hundred and twenty mihrábs, nineteen of which are Imperial mosques. The first is the old mosque of Zobeide, the cupola and walls of which are all inlaid with china (fayence;) the mortar of the Mihráb having been mixed with musk, exhales the sweetest perfume; its minareh is also entirely inlaid with china. The mosque of Motevekel is a mosque in the old style, with one minareh, which like the former is faced with china. In the course of time the builder’s name has been lost, and it is now called Meshkieh. The mosque of Sultán Mohammed Shám Ghazán, which was formerly a splendid mosque, is now falling into decay in an obscure place; the mosque of Jihán Sháh Emín is a high building with a dome vying with that of Ták Kesra, like the mosque of Táher Bibars, at Cairo; its walls are white polished like Chinese paper, and before the Mihráb is a fine garden, the scent of which perfumes the air. The name of this fine mosque is Dihshetí-Behesht (terror of Paradise). The mosque of Sultán Hassan, the Prince of Azerbeiján, the same who built the fortress of Hassan Kala’a to the east of Erzerúm, and who was defeated by Sultán Mohammed II. in the field of Terján. He is buried at this mosque, the cupolas of which are inlaid with china inside and out; it is quite equal to the mosque of Sultán Hassan at Cairo. The minber, mihráb and mahfil are adorned with such elegant sculptures and carving, that the greatest masters of the present day would not be able to finish it in that style; the windows shine with unparalleled splendour, but the greatest masterpiece is conspicuous in the arabesques and ornaments of the great gate. Above all the gates and windows are inscriptions in the character of Yakút Mostea’assemí. On the side of the altar are two columns of a yellow stone, each of which is worth the revenue of Irán and Turán: these two columns have no equal, either in Egypt, Syria, Arabia, or Persia. The other Imperial mosques are also faced with china, paved with marble and adorned with paintings and suspended ornaments, so that each is quite a Chinese gallery. These five mosques are not however so much frequented as those in Turkey, because prayers are not performed in community, but singly by persons, who enter and leave abruptly. Opposite to the mosque of Uzún Hassan is that of Sháh Ismail, and near it that of Sháh Makssúd, the son of Sultán Hassan; the old mosque of Chármenán, the mosque of Abbás the first, and the great mosque, so large that from the great gate to the mihráb opposite, a man can hardly be distinguished. _Colleges of Tabríz._