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

Page 197

JUNE, 1885.)
CHINGHIZ KHAN AND HIS ANCESTORS.
175
says that Ruknu'd-din Gursaizi shut himself corpses, their own as well as those of the up in the fortress of Demavend in 618 H. i.e. enemy, and thus built up a mound from which 1221. Rashid says it was at Feruzkoh. Jamal- they dominated the walls. The citizens resisted u'd-din, having heard of the death of the with the greatest bravery, but in vain. The prince, offered his submission to the Mongols, place was taken, and a terrible carnage ensued." hoping thus to retain the district of Hamadan. They then captured the town of Derbend, The Mongol generals sent him a robe of honour, but not the citadel, where the Shirvan Shah and invited him to their camp, when they Rashid had taken refuge. The latter was killed him with his suite.**
constrained however to furnish them ten guides, While Chinghiz Khan was wintering at Sa- one of whom they killed as a warning to the markand, about 1224, a body of three thousand rest, who directed their march through the Mongols went from Khorasan, and appeared sud- difficult defiles of Daghestan. There they killed denly before Rai and surprised a body of 6000 many of the Lesghs, some of whom we are Khwarizmians there. They routed them, and told were Musalmans and some infidels." entered Rai, which had been again occupied. Fifteen days after leaving Derbend the invaThey pillaged and devastated it. Saveh, i ders found themselves confronted by a combined Kam and Kashin suffered the same fate. army of Alans, i.e. Ossetes and Kipchaks, in The two latter towns had escaped the previous the dangerous deales of the Eastern Caucasus. Mongol raid. Hamadan was fired and ravaged They had recourse to their fox-like instincts, for a second time, and then the invaders entered and we are told Subutai sent an envoy with Azerbaijan, where the Khwarizmian troops rich presents to the Kipchaks to assure them beaten at Rai had sought refuge. They were the Mongols were their brothers, while the Alans again attacked and again defeated. The rem- were foreigners (proving what a large continnants fled to Tabriz where many of them, at gent of Turks there was in the Mongol armies), the demand of the Mongols, were put to death and urged them to detach themselves from the by Uzbeg, who ruled there, as we have seen. Alans and make common cause with them, Having received the heads of the victims and been and they would give them gold and garments conciliated by some presents, they once more as much as they could wish. The Kipchaks, withdrew to Khorasan." The most famous taken in by these advances, accordingly separavictim of the Mongol invasion, says Von Hammer, ted themselves, and the Mongols soon made was the great mystic poet, Faridu'd-din Attar, short work of the Alans, who were pursued as who at the time of the invasion lived at far as Tarku, which was captured." The Alans Shadyakh, and was a very old man. A Mongol having been crashed, the Mongols next turned was about to cut him down when another said upon their newly made friends the Kipchaks, to him, “Do not kill this old man. I will dispersed them and recovered the presents give you 1000 silver pieces for him." "Hold," they had recently given them. The remainsaid the Attår, "you will meet with a better der of these Turkish tomads fled towards bargain." A few steps further on he met Russia. another man who offered a sack of straw for In the biography of Sabutai in the Yuan-shi, him. "Take it," said the Attår, "I am worth the chiefs of the Kipchaks are called Yu-li-gi no more." Whereupon the Mongol clove him (i.e. Yuri or George), and Tá-tá-ha-r, who in two. This story is preserved in Daulat Shah's gathered their forces together at the river History of Rhetoric.
Budsu (?). The son of Yu-li-gi was wounded To return to Subotai and Chepe. On with by an arrow and fled into the forest where drawing from Georgia tbey marched upon he was betrayed by his servant, who instead Shirvan, whose capital was Shamakhi. Ac- of being rewarded, was afterwards put to cording to one report the Mongols piled up a death for his treachery by order of Chinghiz." great heap of camels, cattle, sheep and men's Karamzin says that both Yuri (who is called
pp. 458 4.
* D'Ohason, Vol. I. pp. 347-349. * D'Ohnson, Vol. I. pp. 349-50. .. Von Hammer, Greach. der Gold. Horde, p. 85.
Ibn-al-Athir, Journ. Asiat., 4th Ser., Vol. XIV.
* id. 455. Abulghazi, pp. 129-180 ; Erdmann, p. 407 ** Erdmann, p. 407.
Bretachneider, Notices, p. 71.