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292
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(OCTOBER, 1884.
The fort of Nasir Koh of Talikan was made over to the confidential retainers of Malik Shems-u'd-dîn Utsuz, the Hajib, and the fortress of Rang of Guzarwan to the vassals of Ulugh Khån-i-Abi Muhammad. The strongholds, of Gharjistan were assigned to Sheran, the head of the tribe Abu Sahlan, and those of Ghar to the Maliks of Ghar, Firuz Koh was entrusted to Malik Mubariz-u'd din, the Sebzevari and Tulak was given in charge to the Amir Habashi-i-Nezahwar.
Chinghiz Khân having conquered Samarkand, apparently appointed Yelin Chutsai as its governor, or rather as the representative of Mongol authority there. When the Taouist sage, Ch'ang Ch'un, went to visit Chinghiz Khan in the West, and arrived at Samarkand, the narrative of his journey tells me he was met at the suburbs by the Tai-s hi-y i-la kuokung, by the heads of the Mongol army, the chief of the Huiho, etc. In regard to the first of these personages, Bretschneider says, quoting Palladius, that Taishi is the highest charge in the empire, the first councillor of the emperor. Yi-la is a family name of the Khitan and Kuokun is an honorific title, and he suggests that Yeliu Chutsai is really meant. In another place the same narrative says that most of the fields and gardens at Samarkand belonged to the Muhammadans, but they were not allowed to dispose of them. They were obliged to manage their properties in conjunction with Khitans, Chinese, and men from Ho-si.' Chinese workmen were living everywhere. "Formerly," he goes on to say," the Taishi lived here, but as this part of the city has become insecure, owing to numerous robberies, he has withdrawn to the northern side of the river." The master and his disciples occupied the palace, saying the Taonists had no fear. The Taishi furnished everything for the master's subsistence, and from day to day his veneration for him increased. Gaubil has an interesting notice at this point, He says that the Chinese astronomy and the history of Yeliu Chutsai speak of an eclipse of the moon observed during the siege of Sungekano
by Yelia Chutsai, and that the astronomer having compared the observation of this eclipse with the calculation made for the longitude of Peking, concluded that Samarkand was two hours' farther west." It would seem that while Yeliu Chutsai was appointed Mongol Shabnah, or civil governor of Samarkand, that two Musalmans undertook the duty of collecting the ransom, namely, Tseket-ul-Mulk and Amir Umid Busarg, or as Abulfaraj calls them, apparently following Juveni, Thekat-ol-Molkai, and Al-Amir-Amid."
After the fall of Samarkand Chinghis took some of the young people whom he had captured there with him as light troops, and he marched with his son, Tului, in the spring of 1220 towards the wooded district of Nakhsheb, whose inhabitants submitted, and where he spent the summer to recruit his troops. The place is called Niesgab in the Yuan-ch'ao-ps-shi. In the Yuan-shi it is corrupted into Ye-shi-dishi, written He-she-le-to-sze by Donglas." Later in the year, aocording to the Yuan-shi, Chinghiz encamped at the T'ie-men-kuan, or the iron gate pass," i.e., the famous Derbend Kohluga Pass in the Karatagh mountains, south-west of Samarkand. Here he gave audience, according to the Yuan-shi-lei-pen, to an envoy from the Sung emperor, and to another from the Kin emperor, who was named Wu-ku-gun Chungtuan. The latter is alone mentioned by the other anthorities, who tell us he held the office of vice-president of the board of rites at the Kin court, and that An-T'ing chen, a secretary in the academy, was appointed his assistant.
A short account of his journey was taken down from his dictation, and is known as the Pei-shi-ki, or Notes on an Embassy to the North. It is very jejune, and of small value. In it the Muhammadans are described as having thick beards, the hair of which was entangled like sheep's wool, and of different oolours, black or yellow, in different shades. Their faces were almost entirely covered with hair, only the noses and eyes could be seen. Our traveller noticed some of the idiosyncrasies of the Muhammadans of Central Asia. They are desoribed as bloodthirsty and greedy, and as tearing flesh with
• Expert with the lanoe, Op. cit. pp. 1002-1004.
s.e. Muhammadans. • Notes on Chinese Travellers, eto., p. 38, and note 94.
West of the Yellow River, the present Kansu. :.e. Chang Chan.
• Id., p. 89. * 1,6. Samarkand.
11 Gaabil, p. 36, note 1.
Op. cit., Chron. Arab., p. 298. 13 See Bretachneider, Notices, etc., p. 64. 1. Id. p. 60, Douglas, op. cit., p 89. 16 Bretschneider, Notices, eto., p. 61.
16 Bretachneider, Notes on Chinese Med. Travellone, eto. 103.
