The Levend troops (irregular levies) sing Persian songs with harmonious voices. As soon as I entered the town, the Diván assembled, and notwithstanding the repeated oaths of the members of it, that they had not molested the Persian caravan, but only taken their custom duties, I took seven Aghás of them with me to prove the truth of what they said, by their presence at Erzerúm, whereunto I returned. The Beg and eleven Aghás presented me with a purse of money, two horses (Mahmúdí), and two Georgian slaves; and we travelled towards the east for nine hours, to the castle of Moghazberd, it is a district belonging to Karss, built by Mogház a Persian Khán; it passed into the hands of the Ak-koyúnlí of Sháh Ismail, and then into those of Sultán Súleimán; the garrison consists of a hundred and fifty men; the castle is built of stone in a pentagon form on a rock, not commanded by any neighbouring height; it has six hundred houses with gardens and vineyards; a mosque, khán, bath and ten shops; at the foot of this castle flows the river Arpachaí, which comes from the mountains of Georgia, and mingles with the Aras at the Kend of Tekeltí. The castle of Mogházberd is contiguous to the territory of the Persian castle Shúregil, which alone remained in the power of the Persians, meanwhile all the districts of it belong to the government of Karss; the river Arpachaí forms the limits: the eastern tract of this town is Persian, and the western, Ottoman, belonging to Karss. Opposite to Mogházberd, at a journey’s distance, is the castle of Ana on a hill, a square mud castle, built by Núshirván, the inhabitants are Armenians; between Ana and Karss are two mountains; we passed this castle and after nine hours journey we arrived at Zárshid on the utmost frontier, built by the Persian Sháhs, it is the seat of a Sanjak Beg subordinate to Karss; in the time of war, twelve hundred men bear arms, the judge has a hundred and fifty aspers; there is no Muftí nor Nakíb; but a Dizdár (Commander of the castle) and a hundred and fifty men. The castle is situated on a hill in a plain, at a day’s journey from Karss to the east on the road to Eriván, there are three hundred houses with terraces, a mosque, a convent, a bath, and a khan. Nine hours further eastward is the kent Thálish, on the frontier of Eriván; we passed Kara Taib, and arrived after twelve hours march to the east at Three Churches, a great convent built by the Greek Emperors; the convent is divided into three parts, in one are Greek, in the others Armenian nuns; these Three Churches and the Seven Churches on the road to Nakhshiván are the most famous convents of Persia. It is a convent well worth seeing on account of its monuments and strange talismans.