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Masudi - Meadows of Gold, Vol. 1 (English Trans.)
Masudi - Meadows of Gold, Vol. 1 (English Trans.)
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BY
A L O Y S SPRENGER, N1.D.
VOLUME I.
LONDON:
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PREFACE.
* On the ether see the note to page 179 infra, and the Fih-
rist npud Hottinger, Historia Orientalis, edit. alt. p. 283.
$ De Generatione Animalium, lib. i., cap. 2. The Chinese
have the same idea, but apply it particularly to their emperor as
the representative of the creation, (see the note to page 326,
infra). Respecting the change which this idea underwent among
the Semites. See the note to page 58, i,nfra.
xxxii PREFACE.
the land tax, which agrees literally with what Abli YGsof con-
siders as law under the 'Abbaside khalifs. And as the S h h i a n s
had been the restorers of the ancient state of things, to what
they were before Alexander, we may trace the same institution to
the ancientpersians.
Lands, under artificial irrigations, are called El, 5 , which
has been rendered in this translation by estrrtes.
PREFACE. XLV
" The primary meaning of the root of Daulat is, the vicissi-
tudes of fortune.
PREFACE x~vii
abVj ~j &! ~
Nn'r p& 7666 uttijmpov, TA I(& O%OTF 4GXXn ~ a o*@uc
i
@~UCL ,
~7rrc483 ~ p 6 7r o ~p j v 2v Zpeuul XC~OL'ITCCY,
O t X BvaL+Xtjuc~. ncpl. ytrp $6 i X~XKAC; X ~ + E
*;Mu T C rai +hoiov vCv a6rl p ~ vv;saAxaciv
Ev xaXdtLgs $mpLvcrc G ~ K ~ ~ ~ X O LBlp~uras
oZre ,
Dpbs ALASt-ip6arac. 6 6; TOL ptyas 2uacrar a p ~ o c
Iliad, I., 234-239.
and fettered in their own golden chains.
Tlze Arab is as ailxious to obtain wealth as
other men, because lle is active ; but it is
against his nature to store up wealth. If he
wishes to have great means, it is in order to
entertain his friends, to be more liberal and
hospitable than others, and to give riches
away as fast as he obtains them. These
habits of prodigality became a law of reli-
gion (the alms), and continued even to the
time of the Khalifat, however adverse they
were to civilized society and ruinous to the
state. The Arab obeys no one; he has
no wants; a few dates suffice for his meal.
What he takes, he takes by force-the
native right of the stronger; but he gives
out of charity. Thus he feels himself greater
than the rest of mankind, and despises
them. What can make a man a slave who
has no wants ? His only master is honour
and conviction : hence, a sound religion
alone could unite the nation. His obe-
dience to the Sheikh is that of a son to his
father; it cannot be enforced; and the
orders, or rather advice, of a Sheikh is the
expression of the will of the tribe. The
only social tie which guarantees the life of
PIIEFACE.
...
Llll
FIRST CHAPTER.
USLJ" Z ~ +.
plural of~ l
L!Jd ,s\,p
A N D MINES OF GEMS. 3
&i"=
A. &l; B. A l l ; C. &S\; C. adds
"and China." B 9
EZ-ZLNIJ*. We have also traversed the East
and the West. Sometimes we were in the ex-
tremity of KHORASAN, other times in the centre of
ARMENIA" and ADHERBIJAN l', ER-R-~Nand EL- l3
IS
As e.very word of this sentence is a technical expression, I
add the original. I- L, W! JFl 3 ZA\ u M
wW\ &T rLYl g#! Jyl ; , A&
, l w s L Y l 3 &.S! rk&~I AL&Y\
p ,L , E & ~ ~&is, *a\p U I ,
4
', &by!, +l, @\g!,
p\,Y! 3 pw!
d L, rw\ac;L &I A&!, ALY!, jldlLjY l
L+-.$ GL&! E+L, g+! b4 A+
.G &fY, For an explanation of these terms I
refer the reader to the additional notes at the end of this volume.
"
&IG\ &, ,&L$!2 JLa+Yl +i-
'+4Jrj.y Elg,,L+YI, 'pJi vLs\cP1 ;
,&g .
A N D 31INES O F GEMS. 7
"&A
21 DemAd Ben Rafi' Ben Selmah ,;c ALJ
*0-
22 Mohammed Ben SalLLm el-Jomhi U
;.Jt rU-.-
23 A ~ G'Othmrin 'Amr Ben Bahr el-JAhjth
J&-l p. ,p= 4 4-
24 AbilZeid7OmarBen Shabbehen-Nomairi +j
&+.G y.
25 El-Azraki el-AnsAri ylJjyj t
26 Abu SAib eel-Makhz6mi &,#I -L ,I.
27 'Ali Ben Mohammed ~ e Soleiman
n en-Naufeli
&$l (;&l L.f& 0JLM C1Ji) & m
r Bekkk .k+
28 E Z - ~ o b dBen &\-
29 El-Injili ( & ~ l ) S.-Y I .
30 Er-Riyhshshi &&931.
31 Ibn 'Abid (&L or *\)+L -I.
A+=J=
>LP!
lr
(&G) &l+ the author of the Book
ed-daulat (2,d f the dynasty.)
4 0 Ishak Ibn Ibrahim el-Mausili, the author of the
Song-book, and of other works Lirl
+
5 5
SECOND CHAPTER.
same meaning as with us, Tatars." I refer the reader for a more
scientific explanation of this word to the 17th chapter and the
additional notes to it.
" He means probably the kings of <'Aturia," which is the
name of the country belonging to Niniveh, in Strabo, (edit. Basil.
1549, page 669.)
f The Greeks, before they were subjected by the Romans, are
called by oriental writers Y Gniinlgbn, g
,, 5 4\ or Ionians.
The term is originally Syriac FLJ(ZI, for the Arabs derived their
knowledge of the ancient Greeks originally from the Syrians, and
these were, of course, best acquainted with those Greeks who
32 E L - X A S ' ~ D ~ ' SbfEADOWS O F GOLD,
THIRD CHAPTER.
A B ~ L - H A S A(el-Mas'bdf)
N says : the learned Mos-
lims, of all sects, agree that God, the Almighty,
created the universe without model, and from
nothing. The first thing created, acccording to a
tradition based on the authority of Ibn el-'Abbis
and others, was water; upon it was the throne of
God, and when God intended to accomplish the
work of creation, he produced smoke* from the
water, which rose over it, and he called it $L.!!
heaven. He made the water dry, and changed it
into one earth, then he divided it into seven earthst.
