It Would Thus, I Apprehend, Be On Or Near The Route Between Kerman
And Tabbas; One Which I Believe Has Been Traced By No Modern Traveller.
We
may be certain that there is now no place at Kuh-Banan deserving the title
of une cite grant, nor is it easy to believe that there was in Polo's
time; he applies such terms too profusely.
The meaning of the name is
perhaps "Hill of the Terebinths, or Wild Pistachioes," "a tree which grows
abundantly in the recesses of bleak, stony, and desert mountains, e.g.
about Shamakhi, about Shiraz, and in the deserts of Luristan and Lar."
(Kaempfer, 409, 413.)
["It is strange that Marco Polo speaks of Kubenan only on his return
journey from Kerman; on the down journey he must have been told that
Kubenan was in close proximity; it is even probable that he passed there,
as Persian travellers of those times, when going from Kerman to Yazd, and
vice versa, always called at Kubenan." (Houtum-Schindler, l.c. p.
490.) In all histories this name is written Kubenan, not Kuhbenan; the
pronunciation to-day is Kobenan and Kobenun. - H. C.]
I had thought my identification of Cobinan original, but a communication
from Mr. Abbott, and the opportunity which this procured me of seeing his
MS. Report already referred to, showed that he had anticipated me many
years ago. The following is an extract: "Districts of Kerman * * * Kooh
Benan. This is a hilly district abounding in fruits, such as grapes,
peaches, pomegranates, sinjid (sweet-willow), walnuts, melons. A great
deal of madder and some asafoetida is produced there. This is no doubt
the country alluded to by Marco Polo, under the name of Cobinam, as
producing iron, brass, and tutty, and which is still said to produce iron,
copper, and tootea." There appear to be lead mines also in the district,
as well as asbestos and sulphur. Mr. Abbott adds the names of nine
villages, which he was not able to verify by comparison. These are Puz,
Tarz, Gujard, Aspaj, Kuh-i-Gabr, Dahnah, Bughin, Bassab, Radk. The
position of Kuh Banan is stated to lie between Bahabad (a place also
mentioned by Yakut as producing Tutia) and Ravi, but this does not help
us, and for approximate position we can only fall back on the note in Mr.
Abbott's field-book, as published in the J. R. G. S., viz. that the
District lay in the mountains E.S.E. from a caravanserai 10 miles S.E.
of Gudran. To get the seven marches of Polo's Itinerary we must carry the
Town of Kuh Banan as far north as this indication can possibly admit,
for Abbott made only five and a half marches from the spot where this
observation was made to Kerman. Perhaps Polo's route deviated for the sake
of the fresh water. That a district, such as Mr. Abbott's Report speaks
of, should lie unnoticed, in a tract which our maps represent as part of
the Great Desert, shows again how very defective our geography of Persia
still is.
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