description of it by Ibn Haukal (978), who based his account on Istakhri (951).
'The city of Nishapur is situated in a plain and extends a farsakh (league) in each direction. Its buildings are of clay. The city consists of the town proper, the citadel, and the outer suburbs. The place around the citadel and the suburbs are well populated. The chief Friday Mosque stands in the suburbs, on the ground called Al-Mu'askar, "the Military Square," and the Governor's Palace, which was built by Amr ibn Laith, called the Maidan al-Husainin ; while not far away is the prison.
- The citadel has two gates, the city four. These last are known respec-
tively, as the Bab al-Kantarah (' Bridge Gate'), the Gate of the Street of Ma'kil, the Bab al-Kuhandiz ('Fortress Gate'), and the Gate of the Takin Bridge. The citadel is outside the town, and the suburbs lie around both it and the city. [The names of several gates leading to the provinces are given, but may be omitted here.]
' The bazars lie outside the city, the two most important being the Murab- ba'ah al-Kabirah (' Great Square ') and the Murabba'ah al-Saghirah (' Little Square'). Starting westward from the square, the bazar extends as far as the cemetery known as the Makabir al-Husainin (' Graveyard of the De- scendants of Husain ') ; and at intervals between these two bazars are caravan sarais and hostelries, occupied by the merchants with their wares, each bazar having its special merchandise, and each hostelry being as large as a bazar in other cities. [Some details that show the crowded condition of the marts may be omitted here, although special mention is made of hat- makers, bootmakers, cobblers, ropemakers, and cloth merchants.] ^
- The city of Nishapur is watered by subterraneous channels which run
under the houses in the town but are on the surface outside in the fields, thus supplying the inhabitants in the city and their gardens outside of it. Some of these conduits, even in the city, are a hundred feet below ground. There is also a large river, Wadi Saghavar, which supplies it and the neigh- boring towns and villages.
- In the whole province of Khurasan there is not a larger city than Nishapur,
nor one blessed with a more healthy and more temperate climate ; nor is there one that has finer buildings, more extensive commerce, better means of communication, and larger caravansarais. It produces various kinds of fine linens, cotton goods, and raw silk, all of which (because of their excellence and abundance) are exported to other lands of Islam, and even of Christen- dom ; for kings themselves and nobles value them as wearing apparel.
1 Istakhri gives fuller details about Haukal being more detailed as to the the public squares and streets, Ibn bazars.
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