Indian Antiquary Vol 14

SR No.: 032506
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 418
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 18 MB

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[APRIL, 1885.
after assailing it for twenty days the invaders had withdrawn again. The second attack, to which we are now referring, took place two years later, and its governor, Malik Imad-n'd-din Zangi, with the people there, were Blaughtered."
Another exploit of a portion of Ogotai's army in 1222 was an attack upon Saif Rud, which is described as the most powerful fortress in the mountains. I do not know its situation. Raverty says the name is also written Sankaran, it was also written Balarwan, Yalarwan or Badwan. When the Khuârezm Shah Muhammad retired westwards he left it in charge of the Malik Kutb-u'd-din Husain, who was ordered to put it in a state of defence. He had barely time to build a reservoir to contain 40 days' supply, when the Mongols overran Ghur and drew near, under the Noyans Mangutah, Karachah and Utsuz, and for 50 days they attacked it with great loss on either side. There were a great many quadrupeds in the fortress, and they killed as many as they could dry, and the rest, 24,400, died for want of water, and were thrown over the rampart, and we are told the face of the glacis for a depth of 40 gaz was completely strewn with their carcases; half a man of water and a man of grain were assigned to each person except the governor, who had a man of wator, one-half for his ablations and one-half foi drinking purposes; the former was afterwards given to his horse, which was the only horse that remained alive there. When the siege had lasted 50 days only another day's supply of water remained. The Malik thereupon convened the men in the fortress, and proposed that the next day they should put the women and children to death with their own hands, and, having thrown open the gateway and concealed themselves in some place inside, when the Mongols entered they should rush in upon them and fight them until they had attained martyrdom. They made up their minds to follow this advice and bade adieu to each other, when that very night there come a heavy fall of rain and snow, so that, to use the rhetorical language of our author, "they who had endured the thirst of 50
days, and during that time had not drunk the sherbet or their fill of water, drank from the coverings of the tents and sayah-bans so much snow water in satisfying their longing that for a period of seven days after smoke issued front their throats along with their saliva." The summer was now virtually over, and the rainy season at hand, and this supply of water would last them a month or more. The Mongols, seeing this raised the siege, "and went to hell till tho following year." The next year after the defeat of Jelal-n'd-din the Mongols (as I argue, a portion of Ogotai's army), again appeared at Saif Rud. Its governor, the Malik Kutb-u'd-din Husain had meanwhile put it in a state of repair, constructed fresh reservoirs, and provisioned it amply. The investment continued for two months, but in vain, when the people, who had grown weary and exhausted, in spite of the advice of the governor, agreed to a trace by which the people should go down into the Mongol camp for three days, and dispose of the commodities they possessed for gold and silver, cattle and woollen garments as they required, and that after this truce the Mongols should march away. For two days the traflio went on amicably and without interruption, but on the evening of the second day the Mongols concealed a number of armed men behind rocks, bales of clothes, pack saddles, and in the broken ground about their camp, and when the people came down as usual to do their bartering on the third day, and mixed with the besiegers, all at once the drums were beaten, a shout was raised, and the Musalmans seized and deprived of their arms or killed. A shrewd person, who was among the traffickers, and was named Fakhru'd-dîn Nishapuri, had a dagger in the leg of his boot, which he drew upon a Mongol who seized him. The latter let him go, and he escaped again to the mountains. This incident is made the text of a homily on prudence by our chronicler. He adds that 280 of the principal men of the place were treacherously captured on this occasion. The Mongols now proposed that the people of SaifRud should ransom their relatives, but the governor, Kutbu'd-din, would not hear of it. They thereupon fell upon and killed them with
Tabakat-i-Namiri, pp. 1007, 1055 and 1056. Id. p. 1057 The variants of this last name aro Albar, Alsar,
Abaar, Atar, Asar, Albasar or Alburz, Raverty, Tabakat. i-Nasiri, p. 1063 note.
Tabakat-i-Nasiri, pp. 1062 and 1065