Piramid of heads

Copper engraving number 10 opposite page 201 in volume one of Jonas Hanway's book An historical account of the British trade over the Caspian Sea, printed in London by T. Osborne in 1762.; Illustration depicts western visitors to Astrabad passing by a pyramid with heads inserted into niches in the pyramid. Accompanying text on p. 201: "Near the entrance of the city on each side was a pyramid built of stone whitened over, and made full of nitches; these pyramids were about sixteen or twenty feet diameter at the basis, rising gradulaly into a point to near forty feat; at the top of each was a single head. This being towards the close of the execution, the greatest part of the nitches were filled with human heads, of which several had beards, and being set a little projecting, added to the horror of this object."