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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
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Citation Information
CHAP. XL. THE CITY OF IIORMOS
451
There is no more to say on this subject. So now let
us go on and speak of the city of Hormos, of which we
told you before.
NOTE I.-1.1alhát, the Calaiate of the old Portuguese writers, is about 500 m by shortest sea-lure north-east of Dhafár. " The city of Kalhát," says Ibn Batuta, " stands on the shore ; it has fine bazaars, and one of the most beautiful mosques that you could see anywhere, the walls of which are covered with enamelled tiles of
Káshán The city is inhabited by merchants, who draw their support from
Indian import trade Although they are Arabs, they don't speak correctly.
After every phrase they have a habit of adding the particle no. Thus they will say ` You are eating,—no ?' ` You are walking,—no ?' ` You are doing this or that,—no ?' Most of them are schismatics, but they cannot openly practise their tenets, for they are under the rule of Sultan Kutbuddin Tehemten Malik, of Hormuz, who is orthodox " (II. 226).
Calaiate, when visited by d'Albuquerque, showed by its buildings and ruins that it had been a noble city. Its destruction was ascribed to an earthquake. (De Barros, II. ii. I.) It seems to exist no longer. Wellsted says its remains cover a wide space ; but only one building, an old mosque, has escaped destruction. Near the ruins is a small fishing village, the people of which also dig for gold coins. (J. R. G. S. VII. 104.)
What is said about the Prince of Hormuz betaking himself to Kalhát in times of trouble is quite in accordance with what we read in Teixeira's abstract of the Hormuz history. When expelled by revolution at Hormuz or the like, we find the princes taking refuge at Kalhát.
NOTE 2.—" Of the interior." Here the phrase of the G. T. is again " en fra tere a r;rainte cité et castiaus." (See supra, Bk. I. ch. i. note 2.)
There was still a large horse-trade from Kalhát in 1517, but the Portuguese compelled all to enter the port of Goa, where according to Andrea Corsali they had to pay a duty of 40 sarad per head. If these aslzrafis were pagodas, this would be about I sl. a head ; if they were dinőrs, it would be more than 201. The term is now commonly applied in Hindustan to the gold mohr.
NOTE 3.—This no doubt is Maskat.
CHAPTER XL.
RETURNS TO THE CITY OF HORMOS WHEREOF WE SPOKE FORMERLY.
WHEN you leave the City of Calatu, and go for 300
miles between north-west and north, you come tot the
city of Hormos ; a great and noble city on the sea.' It
has a Melic, which is as much as to say a King, and he
is under the Soldan of Kerman.
VOL. II.
2 F 2
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