The Inhabitants Are Called
Jogur, The Jugur Or Uigur Of Other Authors.
They are divided into many
tribes, ten of whom are Christians, and the rest heathens.
They abstain
from every article of food which has ever had life, and drink no wine, but
raise abundance of corn. Their towns are very pleasant, and contain great
numbers of idol temples. They are not inclined to war, but learn all arts
and sciences with great facility, and have a particular manner of writing,
which is adopted by all the neighbouring nations. To the east, this country
is bounded by Kathay, to the west by Turkestan, to the north by an
extensive desert, and to the south by a very rich province, named Sym or
Peim, in which diamonds are found, and which, is situated between Kathay
and India. It appears, that Haitho here describes the country of the Uigurs
in conjunction with that of the Gete: but how it came to receive the name
of Tarsae I know not - Forst.
Sec. 3. Turkestan is bounded on the east by the empire of Tarsae, to the
west by Khorasmin or Khuaresm, and to the south it extends to the desert
which forms the northern frontier of India. In this country there are few
good towns; but many extensive plains, which afford excellent pasturage to
cattle, and the inhabitants are almost universally shepherds and tenders of
cattle. They dwell mostly in tents, and in huts which can be transported
from place to place. They cultivate only a small quantity of corn, and have
no wine. Their drink is beer and milk, and they subsist upon meat with rice
and millet. The people are known by the name of Turks, and are of the
Mahometan religion. Such of them as live in towns use the Arabian letters.
Ocerra or Otrar is the capital of this country.
Sec. 4. Khorasmin or Khuaresm, is a populous, pleasant, and fertile country,
containing many good and strong towns, the capital being Khorasme. The
country produces abundance of corn, and very little wine. This empire
borders on a desert of an hundred days journey in extent. To the west is
the Caspian sea, to the north Kumania, and to the east Turkestan. The
inhabitants are heathens, without letters or laws. The Soldini are the most
intrepid of warriors; have a particular language of their own, for which
they employ the Greek characters in writing; and they follow the usages and
rites of the Greek church, being subject in spirituals to the Patriarch of
Antioch.
According to Ulug-Beg, who was himself prince of this country, the capital
of Khuaresm is the city of Korkang, and no author except Haitho has ever
mentioned a place called Khorasme. The Soldini, whom he mentions as
Christians of the Greek church, are unknown; perhaps they may have been the
Sogdians. - Forst.
Sec. 5. Kumania is of vast extent; but, owing to the inclemency of its
climate, is very thinly inhabited. In some parts, the cold is so intense in
winter, that neither man nor beast can remain in them; and in other parts
the heat is so extreme, and they are so infested with swarms of flies, as
to be quite intolerable. The whole country is flat and level, and without
woods, except some orchards near the towns. The inhabitants live in tents,
and use the dung of their cattle as fuel. It is bounded on the east by a
desert towards Khorasmia; to the west is the great sea, or Euxine, and the
sea of Tenue, Tanna, or Azof; to the north, is the empire of Kaffia or
Kiow; and to the south it extends to the great river Etile or Wolga, which
passes the capital. This river is frozen over every year, and men and
beasts walk upon the ice as on dry land; along the banks of the river are
many small trees; and on the other side of the river, the country is
inhabited by a people, who, though not Kumanians, are subject to the Khan.
Some live towards the high mountains of Cocas or Caucasus, in which there
are white kites. This range of mountains extends between the Black Sea or
Euxine on the west, and the Caspian on the east; this latter has no
connection with the ocean, but is a vast lake called a sea, on account of
its extent, being the largest lake in the world, and contains a great
quantity of excellent fish. It divides Asia into two parts; that to the
east being called Lower Asia, and that to the west Greater Asia. In the
Caspian mountains, abundance of buffalos and many other wild beasts are
found. In this sea there are many islands, to which numerous birds resort
to breed; particularly the falcons called Pegrim[1], Esmetliones[2],
and Bousacei[3], and many other birds not to be found elsewhere. The
largest town of Kumania is Sara or Saray, which was large and of great
renown, but has been ravaged, and almost entirely destroyed by the Tartars,
who took it by storm.
It is obvious, that Haitho here describes that part of the empire of the
Mongals which was subject to Baatu-khan. The Euxine or Black Sea, he calls
the Great Sea. The sea of Tenue is that of Tanna or Azof, the town at the
mouth of the Tanais or Don having been known by both of these names, the
former evidently derived from the ancient name of the river, or the river
from the town, and of which the modern name Don is a mere corruption. The
empire of Kaffia is obviously that of Kiow, Kiovia, or Kiavia, long the
capital of the Russian empire, and the residence of the czars or great
dukes. - Forst.
Sec. 6. Beyond the great mountain of Belgian or Bilkhan, the Tartars lived
formerly without religion, or the knowledge of letters, being chiefly
employed in tending their flocks; and were so far from warlike, that they
readily submitted to pay tribute to any neighbouring prince who made the
demand.
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