737. The palaces and gardens of Ispahan. Most of the houses of the Persian citizens are built so as to combine pleasure with domestic seclusion: for the first purpose, they have contrived to have near them shrubberies, shade, water, flowers, and, in short, every thing that can gratify the senses; and, for the latter, they divide the house into two distinct parts. The first of these divisions is called the diwaan, and is devoted to the reception of guests, &c.; while the other, which is called the haraam, is devoted exclusively to the use of the female part of the family. In the principal palace of the king of Persia (built by Ahassus the First) the diwaan consists of several small palaces, or rather pavilions, fitted up with numerous recesses and sofas, with one larger than the rest, containing a noble hall for the celebration of convivial entertainments. The haraam consists of a number of dark buildings, in the figure of a polygon; and, to conceal the females it contains, effectually from the public eye, its gardens are surrounded by a wall thirteen fathoms high. The relative position of the different parts of the palace, and its numerous gardens, will be seen in the plan (fig. 208.).