This was done in two days, on Sunday and Monday.
* I read p=+f
although all copies bear to sit or to
spread the soil, and made the waters flow; for thy
sake I have raised the heavens, and fixed reward
and punishment; for thy sake I have created
Paradise, and hell-fire. I raise the people of the
holy-house (at Mekka) * to the divine revelation,
and reveal to them, from the mysteries of my
knowledge, the subtilties of reason, and I do not
leave thee in ignorance of what is not known to
them. They are to be the proof on earth (of my
existence), and the apostles of my omnipotence and
u~ity."
After this God pronounced the B e e d - f , and
assumed the supreme power, and the unity, in
distinction (from his creation)$.
for the second reading, for the sense would run: having heen,
commanded to detail the dogmas o r laws,he called mankind, 4c.
* H e means the 'Alites. They inherited as much of the
essence of the prophetship as was required to keep up the true
religion. They endeavoured to attain, through these theories and
numerous rebellions, the same infallibility in religion, and power
in government, which the Popes had in the middle ages, but they
were not so successful.
58 E L - M A S ' ~ D ~ ' SM E A D O W S O F GOLD,
L U
aawa', which means air. Gaia and Uranos have changed their
sexes amongst the Semites; if we enter into the spirit of the
mythus, and consider that spontaneous generation must go forth
from the earth, under the influence of the air, temperature, &C.,
this changing of the sexes leads us to the important historical fact
that the Semites have not understood the mythus, and can there-
fore not be the inventors of it, but that they have borrowed it
from elsewhere.
6O8 ' SE A D O W S OF GOLI),
E L - M A S ~ ~ D ~M
u
LS
,I the banana, or plaintain (Musa paradisiaca)
j,L\ the Syrian oak (Quercus Ballota) b,l+\*
Ten of them have kernels : the peach the
apricot &&&l the Damascene plum, (Pruna nigra seu
Damascena) &-Yf the date-tree dJ !
Ruellia
guttata lM;Pfl the lote-tree (Rhamnus nabeca Forsk.
Flora Egypt., p. ~ x i i i ) , af the medlar-tree
* This means, that Cain would be killed ; after the general idea
that '' H e that killeth with the sword must be killed with the
sword." (Apocal. xiii. 10.)
F
this light above ali other lights, and nlalce it the
seal of the prophets (Mohammed). H e shall be
succeeded by the best of Imims in a continual
series to the end of time. I will make the world
answer to their call, and I wil1 enlighten it through
their followers. Purify and sanctify thyself, and
praise God; then approach to thy wife, after she
has been purified, and my promise will descend from
thee through the child which thou wilt beget."
Adam did M hat he was ordered; and when Hawwii
was with child, her forehead was covered with a
lustre, and light shone in her eyes and eyebrows
till her confinement. Then she gave birth to Shith
G . 2 (Seth.) H e was the most beautiful cl~ild,
strong and perfect in his form and in the symmetry
of his body. He was imbued with a light which
sparkled from the marks and protuberanees of his
forehead. Adam gave him the name of Shiih.
Tlle gift of God was slun~berirlgin him till he grew
up; and when he came to riper age, Adarn acquainted
him with his mission and the promises of God, and
told him that he would be the agent of God*, and
his own successor after his death, to support
truth on earth. This mission was to be inherited
* cJ?\ 7
- This expression is wanting in Arabic diction-
aries, although it is not unusual: &
., +;
,J3*_,rnealls a
representative of the 1;ing.
A N D M I N E S O F GEMS. 67
hy his descendants, who were to be distinguished
and glorious. When Adam told this to Shith,
he kept it secret, and guarded it for the moment as
a mystery, as it was only to be revealed publicly at
another time. Adam died soon after, on Friday,
the 6th of NisAn, at the same hour when he had
been created; he had lived nine hundred and thirty
years. Shith was the guardian of the children of
Adam. It is said that he left forty thousand children
and grandchildren.
There is some dispute about Adam's grave.
Some pcetend that it is in Mini*, in the mosque
t ,p+i ,
,'p&; Perhaps these two words are to be taken
in the more extensive meaning : they contain the profession of the
unity of God, and hymns to his praise.
3 Bnother copy jL.2+l I.
AND MINES OF GEMS. 73
brought him the coffin of Adam, in which there
was his corpse*. They went into the ship on
Tuesday, the ninth of Adir. Whilst N6h and his
family were in the ship, God kept the earth five
months under water. Then he ordered the earth to
swallow up its waters, and the heaven to withhold
its rainst, and the ark stood on the mount el-Jiidi
El-Judi is a mountain in the country of
MksClr$, (us14), and extends to Jezirah
Ibn 'Omar ~ + s,?1iiipwhich belongs to the ter-
ritory of el-Mausil. This mountain is eight farsangs
from the Tigris. The place where the ship stopped,
which is on the top of this mountain, is still to
be seen$.
They say some tracts of the earth did not im-
mediately swallow up the water, whilst others
* ,
p1 ;j9U I was tempted to read &,A
" his covenant" as one copist writes. I shall state the reasons
for vrhich it must run GJ.
1- Korsin, Slirah xi., verse 46.
$ M6sfir seems to be the same word as Masius, which is the
Greek name of the mount el-J6di. (Strab. pp. 502 and 506.)
The word el-Jddi has been compared by Bochart with the
G o r d y ~ imontes.
El-Kazwini (MS. of the East India House, N. 1377.)
informs us that there was still, to the time of the 'Abbasides, a
temple on the mount J6di which was said to have been con-
structed by Noah, and covered with the planks of the ark. Epi-
phanius ( H ~ r e s .IS) reports nearly the same tradition for his
absorbed it rapidly -when they were cornnlanded to
do so. The lands which obeyed give good water
on digging; but those lands which were less sub-
missive were punished by God, the water on digging
being salt, and the country sandy. The vater
which could not be absorbed went into the depths of
tlze earth, and in particular places. This is the
o ~ i g i nof the seas: they are tlze remains of the
waters by which God has destroyed the nations.
The account and description of tlze seas will call
our attention hereafter i n this book.
Niih went forth from the ark, and with him his
three sons, Sbm +, Hhm rjls, and JAfeth L&,
together with his three daughters-in-law, and forty
men and forty women. They went upon the plat-
form of this mountain, and built there a town,
which they called Themhnin &G (eighty).
