BOKHARA TO SAMARCAND
LITTLE DESERT OF CHÖL MELIK
ANIMATION OF ROAD OWING TO WAR
FIRST VIEW OF SAMARCAND
HASZRETI SHAH ZINDE
MOSQUE OF TIMOUR
CITADEL (ARK)
RECEPTION HALL OF TIMOR
KÖKTASH OR TIMOUR'S THRONE
SINGULAR FOOTSTOOL
TIMOUR'S SEPULCHER AND THAT OF HIS PRECEPTOR
AUTHOR VISITS THE ACTUAL TOMB OF TIMOUR IN THE SOUTERRAIN
FOLIO KORAN ASCRIBED TO OSMAN, MOHAMMED'S SECRETARY
COLLEGES
ANCIENT OBSERVATORY
GREEK ARMENIAN LIBRARY NOT, AS PRETENDED, CARRIED OFF BY TIMOR
ARCHITECTURE OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS NOT CHINESE BUT PERSIAN
MODERN SAMARCAND
ITS POPULATION
DEHBID
AUTHOR DECIDES TO RETURN
ARRIVAL OF EMIR
AUTHOR'S INTERVIEW WITH HIM
PARTING FROM THE HADJIS, AND DEPARTURE FROM SAMARCAND.
_Hinc quarto die ad Maracanda perventum est . . . Scythiae confinis
est regio, habitaturque pluribus ac frequentibits vicis, quia
ubertas terra non indigenas modo detinet, sed etiam advenas
invitat_.--Q. Curtii Rufi libb. vii. et viii.
[Bokhara to Samarcand]
Our whole karavan had now, on starting from Bokhara for Samarcand,
dwindled down to two carts. In one of these sat Hadji Salih and
myself; in the other, Hadji Bilal and his party. Sheltered from the
sun by a matting awning, I should have been glad to settle myself
quietly on my carpet, but this was impossible, owing to the violent
motion of our very primitive vehicle; it disposed of us 'at its own
sweet will,' shaking us, now here, now there; our heads were
continually cannoning each other like balls {198} on a billiard table.
During the first few hours I felt quite sea-sick, having suffered much
more than I had done when on the camels, the shiplike movements of
which I had formerly so much dreaded. The poor horse, harnessed to the
broad heavy cart, besides having to make the clumsy wheels--far from
perfect circles--revolve laboriously through the deep sand or mud, was
obliged also to convey the driver and his provision sack. The Turkoman
is right in doubting whether the Bokhariot will ever be able to
justify in another world his maltreatment of the horse--the noblest of
the brute creation.
As it was night when we started from Baha-ed-din, the driver (a native
of Khokand), not sufficiently familiar with the road, mistook the way,
so that, instead of midnight, it was morning before we reached the
little town of Mezar. It is distant from Bokhara five Tash (fersakh),
and is regarded as the first station on the road to Samarcand. We
halted here but a short time, and about noon arrived at sheikh Kasim,
where we encountered some of our brother pilgrims. They were taking
the road by Gidjdovan. We consequently indulged ourselves by remaining
there quietly together until late at night.
[Little Desert of Chöl Melik]
I had heard many wonderful accounts of the flourishing cultivation of
the country between Bokhara and Samarcand, but thus far I had seen
nothing astonishing during our day's journey, nothing at all
corresponding to my high-wrought expectations. We perceived, indeed,
everywhere, and on both sides of the road, with rare exceptions, the
land under cultivation; the following day, however, a real surprise
awaited me. We had passed the little desert of Chöl Melik (six leagues
in length by four in {199} breadth), where there are a karavanserai
and water reservoir, and at last reached the district of Kermineh,
which constitutes the third day's station. We now passed every hour,
sometimes every half-hour, a small Bazarli Djay (market-place), where
there were several inns and houses for the sale of provisions, and
where gigantic Russian teakettles, ever on the boil, are held to be
the _ne plus ultra_ of refinement and of comfort. These villages have
quite a different character from those in Persia and Turkey, the
farm-yards are better filled with earth's blessings; and were there
only more trees, we might say that all the way from the Pontos
Mountains this is the only country resembling our own in the far West.
About mid-day we halted at Kermineh, in a lovely garden, on the side
of a reservoir, where we found abundant shade. My friends seemed to
endear themselves to me more and more the nearer the moment of our
separation approached; it appeared impossible that I was to journey
alone that long way back from Samarcand to Europe! We started from
Kermineh about sunset, considering that the freshness of the night
would lighten, in some respects, the torments of our overtasked horse;
at midnight we halted again for two hours, as we hoped to reach our
station the next morning, before the heat of the day commenced. I
remarked in many places along the road square mile-stones, some
entire, others broken, [Footnote 61] which owe their erection to
Timour; nor need this surprise us, for Marco Polo, in the time of
Oktai, found regular post-roads in Central Asia. The whole way from
Bokhara to Kashgar is said, indeed, {200} still to bear marks of an
ancient civilisation which, although with frequent intervals, is
nevertheless traceable far into China. The present Emir, also wishing
to distinguish himself, has caused in several places small terraces to
be raised for purposes of prayer, these serving as a sort of
occasional mosques, and mementos to passers-by to fulfil their
religious duties. So each age has its own peculiar objects in view!
