"On Wednesday we entered the great city of Tabriz in Persia. Commerce flourishes here. Today, there must be at least 200,000 householders within the city limits. From Tabriz all the way to Samarqand, the prince Timur has established relays of horses kept ready at command so that his messengers may ride on his missions night and day without hindrance. The posthouses have been built at intervals of a day’s or half a day’s journey apart. We then stopped at a caravanserai in a local village for the accommodation of travelers and merchants on the road, before proceeding to the capital city of Samarqand in Central Asia, which Timur has lavishly adorned. The richness and abundance of this great capital and its district is indeed a wonder to behold. It is not only rich in agriculture but also in manufactures, as silk and other crafts are all produced here in abundance. Turks, Arabs, Christians of all sects, and Hindus all reside here. The markets of Samarqand are filled w