The dress worn by the richer Kurds is the Oriental, that of the common people differs slightly from it.  The men wear wide linen trousers, over them a shirt reaching to the hips, and fastened round the waist by a girdle.  They frequently draw on, over the shirt, a jacket without sleeves, made of coarse brown woollen stuff, which is properly cut into strips of a hand’s breath, and joined together by broad seams.  Others wear trousers of brown stuff instead of white linen; they are, however, extremely ugly, as they are really nothing more than a wide shapeless sack with two holes, through which the feet are put.  The coverings for the feet are either enormous shoes of coarsely woven white sheeps’ wool, ornamented with three tassels, or short, very wide boots of red or yellow leather, reaching only just above the ankle and armed with large plates an inch thick.  The head-dress is a turban.

The women wear long wide trousers, blue shirts, which frequently reach half a yard over the feet, and are kept up by means of a girdle; a large blue mantle hangs from the back of the neck, reaching down to the calves.  They wear the same kind of plated boots as the men.  On their heads they wear either black kerchiefs wound in the manner of a turban, or a red fez, the top of which is very broad, and covered with silver coins arranged in the form of a cross.  A coloured silk kerchief is wound round the fez, and a wreath made of short black silk fringe is fastened on the top.  This wreath looks like a handsome rich fur-trimming, and is so arranged that it forms a coronet, leaving the forehead exposed.  The hair falls in numerous thin tresses over the shoulders, and a heavy silver chain hangs down behind from the turban.  It is impossible to imagine a head dress that looks better than this.

Neither women or girls cover their faces, and I saw here several very beautiful girls with truly noble features.  The colour of the skin is rather brown, the eyebrows and lashes were black, and the hair dyed reddish-brown with henna.  Among the lower orders small nose rings are sometimes worn here.

Mr. Mansur furnished me with a very good table in the morning, I had buttermilk, bread, cucumber, and on one occasion dates roasted in butter, which, however, was not very palatable; in the evening mutton and rice, or a quodlibet of rice, barley, maize, cucumber, onions and minced meat.  I found it all very good as I was healthy, and had a good appetite.  The water and buttermilk are taken very cold, and a piece of ice is always put into them.  Ice is to be met with in abundance not only in the towns, but also in every village.  It is brought from the mountains in the neighbourhood, the people eat large pieces of it with great relish.

In spite of the endeavours of Mr. Mansur and his relations to render my stay bearable, or perhaps, indeed, pleasant, according to their ideas, I was agreeably surprised when Ali came one morning bringing the news that he had met with a small freight to Sauh-Bulak (seventy miles) a place which laid on my road.  That same evening I went to the caravansary, and the next morning, 18th July, was on the road before sunrise.