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National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
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CHAP. XXVI. THE CITY OF SAPURGAN
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149
CHAPTER XXVI.
CONCERNING THE CITY OF SAPURGAN.
tof
ON leaving the Castle, you ride over fine plains and
beautiful valleys, and pretty hill-sides producing excellent
grass pasture, and abundance of fruits, and all other
products. Armies are glad to take up their quarters
here on account of the plenty that exists. This kind of
country extends for six days' journey, with a goodly
number of towns and villages, in which the people are
worshippers of Mahommet. Sometimes also you meet
with a tract of desert extending for 5o or 6o miles, or
somewhat less, and in these deserts you find no water,
but have to carry it along with you. The beasts do
without drink until you have got across the desert tract
and come to watering places.
So after travelling for six days as I have told you,
you come to a city called SAPURGAN. It has great
plenty of everything, but especially of the very best
melons in the world. They preserve them by paring
them round and round into strips, and drying them in
the sun. When dry they are sweeter than honey, and
are carried off for sale all over the country. There is
also abundance of game here, both of birds and beasts.
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NOTE I.-SAPURGAN may closely express the pronunciation of the name of the city which the old Arabic writers call Sabúrkán and Shabúrkán, now called Shibrgán, lying some 90 miles west of Balkh ; containing now some 12,000 inhabitants, and situated in a plain still richly cultivated, though on the verge of the desert. * But I have seen no satisfactory solution of the difficulties as to the time assigned. This in
f the G. T. and in Ramusio is clearly six days. The point of departure is indeed un-
certain, but even if we were to place that at Sharakhs on the extreme verge of
* The oldest form of the name is Asaaurag-án, which Rawlinson thinks traceable to its being au ancient seat of the Asa or Asagartii. (J. R. A. S. XI. 63.)
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