[Footnote 61: The Turkish word for stone is Tash, which is also used
to denote mile. So the Persian word Fersang (in modern Persian
fersakh) is compounded of fer (high) and seng (stone).]
[Animation of Road owing to War]
The evening we passed at the village Mir, taking up our quarters there
in the mosque. This rises from the centre of a pretty flower garden. I
lay down to sleep near a reservoir, but was startled out of my slumber
by a troop of quarrelsome Turkomans. They were the Tekke horsemen who
had served the Emir as auxiliaries in his campaign against Khokand,
and were now returning to Merv with the booty they had taken from the
Kirghis. The Emir, in his anxiety to civilise them, had presented many
with a white turban, and hoped that they would throw aside altogether
their wild fur caps. They wore them as long as they were under the eye
of the Emir, but I heard that they had subsequently sold them all.
From Mir we proceeded to the Kette Kurgan ('great fortress'). It is
the seat of a Government, and has the most famous shoemakers in the
whole Khanat. This fortress is defended by a strong wall and deep
fosse. By night no one is permitted either to pass in or out; we
therefore remained in a karavanserai, on the road outside the fort.
There were wagons everywhere; the roads, indeed, in all directions
presented a bustling and singularly animated appearance: this was to
be ascribed to the war, that employs all conveyances between Bokhara
and Khokand, From Kette Kurgan a distinct way leads through the desert
{201} to Karshi, and is said to be four leagues shorter than the usual
one thither from Samarcand; but travellers are obliged to take their
water with them, as there are very few wells that human beings can
use, although there are several fit for cattle. I found the drivers
and peasants discussing political subjects before the tea-shops, the
prohibitions here not being enforced as in Bokhara. The poor people
are enchanted when they hear of the heroic acts of their Emir; they
recount that he has already forced his way from Khokand into China,
and after he has there in the East reduced all under his sceptre, he
will, they insist, proceed to take possession of Iran, Afghanistan,
India, and Frenghistan (these they consider as adjoining counties), as
far as Roum: the whole world, in fact, is, according to them, to be
divided between the Sultan and the Emir!
After having left behind me Karasu, which is a place of some
importance, we reached Daul, the fifth station, and the last before
coming to Samarcand itself. Our road passed over some hills from which
we could perceive extensive woods stretching away on our left. I was
told that they reach half-way to Bokhara, and serve as retreats to the
Özbeg tribes, Khitai and Kiptchak, which are often at enmity with the
Emir. Being familiar with all the secret corners and recesses of their
own forests, they are not easily assailable.
[First View of Samarcand]
What I heard in Bokhara had very much diminished in my eyes the
historical importance of Samarcand. I cannot, however, describe my
feeling of curiosity when they pointed out to me, on the east, Mount
Chobanata, at whose foot was situate, I was told, the Mecca I so
longed to see. I therefore gazed intently in the direction indicated,
and at last, on toiling up {202} a hill, I beheld the city of Timour
in the middle of a fine country. I must confess that the first
impression produced by the domes and minarets, with their various
colours, all bathed in the beams of the morning sun--the peculiarity,
in short, of the whole scene--was very pleasing.
As Samarcand, both by the charm of its past and its remoteness, is
regarded in Europe as something extraordinary, we will, as we cannot
make use of the pencil, endeavour to draw a view of the city with the
pen. I must beg the reader to take a seat in the cart by my side; he
will then see to the east the mountain I before mentioned. Its
dome-like summit is crowned by a small edifice, in which rests
Chobanata (the holy patron of shepherds). Below lies the city.
Although it equals Teheran in circumference, its houses do not lie so
close together; still the prominent buildings and ruins offer a far
more magnificent prospect. The eye is most struck by four lofty
edifices, in the form of half domes, the fore-fronts or frontispieces
of the Medresse (Pishtak). They seemed all to be near together; but
some, in fact, are in the background. As we advance we perceive first
a small neat dome, and further on to the south a larger and more
imposing one; the former is the tomb, the latter the mosque, of
Timour. Quite facing us, on the south-westerly limit of the city, on a
hill, rises the citadel (Ark), round which other buildings, partly
mosques and partly tombs, are grouped. If we then suppose the whole
intermixed with closely planted gardens, we shall have a faint idea of
Samarcand--a faint one; for I say with the Persian proverb--
'When will hearing be like seeing?' [Footnote 62]
[Footnote 62: 'Shuniden keï buved manendi diden.']
