thirty-first parallels, being unable to penetrate the mountains, flow
eastward towards the desert; and their waters gradually collect into two
streams, which end in two lakes, the Deriah-i-Nemek and that of Neyriz,
or Lake Bakhtigan. The basin of Lake Neyriz lies towards the north. Here
the famous Bendamir, and the Pulwar or Kur-ab, flowing respectively from
the north-east and the north, unite in one near the ruins of the ancient
Persepolis, and, after fertilizing the plain of Merdasht, run eastward
down a rich vale for a distance of some forty miles into the salt lake
which swallows them up. This lake, when full, has a length of fifty or
sixty miles, with a breadth of from three to six. In summer, however,
it is often quite dry, the water of the Bendamir being expended in
irrigation before reaching its natural terminus. The valley and plain of
the Bendamir, and its tributaries, are among the most fertile portions
of Persia, as well as among those of most historic interest.

The basin of the Deriah-i-Nemek is smaller than that of the Neyriz, but
it is even more productive. Numerous brooks and streams, rising not far
from Shiraz, run on all sides into the Nemek lake, which has a length
of about fifteen and a breadth of three or three and a half miles. Among
the streams is the celebrated brook of Hafiz, the Rocknabad, which still
retains "its singular transparency and softness to the taste." Other
rills and fountains of extreme clearness abound, and a verdure is the
result, very unusual in Persia. The vines grown in the basin produce
the famous Shiraz wine, the only good wine which is manufactured in the
East. The orchards are magnificent. In the autumn "the earth is covered
with the gathered harvest, flowers, and fruits; melons, peaches, pears,
nectarines, cherries, grapes, pomegranates; all is a garden, abundant in
sweets and refreshment."

But, notwithstanding the exceptional fertility of the Shiraz plain