From Tauris To Samarcand There Were Regular Stations, At Which
Horses Were Always Ready To Convey The Orders Of The Khan Or Travellers.
We
are indebted to Clavigo for the first information of this new route of the
commerce between India and Europe, by Sultania:
It is supposed to have been
adopted on the destruction of Bagdat by the Moguls; but we learn from other
travellers that, towards the end of the fifteenth century, Sultania was
remarkable for nothing besides the minarets of a mosque, which were made of
metal, and displayed great taste and delicacy of workmanship.
Tamerlane lived in excessive magnificence and luxury at Samarcand; hither
he had brought all his captives, who were expert in any kind of
manufacture, especially in the silks of Damascus, and the sword cutlery of
Turkey. To this city the Russians and Tartars brought leather, hides, furs,
and cloth: silk goods, musk, pearls, precious stones, and rhubarb, were
brought from China, or Cathay. Six months were occupied in bringing
merchandize from Cambalu, the capital of Cathai, to Samarcand; two of these
were spent in the deserts. Samarcand had also a trade with India, from
which were received mace and other fine spices. Clavigo remarks, that such
spices were never brought to Alexandria.
Schildeberger, a native of Munich, was taken prisoner by the Turks in 1394:
he afterwards accompanied Tamerlane in his campaigns till the year 1406.
During this period, and his subsequent connexion with other Tartar chiefs,
he visited various parts of central Asia. But as he had not an opportunity
of writing down at the time what he saw and learnt, his narrative is
neither full, nor altogether to be depended upon for its accuracy. He was,
besides, illiterate, And therefore it is often extremely difficult to
ascertain, from his orthography, what places he actually means to name or
describe. With all these drawbacks and imperfections, however, there are a
few points on which he gives credible and curious information. He
particularizes the silk of Strana, and of Schirevan; and adds, that from
the last the raw silk is sent to Damascus, and there manufactured into the
stuffs or damasks, for which it was already so celebrated. Fine silk was
produced at Bursa, and exported to Venice and Lucca, for the manufacture of
velvet. It ought to be mentioned, that he takes no notice of Saray and
Astrakan, the latter of which was taken and destroyed by Tamerlane, in
1395. The wild asses in the mountainous deserts, and the dogs which were
harnessed to sledges, are particularly mentioned by this traveller.
The interior parts of the north of Asia were visited, in 1420, by the
ambassadors of the Emperor Tamerlane's son; and their journey is described
in the Book of the Wonders of the World, written by the Persian historian,
Emir Khond, from which it was translated into Dutch by Witsen, in his
Norden Oste Tartarye. Their route was through Samarcand to Cathay. On
entering this country, we are informed of a circumstance strikingly
characteristic of Chinese policy and suspicion.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 266 of 524
Words from 138562 to 139070
of 273188