{203}
But, alas! why need I add that the impression produced by its exterior
was weakened as we approached, and entirely dissipated by our entry
into the place itself? Bitter indeed the disappointment in the case of
a city like Samarcand, so difficult of access, and a knowledge of
which has to be so dearly acquired; and when we drove in through the
Dervaze Bokhara, and had to pass through the greater part of the
cemetery to reach the inhabited part of the town, I thought of the
Persian verse--
'Samarcand is the focus of the whole globe.' [Footnote 63]
[Footnote 63: 'Samarkand seïkeli rui zemin est.' ]
In spite of all my enthusiasm, I burst out into a loud fit of
laughter. We first proceeded to a karavanserai, on the side of the
bazaar, where Hadjis have quarters awarded to them gratuitously; but
the very same evening we were invited to a private house situate
beyond the bazaar, near the tomb of Timour, and what was my joy and
surprise when I learnt that our host fortunately was an officer of the
Emir, and entrusted with the surveillance of the palace in Samarcand!
As the return of the Emir from Khokand, where he had just terminated a
victorious campaign, was announced to take place in a few days, my
companions decided to wait in Samarcand, on my account, till I had
seen the Emir, and until I found other Hadjis passing whose company I
could join on my return journey. In the interval I passed my time
visiting all that was worth seeing in the city; for in spite of its
miserable appearance, it is in this respect the richest in all Central
Asia.
{204}
In my character as Hadji I naturally began with the saints; but as
all, even what is historically interesting, is intimately blended with
some holy legend, I felt it a very agreeable duty to see everything.
[Haszreti Shah Zinde]
They enumerate here several hundred places of pilgrimage; but we will
only particularise the more remarkable:--
_Hazreti Shah Zinde (Summer Palace of Timour)_.
The proper name is Kasim bin Abbas. He is said to have been a
Koreïshite, and consequently stands here in the highest repute, as the
chief of those Arabs who introduced Islamism into Samarcand. His
sepulchre lies without the city, to the north-west, near the wall and
the edifice that served the great Timour as a summer residence. The
latter has retained even to the present day much of its ancient
splendour and luxury. All these structures are situate upon elevated
ground, and are approached by an ascent of forty tolerably broad
marble steps. On reaching the summit, one is conducted to a building
lying at the end of a small garden. Here several little corridors lead
to a large apartment, from which, by a small gloomy path, you arrive
at the equally gloomy tomb of the saint. Besides the room above
mentioned, there are others whose coloured bricks and mosaic pavement
produce as brilliant an effect as if they were the work of yesterday.
Each different room that we entered had to be saluted with two Rikaat
Namaz. My knees began to ache, when they led me on into a room paved
with marble. Three flags, an old sword, and breastplate, were
presented to be kissed as relics of the renowned {205} Emir. This act
of homage I did not decline any more than my companions, although I
entertained great doubt whether the objects themselves are authentic.
I heard also of a sword, breastplate, Koran, and other relics of the
saint, but I could not get sight of them. Opposite to this edifice,
the reigning Emir has erected a small Medresse, which looks like the
stable of a palace.
[Mosque of Timour]
_Mesdjidi Timour (The Mosque of Timour)._
This mosque is situate on the south side of the city: in size, and
painted brick decorations, it has much resemblance to the Mesdjidi
Shah, in Ispahan, which was built by order of Abbas II. The dome
differs, however; it is in the form of a melon, which is never the
case in Persia. The inscriptions from the Koran, in gold Sulus
lettering, next to those at the ruins of Sultanieh, are the finest I
ever saw.
[Citadel (Ark)]
_Ark (Citadel--Reception Hall of Timour)_.
The ascent to the Ark is tolerably steep; it is divided into two
parts, of which the outer is composed of private dwellings, whereas
the other is only used for the reception of the Emir.
[Reception Hall of Timour; Köktash or Timour's Throne Singular
Footstool.]
The palace had been described to me as extremely curious; it is,
however, a very ordinary edifice, and is scarcely a century old, and I
confess I found nothing remarkable in it. First they showed me the
apartments of the Emir: amongst these the Aynekhane, which is a room
composed of fragments of looking-glass, passing for a wonder of the
world; but to me it had far less interest than the place designated
Talari Timour, or 'reception-hall of Timour.' This is a {206} long
narrow court, having round it a covered foot-pavement or cloister. The
side that fronts you contains the celebrated Köktash (green stone),
upon which Timour caused his throne to be placed: to it flocked
vassals from all parts of the world to do homage, and were ranged
there according to their rank; whilst in the central space, that
resembled an arena, three heralds sat ready mounted to convey, on the
instant, the words of the conqueror of the world to the farthest end
of the hall. As the green stone is four feet and a half high, some
prisoner of illustrious birth was always forced to serve as a
footstool. It is singular that, according to the tradition, this
colossal stone (ten feet long, four broad, and four and a half high)
was transported hither from Broussa. Fixed in the wall to the right of
this stone is a prominent oval piece of iron, like half a cocoa-nut;
upon it there is an inscription in Arabic, engraved in Kufish letters.
