Daughters of Destiny by L. Frank Baum

"Behold the walls of Mekran! " said Kasam proudly.

They had been riding all afternoon through a beautiful and fertile valley, rich with fields of waving grain, tracts of vegetables, vineyards and orchards, all tended by the Kendars, Brahoes and Melinos, for the warlike Baluchi were too dignified to till the soil. It was from this valley that the city of Mekran derived its main sustenance and support, and now, as they mounted a little eminence, the city itself came into view -- a huge, whitewashed stone wall above which peeped the roofs of many dwellings, mosques and palaces.