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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
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162
M ARCO POLO BOOK I.
of the Oxus. Barshar is one of the deserted villages ; the boundary between Ghára n and Shignán is the Kuguz Parin (in Shighai dialect means " holes in the rock ") ; the Persian equivalent is " Rafak-i-Somakh." (Cf. Captain Trotter, Forsyth's Mission, p. 277.)-11. C.]
NOTE 3.—The inincs of Lájwurd (whence l'Azur and Lazuli) have been, like the Ruby mines, celebrated for ages. They lie in the Upper Valley of the Kokcha, called Korán, within the Tract called Yamgán, of which the popular etymology is HamahKán, or " All-Mines," and were visited by Wood in 1838. The produce now is said to be of very inferior quality, and in quantity from 3o to 6o foods (36 lbs each) annually. The best quality sells at Bokhara at 3o to 6o tillas, or 121. to 24/. the pood (Manphúl). Surely it is ominous when a British agent writing of Badakhshan products finds it natural to express weights in Russian poods !
The Yamgán Tract also contains mines of iron, lead, alum, salammoniac, sulphur, ochre, and copper. The last are not worked. But I do not learn of any silver mines nearer than those of Paryán in the Valley of Panjshir, south of the crest of the HinduKúsh, much worked in the early Middle Ages. (See Cathay, p. 595.)
NOTE 4.—The Kataglian breed of horses from Badakhshan and Kunduz has still a high reputation. They do not often reach India, as the breed is a favourite one among the Afghan chiefs, and the horses are likely to be appropriated in transit. (Lumsden, Mission to Kandahar, p. 20. )
[The Kirghiz between the Yangi Hissar River and Sirikol are the only people using the horse generally in the plough, oxen being employed in the plains, and yaks in Sirikol. (Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon, p. 222, Forsyth's Mission.)—II. C.]
What Polo heard of the Bucephalid strain was perhaps but another form of a story told by the Chinese, many centuries earlier, when speaking of this same region. A certain cave was frequented by a wonderful stallion of supernatural origin. Hither the people yearly brought their mares, and a famous breed was derived from the foals. (Rém. N. Mel. As. I. 245.)
NOTE 5.—The huskless barley of the text is thus mentioned by Burnes in the vicinity of the Hindu-Kúsh : " They rear a barley in this elevated country which has no husk, and grows like wheat ; but it is barley." It is not properly huskless, but when ripe it bursts the husk and remains so loosely attached as to be dislodged from it by a slight shake. It is grown abundantly in Ladak and the adjoining Hill States. Moorcroft details six varieties of it cultivated there. The kind mentioned by Marco and Burnes is probably that named by Royle Hordeum 1f giceras, and which has been sent to England under the name of Tartarian Wheat, though it is a genuine barley. Naked barley is mentioned by Galen as grown in Cappadocia ; and Matthioli speaks of it as grown in France in his day (middle of 16th century). It is also known to the Arabs, for they have a name for it—Suit. (Burnes, III. 205 ; 3/00)-C. II. 148 seqq. ; Galen, de Aliment. Facolt. Lat. ed. 13 ; Matthioli, Ven. 1585, p. 420 ; Eng. Cyc., art. Hordeum.)
Sesamé is mentioned by P. Manphul as one of the products of Badakhshan ; linseed is another, which is also used for oil. Walnut-trees abound, but neither he nor Wood mention the oil. We know that walnut oil is largely manufactured in Kashmir. (1JIoorcroft, II. 148.)
[See on Saker and Lanner Falcons (F. Saker, Briss. ; lanarius, Schlegel) the
valuable paper by Edouard Blanc, Sur l'utilisation des Oiseaux de proie en Asie centrale in Rev. des Sciences natur. appliquées, loth June, 1895.
" Hawking is the favourite sport of Central Asian Lords," says G. Capus. (A travers le royaume de Tamerlan, p. 132. See pp. 132-134. )
The Mirza says (l.c. p. 157) that the mountains of Wakhán "are only noted for producing a breed of hawks or falcons which the hardy Wâkhânis manage to catch among the clips. These hawks are much esteemed by the chiefs of Badakhshan,
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