It is said to have been brought from the treasury of the Sultan,
Bayazid Yildirin, and to have served one of the Khalifs as an amulet.
I saw, high above the stone on the wall, two firmans, written in
golden Divani letters, one from Sultan Mahmoud, the other from Sultan
Abdul Medjid. They were sent to Emir Saïd, and Emir Nasrullah, from
Constantinople, and contained both the Rukhsati-Namaz (official
permission for the prayer), [Footnote 64] and the investiture in the
functions of a Reïs (guardian of religion) which the Emirs formerly
made it a point of etiquette to receive. The Emirs, now-a-days,
content themselves on their accession with doing homage at the
Köktash; and the stone is no longer used but for this purpose, and as
a {207} place of pilgrimage for pious Hadjis who say three Fatihas,
and rub their heads with peculiar unction upon that monument whence,
once, every word uttered by their glorious monarch echoed as a command
to the remotest parts of Asia. Timour is spoken of in Samarcand as if
the news of his death had only just arrived from Otrar; and the
question was put to me, as Osmanli, what my feelings were on
approaching the tomb of a sovereign who had inflicted upon 'our'
Sultan so terrible a defeat.
[Footnote 64: The Friday prayer, which no Sunnite could or can
pronounce until the Khalif or his successor has first done so.]
[Timour's Sepulchre and that of his Preceptor; Author visits the
actual Tomb of Timour in the Souterrain]
_Turbeti Timour (Timour's Sepulchre)_.
This monument lies to the south-west, and consists of a neat chapel,
crowned with a splendid dome, and encircled by a wall; in the latter
there is a high arched gate, and on both sides are two small domes,
miniature representations of the large one first mentioned. The space
between the wall and the chapel is filled with trees, and should
represent a garden, but great neglect is now apparent there. The
entrance into the chapel is on the west, and its front, according to
the law, is towards the south (Kible). On entering, one finds oneself
in a sort of vestibule, which leads directly into the chapel itself.
This is octagonal, and ten short paces in diameter. In the middle,
under the dome, that is to say, in the place of honour, there are two
tombs, placed lengthwise, with the head in the direction of Mecca. One
is covered with a very fine stone of a dark green colour, two and a
half spans broad and ten long, and about the thickness of six fingers.
It is laid flat, in two pieces, [Footnote 65] over the grave of
Timour; the other has a {208} black stone, of about the same length,
but somewhat broader. This is the tomb of Mir Seid Berke, the teacher
and spiritual chief of Timour, at whose side the mighty Emir
gratefully desired to be buried. Round about lie other tombstones,
great and small, those of wives, grandsons, and great grandsons of the
Emir; but, if I do not err, their bodies were brought thither at a
subsequent period from different parts of the city. The inscriptions
upon the tombs are in Persian and Arabic, no enumeration of titles is
there, and even that of the Emir is very simple. The family name,
Köreghen, is never omitted.
[Footnote 65: Different reasons are assigned for this. Some say that
the victorious Nadir Shah ordered it to be sent to him, and that it
was broken on the journey. Others affirm that it was originally in
two pieces, and the present of a Chinese (Mongol) princess.]
[Folio Koran ascribed to Osman, Mohammed's Secretary]
As for the interior of the chapel, arabesques in alabaster, whose
gildings are in rich contrast with a lovely azure, bear evidence of
taste truly artistic, and produce an effect surprisingly beautiful. It
reminds us, but can give only a faint idea, of the inside of the
sepulchre of Meesume Fatma in Kom (Persia). [Footnote 66] Whilst the
latter is too much filled, the former is simply and modestly
beautiful. At the head of the graves are two Rahle (table with two
leaves, upon which, in the East, are laid sacred volumes), where the
Mollahs day and night read in turn the Koran, and contrive to extract
from the Vakf (pious foundation) of the Turbe a good salary. They, as
well as the Mutevali (stewards), are taken from the Nogai Tartars,
because the Emir expressed in his will the {209} desire that the watch
over him should be entrusted to this race, which had always been
particularly well disposed towards him. I paid my visit to the
inspector, and was forced to remain his guest the whole day. As a mark
of his peculiar favour he permitted me to view the actual grave, an
honour which, he assured me, was rarely accorded even to natives. We
descended by a small long staircase behind the entrance. It leads
directly into a room below the chapel, not only of the same size, but
resembling it closely in all its arabesque decorations. The tombs here
are also in the same order as those above, but not so numerous. It is
said that Timour's grave contains great treasures; but this cannot be
true, as it would be an infraction of the law. Here again is a Rahle,
with a Koran lying upon it in folio, written upon the skin of a
gazelle. I was informed in many quarters, and upon good authority,
that this was the same copy that Osman, Mohammed's secretary, and the
second Khalif, wrote, and that this relic Timour had brought with him
out of the treasury of the Sultan Bajazet, from Broussa, and that it
is here concealed as a precious deposit, inasmuch as Bokhara, if
publicly known to possess it, would be certainly regarded with
ill-will by the other Musselman potentates.
