National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

212. DRY (LONE) TREE   627

a note of PARKER saying that « the country of Dogana is quite certain to be the Chinese T'u-ho-lo or Tokhara »; this has been accepted by HERRMANN, both in the article « Tokharoi » of PAULYWissowA and in Das Land der Seide, 144. But I agree with PENZER (Pe, xxxix-xL) that « the interpretation given by PARKER [and by HERRMANN] with such assurance is quite unacceptable ». In his turn, PENZER suggests Persian dogdna, « double », on the assumption that it was a « double district », embrassing two main cities or two rivers. « Dogana » is entered on LENTZ'S map in ZDMG, Vol. 86 [1932], 7, as the name of the whole valley between Balkh and Taligan. Yet this elusive name has disappeared from RR, 55, and B1, 55, and I had come to the conclusion that BENEDETTO had been right in substituting « Taican » before he gave for the first time in JRAS, 1939, 643, his reasons for doing so. The whole context, as well as geographical conditions, are against the existence of a country of Dogaua or « Dogana » twelve days east of Balkh. It will be noticed too that the word occurs in very few, if good, manuscripts; that there is no description of Dogava; and that the same twelve days' journey that leads to it leads also to Taican. In my opinion, there can hardly be any doubt that « Dogaua » is an idolum libri, which is probably due, in agreement with BENEDETTO'S surmise, to a corruption of an original « detaicâ » = « de Taican ».

211.  DOMAS

. damasco R   domas F

Damascus ( ; ., Dimisq and Dimasq). There is no need to correct « Domas » to the usual French form « Damas » (which is the only one used by Hethum), as « Domas » and « Doumas » occur also in the Gestes des Chiprois (Hist. des Crois., Arm., 11, 654, 841). Cf. also « Dommasco » and the sugar « donmaschino » (read « dommaschino ») in Pegolotti, 77, 362; « domaschino » in Uzzano, 191.

For the representative in Syria of the Old Man of the Mountain, cf. Y, t, 145.

The name of Damascus is written « Dimigki » (or « Dimisgi ») in the Mongol letter sent by

Aryun to Philip the Fair in 1289; it is « Dimiggi » which is transcribed   Ti-mi-shih-chi
in the Chinese map of circa 1330; a Ming document is said to write only Ti-mi-shih (cf. Br, I1, 136).