OF THE CITY OF SAMARCAND, THE TOWN OF LOP, AND OF THE GREAT DESERT IN
ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD, WITH OTHER REMARKABLE PASSAGES.
Samarcand is a great and famous city, in that country, where are
lovely gardens and a fertile plain. It is subject to the nephew of
the Great Khan; in it the Christians dwell with the Saracens, whence
little agreement is betwixt them. It is reported that on this
account a miracle happened. The brother of the Great Khan, named
Zagatai, who governed that country about a hundred years ago, being
persuaded to become a Christian, the Christians, through his favour,
built a church in honour of St. John the Baptist, with such cunning,
that the whole roof thereof was supported by one pillar in the midst,
under which was set a square stone, which, by favour of their Lord,
was taken from a building of the Saracens. Zagatai's son succeeded
after his death in the kingdom, but not in the faith, from whom the
Saracens obtained that the Christians should be compelled to restore
that stone; and when they offered a sufficient price, the Saracens
refused to receive any other composition than the stone; whereupon
the pillar lifted up, that the Saracens might take away their stone,
and so continued.
Departing again from this city, you come into the province Charahan,
about five days' journey in length. This province hath plenty of
provisions, being subject to the dominion of the nephew of the Great
Khan. The inhabitants worship Mohammed, yet among them certain
Nestorian Christians dwell. They are great artificers, and have most
of them swelled legs, and a great wen or bunch in the throat, by
reason of the waters which they drink. The province Cotam follows
between the east and north-east. It is subject to the dominion of
the nephew of the Great Khan, and hath many cities and towns. The
chief city thereof is called Cotam. The province extends eight days'
journey in length. There is no want there of anything needful to the
maintenance of life. It hath plenty of cotton, flax, hemp, corn, and
wine; but the people are not warlike, yet good artificers in various
manufactures and merchandise. They acknowledge Mohammed for their
prophet.
Proceeding farther through the same country, you come to the province
Piem, extending four days' journey in length; it is subject to the
Great Khan, and hath many cities and castles; the chief city, thereof
is called Piem, near which runs a river wherein precious stones are
found, such as jaspers and chalcedons. The inhabitants of the
country follow the law of Mohammed, and are artificers and merchants.
There is a custom, in this province, that when any married man goeth
into another place and returneth not home in twenty days, it becomes
lawful for the wife to marry another husband; and the men also,
whensoever the women go away for the same time, do the like. All
those provinces, viz., Gascha, Cotem, Piem, to the city of Lop, are
in the bounds of Turkestan.
Ciascian is subject to the Tartars; the name of the province and
chief city is the same; it hath many cities and castles; many
precious stones are found there in the rivers, especially jaspers and
chalcedons, which merchants carry quite to Ouchach to sell and make
great gain. From Piem to this province, and quite through it also,
it is a sandy soil, with many bad waters, and few good. When an army
passes through this province, all the inhabitants thereof, with their
wives, children, cattle, and all their household-stuff, fly two days'
journey into the sands, where they know that good waters are, and
stay there, and carry their corn thither also to hide it in the
sands, after harvest, from the like fears. The wind doth so deface
their steps in the sand, that their enemies cannot find their way.
Departing from this province, you are to travel five days' journey
through the sands, where no other water almost than that which is
bitter is anywhere to be found, until you come to the city called
Lop, which is a great city, from whence is the entrance of a great
desert, called also the Wilderness of Lop, seated between the east
and north-east. The inhabitants are Mohammedans, subject to the
Great Khan.
In the city of Lop, merchants who desire to pass over the desert
cause all necessaries to be provided for them; and when victuals
begin to fail in the desert, they kill their asses and camels and eat
them. They make it mostly their choice to use camels, because they
are sustained with little meat, and bear great burthens. They must
provide victuals for a month to cross it only, for to go through it
lengthways would require a year's time. They go through the sands
and barren mountains, and daily find water; yet it is sometimes so
little that it will hardly suffice fifty or a hundred men with their
beasts; and in three or four places the water is salt and bitter.
The rest of the road for eight-and-twenty days is very good. In it
there are not either beasts or birds; they say, that there dwell many
spirits in this wilderness, which cause great and marvellous
illusions to travellers, and make them perish; for if any stay
behind, and cannot see his company, he shall be called by his name,
and so going out of the way is lost. In night they hear as it were
the noise of a company, which taking to be theirs, they perish
likewise. Concerts of musical instruments are sometimes heard in the
air, likewise drums and noises of armies. They go therefore close
together, hang bells on their beasts' neck, and set marks, if any
stay.
Having passed over the desert, you come into the city Sachion,
betwixt the east and north-east, subject to the Great Khan, in the
province of Tangut, where, amongst the worshippers of Mohammed, a few
Nestorian Christians are found; many idolaters are also there, who
have their proper language. The inhabitants of this city live not by
merchandise, but on the fruits of the earth. The city hath many
monasteries, consecrated to divers idols, in which many sacrifices
are offered with great reverence: and when a son is born to a man he
presently commendeth him to some idol, and in honour thereof
nourisheth a sheep that year in his house, which he presenteth before
it, together with his son, the next festival day of that idol, with
many ceremonies and great reverence. Afterwards the flesh of the
sheep is boiled, and left so long before the idol till their prayers
are finished, which they make for the conservation of their son; and
the idol hath, as they suppose, sucked the savour of the meat; after
which, all his kindred being gathered together, eat the flesh at home
with great devotion and joy, but religiously keep the bones in
certain vessels. The priests have the feet, head, inwards, skin, and
some part of the flesh for their share.
In celebrating the funerals of such as were men in esteem, the dead
bodies are buried after this manner: the kindred send for the
astrologers, and tell them what year, month, day, and hour he who
died was born, who, having considered the constellation, assign the
day when he is to be buried; so that when the planet suits not, they
preserve the dead body sometimes seven days, and sometimes six
months, preparing a chest for it at home, joining the sides together
with such art that no noisome smells issue forth. They also embalm
the body with spices, and cover the chest, fairly painted, with
embroidered cloth; and every day that the dead corpse is kept at
home, at the hour of dinner a table is spread near the chest, wine
and meat set thereon, for the space in which one might eat a meal's
meat, supposing that the soul of the dead feedeth on the savour there
of. The astrologers sometimes forbid to carry it out of the chief
gate, pretending some disastrous start, and cause them to carry it
out another way, and sometimes break the wall which is opposite to
that place, which the planet makes more lucky; for otherwise the
spirits departed would be offended, and hurt those of the house; and
if any such evil happen, they ascribe it to the dead thus wronged.
When the body is carried through the city to be buried without,
wooden cottages are erected in the way, with a porch covered with
silk, in which they place the body, and set before it bread, flesh,
and delicate meats, supposing the spirit to be refreshed therewith,
which is held to be constantly present at the burying of the body;
and when they come to the place where the body is to be buried, they
diligently and curiously paint upon papers made of the bark of trees
the images of men and women, horses, camels, money, and garments, all
the instruments of the city sounding, which are burned together with
the dead body; for they say, that dead men shall have so many
men-servants, and maid-servants, cattle, and money in another life as
pictures were burned with him, and shall perpetually live in that
honour and riches.