[Footnote 66: A sister of the Imam Riza, who after having long
implored, at last obtained, permission from Meemun Khalife to visit
her brother who was living as an exile in Tus (Meshed). On the
journey thither she died at Kom, and her tomb is a highly venerated
place of pilgrimage in Persia.]
On the front of the Turbe, in the very place to strike the eyes of
all, we read the inscription, written in white letters upon a blue
ground:--
[Illustration: Arabic text]
'This is the work of poor Abdullah, the son of Mahmoud of Ispahan.' I
could not ascertain the date. About a hundred paces from the building
{210} which I have described, is another dome of simple architecture,
but considerable antiquity, where reposes one of Timour's favourite
wives, also venerated as a saint. Quite above, on the side of the
dome, hangs a sort of skein, said to contain Muy Seadet (hair from the
beard of the Prophet), and which has for many long years--although the
dome has crevices in all its sides--protected it from further decay,
_s'il vous plait._
[Colleges; Ancient Observatory]
_Medresses_.
Some of those are still peopled; others abandoned, and likely soon to
become perfect ruins. To those in the best state of repair belong the
Medresse Shirudar and Tillakari; but these were built long
subsequently to the time of Timour. The one last named, which is very
rich in decorations of gold, whence its name, Tillakari (worked in
gold), was built 1028 (1618), by a rich Kalmuk named Yelenktosh, who
was a convert to Islamism; and really that portion called Khanka, is
so rich that it is only surpassed by the interior of the mosque of
Iman Riza. Opposite to these we see the Medresse Mirza Ulug, built in
828 (1434) by Timour, grandson of the same name who was passionately
fond of astrology; but which even in 1115 (1701) were in so ruinous a
condition that, to borrow the expression employed by its historian,
'owls housed, instead of students, in its cells, and the doors were
hung with spiders' webs instead of silk curtains.' In this building
stood the observatory famous throughout the world, which was commenced
in 832 (1440), under the direction of the _savants_ Gayas-ed-dir
Djemshid, Muayin Kashani, and of the learned Israelite Silah-ed-din
Bagdadi, but was {211} completed under Ali Kushtchi. This was the
second and last observatory erected in Central Asia. The first had
been constructed at Maraga, under Helagu, by the learned Nedjm-ed-din.
The place where it had stood was pointed out to me, but I could only
discern a slight trace.
These three Medresse form the principal open space, the Righistan of
Samarcand; which is smaller, indeed, than the Righistan at Bokhara,
but still filled with booths and ever frequented with buzzing crowds.
At a distance from those, and near the Dervaze Bokhara, are the
extensive ruins of the once really magnificent Medresse Hanym, which a
Chinese princess, wife of Timour, erected out of her private purse. It
is said at one time to have accommodated a thousand students, each of
whom received from the Vakf (foundation) the annual sum of a hundred
Tilla. The sum may be regarded as an Oriental one; an evidence,
nevertheless, of bygone splendour appears in its ruins, of which three
walls and the fore-front or frontispiece (Pishtak) still exist; the
latter with its towers and portal, that might serve for a model, has
its pavement completely covered with mosaic made of earth, the
composition and colouring of which are of incomparable beauty, and so
firmly cemented that it occasioned me indescribable trouble to cut
away the calyx of a flower; and even of this I could only remove in a
perfect state the innermost part, with three leaves folded together.
Although the work of destruction is eagerly proceeded with, we can
still perceive in the interior where at present the hired carriages
that ply to Khokand and Karshi take up their quarters--the mosque,
with the wonder-working gigantic Rahle; and many a century must the
people of Samarcand {212} continue to tear away and cut down before
this work of annihilation is complete.
[Greek Armenian Library not, as pretended, carried off by Timour.]
