We set out from Eriván, with a caraván of seven hundred persons toward the west, and reached after five hours the kent Abdallí, a Persian village of a hundred houses, which at the time of the conquest was fixed to be the frontier of Karss. We advanced to the north four hours to kent Ayárán with five hundred houses; the inhabitants of which are Gokdúlak; from hence through mountains of luxuriant vegetation to kent Sheráb-kháneh, situated on a hill, of three hundred Armenian houses with many gardens, it is a ziámet on the frontier of Karss. We continued our journey to the west, passing over fertile steppes, and seeing many castles, which had been ruined by Sultán Murad IV. After four hours we arrived at kent Begum; the daughter of Uzún Hassan Sháh of that name built it; the Persian Princesses are even now styled Beghum: there are three hundred houses of Armenians and Georgians; it was ruined by Timúr, but seven high arches are still extant among the ruins on the border of Arpachaí, where the Princes of the Ak-koyúnlí, Meimendi Khán, Ashár Khán, Otgabai Khán, Gúndúzbai Khán and other Sháhs are buried, some lying, some seated on their thrones, as if they were in life, with their names, and the chronographs of their deaths. The three sides of this old town are a great Yaila. From hence we went to the west through marshy ground, and some meadows, to the old castle of Shúreger; Hossein Bikara, delighted with its situation on the river Arpachaí, built this town according to the advice of Doctor Shúrgerí; it passed into the hands of Kara Yússúf and was destroyed by Timúr; Lala Kara Mustafa Páshá ruined it again; large vaults and masses are yet conspicuous amongst its ruins. The musical tune Shureh is said to have been invented by Shúreger at the time he was building this town, whose inhabitants all delight in music, and are famous singers. The castle is in ruins, and no more than three hundred houses with terraces are now existing. The half of its districts being situated on the other bank of Arpachaí belong to the government of Eriván; those on this side to Karss. It is a mountainous fertile tract of Georgia which extends northward to the Aras and Zenghí, and along Mount Caucasus to the Caspian Sea; and on the west to Erzerúm. From Shúreger we advanced to the west, crossing five small rivers, some of which come from Georgia, some from the mountains of Azghúr, and flow into the Aras; some of the ground is marshy. We then arrived at the ferry of a river, the name of which I am ignorant of. Sultán Murad crossed this river on his expedition to Eriván, and the spot is yet marked, where his tent was fixed; the inhabitants planted trees round it, and made it a prayer-place. Five hours further to the west through fertile ground is the village of Búlánik, a free ziámet of Sefer Aghá, of three hundred houses. Seven hours further is the castle of Karss; we remained a night as guests with Alí Aghá, and continued our journey