In the riuer of Euphrates from Birra to Felugia there be certaine places where you pay custome, so many Medines for a some or Camels lading, and certaine raysons and sope, which is for the sonnes of Aborise, which is Lord of the Arabians and all that great desert, and hath some villages vpon the riuer.  Felugia where you vnlade your goods which come from Birra is a little village:  from whence you goe to Babylon in a day.

Babylon is a towne not very great but very populous, and of great traffike of strangers, for that it is the way to Persia, Turkia and Arabia:  and from thence doe goe Carouans for these and other places.  Here are great store of victuals, which come from Armenia downe the riuer of Tygris.  They are brought vpon raftes made of goates skinnes blowne full of winde and bordes layde vpon them:  and thereupon they lade their goods which are brought downe to Babylon, which being discharged they open their skinnes and carry them backe by Camels, to serue another time.  Babylon in times past did belong to the kingdome of Persia, but nowe is subiecte to the Turke.  Ouer against Babylon there is a very faire village from whence you passe to Babylon vpon a long bridge made of boats, and tyed to a great chaine of yron, which is made fast on either side of the riuer.  When any boates are to passe vp or downe the riuer, they take away certaine boates vntill they be past.

[Sidenote:  The tower of Babel.] The tower of Babel is built on this side the riuer Tygris, towardes Arabia from the towne about seuen or eight miles, which tower is ruinated on all sides, and with the fall thereof hath made as it were a litle mountaine, so that it hath no shape at all:  it was made of brickes dried in the sonne, and certain canes and leaues of the palme tree layed betwixt the brickes.  There is no entrance to be seene to goe into it.  It doth stand vpon a great plaine betwixt the riuers of Euphrates and Tygris.

[Sidenote:  Boyling pitch continually issuing out of the earth.] By the riuer Euphrates two dayes iourney from Babylon at a place called Ait, in a fielde neere vnto it, is a strange thing to see:  a mouth that doth continually throwe fourth against the ayre boyling pitch with a filthy smoke:  which pitch doth runne abroad into a great fielde which is alwayes full thereof.  The Moores say that it is the mouth of hell.  By reason of the great quantitie of it, the men of that countrey doe pitch their boates two or three inches thicke on the outside, so that no water doth enter into them.  Their boates be called Danec.  When there is great store of water in Tigris you may goe from Babylon to Basora in 8 or 9 dayes:  if there be small store it will cost you the more dayes.

Basora in times past was vnder the Arabians, but now is subiecte to the Turke.  But some of them the Turke cannot subdue, for that they holde certaine Ilandes in the riuer Euphrates which the Turke cannot winne of them.  They be theeues all and haue no setled dwelling, but remoue from place to place with their Camels, goates, and horses, wiues and children and all.  They haue large blew gownes, their wiues eares and noses are ringed very full of rings of copper and siluer, and they weare rings of copper about their legs.