I t bears this name till our time C332 A.H.] Tlze
children of these eighty persons became extinct,
and God peopled his creation with the descendants
of Niih. T o this allude the W-orads of the I<orAn,
"We have preserved his progeny, and they are
those who still exist." God kilows best the mean-
,
U!-b. And as the Regent exercises
the greatest influence upon the destiny of the world during the
year, the whole constellation of the beginning of the vernal
equinox is called uf&l& by the way of ellipsis, instead
of $1 $&I1 . 4
,j (*U!) ,Q!(Abi Ma'sher).
82 E I - M A S ' ~ D ~ ' S MEADOWS O F GOLD,
FOURTH CHAPTER.
*
I.
The
~a~a86rcrear ~ a TO<
~ S~CLTOS.
h (Meteor., lib. ii. cap. 3, p. 432, a ;
Geneva, 1605.)
* The name of this lake is variously spelt in various MSS.,
and I have not been able to determine which is the correct
reading; for other Arabic authors (AbG1-Fedzi, edit. Reinaud,
p. 48 ; JehSinnurnii, p. 555, &C.) call it the lake of BBniAs, from a
neighbouring town which had anciently the name Paneas, or
Cssarea Philippi, and on coins;?ro navcrg, as if Paneas had been the
name of the snow mountain on which the town is situated. With
ancient authors the Iake has the name Sarnochonitis, which has
also no reference to the name which el-Mas'Gdi gives to it. Per-
baps it is connected with Kaferl$ which is the name of a town
twelve miles from Paneas, in Shultens' Index Geographicus.
.t- Tbn en-Nafis (p. 43, edit. Calcut.) and other Arabic phy-
96 E L - M A S ' ~ D ~ ' SMEADOWS OF GOLD,
sicians praise this stone against lithiasis, and it may be that this
volcanic production is of an alcalish nature. Avicenna (lib. ii.
p. 180), however, denies its litholytic properties. Mr. Maundrel
found a kind of bituminous stone, which answers to the descrip-
tion given by Arabic authors of the Jews'-stone, excepting the
size; for he says that he saw stones of this sort two feet square.
Dr. Daubeny found it to be similar to that of Ragusa, in Sicily.
* Although all copies bear Armenia, I thought it quite safe
to change it into Ormiah L \ ;for this is a celebrated city in the
-- J
vicinity of this lake, from which it has its name in other writers,
being called the lake of Ormiah, and which claims the honour of
being Zoroaster's birth-place.
t The copy of Cambridge comes nearest to the true reading
of this name (&!>gj), bearing ;\a&, of which the copyists
made generally (;b3;r or &+r. After the researches of
Saint Martin (&f&moiressur l'Ar&nie, Paris, 1818, tom* i.
p- 17), there can be no doubt but that all these corruptions are
intended to express the Armenian name of this lake, which is
K'habodan.
A N D MINES OF G E M S . 97
The king of Syria, es-Somai'da' Ben Hauber
Ben Mhlik, marched against Ybsha', and they came
to several engagements; the result of which was, that
the king was killed, and YGsha' took possession of
his whole kingdom. Y6sha' came in contact with
other kings of the Giants and Amalekites, and sent
corps towards Damascus. Ybsha' lived one hun-
dred and twenty years. His full name was YGshaY
Ben N6n Ben Ephraim Ben YGsof Ben Ya'kbb
Ben Ishak Ben Ibrahim. Some say Ybsha' opened
his military operations with the war against the
Amalekite king Samaida' Ben Hauber pt*
*,hw2 whose dominions were in the country of
Kilah, towards Madyan. 'Auf Ben Sa'id el-Jor-
homi .. ~ A I (h+ ) d , ~ says, in allusion
to this:-
" Doest thou not see Ibn Hauber the 'Amalekite
at Allah: he is heated and thin on account of the
agitation which he is in, being invaded by an army
of eighty thousand Israelites, partly without, partly
with armour.
" The forces of the 'Amalekites, who march after
him on foot, climbing and running, offer the same
appearance: as if they had never Seen amongst the
cavalry of Mekka.
" Somaida' has never been in calamity before*."
" Korgn, xxxviii. verse 25. After the words quoted stands,
in this, and in severaI other instances, 2
131, which I render by
" &C.;" for it cannot mean anything else but "and the rest of
this verse."
j. Surah xxi. verse 79.
A N D MINES O F GEMS. 111
FIFTH CHAPTER.
great difference which exists between the two copies, that el-
Mas'Gdi wrote the name correctly, but that it was corrupted by
the copyists, as it happened with other names.
A N D M I N E S OF GEMS. 115
8 .
Ngbolos is the town of the Samaritans, and the people of
Jerusalem believe that nowhere Samaritans are found but in this
I 2
from each other, as they are separate from the
other Jews. One of the two sects is called Kfishanx
, and the other DGshLn (or Riishin) L,+
( ) One of these two sects believes that the
world has no beginning?, and other dogmas of this
nature, which 1forbear to mention, for fear of being
too tedious in a work which professes to treat on
history, and not on opinions and doctrines of sects.
Ahaz had reigned seventeen years before he
was made a prisoner by the king of Babylon. I n
his captivity a son was born to him, who received
the name Hizkiyi L;'? (Hezekiah). He kept up
the religion of the true God, and gave orders to
destrox images and idols. During his reign Senna-
hiirib -.JkL, the king of B&bel, marched against
Jerusalem. He had several wars with the Israel-
no beginning, and the latter what has neither beginning nor end.
A N D M I N E S OF GEMS. 117
time (xxxviii.) with Isma'il and el-Yasa' (Elisha), so that one may
infer that he is a Hebrew prophet who received this name from
some action or event, as Jonas was called DG1-Nfin, from the
fish which swallowed him. Sale adds the following note to the
second passage of the Kor6n:-'' Al-BeidGwi here takes notice
of another tradition concerning this prophet; viz., that he enter -
tained and took care of a hundred Israelites, who fled to him
from a certain slaughter; from which action he probably had
the name DG1-Kifl given him; the primary signification of the
word cafula being to maintain,or take care of another. If a
conjecture might be founded on this tradition, I should fancy the
person intended was Obadiah, the governor of Ahab's house."
* About el-Khidbr see page 90 of this volume.
A N D MINES OF GEMS. 123
S1XTH CHAPTER.