Besides these edifices, there are some other towers and dome-shaped
buildings, the work of bygone days. After having made every possible
investigation, in spite of all exertions, I have not been able to
discover any trace of that once famous Armenian Greek library, which,
according to a universally accredited tradition, the victorious Timour
swept away to Samarcand to ornament his capital. This fable, so I must
at once pronounce it, originated from the over-strained patriotism of
an Armenian priest, named Hadjator, who insists that he came from
Caboul to Samarcand, and discovered in the latter city large folios
with heavy chains (_à la_ Faust) in those towers, into which no
Musselman, from fear of Djins (Genii), would dare to venture. The
story was later, if I mistake not, made use of by a French _savant_,
in his 'History of the Armenians;' and as we Europeans are just as
fond as the Orientals of amusing ourselves with subjects that lie half
in light and half in darkness, it was actually believed by some (that
is, by those who busied themselves with antiquities) that the mighty
Asiatic conqueror had sent back to his capital, a distance of a
hundred stations, some hundred mules laden with Armenian Greek
manuscripts, in order that his Tartars might also familiarise
themselves with foreign languages and history!
[Architecture of Public Buildings not Chinese but Persian; Modern
Samarcand; Its Population]
I disbelieve altogether the story that any such library ever existed;
my opinion is as strong also upon another subject, for I entirely
differ from those who ascribe a Chinese character to the monuments of
Samarcand. The political frontiers of China are, it is true, at a
distance of only ten days' journey, but China proper can {213} only be
reached in sixty days, and those who have even a faint idea of the
rigorous line of demarcation that guards the Celestial Empire, will
not very easily believe that the Chinese can have any idea in common
with the genuine Mahommedans, who are also themselves separatists. The
inscription upon the façade of the sepulchre of Timour, to which all
the other edifices in Samarcand have more or less resemblance in point
of style and decoration, shows clearly enough that the artists were
Persians, and one needs only to compare the monuments of this city
with those of Herat, Meshed, and Ispahan, to be convinced that the
architecture is Persian.
So much of the ancient and historical city of Samarcand. The new city,
whose actual walls are at the distance of a full league from the ruins
of the old walls, [Footnote 67] has six gates and a few bazaars that
have still survived from the ancient times; in these are offered at
low prices, manufactures in leather of high repute, and wooden
saddles, the enamel of which might even do honour to European
artisans. During my stay in the city of Timour the bazaars and other
public places and streets were continually thronged, because every
spot was occupied by the troops returning from their campaign; still
the regular residents can hardly exceed from 15,000 to 20,000, of whom
two-thirds are Özbegs, and one-third Tadjiks. The Emir, whose usual
residence is Bokhara, {214} is in the habit of passing two or three of
the summer months in Samarcand, because the situation is more
elevated, and the city has certain advantages of climate. In Bokhara
the heat is insupportable, but I found the temperature here very
agreeable; only the water recommended as Abi-Hayat (ambrosia) tasted
to me very detestable.
[Footnote 67: It is possible that the ruins only mark the boundary
of a suburb, for E. G. de Clavijo, who in 1403 formed part of an
embassy at the Court of Timour, informs us (see the translation of
that account by C. E. Markham, page 172), that the citadel lies at
one end of the town, where in fact it still is. The space between
the ruins and the modern wall may have been inhabited and yet not
have belonged to the city.]
[Dehbid]
I may mention Dehbid (the ten willows) as singularly beautiful; it
forms at once a place of pilgrimage and of recreation, a league
distant from Samarcand, on the other side of the Zerefshan, and
peopled by the descendants of Mahkdum Aázam, who died in 949 (1542),
and is here interred. The inhabitants have a fine Khanka (convent),
and receive pilgrims with the greatest hospitality. Dehbid lies
actually higher than Samarcand; still, to my surprise, I met here with
mulberries in the middle of the month of August. I found it cool even
at mid-day in the great 'Alley,' which was planted in 1632, by order
of Nezr Divabeghi, in honour of the saint above mentioned. On the road
to Dehbid, I was shown the spot where stood the famous Baghi-Chinaran
(poplar garden). Ruins only now mark the site of the palace; of the
trees nothing is visible.
Although we cannot go so far as the inhabitant of Central Asia--who
applies to these ruins, even at the present day, the expression,
'Samarcand resembles Paradise' [Footnote 68]--
we must still be just, and characterise the ancient capital of Central
Asia, from its site and the luxuriant vegetation in the midst of which
it stands, as the most beautiful in Turkestan. Khokand and Namengan,
{215} according to native appreciation, rank still higher, but a
stranger may be pardoned if he withholds the palm, so long as it has
been denied to him with his own eyes to see the superiority.
[Footnote 68: 'Samarkand firdousi manend.']
