Khán, who commands three thousand men; it is a day’s journey from mount Seilán, and is surrounded by high mountains at the same distance; it lies in a fertile valley close to a lake. It was built by an Armenian King in fear of Omar’s power, in the same year that Sáriet-ul-jebel was sent to Nehavend; this is one of the principal reasons why Omar is so much hated by the Persians, who do not show so much dislike to Abúbekr and Osmán. This town formerly extended as far as mount Seilán, from which it is now two farsangs distant; the farsang is equal to twelve thousand ordinary paces, so that two farsangs are equal to twenty-four thousand paces. The top of Seilán is always covered with snow, which shines like silver in the middle of summer, and furnishes all the water of the town; it is a very digestive water, which enables the inhabitants to feast like Ma’adikarb. The inhabitants pretend to be Sháfiítes; they are great liars. The distance between Tabríz and Erdebíl is twenty-five farsangs, which with a good horse may be gone over in two days. The climate much resembles that of Erzerúm; hard winter, and a fruitful soil, the corn multiplying eighty fold: there are no fruit-trees and vines, but gardens for vegetables and rosebeds. The lake near Tabríz on the east side is covered with many hundred fishing-boats, on the west it is but a farsang’s distance from Rúmie; between Erdebíl and the lake the country is covered with wood, and villages are interspersed in the forest; there are seventy sorts of fish; the boats on the lake also trade to Rúmie, Dúmdúmí and Dúmbúlí; the circumference of this lake is greater than that of Wán, a man may go round it in ten days; the water of the lake of Wán is bitter as poison, but this is sweet as the water of life. Its depth is seventy cubits. This lake was produced on the birthnight of the prophet, when the vault of Chosroes, and that of Ayá Sófiyah, and the idols of Mecca fell down by an earthquake; forty-five large and small springs flow into it; the river Seilán which affords water to Erdebíl, the river Kuherán and others fall into this sea. On the banks of the river Seilán lies a large round mass of iron, three quintals in weight, extremely well polished, on which ancient philosophers have written a kind of Hebrew inscription with a figure lifting its two arms up to Heaven; if rain is wanted this stone is carried in procession into the town, and it never fails to rain day and night without ceasing till the stone is replaced. The basis on which this marvellous stone reposes is a large rock, covered with strange inscriptions; it also has twelve holes, from which as soon as the iron mass is rolled away, water begins to rush forth, and ceases not until the stone is returned to its place. Some persons assert this to be the stone which Moses struck in the desert, others believe that this miracle is performed in favour of Sheikh Safí; be it as it may, it is a great talisman. Erdebíl is famous for