EL-MAS'GD~
says, many persons mho lived between
Christ and Mohammed, in the Fatrah, professed
the unity of God, and believed that he sends (pro-
phets). But whether there has been a prophet
amongst then1 or not is controverted. Some allege
that Hantalah Ben SafwLn ,G& Wa, who
was a descendant of Isma'il Ben Ibrahim, has been
a prophet, and was sent to the Ashiib er-Rass*,
x C)U,l+,hThe
!AshCb
. er-Rass are brought forward
as an example in the Kordn (xxv. 40), together with the 'Adites
and Themixdites, as a nation, who have been punished for not
having listened to their prophet. The commentators of the
Kor6n conceive ash66 to mean inhabitants,and believe, therefore,
er-Rass to be a town. Tbey have, however, been so much at a
loss t o find the site of this town, that they thought it might be on
the river er-Rass, or the Araxes of the ancients] Now sdhib
hardly ever means inhabitants. El-Fa'irGzibBdf (p. 763) gives
the following opinion :-c( Er-Rass is the name of a well of rem-
UI
* El-Nas'fidi' writes +
,S + ?L!;but the saying seems to
have been + +j. See el-Maydani, vol. i. p. 467, and
p. 1 89 ; and D'Herbelot.
-t' 'Okat is the fair in the open country between Nakhlah
and et-Tgyif. I t began in the new moon of DGI-Ki'dah
and lasted twenty days. The Arabic tribes used to assemble
there to recite their poetries, each tribe boasting of their glory
w,sL*k. From this fair the 'Okkti leather has its name.
The Arabs used also to ransom their prisoners at 'Oh& to pay
the price of blood, and to settle their quarrels before an arbitrator
,$L,that the pilgrimage to which they proceeded from 'Okht
might be a ceremony of national unanimity and peace. ( M S. of
the Brit. Museum, 7353.) The words yj. ;
.J(\; seem to
refer to arbitration; for en-Nowairi informs us that he used to say,
Y
X L! S ! S! b
S
6
J
* !jfj GJyl 2 Ub $$ &L bf
, En-Nowair?
,
(p. 137 MS.of Leyden, N. 273) quotes these words of KOSS,
adding, &I! S15 gIcd3 e l ~ JJ J,+I CLJl
The solemn protestation which follows begins in en-Noa-Qri,
"If there was pleasure ou earth, we should have to expect
sorrow after this life. There is a faith, &C." These words
cxplaitl the meaning of the sentences which follow.
140 E L - M A S ' G D ~ ~ S MEADOWS O F GOLD,
SEVENTH CHAPTER.
E L - M A Ssays,
' ~ ~ all historians who unite maturity
of reflexion with depth of research, and who have a
clear insight into the history of mankind and its
origin, are unanimous in their opinion, that the
Hindus have been in the most ancient times that
portion of the human race which enjoyed the bene-
fits of peace and wisdom. When men formed
themselves into bodies, and assembled into commu-
nities, the Hindus exerted themselves to join them
with their empire, and t o subject their countries, to
the end that they might be the rulers. The great
men amongst them said, " We are the beginning
and end; me are possessed of perfection, pre-emi-
nence, and completion. All that is valuable and
important in the life of this world owes its origin to
us. Let us not permit that anybody shall resist
or oppose us; let us attack any one who dares to
draw his sword against us, and his fate will be flight
or subjection. "
They were prevailed upon by these consider-
A N D MINES O F GEMS. 153
water till they are full, and then a universal flood would take
place.
Respecting similar doctrines with the Chinese, the reader may
consult Bailly, Hist. de l' hsbronomie.
* These powers are the IDEASof Plato. Our author adheres
closely tothc spirit of the Hindus ; for the Arabs, who followed the
dialetic philosophy, as it is more congenial with the Arabian nation
and religion, considered the principle of life in matter as a mere form
of its existence, and used therefore the word 3, f u ~ p n , in the
m!
L
b
s
+
3
, %'S
&
, &;U\ ,b, m,s~L.& i$Ld\ &
the natural, first and sole reason is, that the dynasty and royalty
cc
L.&" 5.+y1
%S\-,\> L
M $9.L ,2>JL\jl
(read U+)
4%) h;,~ &A,
( S ) 1 , ("+ , ;lcs31 ~.., 3 \
J3& j..l a l l ,J&l 44 +!I ~ ? i ,*li;
( s..j ; l ! &k, ;,y\L" U+ J,kYJl.,sYl ,&l\
c,L;,~~I (&)\;YI y\s) bUYI JI 433.\
+G, +Y! $1 >A! ,l; sI+L+ltl( S'*! ;!AwWI
* &,&
This isithe way in which Abulfaragius (Hist.
dynast. p. $2.) writes the name of Cy-us. En-Nowa'iri wiites
the name of this I-Iindu king Kiish.
el-Ballahrii which became subse-
quently the title of every sovereign of that great
capital, down to our time, which is the year
332 A.H.
India* is a vast country, having many seas and
* *\
LP;\ Literdly, the country of the Rindus, which, it
must be remembered, comprizes only the south and east of the
whereas the north-eastern part is called by the Arabs,
the country of the Sind nation.
As in the translation the name of the country in most cases
is substituted for expressions like bildd es-Sin, (the dominions of
the Chinese,) ardh er-Rlim, (the country of the Byzantines,)
memlekat eel-Jelhlikah, (the kingdom of the Galicians,) &C.: it is
well to notice the peculiarity of the Arabs in this respect, which
is characteristic, and which may also be observed in Genesis.
As we adapt our notions of others to our own ideas as pro-
duced by circumstances and education, just as the hump-backed
will paint every body with a hunch;-the wandering Arabs
who hare no country, being solely connected by the feelings and
pride of their tribes &,,tj, cannot conceive how any nation
can be so degrzded as to be dependent upon a country or any
other possession: they estimate the honesty and value of a mail
after what he is, and not (as it is the case in modern legislation,)
after what hepossesses. Hence they consider the name of every
country as that of a tribe, and are most anxious to find out or
to invent the genealogy of the patriarch (father) of such a tribe,
as they know the ancestors of their own tribes; so, for instance,
they received from the Persians the name of Chin q2,.lwhich
means China (the country), but the Arabs consider it as the
~ ~ a r nofe the father of the nation (tribe), and consequently of the
A N D MINES OF GEMS. 177
mountains, and borders on the ernpiire o f ez-Ziinij,
which is the kingdom of the Maharij &+L!, the
king of the islands, whose dominions form the
frontier between India and China, and are con-
sidered as part of India.
The Hindu nation extends from the mountains
of Khoraskn and of es-Sind as far as et-Tubbet.
But there prevails a great difference of feelings,
nation itself; and they called the country the territory of the
Fin or Sin (Chinese).
I n subsequent times, however, when the victorious Arabs had
settled in cities, the tribe feeling gave way to the habits of settled
life, and the names of countries are in later authors q a i n con-
sidered as such.
This will explain the form of the word a&!.! (Galicia,)
and some other proper names which else must appear arbitrary;
it is the plural of J&. f or Gallic (Gallicus), just as %-L$!
is the plural of &f or comes, (count).