[Author decides to return]
After having remained eight days in Samarcand, I formed, at last, my
final resolution, and determined to return to the West by the route
before mentioned. Hadji Bilal was desirous of taking me with him to
Aksu, and promised to try to get me forwards to Mecca, either by way
of Yerkend, Thibet, and Cashmere, or, if fortune were favourable, by
way of Komul to Bidjing (Pekin); but Hadji Salih did not approve of
the plan, both on account of the great distance to be traversed, and
the small capital at my disposal. 'You might, indeed, pass as far as
Aksu, perhaps even as Komul, for so far you would meet with Musselmans
and brethren, all disposed to show you great honour as a Dervish from
Roum, but from that point onwards you would find black unbelievers
everywhere, who, although they might throw no obstacle in your way,
would give you nothing. By the way of Thibet you may find
fellow-travellers going from Kashgar and Yerkend, but I cannot charge
myself with the responsibility of taking you with me at this time to
Khokand, where everything, owing to the recent war, is in the greatest
disorder. But Khokand you must see; come, then, when things are
tranquil: for the present it is better to return by Herat to Teheran,
with the friends whom we have found for you.'
Although these words of my excellent friend were sensible enough,
still I had for hours a long struggle with myself. A journey, I
thought, by land to Pekin, across the ancient homes of the Tartars,
Kirghis, Kalmuks, Mongols, and Chinese--a way by which {216} Marco
Polo himself would not have ventured--is really grand! But moderation
whispered in my ear, 'Enough for the moment!' I made a retrospect of
what I had done, of what countries I had traversed, what distances I
had travelled over, and by ways, too, by which no one had preceded me;
would it not, I thought, be a pity if I sacrificed the experience
which I had acquired, however trifling, in a hazardous and uncertain
enterprise? I am but thirty-one years old; what has not happened may
still occur; better, perhaps, now, that I should return. Hadji Bilal
jested with me upon my cowardice, and the European reader may agree
with him; but local experience has taught me that, at least here, one
need not scorn the Turkish proverb, that says:--
'To-day's egg is better than to-morrow's fowl.'
[Arrival of Emir]
I was in the midst of the preparations for my departure, when the Emir
made his triumphal entry, which, as it had been announced three days
previously, great crowds assembled in the Righistan to witness. No
particular pomp, however, distinguished it. The procession was opened
by about 200 Serbaz, who had thrown leather accoutrements over their
clumsy Bokhariot dress, and that was supposed to entitle them to the
name of regular troops. Far in their rear, there followed troops in
ranks with standards and kettle-drums. The Emir Mozaffar-ed-din, and
all his escort of higher functionaries, looked, with their snow-white
turbans and their wide silk garments of all the colours of the
rainbow, more like the chorus of women in the opera of Nebuchadnezzar
than a troop of Tartar warriors. So also it may be said with respect
to other officers of the court, of whom some bore white staves {217}
and others halberds, that there was in the whole procession nothing to
remind one of Turkestan, except in the followers, of whom many were
Kiptchaks, and attracted attention by their most original Mongol
features, and by the arms which they bore, consisting of bows, arrows,
and shields.
[Illustration]
ENTRY OF THE EMIR INTO SAMARCAND.
The Buildings after a sketch by Mr. Lehman.
The day of his entry the Emir made, by public notice, a national
holiday. Several of their kettles of monstrous size were put in
requisition, and brought forward in the Righistan, for boiling the
'princely Pilow,' which consisted of the following ingredients in each
kettle:--a sack of rice, three sheep chopped to pieces, a large pan of
sheep's fat (enough to make, with us, five pounds of candles), a small
sack of carrots; all these were allowed to boil, or perhaps we had
better call it _ferment_, together, and, as tea was also served out at
discretion, the eating and drinking proceeded bravely.
[Author's Interview with him]
The day following it was announced that an Arz (public audience) would
take place. I took advantage of the opportunity to present myself to
the Emir under the conduct of my friends, but to my surprise, on
entering, our party was stopped by a Mehrem, who informed us that his
Majesty wished to see me apart from my companions. This was a blow,
for we all now suspected that something was going wrong. I followed
the Mehrem, and, after being kept an hour waiting, I was introduced
into a room which I had on a previous occasion visited, and there I
now saw the Emir sitting on a mattress or ottoman of red cloth,
surrounded by writings and books. With great presence of mind, I
recited a short Sura, with the usual prayer for the welfare of the
Sovereign, and after the Amen, to which he himself responded, I {218}
took my seat, without permission, quite close to his royal person. The
boldness of my proceeding--quite, however, in accordance with the
character which I assumed--seemed not displeasing to him. I had long
forgotten the art of blushing, and so was able to sustain the look
which he now directed full in my face, with the intention, probably,
of disconcerting me. 'Hadji, thou comest, I hear, from Roum, to visit
the tombs of Baha-ed-din, and the saints of Turkestan.'
