PrövJN'
Cities.
ÊAMARCi
IN D E P EN D E N T TATARY.
map.- Tokareftaft-and Gaur are the moft • fotitherfi provinces. Marco
PoFo mentions fome others, which would a fpecial * diffirtatteflto
afcertlm?;^aiid^perhaps th * b e& •<**>?*■ * * illuftrattog that
author would he, without a n y 'attention-'to his progrefs .or arrange*
mfehtj firft to' Tpecify hhofiepairts' of h k .hhbrography which-Wevaertaim,
^ and theri proceed ’to difcufs the other provides and cities ; for either
the copies are fometimes corrupt, or his memory has decayed him in
"the pofitibns, as he happened to Vifib them on h ir s u te or his return.*'
The chief city of Great Bucharia- is Samarcand, on the foutfietti hank
lND' of the river Sogd, whibh, at the diftanceJ5f ahov%k‘hundred ^ile^kftSr
wafhing the waifs of Bokhara^ paffes through a cpfifiderable lake, and is
fuppofed to join the Oxus or Amu. Milton has ufed a |o e ticM h d e
when he fays
, i l ii p rom Sa march and by OjcusJ Temjx’s throne.’^ J
Of this celebrated capitalthere is no recepi,account, but it feems, greatly
to have declined fmce the time of Timur, the feftivities! ofwfipfe court,
at his palace beje?. and villas in the vicinity, have been fo wel^defcr^bed
by his Perfian hiflodan. Towards the beginning, ofytbelaft century,
Bentink fays that Samarcand was. fortified with rampart^, of turf,, the
houfes being moftly of hardened clay,.though fome were of (lone, from
quarries in the neighbourhood.! Thei khan;o f G,reat; Bucharia Commonly
encamped'in the adjacent meadows» the cattle^ being alroqft.ruinr
ous. The excellence of the paper made of filk^rpcopmended ip^6 all
the countries of the ©aft : and it is fuppofed that wpderive this invention
* .His Balacia is doubtlefs the fouthem part of Balk, from the. moilntdiris of B^lur to' the raver'.
Morgab, the region. which, as he mentipns/pro.ducesBalay rubies. J The chief jcjty is now p.pdak-
ftan. See Ottir/and Af. Ref. vi 4 3 . ' But Bafcia, if Vaffi, is to the north j aM Cliefimuf, undoubtedly
Caftimir, muftbe computed from Balacia, not Bafcia. Vochhm'was four days? journey ,
N. E. from Balacia, or about 100 miles-towards the mountains of Belur, .and is perhaps . Eotlan.
Cbafgar is clearly Caihgar, after paffing the Belur alps. The chapten'icoWrriing Bamarcand
Ihould be placed after Bafcia. KarchanTeems' Yarcand, or fome' other city on the W. of ICoten
(Cotam). Pcim or.Pey.n, and Ciartiam, may, if.a former .conjeaure.be allowed, be Payan and
Shacheou in the jefuitic maps. His town of Lop (lands immediately outlie ,W. of the great ■
atfert die days lachwarcl, or to the W. of Ciartiam. Here all is cohfuGbri except Cara Lop be
implied. ' The defert was of thirty days. . Sachiou-.fee'ms to be Soutcheou, the firft town in
Chir a. Dr. Forfter,' in his Voyages to the North, feems often erroneous j but h ir ideas will be
found ufeful by any future inveftigator.
from
" -C H A P ; JL G E’NdE'Rm D E S C f c T P T IW M 3
from ‘Sltnarcmdi*-1 Th©;^tefi ■ ^ale-’ofj'Sbgd? produced 'fiicht! abundance
of exquifft^igrapes/ms^msj pear^and appl e®, - t hey were fefit to
Perfia^ afiritbSreH tq-Hiadoftaii.' t1
Bokhara, bii the hhs; fteph‘a££dlyi'Contji3 fled th | metropolitan
dignity witb-Saurasrca^df 4 When ivififed byfthefli^toi-agent s
a t was -a lafgfe.-and populo'uslijs^ty, -fubje^lto 1 its khan■ftandipgfjoa a
rifihg^oiindjf'with a'<fl©hdet- WaH-of earth ; the hoafeshpfj .elay, hut the
numerous.mofks ©f brick.'* The-cdtsizaras maimfaftufE©^ foap and calico ;
andhhe ■Chief products were c o t tO U j jQ^ttle. - From? the- Kalmuks they
'redei-^d rhuba'fbi^hd fnuftL ;?,andivfrfefE|^iBadakfhah, thebapitaFof -a£caun-
try fo.icafled, they ufed to receiye lapis lazuli, and ptheri'preci<aus> ftofies};
that eftyiheingcomputed' at fifteen dhy^ journey frofflvB©fch‘ara. There
wa^.g-pld and ( c o p p e r - ' a n d after Namr^&kTfhi&"'cityjpthejBerfian
and Ih’-dlan’ filver ihedafiie -comhiorl.'i The inhabitants wbec civilized,
•but perfidious. In'the-tenth eerstufy it WaKdiftruguithed by the. manu-
fatSfjfelb^ftHfe'iinen ; ^hd^Ebn Haukai adds^hat'ithere in thefyS
Xiriit y'a ‘ m o u n t ai n -.calle d 'Z arc ah, wh i ch'J p affe!d!' hetwefeti Samarkand- and
Kefh5, and thede^By* the 'border' of Pe%hna fo th*e confines Of Chech;
rheafiihg’fne Ak Tau-, of white mouhtairi. |
' Ba'Ik 4s a diftingmifhed eity on the'river Dehafh',’ which' flows-into the
Amu from theJfdhthern mountains oPGaur o r Parephmifus;*prohaMy^
as in the ’be^i&'ning of the laft cenfury/ i|ill4ubj,edt ‘td ifis^(particular khan
of tdie Uzbeks1; being tlieh the rnoff- tohfiderable of all' their 'cities,- large
and;^bpulouSj with’ hotiftg of tgruiSla Or-ftone; while! the dkfije of 'p a l^ |i
ednfifted ahUoft entirely e f marble /ft'ote til© ■‘.nea^hboatiHg mountain^
' TKis'hdautiful- city wa? an'G&jfe<9: of ambitionho the neighbouring (powers
of Perfia and. Hindbftah ; but wa®4eeute^'m6ti(iBly»febtil: their tmrtudl
jeal'oufy, but from the 'difficult accfefs- thtoiSigh high''fnounjai^sfphl.one
fide, and defects on the other. The people , were the molt civilized of
all the Tatars; and beautiful filks were prepared flour the product of the
country, which feems then to have included the whole of Great Bucharia
to the S. ofthe Ainu, which in'this part of its;,cOtirfe isalfo called the
* This manufinfture is faid^d’tlave been known A. By 650. OnTNey*^ Ebn Haukaly'p.^300.
"’Tbe fame work may 'jjc^onfultKI for;ille (late .of tlus.grea&city in tMc. tenth'Jcentury.: ■■
, ” Haiiway; i. 2 4 1 .
3 E'i'a ■ , Uarrat.
C.-rres.
Bokhara.
Balk.