By These Means Aloadin Used To Procure The
Murder Of Other Lords Who Were His Enemies, By These His Assassins, Who
Despised All Dangers, And Contemned Their Lives When Employed In His
Service.
By this procedure he was esteemed a tyrant, and greatly dreaded by
all around; and he had two vicars or deputies, one in the neighbourhood of
Damascus, and another in Curdistan, who had similarly instructed young men
under their orders.
Besides this, he used to rob all passengers who went
past his borders. At length, in the year 1262, Ulau, or Houlagu-khan, sent
an armed force against him, which besieged his castle for three years, and
at length made themselves masters of it, partly by famine, and partly by
undermining the walls[2].
Departing from thence[3], you come to a pleasant enough country,
diversified by hills and plains with excellent pasture, and abundance of
fruits, the soil being very fertile[4]. This continues for six days
journey, and then you enter a desert of forty or fifty miles without water;
after which you come to the city of Sassurgan[5], where there are plenty of
provisions, and particularly the best melons in the world, which are as
sweet as honey. Passing from thence, we come to a certain city named
Batach, Balach, or Balk, which was formerly large and famous, having
sumptuous marble palaces, but is now overthrown by the Tartars. In this
city it is reported that Alexander married the daughter of Darius. The
eastern and north-eastern frontiers of Persia reach to this city; but in
proceeding between the east and north-east from this place, We found no
habitations for two days journey, the inhabitants having endured so many
grievances from thieves, that they were compelled to fly to the mountains
for safety. There are many rivers in this country, and much game, and lions
are also to be met with. As travellers can find no food in this part of
their journey, they must carry enough with them for two days. At the end of
two days journey, we came to a castle called Thaican, Thalkan, or Thakan,
where we saw pleasant fields and abundance of corn. The mountains to the
south of this place are high, some of which contain white salt, so
extremely hard that it has to be dug out and broken with iron tools; and
the inhabitants, from thirty days journey all around, come here to procure
salt, which is of most excellent quality, and is in such amazing
quantities, that the whole world might be supplied from these mines. The
other mountains produce abundance of almonds and pistachio nuts.
Going between the east and north-east from hence, the country is fruitful,
but the inhabitants are perfidious Mahometans, murderers, thieves, and
drunkards. Their wine is boiled, and truly excellent. They go bareheaded,
except that the men bind a string or fillet, ten handbreadths long, about
their heads. They make breeches and shoes of the skins of wild beasts, and
use no other garments.
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