The City of Sapurgan

CHAPTER 26. The City of Sapurgan

On leaving the Castle, you ride over fine plains and beautiful valleys, and pretty hill-sides producing excellent grass pasture, and abundance of fruits, and all other products. Armies are glad to take up their quarters here on account of the plenty that exists.

This kind of country extends for six days’ journey, with a goodly number of towns and villages, in which the people are worshippers of Mahommet.

Sometimes also you meet with a tract of desert extending for 50 or 60 miles, or somewhat less, and in these deserts you find no water, but have to carry it along with you. The beasts do without drink until you have got across the desert tract and come to watering places.

So after travelling for six days as I have told you, you come to a city called Sapurgan.

It has great plenty of everything, but especially of the very best melons in the world. They preserve them by paring them round and round into strips, and drying them in the sun.

When dry they are sweeter than honey, and are carried off for sale all over the country. There is also abundance of game here, both of birds and beasts.

CHAPTER 27. The City of Balc

Balc is a noble city and a great, though it was much greater in former days. But the Tartars and other nations have greatly ravaged and destroyed it.

There were formerly many fine palaces and buildings of marble, and the ruins of them still remain. The people of the city tell that it was here that Alexander took to wife the daughter of Darius.

Here is the end of the empire of the Tartar Lord of the Levant. This city is also the limit of Persia in the direction between east and north-east.

When you have quitted the city of which I have been speaking, you ride some 12 days between north-east and east, without finding any human habitation, for the people have all taken refuge in fastnesses among the mountains, on account of the Banditti and armies that harassed them.

There is plenty of water on the road, and abundance of game. There are lions too.

You can get no provisions on the road, and must carry with you all that you require for these 12 days.

CHAPTER 28. Taican, and the Mountains of Salt. Also of the Province of Casem.

After those 12 days’ journey you come to a fortified place called Taican, where there is a great corn market.

It is a fine place, and the mountains that you see towards the south are all composed of salt. People from all the countries round, to some 30 days’ journey, come to fetch this salt, which is the best in the world, and is so hard that it can only be broken with iron picks.

’Tis in such abundance that it would supply the whole world to the end of time. [Other mountains there grow almonds and pistachioes, which are exceedingly cheap.]{2}

When you leave this town and ride three days further between north-east and east, you meet with many fine tracts full of vines and other fruits, and with a goodly number of habitations, and everything to be had very cheap.

The people are worshippers of Mahommet, and are an evil and a murderous generation, whose great delight is in the wine shop; for they have good wine (albeit it be boiled), and are great topers; in truth, they are constantly getting drunk.

They wear nothing on the head but a cord some ten palms long twisted round it. They are excellent huntsmen, and take a great deal of game.

In fact they wear nothing but the skins of the beasts they have taken in the chase, for they make of them both coats and shoes.

All of them are acquainted with the art of dressing skins for these purposes.

When you have ridden those three days, you find a town called Casem, which is subject to a count. His other towns and villages are on the hills, but through this 154town there flows a river of some size.

There are a great many porcupines hereabouts, and very large ones too. When hunted with dogs, several of them will get together and huddle close, shooting their quills at the dogs, which get many a serious wound thereby.

This town of Casem is at the head of a very great province, which is also called Casem. The people have a peculiar language.

The peasants who keep cattle abide in the mountains, and have their dwellings in caves, which form fine and spacious houses for them, and are made with ease, as the hills are composed of earth.

After leaving the town of Casem, you ride for three days without finding a single habitation, or anything to eat or drink, so that you have to carry with you everything that you require.

At the end of those three days you reach a province called Badashan, about which we shall now tell you.