Page:Historyofpersiaf00watsrich.djvu/84

 general of All Murad attempted to put down the revolt of Aga Mahomed Khan. That town was then, for the first time, taken by the Kajar chief, who, however, was quickly driven out of it. On again obtaining possession of it, he made it the base of his future operations, and finding it conveniently situated for communicating with the central and western districts of Persia, while at the same time it was within a short distance of the habitation of the Kajar tribe, he determined to make it the capital of the country; a position which it has ever since continued to hold.

A French traveller, who visited Tehran in the reign of Aga Mahomed, gives a minute description of the appearance which that city then presented. From the fact that the bazars and the mosques, as well as the houses of the people and the palace of the king, were all new, it appeared that the place must, at a previous period not long past, have been almost completely destroyed by the Affghans. Aga Mahomed, having chosen Tehran as his capital, erected in it, for the convenience of travellers and merchants, commodious caravanserais and places for transacting business, which made the former provincial town one of the handsomest cities in Persia. Tehran was surrounded by a square wall of earth, and by a broad ditch. The extent of the walls was about seven miles, but only a small portion of the area therein inclosed was inhabited in the time of Aga Mahomed. Large vacant spaces and extensive gardens occupied a great part of the ground, and nearly a fourth of the city was devoted to the ark, or citadel, which contained only the palace of the king. In each of the four faces of the wall there was a gate, defended by a large round tower,