Chapter XI.

OF THE CITY OF SAMARCAND, THE TOWN OF LOP, AND OF THE GREAT DESERT IN ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD, WITH OTHER REMARKABLE PASSAGES.

Samarcand is a great and famous city, in that country, where are lovely gardens and a fertile plain. It is subject to the nephew of the Great Khan; in it the Christians dwell with the Saracens, whence little agreement is betwixt them. It is reported that on this account a miracle happened. The brother of the Great Khan, named Zagatai, who governed that country about a hundred years ago, being persuaded to become a Christian, the Christians, through his favour, built a church in honour of St. John the Baptist, with such cunning, that the whole roof thereof was supported by one pillar in the midst, under which was set a square stone, which, by favour of their Lord, was taken from a building of the Saracens. Zagatai’s son succeeded after his death in the kingdom, but not in the faith, from whom the Saracens obtained that the Christians should be compelled to restore that stone; and when they offered a sufficient price, the Saracens refused to receive any other composition than the stone; whereupon the pillar lifted up, that the Saracens might take away their stone, and so continued.

Departing again from this city, you come into the province Charahan, about five days’ journey in length. This province hath plenty of provisions, being subject to the dominion of the nephew of the Great Khan. The inhabitants worship Mohammed, yet among them certain Nestorian Christians dwell. They are great artificers, and have most of them swelled legs, and a great wen or bunch in the throat, by reason of the waters which they drink. The province Cotam follows between the east and north-east. It is subject to the dominion of the nephew of the Great Khan, and hath many cities and towns. The chief city thereof is called Cotam. The province extends eight days’ journey in length. There is no want there of anything needful to the maintenance of life. It hath plenty of cotton, flax, hemp, corn, and wine; but the people are not warlike, yet good artificers in various manufactures and merchandise. They acknowledge Mohammed for their prophet.

Proceeding farther through the same country, you come to the province Piem, extending four days’ journey in length; it is subject to the Great Khan, and hath many cities and castles; the chief city, thereof is called Piem, near which runs a river wherein precious stones are found, such as jaspers and chalcedons. The inhabitants of the country follow the law of Mohammed, and are artificers and merchants. There is a custom, in this province, that when any married man goeth into another place and returneth not home in twenty days, it becomes lawful for the wife to marry another husband; and the men also, whensoever the women go away for the same time, do the like. All those provinces, viz., Gascha, Cotem, Piem, to the city of Lop, are in the bounds of Turkestan.

Ciascian is subject to the Tartars; the name of the province and chief city is the same; it hath many cities and castles; many precious stones are found there in the rivers, especially jaspers and chalcedons, which merchants carry quite to Ouchach to sell and make great gain. From Piem to this province, and quite through it also, it is a sandy soil, with many bad waters, and few good. When an army passes through this province, all the inhabitants thereof, with their wives, children, cattle, and all their household-stuff, fly two days’ journey into the sands, where they know that good waters are, and stay there, and carry their corn thither also to hide it in the sands, after harvest, from the like fears. The wind doth so deface their steps in the sand, that their enemies cannot find their way. Departing from this province, you are to travel five days’ journey through the sands, where no other water almost than that which is bitter is anywhere to be found, until you come to the city called Lop, which is a great city, from whence is the entrance of a great desert, called also the Wilderness of Lop, seated between the east and north-east. The inhabitants are Mohammedans, subject to the Great Khan.

In the city of Lop, merchants who desire to pass over the desert cause all necessaries to be provided for them; and when victuals begin to fail in the desert, they kill their asses and camels and eat them. They make it mostly their choice to use camels, because they are sustained with little meat, and bear great burthens. They must provide victuals for a month to cross it only, for to go through it lengthways would require a year’s time. They go through the sands and barren mountains, and daily find water; yet it is sometimes so little that it will hardly suffice fifty or a hundred men with their beasts; and in three or four places the water is salt and bitter. The rest of the road for eight-and-twenty days is very good. In it there are not either beasts or birds; they say, that there dwell many spirits in this wilderness, which cause great and marvellous illusions to travellers, and make them perish; for if any stay behind, and cannot see his company, he shall be called by his name, and so going out of the way is lost. In night they hear as it were the noise of a company, which taking to be theirs, they perish likewise. Concerts of musical instruments are sometimes heard in the air, likewise drums and noises of armies. They go therefore close together, hang bells on their beasts’ neck, and set marks, if any stay.

Having passed over the desert, you come into the city Sachion, betwixt the east and north-east, subject to the Great Khan, in the province of Tangut, where, amongst the worshippers of Mohammed, a few Nestorian Christians are found; many idolaters are also there, who have their proper language. The inhabitants of this city live not by merchandise, but on the fruits of the earth. The city hath many monasteries, consecrated to divers idols, in which many sacrifices are offered with great reverence: and when a son is born to a man he presently commendeth him to some idol, and in honour thereof nourisheth a sheep that year in his house, which he presenteth before it, together with his son, the next festival day of that idol, with many ceremonies and great reverence. Afterwards the flesh of the sheep is boiled, and left so long before the idol till their prayers are finished, which they make for the conservation of their son; and the idol hath, as they suppose, sucked the savour of the meat; after which, all his kindred being gathered together, eat the flesh at home with great devotion and joy, but religiously keep the bones in certain vessels. The priests have the feet, head, inwards, skin, and some part of the flesh for their share.

In celebrating the funerals of such as were men in esteem, the dead bodies are buried after this manner: the kindred send for the astrologers, and tell them what year, month, day, and hour he who died was born, who, having considered the constellation, assign the day when he is to be buried; so that when the planet suits not, they preserve the dead body sometimes seven days, and sometimes six months, preparing a chest for it at home, joining the sides together with such art that no noisome smells issue forth. They also embalm the body with spices, and cover the chest, fairly painted, with embroidered cloth; and every day that the dead corpse is kept at home, at the hour of dinner a table is spread near the chest, wine and meat set thereon, for the space in which one might eat a meal’s meat, supposing that the soul of the dead feedeth on the savour there of. The astrologers sometimes forbid to carry it out of the chief gate, pretending some disastrous start, and cause them to carry it out another way, and sometimes break the wall which is opposite to that place, which the planet makes more lucky; for otherwise the spirits departed would be offended, and hurt those of the house; and if any such evil happen, they ascribe it to the dead thus wronged. When the body is carried through the city to be buried without, wooden cottages are erected in the way, with a porch covered with silk, in which they place the body, and set before it bread, flesh, and delicate meats, supposing the spirit to be refreshed therewith, which is held to be constantly present at the burying of the body; and when they come to the place where the body is to be buried, they diligently and curiously paint upon papers made of the bark of trees the images of men and women, horses, camels, money, and garments, all the instruments of the city sounding, which are burned together with the dead body; for they say, that dead men shall have so many men-servants, and maid-servants, cattle, and money in another life as pictures were burned with him, and shall perpetually live in that honour and riches.