The Gates of India: Being an Historical NarrativeHoldich, Thomas Hungerford, Sir
History
The Gates of India: Being an Historical Narrative
Holdich, Thomas Hungerford, Sir
Afghanistan -- Description and travel; Balochistan (Pakistan) -- Description and travel
"From Kasrkand to Kiz four days." This is not much over 150 miles, and
is the most probable estimate of them all. It is possible, of course,
that from 70 to 80 miles may have been covered on a good camel within
the limits of twenty-four hours. Such distances in Arabia are not
uncommon, but we are not here dealing with an absolutely desert
district, devoid of water. On the contrary, halting-places must have
always been frequent and convenient.
I cannot leave this corner of Makran without a short reference to what
lay beyond to the north-west, on the Kirman border, as it appears to
me that one or two geographical riddles of mediæval days have recently
been cleared up by the results of our explorations. Idrisi says that
"Tubaran is near Fahraj, which belongs to Kirman. It is a
well-fortified town, and is situated on the banks of a river of the
same name, which are cultivated and fertile. From hence to Fardan, a
commercial town, the environs of which are well populated, four days.
Kir Kaian lies to the west of Fardan, on the road to Tubaran. The
country is well populated and very fertile. The vine grows here and
various sorts of fruit trees, but the palm is not to be found."
Elsewhere he states that "from Mansuria to Tubaran about fifteen
days"; and again, "from Tubaran to Multan, on the borders of Sind, ten
days." Here there is clearly the confusion which so constantly arises
from the repetition of place-names in different localities. Multan and
Mansuria are well-known or well-identified localities, and Turan was
an equally well-recognized district of Lower Sind, of which Khozdar
was the capital. Turan may well be reckoned as ten days from Multan,
or fifteen from Mansuria, but hardly the Tubaran, about which such a
detailed and precise description is given. There are two places called
indifferently Fahraj, Pahrag, Pahra, or Pahura, both of which are in
the Kirman district; one, which is shown in St. John's map of Persia,
is not very far from Regan, in the Narmashir province, and is
surrounded far and wide with ruins. It has been identified by St. John
as the Pahra of Arrian, the capital of Gadrosia, where Alexander
rested after his retreat through Makran. The other is some 16 miles
east of Bampur, to the north-west of Sarbaz. Both are on the banks of
a river, "cultivated and fertile"; both are the centres of an area of
ruins extending for miles; both must find a place in mediæval
geography. For many reasons, into which I cannot fully enter, I am
inclined to place the Pahra of Arrian in the site near Bampur. It
suits the narrative in many particulars better than does the Pahra
identified with Fahraj by St. John. The latter, I have very little
doubt, is the Fahraj of Idrisi, and the town of Tubaran was not far
from it. Fardan may well have been either Bampur itself (a very
ancient town) or Pahra, 16 miles to the east of it; and between Fardan
and Fahraj lay the district of Kir (or Kiz) Kaian, which has been
stated to be a district of Rasak.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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