Lx. 6). Here were Ava and
Sava coupled, as well as the gold and frankincense.
One form of the old Church Legend was that the Three were buried at
Sessania Adrumetorum (Hadhramaut) in Arabia, whence the Empress Helena
had the bodies conveyed to Constantinople, [and later to Milan in the time
of the Emperor Manuel Comnenus. After the fall of Milan (1162), Frederic
Barbarossa gave them to Archbishop Rainald of Dassel (1159-1167), who
carried them to Cologne (23rd July, 1164). - H. C.]
The names given by Polo, Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, have been
accepted from an old date by the Roman Church; but an abundant variety of
other names has been assigned to them. Hyde quotes a Syriac writer who
calls them Aruphon, Hurmon, and Tachshesh, but says that some call them
Gudphorbus, Artachshasht, and Labudo; whilst in Persian they were termed
Amad, Zad-Amad, Drust-Amad, i.e. Venit, Cito Venit, Sincerus Venit. Some
called them in Greek, Apellius, Amerus, and Damascus, and in Hebrew,
Magaloth, Galgalath, and Saracia, but otherwise Ator, Sator, and
Petatoros! The Armenian Church used the same names as the Roman, but in
Chaldee they were Kaghba, Badadilma, Badada Kharida. (Hyde, Rel. Vet.
Pers. 382-383; Inchofer, ut supra; J. As. ser. VI. IX. 160.)
[Just before going to press we have read Major Sykes' new book on
Persia. Major Sykes (ch. xxiii.) does not believe that Marco visited
Baghdad, and he thinks that the Venetians entered Persia near Tabriz, and
travelled to Sultania, Kashan, and Yezd. Thence they proceeded to Kerman
and Hormuz. We shall discuss this question in the Introduction. - H. C.]
CHAPTER XV.
OF THE EIGHT KINGDOMS OF PERSIA, AND HOW THEY ARE NAMED.
Now you must know that Persia is a very great country, and contains eight
kingdoms. I will tell you the names of them all.
The first kingdom is that at the beginning of Persia, and it is called
CASVIN; the second is further to the south, and is called CURDISTAN; the
third is LOR; the fourth [SUOLSTAN]; the fifth ISTANIT; the sixth SERAZY;
the seventh SONCARA; the eighth TUNOCAIN, which is at the further
extremity of Persia. All these kingdoms lie in a southerly direction
except one, to wit, Tunocain; that lies towards the east, and borders on
the (country of the) Arbre Sol.[NOTE 1]
In this country of Persia there is a great supply of fine horses; and
people take them to India for sale, for they are horses of great price, a
single one being worth as much of their money as is equal to 200 livres
Tournois; some will be more, some less, according to the quality.[NOTE 2]
Here also are the finest asses in the world, one of them being worth full
30 marks of silver, for they are very large and fast, and acquire a
capital amble. Dealers carry their horses to Kisi and Curmosa, two cities
on the shores of the Sea of India, and there they meet with merchants who
take the horses on to India for sale.
In this country there are many cruel and murderous people, so that no day
passes but there is some homicide among them. Were it not for the
Government, which is that of the Tartars of the Levant, they would do
great mischief to merchants; and indeed, maugre the Government, they often
succeed in doing such mischief. Unless merchants be well armed they run
the risk of being murdered, or at least robbed of everything; and it
sometimes happens that a whole party perishes in this way when not on
their guard. The people are all Saracens, i.e. followers of the Law of
Mahommet.[NOTE 3]
In the cities there are traders and artizans who live by their labour and
crafts, weaving cloths of gold, and silk stuffs of sundry kinds. They have
plenty of cotton produced in the country; and abundance of wheat, barley,
millet, panick, and wine, with fruits of all kinds.
[Some one may say, "But the Saracens don't drink wine, which is prohibited
by their law." The answer is that they gloss their text in this way, that
if the wine be boiled, so that a part is dissipated and the rest becomes
sweet, they may drink without breach of the commandment; for it is then no
longer called wine, the name being changed with the change of
flavour.[NOTE 4]]
NOTE 1. - The following appear to be Polo's Eight Kingdoms: -
I. KAZVIN; then a flourishing city, though I know not why he calls it a
kingdom. Persian 'Irak, or the northern portion thereof, seems intended.
Previous to Hulaku's invasion Kazvin seems to have been in the hands of
the Ismailites or Assassins.
II. KURDISTAN. I do not understand the difficulties of Marsden, followed
by Lazari and Pauthier, which lead them to put forth that Kurdistan is not
Kurdistan but something else. The boundaries of Kurdistan according to
Hamd Allah were Arabian 'Irak, Khuzistan, Persian 'Irak, Azerbaijan and
Diarbekr. (Dict. de la P. 480.) [Cf. Curzon, Persia pass. - H. C.]
Persian Kurdistan, in modern as in mediaeval times, extends south beyond
Kermanshah to the immediate border of Polo's next kingdom, viz.:
III. LUR or Luristan. [On Luristan, see Curzon, Persia, II. pp. 273-303,
with the pedigree of the Ruling Family of the Feili Lurs (Pusht-i-Kuh), p.
278. - H. C.] This was divided into two principalities, Great Lur and
Little Lur, distinctions still existing. The former was ruled by a Dynasty
called the Fasluyah Atabegs, which endured from about 1155 to 1424,
[when it was destroyed by the Timurids; it was a Kurd Dynasty, founded by
Emad ed-din Abu Thaher (1160-1228), and the last prince of which was
Ghiyas ed-din (1424). In 1258 the general Kitubuka (Hulagu's Exp. to
Persia, Bretschneider, Med. Res. I. p. 121) is reported to have reduced
the country of Lur or Luristan and its Atabeg Teghele.