'Yes, Takhsir (sire [Footnote 69]); but also to quicken myself by the
contemplation of thy sacred beauty' (Djemali mubarek), according to
the forms of conversation usual on these occasions.
[Footnote 69: Takhsir signifies Sir, and is employed not only in
conversing with Princes, but all other personages. ]
'Strange! and thou hadst then no other motive in coming hither from so
distant a land?'
'No, Takhsir (sire), it had always been my warmest desire to behold
the noble Bokhara, and the enchanting Samarcand, upon whose sacred
soil, as was remarked by Sheikh Djelal, one should rather walk on
one's head than on one's feet. But I have, besides, no other business
in life, and have long been moving about everywhere as a Djihangeshte'
(world pilgrim).
'What, thou, with thy lame foot, a Djihangeshte! That is really
astonishing.'
'I would be thy victim!' (an expression equivalent to 'pardon me.')
'Sire, thy glorious ancestor (peace be with him!) had certainly the
same infirmity, and he was even Djihanghir' (conqueror of the world).
[Footnote 70]
[Footnote 70: Timour, whom these Emirs of Bokhara erroneously claim
as their ancestor, was, it is well known, lame; hence, his enemies
called him Timur 'Lenk' (Tamerlane, _the lame Timour)_. ]
{219}
This reply was agreeable to the Emir, who put questions to me
respecting my journey, and the impression made upon me by Bokhara and
Samarcand. My observations, which I incessantly strove to ornament
with Persian sentences and verses from the Koran, produced a good
effect upon him, for he is himself a Mollah, and tolerably well
acquainted with Arabic. He directed that I should be presented with a
Serpay (dress) [Footnote 71] and thirty Tenghe, and dismissed me with
the command that I should visit him a second time in Bokhara.
[Footnote 71: This word means Ser ta pay (from head to foot); it is
a complete dress, consisting of turban, over-dress, girdle, and
boots.]
When I had received the princely present, I hurried, like a man
possessed by a devil, back to my friends, who were delighted at my
good fortune. I heard (and there is no improbability in the account)
that Rahmet Bi had drawn up his report concerning me in ambiguous
terms, and that the Emir had consequently conceived suspicions. My
triumph was entirely owing to the flexibility of my tongue (which is
really impudent enough). In fact, I had every reason on this occasion
to appreciate, the truth of the Latin proverb, 'Quot linguas cales tot
homines vales.'
After this scene, I was advised by my friends to quit Samarcand in all
speed, not to make any stay even in Karshi, but to gain as rapidly as
possible the further bank of the Oxus, where, amongst the hospitable
Ersari Turkomans, I might await the arrival of the karavan for Herat.
[Parting from the Hadjis, and Departure from Samarcand.]
The hour of departure was at hand. My pen is too feeble to convey any
adequate idea of the distressing scene that took place between us; on
both sides we were really equally moved. For six long months we {220}
had shared the great dangers of deserts, of robbers, and inclement
weather. What wonder if all difference of position, age, and
nationality had been lost sight of, and if we regarded each other as
all members of a single family? Separation was, in our case,
equivalent to death. How could it be otherwise in these countries,
where there was positively not even a hope of seeing each other again?
My heart seemed as if it would burst, when I thought that I was not
permitted to communicate the secret of my disguise to these, my best
friends in the world, that I must deceive those to whom I owed even my
life. I tried to imagine a way--I wished to make trial of them; but
religious fanaticism, to be found sometimes even in civilised Europe,
has a fearful influence upon the Oriental, and particularly so upon
the Islamite.
My confession, in itself a capital offence [Footnote 72] by the law of
Mohammed, might not perhaps, for the moment, have severed all ties of
friendship; but how bitterly, how dreadfully would my friend Hadji
Salih, who was so sincere in his religious opinions, have felt the
deception! No, I determined to spare him this sorrow, and to save
myself from any reproach of ingratitude. He must, I thought, be left
in the fond delusion.
[Footnote 72: A Murtad (renegade) is directed to be stoned to
death.]
After having commended me to some pilgrims, whom I was to accompany to
Mecca, as their very brother, son in fact, as one whom they most
valued, they accompanied me after sunset to the outside of the city
gate, where the cart that my new companions had hired for the journey
to Karshi was waiting for us. I wept like a child when, tearing myself
from their embraces, I took my seat in the vehicle. My {221} friends
were all bathed in tears, and long did I see them--and I see them
now--standing there in the same place, with their hands raised to
heaven, imploring Allah's blessing upon my far journey. I turned round
many times to look back. At last, they disappeared, and I found I was
only gazing upon the domes of Samarcand, illuminated by the faint
light of the rising moon!
{222}