I n the history of Europe, we find that proper names have
changcd in the same way their meaning by the change of facts,
as with the Arabs by the change of notions; so were the Parisii,
Lugduni, &C., originally tribes, and now they are cities.
Here an addition to the note, p. 19 supra, may find place.
I t is stated there that the military cantonments were called M & ~ J ,
which means Bgypk. The Western Arabs being in constant
contact with the Egyptians, became necessarily aware of their
settled condition ;and Misr means, therefore, the couatry of Egypt
(and not the nation,) at all periods of the Arabic language. I t
was therefore very natural that they should say, we Egyptianize
+, when they settled in those cantonments. Hence +f
means with Ibn IChaldGn constantly-a country where the inha-
bitants are settled and civilized.
N
178 E L - M A S ' ~ D ~ ' S MEADOWS O F GOLD:
EIGHTH CHAPTER.
in the star worship, every part of the earth was sacred to one of
the seven planets.
This was not only the habit amongst the Persians, but we find
that they have been imitated by Ptolemy, who assigns equally
to every country a planet as a patron, in his Tetrabiblos. I have
no means of referring to this book a t present, and do not remem-
ber whether he makes the same divisions, but nothiog is more
natural than that the city of Baal or Babylon, [for even Arabic
writers (et-Tanbih, fol. 25. verso,) confess, that the Persians and
Nabathzans derive Babel from Bil h,
... which means the planet
Jupiter should be sacred to .Jupiter; and the countries
of the black nations to the dark and gloomy Saturn; whilst the
Iively Arabs worshipped particularly the bright star of Venus in
San7&;Thaut was the god of the grave Egyptians, and it is very
likely that the Sabeans of HarrGn, worshipped the moon in
preference to other planets; the warlike Turks, or Tartars, found
in Mars tfieir patron; whilst the most eastern country, the Shav6
of the Zend books, was naturally sacred to the sun.
As we conclude that a map in which the first meridian goes
through Greenwich, has been made in England, so we can have
no doubt that a division of the globe, in which Babel stands on the
head, has been made in Babylonia; for the rest we have a direct
proof in the Tenbih, where the author says distinctly that the
Persians divide the earth into seven climates, consecrating them
to the seven planets. Maimonides, Nev., p. iii., cap. 27, assigns
the division of the earth after the seven planets to the Sabeans
(Chaldeans).
The Zendavesta mentions these seven climates in several places,
but the fire worshippers leave out the planets who presided over
them. The Zend word for climate is Kes?~va?*.
It is very curious that Pliny includes all the countries in the
first climate, which we frlld in el-Mas'ildi as being subordinate to
AND MINES OF GEMS. 199
el-Ahwas, el-Mausil, and the Jebiil*. The Aries
and Sagittarius are the zodiacal signs of this climate,
and Jupiter is its planet.
The second climate includes es-Sind, India,
and es-S6dgn (Nigritia): their sign is Capricorn,
and their planet Saturn.
The third climate is Mekka, Medina, Yemen,
et-Tkyif, the Hejbz, and the intermediate countries:
their sign is Scorpio, and their star is Venus.
The fourth climate is Egypt t, Afrikiyah (Africa
+
one hundred and sixty miles. The circumference
* This explains why the Signs of the Zodiac were called borfij,
sing. borj, which means stronghold, or fortress, and answers to the
Persian word Alborj, and the German Burg, Berg.
206 E L - M A S ' ~ D ~ ' S MEADOWS OF GOLD,
*
-3 +,Y\ e.l+Ljl, literally the four
natures, and every quality." The four natures imply warmt,h
and cold, dryness and wet. Two of these qualities were consi-
dered as necessary for the existence of a body as the three geo-
metrical dimensions. Arabic pharmacologists begin, therefore,
the description of drugs by stating which two of these qualities, or
temperaments, they possess.
Quality -1 is the characteristic property which distin-
guishes one individual from another. (Bahr el-Jewrihir.)
j- This astronomical theory is copied from Ptolemy, and is of
A N D MINES OF GEMS. 207
* The ether and the four elements of the earthly bodies: the
former has its natural place above the lunar region, and is the
essence of life ; whilst the latter form the dead mass of bodies.
Compare the note to p. 179, sup&.
f El-Khalil, the great grammarian, defines the word better:
$W\Wb,a 9&l, "felek (sphere) is the round of the
heaven:" the word has, therefore, originally only reference t o
the form, and not to the matter; and this is borne out by the
original signification of the word, for it means anything round:
hence it would appear that all these ideas have not been in the
nation, but have been imported, for else they would have a word.
A N D RIINES O F GEMS. 209
&l%\
r!p ,m-l~yj +>G,
\ L&p G, +&&it pm\ &W\ :,As,
(read 2 d 9 ruJI
JK;Y!
8 3 -9 & (43.9)
J"? ~ J J , Ic' U!, + 5 (@V) A &b
L JS &l.& j i;$il
A
!s
,;+
\ S,+ ,',,p!&! &&a!! G+, A,
*J;& 1L.
jk w u ,;@.e&J\ %.wjm\&$a3
*'v &L+r ?LEG +.uIl JSY!
*
~\3, *l)+ x j m
B (& ,231 r e d ) u ~ ~ l
A N D MINES OF GEMS. 229
NINTH CHAPTER.
In my clothes."
" Art thou by reason or insane i"
" Why, by God, I am a leader, (and therefore
over all the earth, but corruptions will creep into it."
They made peace with Kh6led under the condition
that they should pay one hundred thousand dirhems,
and wear a black sash uU.&Sl9 ,EL(rolled
round their heads, and hanging down behind as a
humiliating mark of distinction from the Moslims.)
Khaled broke off from es-Kirah, and said the fol-
lowing verses on the subject.
How is it possible that after the Mondirs a
price should be laid on (the two splendid palaces of
the kings of el-Hirah) el-Xhawarnak dI& ! and
es-Sodair ,2&I,. although they are protected by
the horsemen of every tribe, against the roaring
lion. And how comes it that I should pasture in
the gardens between (the canals of) Marrah i i
and el-Jofair z&!. We were become (united) like
the flock on a rainy day, after the (tribe) Abu-
Kais have perished. We have slain the Ma'add
tribes in open combat like camels destined to be
sacrificed. We raise tribute like the Kings of Per-
sia, and it is paid to us by the (Jewish tribes of
Khaibar), the Beni Koraitah *.$l, and en-Nad-
+l. So the chances which lay in the bosom
of time are uncertain, to-morrow may bring joy or
sorrow."
