"Stay within. Do not part the curtains." The eunuch instructed as he helped me enter. He walked alongside as the bearers made their way easily through the crowded streets, the people of Cimbra hastening to make way. I did as he bade, but angled myself to look through the layered drapes that closed me in. Through the thin gap I saw dirty children playing, ragged men carrying heavy loads and animals running free in the roads. As we moved through the city the buildings became newer, bigger and richer, towering high above the streets. The roads here were wide, paved with cobble or decorated in brick patterns, and people rode on horses or in litters or carriages. The air was hot, dry and dusty. Everyone was dressed in brightly colored, draping fabrics. The women in this part of the city covered the lower half of their faces with veils, leaving only their eyes visible. They wore rings on their fingers, bracelets on their arms and golden hoops or chains in their ears. Groups of them gathered, laughing and talking together on the street.
