The Bondage and Travels of Johann Schiltberger, a Native of Bavaria, in Europe, Asia, and Africa, 1396-1427Schiltberger, Johannes
History
The Bondage and Travels of Johann Schiltberger, a Native of Bavaria, in Europe, Asia, and Africa, 1396-1427
Schiltberger, Johannes
Timur, 1336-1405 -- Early works to 1800; Turkey -- History -- Bayezid I, 1389-1403; Voyages and travels -- Early works to 1800
(1.) “Achtum.”—The author says nothing of the neighbourhood of
Nahitchevan, for which Neumann gives him credit, nor of that of
Erzeroum, which Bishop Aïvazoffsky believes to be the site of the
battle of “Achtum”, upon which occasion the Ilkhan Ahmed was defeated
by Kara Youssouf. In the plain of “Achtum” we recognise the environs
of Aktam, where Timour halted when returning from his last expedition
against Toktamish (Dorn, _Versuch. einer Gesch. d. Schirwan-Sch._, 567;
Price, _Chron. Retros._, iii, 206, who says of Acataem or Actem, that
it is a station to the eastward of Moghaun). Neumann agrees with Hammer
that Ahmed ben Oweïs was beheaded in 1410, and this is also the opinion
of Weil (_Gesch. der Chal._, v, 141); but Dorn (_ibid._, 573) has it,
that his conflict with Kara Youssouf did not take place until the year
815 = 1412.—BRUUN.
CHAPTER XXIV.
(1.) “Abubachir had also a brother called Mansur.”—Besides this Mansour,
for whose name I have searched in vain in the various works I have been
able to consult, Aboubekr had another brother named Mirza Omar, upon
whom Timour bestowed the throne of Houlakou, and who fell out with his
elder brother, the said Aboubekr, and had him confined in a fortress
(Dorn, _Versuch. einer Gesch. d. Schirwan-Sch._, 570). Aboubekr
afterwards obtained his freedom, and succeeded in ridding himself of
“Mansur”, to punish him, in all probability, for making common cause
with Omar.—BRUUN.
CHAPTER XXV.
(1.) “Samabram.”—Ibn Haukal describes Shabran as being, in his time, a
small place, but “pleasant, and well supplied with provisions”. This
town appears as Sabran, in Castaldo’s map, 1584, and De Wit’s atlas,
1688, and is called Schabran by Olearius (_Voyages_, etc., 1038). It
has now totally disappeared, its ruins being on the Shabran-tchaï, a
small river flowing into the lake Ak-Sibir on the Caspian shore.
Schiltberger states that the prince passed through “Strana”, “Gursey”,
“Lochinschan”, “Schurban”, “Samabram”, and “Temurtapit”; but as the
king’s son was sent for, to return forthwith to his own country, it is
more probable that he selected a short route, in which case he would
have travelled, if the names are here correctly interpreted, through
Astara, Shirwan, Shabran, Georgia, Lezghistan, and the Iron Gate,
undoubtedly Derbent, which divided Persia from Tatary.
“Strana” I take to be intended for Astara, for the following reasons.
It is stated in the last chapter, that Aboubekr took a country called
“Kray”; probably Kars, which had been occupied by Timour in 1393, after
laying siege to the fortress of Alindsha. Aboubekr than proceeded
to “Erban”, Erivan, where he seized upon his brother “Mansur”, and
strangled him. “Zegra”, being with Aboubekr, was therefore apparently
in Armenia, and must have travelled northwards by keeping close to the
Caspian, instead of traversing the heart of the Christian kingdom of
Georgia.—ED.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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