We have inserted this story here in confirmation
of our statement, respecting the changing places of
the seas and the shifting of the waters and rivers in
A N D M I N E S OF GEMS. 253
the course of time, and during the lapse of .ages.
When the waters did not run any longer to this
place the sea became land, and at present there is a
distance of several days between el-Hirah and the
sea. Whoever has seen the Najaf will fully enter
into our views.
In the same way the Tigris has changed its
course; there is a great distance between the pre-
sent course of the river and the dry bed which is
stopped by the sand, and called Batn el-fauhi
L3&l it runs close on the town of Bgdos
in the district of WLsit of el-'Iriik to Dafiri ( sJ 3~,
turning towards S6s w p in Kh6zistSn elbj+;
vhilst the new bed passes east of Baghdid, at a
place called Rakkah esh-ShernLsiyah G>;
and an inundation has brought the river to the west
where it runs at present between Kotrobbol k31;
and the Town of peace (BagdCid), so that it passes
the villages called el-Kobb jl!,esh8harki ~..$ 1 ,
and other estates, which belong to Kotrobbot. The
inhabitants of these places have had a law-suit, with
those of the eastern side, who are in possession of
Rakkahesh-Shemiisiyah, in the reign of el-Mokta-
der, in the presence of his Vizier, Abul-Hasan 'Ali
Ben 'IsB. What well-informed men have deposed
at this occasion, and what we have stated are facts
which are well l<aown a t Bagdad. If the water
changes its course in about thirty years the seventh
254 E L - M A S ' ~ D ~ ' S MEADOWS O F GOLD,
* The MS. of Leyden differs from the other two copies, and
bears on the contrary, there is a bay $1 3 &\ ;
,ii);3
in which the vessels lay.
260 E L - M A S ' ~ ] D ~ ' SM E A D O W S O F GOLD,
TENTH CHAPTER.
ELEVENTH CHAPTER.
TWELFTH CHAPTER.
*
One copy leaves out this sentence altogether, and the other
gives it incomplete; for it seems that the author continued his
account of the Adriatic naming some towns of Italy situated on it
before he comes again to speak of the strait of Gibraltar. This
description of the Adriatic however is left out in all IMS.
gulf) a town is situated, named Sabtah (Ceuta), it
lays on the same side as Tanjah, opposite the cities
on the coast of Spain, and the Jebel T&rik &
jJLb (Gibraltar), so named after the freed-slave of
Mfisri Ben Nosair. The time for crossing from
Sabtah t o Spain is from morning to noon. This
strait is very boisterous, and there is sometimes a
great sm~ellalthough there is no wind, for the water
runs through it into the Mediterranean. The Moors
in Spain and in the Maghrib call this strait Lane
, it has this shape.
U E ~ ! for
There are various islands in the Mediterranean,
as the isle of Cyprus between the coast of Syria
and er-RGm, Rhodes wl,J, opposite Alexandria,
Crete &L:! PI, and Sicily %-&L. We shall speak
of Sicily when we treat of the mount Borkirn ,g3
(Btna) , which throws out fire variously shaped,
representing sometimes enormous carcases. Ya'-
kiib Ben Ishak el-Kindi and Ahmad Ben et-Ta'ib
es-Sarakhsi &S! A ~ I , A&\ ?
+
,
-+I, differ respecting the length and breadth
of this sea from the account which we have given, as
we shall have an opportunity to observe further in
this book where we describe these seas according to
the plan of the work.
AND -3f'INES OF GEMS.
THIRTEENTH CHAPTER.
(y+)
Naga'iz*, who are three nations of Turkish origin, is
the same as the Pontus. We shall speak of these
nations in the progress of our work if it is the
will of God the Almighty, distinguishing those who
sail on this sea from those who do not navigate it.
seems to be
the most correct. The Nagaiz live north-east of the Black Sea
towards Stavropol.
288 E L - M A S ' ~ ~ D ~ 'M
S E A D O W S O F GOLD,
FOURTEENTH C H A P T E R .
X 4&!3,b3++4 3 &,.rpwi+gs ~ L
U
,\ JC L l i l i l l L,& L. f*4! pl \#L;
a;. L\ ,\S! i d m
*y;
. h u l ~ LgS U\, L6i 2
1+S> X+> +Wil yj aG+,\
L 2+.L
@l;$ ; ;j,WI 2 a16 L + lk 93.
As the
296 E L - M A S ' ~ D ~ ' J MEA-DOWS O F GOLD,
* Both copies bear, the smaller sea is called Pontus, and the
larger MAyotis. This must be a fault of the copyists.
either Pontus or Mayotis. If we use hereafter the
name Pontus or Mhyotis, be it understood that the
terms are to be taken in this meaning, (each of these
two names) implying the smaller and the greater sea.
El-Mas'ixdi says, many people have the wrong
opinion that the sea of the Khazar stands in con-
nexion with the MQyotis, but 1 have not seen one
merchant who goes into the country of the Khazar,
nor anybody else who sails on the sea of Mdvotis
and Pontus, to the Byzantine dominions or to the
Targhiz, who agreed with the opinion that the sea
of the Khazar is connected with any other sea
either by a canal or by a strait, or in any other
way excepting through the river of the Khazar.
We m7ill speak of the kingdom of the Khazar, and
how the Russians brought their vessels into this
(the Caspian) sea, (from the Black Sea), which
happened after the year three hundred (of the
Hij rah) ,in the chapter on the Caucasus and the town
of B&b-eI-Abwgb.
I have referred to many ancierlt and modern
authors who have a great knowledge of the sea, and
found that they state in their works that the strait
of Constantinople begins from the sea of AWAyotis,
and proceeds to the sea of the Khazar, co~~necting
them. I cannot comprehend how they come to
this idea; whether they know it from experience, or
whether they deduce it from premises and conclu-
sions, or perhaps they arc under wrong impressions,
A N D MINES OF GEMS. 209
* This includes lakes; for i*, the Arabic word for lake,
is the diminutive of sea.
X
30G Y E A D O W S O F GOLD,
EL-M-~S'~D~'M
F I F T E E N T H CHAPTER.
* Ibn Khaldiin observes that the Persian kings hsd dresses the
woof of which was gold, and represented various figures, particu-
.4ND M I N E S O F GEMS. 319
&j?, ~ ! F j bu \ ~ ekk,
. &L$\, wmj
. LidlL* Lb
aK5 5% 2 A\
&WJ1a1 ~~~1~ yY, c61! L.,.+.+ 4 ;Y
L,~LS\
L K fbl 4 ~ % l wsY,b
%l& JS &4ih*.ll41jitJ4qJLail! j
" The Sxmaneans are the Arabs who follow the doctrine of
Saman. They are idolators, who maintain that t.he world had no
beginning: they believe in the metempsychosis, and that the
earth is constantly declining.
