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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
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BOOK I.
MARCO POLO
148
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disturbance should arise from Central Asia or Persia, the Agha is always one of the first to hear of it, and seldom fails to pay a visit to the Governor or to some old friend high in office to hear the news and offer the services of a tried sword and an experienced leader to the Government which has so long secured him a quiet refuge for his old age." Agha Khan died in April, 1881, at the age of 81. He was succeeded by his son Agha Ali Sháh, one of the members of the Legislative Council. (See The Home ward Mail, Overland Times of India, of 14th April, 188i. ) ]
The Bohras of Western India are identified with the Imámí-Ismáilís in some books, and were so spoken of in the first edition of this work. This is, however, an error, originally due, it would seem, to Sir John Malcolm. The nature of their doctrine, indeed, seems to be very much alike, and the Bohras, like the Ismáilfs, attach a divine character to their Mullah or chief pontiff, and make a pilgrimage to his presence once in life. But the persons so reverenced are quite different ; and the Bohras recognise all the 12 Imáms of ordinary Shiahs. Their first appearance in India was early, the date which they assign being A. II. 532 (A. D. 1137-1138). Their chief seat was in Yemen, from which a large emigration to India took place on its conquest by the Turks in 1538. Ibn Batuta seems to have met with Bohras at Gandár, near Baroch, in 1342. ( Voyages, IV. 58.)
A Chinese account of the expedition of Hulaku will be found in Rémusat's Nouveaux Mélanges (I.), and in Pauthier's Introduction. (Q. R. 115-219) esp. 213 ; Ilch. vol. i. ; f. A. S. B. VI. 842 segq.) [A new and complete translation has been given by Dr. E. Bretschneider, Med. Res. I. 112 seqq. —H. C.]
There is some account of the rock of Alamút and its exceedingly slender traces of occupancy, by Colonel Monteith, inf. R. G. S. III. 15, and again by Sir Justin Sheil in vol. viii. p. 431. There does not seem to be any specific authority for assigning the Paradise of the Shaikh to Alamút ; and it is at least worthy of note that another of the castles of the Muláhidah, destroyed by Hulaku, was called Firdzís, i.e. Paradise. In any case, I see no reason to suppose that Polo visited Alamút, which would have been quite out of the road that he is following.
It is possible that " the Castle," to which he alludes at the beginning of next chapter, and which set him off upon this digression, was Girdkuh.* It has not, as far as I know, been identified by modern travellers, but it stood within io or 12 miles of Damghan (to the west or north-west). It is probably the Tigado of Hayton, of which he thus speaks : " The Assassins had an impregnable castle called Tigado, which was furnished with all necessaries, and was so strong that it had no fear of attack on any side. Howbeit, Haloön commanded a certain captain of his that he should take io,000 Tartars who had been left in garrison in Persia, and with them lay siege to the said castle, and not leave it till he had taken it. Wherefore the said Tartars continued besieging it for seven whole years, winter and summer, without being able to take it. At last the Assassins surrendered, from sheer want of clothing, but not of victuals or other necessaries." So Ramusio ; other copies read " 27 years." In any case it corroborates the fact that Girdkuh was said to have held out for an extraordinary length of time. If Rashiduddin is right in naming 1270 as the date of surrender, this would be quite a recent event when the Polo party passed, and draw special attention to the spot. (J. As. sér. IV. tom. xiii. 48 ; lick. I. 93, 104, 274 ; Q. R. p. 278 ; Ritter, VIII. 336.) A note which I have from Djihan Numa (I. 259) connects Girdkuh with a district called Chinar. This may be a clue to the term Arbre Sec; but there are difficulties.
* [ Ghirdkuh means "round mountain " ; it was in the district of Kumis, three parasangs west of Damghan. Under the year 1257, the Vilan shi mentions the taking of the fortress of Ghi-rh-du-kie by K'ie-di-bu-hua. (Bretschneider, Med. Res. I. p. t 22 ; IT. x to.)—H. C.]
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