What people are saying - Write a review
We haven't found any reviews in the usual places.
Abasside appearance Arabs arch Babylon bank Basrah Bassorah bazaars boats bricks building built Caliph called captain Captivity chamber Chosroes Colonel Kemball Comet commander consisting Consul-General court-yard courteous Ctesiphon curious date-trees deck desert distance dressed Ecbatana edifice Emperor engineer English Euphrates European feet Felix Jones floor formed fust-rate garden gentlemen Greek height Hoefer horses hospitable houses Indian navy inhabitants Jews Kesrawi khalif kind King of Persia Kurnah ladies land Lieutenant Bewsher Lord Lynch Madain magnificence Mahomedan Mahomet Marghil Mesopotamia minarets mounds Namik Pasha narrative night nobles numerous officers Omar Oriental palace of Chosroes Parthian Parthian Empire party passed Persian kings picturesque Pietro della Valle pipe present Prince Residency riding river Roman roof round ruin Seleucia serdaubs Shirvan side Strabon stream Tavernier Tek Kesra Telegraph thousand Tigris Timour-lenk took town Trajan trees Turkish Turkish steamer Turks vast vaults verandah walk walls whole
Page 25 - Arabian general persuaded his soldiers to relinquish their claim, in the reasonable hope that the eyes of the caliph would be delighted with the splendid workmanship of nature and industry. Regardless of the merit of art, and the pomp of royalty, the rigid Omar divided the prize among his brethren of Medina.
Page 25 - A paradise or garden was depicted on the ground, the flowers, fruit, and shrubs, were imitated by the figures of the gold embroidery and the colours of the precious stones, and the ample square was encircled by a variegated and verdant border. The Arabian general persuaded his soldiers to relinquish their claim in the reasonable hope that the eyes of the Caliph would be delighted with the splendid workmanship of nature and industry.
Page 25 - A mule that carried away the tiara and cuirass, the belt and bracelets of Chosroes, was overtaken by the pursuers. The gorgeous trophy was presented to the commander of the faithful, and the gravest of the companions condescended to smile when they beheld the white beard, the hairy arms, and uncouth figure of the veteran, who was invested with the spoils of the great king.
Page 54 - He enjoys nothing but what he earns by the labor of his own hands, and therefore manufactures coverlets, which he stamps with his seal, and which his officers sell in the public market ; these articles are purchased by the nobles of the land, and from their produce his necessaries are provided. The Calif is an excellent man, trustworthy and kind-hearted toward every one, but generally invisible to the Mohammedans.
Page 51 - ... decorations, resulting from the long connection between the Persian and Roman empires. Byzantine architects were probably employed in the erection of many of the great edifices founded by the Arsaces and Chosroes ; and in the style of the ornaments and of the sculptured figures occasionally found on buildings of those periods, as at Al Hadhr and in various parts of southern Persia, may be traced the corrupt taste and feeble outline of the artists of Constantinople.
Page 24 - The naked robbers of the desert were suddenly enriched beyond the measure of their hope or knowledge. Each chamber revealed a new treasure secreted with art, or ostentatiously displayed; the gold and silver, the various wardrobes and precious furniture, surpassed (says Abulfeda) the estimate of fancy or numbers ; and another historian defines the untold and almost infinite mass, by the fabulous computation of three thousands of thousands of thousands of pieces of gold.
Page 54 - The pilgrims, who come hither from distant countries on their way to Mecca in Yemen, desire to be presented to him, and thus address him from the palace : " Our lord, light of the Mohammedans and splendor of our religion, show us the brightness of thy countenance " ; but he heeds not their words.
Page 25 - Saracens, mistaking it for salt, mingled the camphor in their bread, and were astonished at the bitterness of the taste. One of the apartments of the palace was decorated with a carpet of silk, sixty cubits in length, and as many in breadth: a paradise or garden was depictured on the ground. The flowers, fruits, and shrubs were imitated by the figures of the gold embroidery and the colors of the precious stones, and the ample square was encircled by a variegated and verdant border.
Page 58 - Babylonia, and extensive landed property inherited from his forefathers, of which nobody can deprive him. He enjoys a certain yearly income from the Jewish hostelries, the markets, and the merchandise of the country, which is levied in form of a tax, over and above what is presented to him from foreign countries.