"In the most ancient times all tlie nations were either Saman-
eans or Chaldeans. The Samaneans are idolaters. The Chal-
deans are also called Sabeans and Harrinians ; for the remnants of
them live in H a r r j n and el-'IrAk. They believe that YGdAsif
(Yudasp), the rebel of India, was their prophet. This BGdisif
(Budasp: this seems to be more correct than YildLsif) was
co~temporaneous with the king TahmGrth, and the Persian
writing comes from him. The name of Sabeans was applied to
them a t the time of el-Mrimfin, and meant originally a Christian
sect. I n India and China are the remnants of the Samaneans."
33azzah of Ispahan (MS. of Leyden) confirms literally the
words of the Mefatih el-'olcim.
A ~ M I N E S OF GEMS.
D 32 l
" Compare Ancient Account of. India and China, from page
40 t o page 44.
Y 2
324 E L - M A S ' ~ D ~ ' SMEADOWS O F GOLD,
* +dj,
post, is derived from the Persian word buridah
G*2?, which means dock-tailed: for the mules used for this
purpose had their tails docked. Berid means the post mule, the
messenger who rides it, and the distance from one station &:L,
to another, where the mules were changed, which was about two
farsangs: some authors say four; and from Ibn Khordhdbeh it
appears to have been six miles. The letter-carrier is called
r f / a inf Arabic : this word is a corruption of the Persian
word ii;bri, a servant. In the post-office +.$l every
-
letter or parcel put to post, or come by post, was entered F,+
in a list which was c a l l e d J \ d u ~ lin Arabic, that is to
say, J j j . In this list the number of letters and parcels
was named, and the address of every one of them specified.
The Bodleian library of Oxford is in possession of a very
ancient MS. of Ibn Khordadbeh's Geography. The author was
post-master-general somewhere in Khor6siin, towards the end of
the third century, and his book is nothing more than a road-book,
naming all the post stations, and the distances from one place to
another. From this book the distances of places in all other
Arabic geographers are copied, but not always very correctly.
sea, and has passed many kingdoms without any
adversity. He made up his mind to come to my
empire, in confidence on my justice, and thou hast
treated him thus ! If he had returned from my states
thus ill-treated, he would have spread unfavourable
reports in other kingdoms, and my name and
government would have been branded with ignominy.
If it were not in consideration of thy former services,
I should put thee to death; but now I will inflict a
punishment upon thee which is harder than death.
I appoint thee (to guard) the tombs of the kings.
Thou shalt be with the dead, since thou hast
acquitted thyself so ill of thy duties and my orders
among the living."
The king heaped great favours on the merchant,
and sent him to Khsnikh (Canton), saying, " If
thou meanest to sell to us such wares as we may
choose, thou shalt have a good price for them; but
if thou dost not feel inclined to sell, thou art the
master over thy property. Stay if thou likest, sell
what thou pleasest, and go wheresoever thou
choosest." The eunuch was sent to the tombs of
the kings.
There is a curious story related of the king of
China*. A man of Kora'ishite origin, of the family
* ' c How dost thou mean what thbu hast said to me? I have told
thee to put what I have with me to what thou hast with thee."
350 E L - ~ I L I A S ' ~ DMEADOWS
~'S O F GOLD,
* A
$.+ 3
, pdl,l1 $5 AM2Y ,: literally, No
caller (or one who makes proselytes,) nor one who answers, (or
a proselyte,) passes this valley." I doubt whether the meaning
which I have given to this passage in the text is correct; but I do
not know the true sense. Perhaps the author means to say one
must not speak; but why should he use such an artificial expres-
sion? Moreover, if he meant to circumscribe the word speak, by
saying the traveller must neither ask nor answer, he would have
used &L, and not e!3.
AND MINES OF GEMS. 36 1
at Balkh, who had made the journey to China,
several times; but he had never been at sea. I have
seen many other persons who went from the country
of the Soghd, through the mountains of en-NGshgdir,
to et-Tubbet and China. Khorbshn is contiguous
to India, and es-Sind, in the direction of el-
Mansbrah and el-MGlth. The same caravan
goes from es-Sind to Khoriish, and the caravans of
India go in the same manner into this country, as
far as ZkbolistAn ;L&fj, which has the name of
FaYrGz Ibn Kalk jj$. This is an ex-
tensive country: it has many astonishingly strong
castles, and is densely inhabited by nations of
different tongues. Historians do not agree respect-
ing their origin. Some trace their descent from
Yiifeth Ben NGh, and others connect them with the
first Persians, giving a long genealogy.
The country of et-Tubbet (Tibet) is separated
and distinct from China. The rulers of et-Tubbet
are the Himyarites, who were led there bp one of
the Tobba's, as we shall relate in the history of
Yemen, to which we shall devote some of the
following pages of this book ; and it is to be found
in our Akhbhr ez-zemiin. The population of et-
Tubbet consists partly of nomades, and partly of
settled inhabitants. The wandering Tibetans are
of Turkish origin, and so numerous that they
cannot be counted. They yield to no nomadic nation
of the Turks, and are respected by other Turkish
362 E L - M A S ' ~ D ~ ' SMEADOWS O F GOLD,
* Almost all MSS. read the name of this river Abirah i>?t,
and it is evident from what follows, that our author did not saffi-
ciently distinguish between the Tagus and the Ebro.
+ This is the plural of A, as it has been said in the note
t o page 177 supra. The Arabic name of the country is Jilliki~ah
.
,A.
XhK&.
$ All MSS. read ~.&3>f\
instead pL2,J! m w&+~\.
A N D M I N E S O F GEMS. 37 1
most remarkable buildings on earth, and much more
surprising than the bridge Sajineh* +W,011 the
frontier between Mesopotamia and the Byzantine
empire, not far from SomaisLt b b , in the coun-
try of Sartijah t This, and the city of
Toledo, are fortified, and have strong walls.
