S a m ARC AND,
T he Qxu«.
o f the magnificent ruins, which lhewed its former fituation.
The country was uncommonly rich, but the whole road from
Candahar to this city, was a fcene o f defolation, marked by
the march o f Kouli Khan on his return from India. From
Herat the ancients diredted their courfe to the fouthern part
o f the Cafpian fea. This journey muft have been performed
by caravans of camels or horfes, as the road was deflitute of
navigable rivers. The route touched on the Ihore where
Aflrabad no-w Hands, which, perhaps, was the port.
T h e fecond way, and which was much frequented, was
towards the north-weft. The merchants went by Cbampan
Drapfica, the modern Damian, Baclra, now called Zariafpa,
Nautica the modern Nekebad, and from that town by a fhort
ftage to Maracunda or Samarcand, feated in a moft beautiful
valley. All thefe cities rofe, and were fupported by the pafiage
o f the caravans. As to Samarcand, it had long been a vaft city,
known by the name o f Maractmda. It was garrifoned by Alexander
the great, after the capture (at Nautica) of Uejj'us the
■murderer o f Darius. The Scytbians laid fiege to it, but it was
relieved by the Macedonian hero. It is faid to have been, even
then, a city of vaft opulence, ftrength, and fplendor.
F*OM) Samarcand the articles of commerce were conveyed
to the Ox us, the modern Amu, which runs at no- great diftance
to the fouth. That famous river rifes far to the fouth-eaft, in
the Caueafan chain. It becomes navigable for barks at Termed,
in Lat. 37° 30' N. long before it comes near Samarcand-, it is
lingular, that ft) diftant a route ihould be purfued' before the
commodities, were embarked. In the; days o f E l Edriji, or the
Nubian Geographer (p, 138; we find that it was frequented 011
4 that
that account; the Geographer mentions Termed among other
ftations near that great river. When the goods were fhipped
from Samarcand, they fell down the ftream, which, in the
time o f Herodotus, paffed through a marihy traa, the paludes
excipientes araxem, now the Aral lake, out of which it flowed,
and, going fouth-weft, fell into the Cafpian fea in the bay o f
Balchan. This paifage has been deftroyed above two centuries
ago, and its ancient channel is fcarcely to be traced. Matter
Anthonie Jenkinfon, a moft authentic traveller, gives the following
account o f the caufe, in his travels into thofe parts in
1558, as related- by Purcbas, (fee p. « The water that
« ferueth all that countrey, is drawne by ditches out o f the
u river Oxus vnto the great deftruaion o f the find river, for
u which caufe, it falleth not into the Cafpian & a, as it hath
« done in times paft, and in fhort time all that land is like to
« be deftroyed and to become a wildernefle for want o f water,
« when the river of Oxus ihall faile.”
I w i l l now briefly enter on feme other ways pointed out by
the ancients as commercial routes into India. One is that
mentioned by PUny, (lib. vii. c. 17.) who probably fpeaks
on good authority ; his account is founded on intelligence
delivered down by Pompey, when he was purfuing the mitbn-
datic war. It was then certainly known, that it was but feven
days journey out o f India to the BaHryan country, even to the
river Icarus, which runs into the Oxus, by means o f which,
the Indian commerce may be tranfported by the channel of the
Cafpian teo., and again by the river Cyrus, the modern Kur, on
the weftern fide as far as Phafs, the Rione or modern Fafz, a
large and navigable river, which falls into the head of the
Euxine
O t h e r R o o t e s .
C a s p i a n S e a .