The (Mohammedan) inhabitants of this city
rebelled against the Oma'iyides after the conquest,
and defended themselves two years with success
against them; but, in 315, the town was taken by
'Abder-Rahmin Ben Mohammed Ben 'Abdullah
Ben -Mohammed Ben 'Abder-Rahrn&n Ben el-
Hakam Ben H i s h h Ben 'Abder-Rahm5n Ben
Mo'awiyah Ben HishAm Ben 'Abdel-Melik Ben
Merwin Ben el-Hakam, and he is at present [332
A.H.,] king of Spain. Many buildings of this city
were destroyed when it was taken. Kortobah
+.bywas made the metropoIis of Spain, and con-
tinues to be so to this day. I t is seven days'jour-
ney from Toledo, and about three days from the
sea: one day's journey from the sea is the town
Ishbfliyah Q,&! (Seville). The cultivation and
towns of Spain extend about two months' journey,
* One copy reads the year 237, and another 139; the real
date is the tenth of Rebi'I., 138.
j- Here the names of 'Abd er-Rahnrhn Ben el-Hakam E2381 ;
Mohammed Ben 'Abd er-Rahmbn [373]; el-Mondir Ben Mo-
hammed [275]; and Abdullah [300]; are left out in all copies
by a mistake of the transcribers. The dates between crotchets
are the years of the death of the kings, and have been borrowed
from Conde's Hwtoria de Ea Dorninacion de los Ara6es en
Espnna, Madrid, 1820.
A N D M I N E S OF GEMS. 373
* One copy reads " who persecutes the Moslims in his coun-
try; so, for instance, the BaIlahrL;" and all that follows respecting
the longevity of the kings, is said there in reference to the Bal-
lahrd.
390 E L - M A S ' ~ D ~ ' SMEADOWS O F GOLD,
the Moslims. He has a number of elephants : his
dominions occupy a tongue of land, and are so rich
in mines of gold and silver, that gold and silver is
the medium of their commerce.
Next to this country is the kingdom of et-TBkin
+;'UJI. The king is on friendly terms with the
neighbouring sovereigns and with the Moslims ; his
military forces are less considerable than those of
the kings whom we have named. In this kingdom
are the prettiest women of all India. They are
praised for their beauty in books, De Coitu &*
r;l+Jf, and sailors are excedingly anxious to buy them.
They are known under the name of Tjkinians.
Beyond this kingdom is that of Rahmk which
is the title for their kings, and generally the same
time their name. His dominions border on those
of the king of the Khazars ; and, on one side, on
those of el-BaUahrA, with whom he is frequently
at war. Rahm6 has more troops, elephants, and
horses, than the Ball&rB, the king of el-Khazar and
of et-?'&kin. When he takes the field, he has no
less than five thousand elephants. He never goes
SEVENTEENTH CHAPTER.
fonds, is curious : " A man (whose name is not clear in the MS.)
related to me, that he had been sent by some king of the Cau-
casus .- to the king of the
U&\ & Russians, for he believed
that they had an inscription, engraved on wood. (When I came
there) they showed me some white pieces of wood, with drawing
X
$
,, on them. I do not know whether they were the signs for
whole words or separate letters. They looked like this''-here
follows a drawing.
* Timosthenes finds in Diuscurias, the capital of the Colchians,
three hundred different nations and tongues.-Pliny vii., 5.
f Taberistsn is a wrong reading met with in other authors as
well as in el-Mas'Gd'l, instead of LJb+ Tabasseran, which is
the name of an ancient fortress, and of a province of Daghestbn.
I t has with the Persians, also, the name ;\yyb TaberSerb
(Klaproth).
402 EL-MAS'~~D~'S
M E A D O W S O F GOLD,
* *l Jl iiik db,
-f This is p;bbably an error instead of KhosrG Shah (Abillfedi,
page 387).
2 ~ 2
404 E L - M I \ S ' ~ D ~ ' S MEADOWS O F GOLD,
river (the strait), and fit for a town: and this in-
duced him to build Constantinople.
We shall relate the history of Constantine, the
son of Helena, who made the Christian religion vic-
torious, in the chapter which treats on the history
of the Byzantines. This is one version of the his-
tory of the construction of Constantinople.
Ibn 'Ofazr relates, upon the authority of Abb
Yezid el-Fehri *\
+> ($>$I +j 91), that
it was the usage with the Lodriks iisr~uf,
of Spain,
that the king had hawks flying over the army, and
over the cavalcade, whenever he went out on an
expedition, or in procession. The birds were
taught to fly sometimes high a ~ sometimes
d low;
so they went on till he took his quarters; thenthey
sat round him. One day one of their kings set
out ; the hawks were with him, in the described
manner, and one of them pursued and caught some
birds which flew up. This induced the king to dress
them for sporting; and he was the first who used
them for this purpose in the Maghrib and in Spain.
El-Mas'6di says, it is the account of many
persons who are well-versed in this subject, that the
inhabitants of the Maghrib were the first ~ h o
amused themselves with vultures &L+. When
the Byzantines (Romans) observed the robust con-
stitution of their body and the abundance of their
excrernents bli;!, their wise men said no bird
AND M I N E S OF GEMS. 43 1
is more fit for mischief than this. It is related that
the emperor sent a v u l t ~ r eto the KisrL, and wrote
him, that he was more efficient than the falcon
9 4 with the sport of which he was so delighted.
The Kisrii ordered him to be set against a wild buck
4,and the bird got the better of him, notwith-
standing his resistance. The Kisrh returned, full
of joy, from this sight. When he hungered him
for sporting, the bird fell upon a boy, and killed
him, The Kisrk said, " The emperor deprives us
of our children without an army." The Kisrii pre-
sented the emperor in return with an eagle, and
wrote to him that he had killed wild bucks, and
similar animals; but he did not mention that the
vulture had killed a boy. The emperor admired
the eagle, which was like a hyena *; but as he
was not on his guard, several boys were torn to
pieces by the bird. The emperor said, "The
Kisrii takes us for his game; but, since we have
made a game of him, it does no harm."
In speaking of the sea of Jorjhn and its islands,
we went beyond our limits, and treated on the
different sorts of birds of prey; we shall give a
summary account of the falcons, and how many
different species of birds of prey there exist, in the
chapter on the Byzantine kings. Now we return
to our account of Bab el-Abwhb, and the nations
which live in the neighbourhood of this wall, and ol
the Caucasus.
432 E L - M A S ' ~ D ~ ' S M E A D O W S O F GOLD,
.
height from which you look down. Nobody knows
what nation they are, for they are unable to climb
* 3.4 &-+,a
-f Compare Cedrenus ad annum 934.
438 I . : L - M A S ' ~ D ~ ' S MEADOWS O F GOLD,
* These words are left out in some MSS. and by Klaproth; and
it is very likely that they are interpolated.
t The MS. of Ley den reads thus : " They have at present
their own king, but they are, nevertheless, under the supremacy
AND MINES OF GBRIS. 453