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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Sino-Iranica : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
IRANIAN MINERALS—SAL AMMONIAC 507
known. The ,i yao er yai gives a number of synonymes of Chinese
origin, as kin tsei JR, ë`i .k1 0) ("red gravel"), pai hai tsiic IiN
(" essence of the white sea").
Sal ammoniac is found in DimindAn in the province of Kirm n. Yâqût (1179-1229) gives after Ibn al-Faqih (tenth century) a description of how nu. adir is obtained there, which in the translation of C. BARBIER DE MEYNARD2 runs as follows:—
" Cette substance se trouve principalement dans une montagne nommée Donbawend, dont la hauteur est évaluée à 3 farsakhs. Cette montagne est à 7 farsakhs de la ville de Guwasir. On y voit une caverne profonde d'où s'échappent des mugissements semblables à ceux des vagues et une fumée épaisse. Lorsque cette vapeur, qui est le principe du sel ammoniac, s'est attachée aux parois de l'orifice, et qu'une certaine quantité s'est solidifiée, les habitants de la ville et des environs viennent la recueillir, une fois par mois ou tous les deux mois. Le sulthan y envoie des agents qui, la récolte faite, en prélèvent le cinquième pour le trésor; les habitants se partagent le reste par la voie du sort. Ce sel est celui qu'on expédie dans tous les pays."
Ibn Haukal describes the mines of Setrugteh thus :s "The mines of sal ammoniac are in the mountains, where there is a certain cavern, from which a vapor issues, appearing by day like smoke, and by night like fire. Over the spot whence the vapor issues, they have erected a house, the doors and windows of which are kept so closely shut and plastered over with clay that none of the vapor can escape. On the upper part of this house the copperas rests. When the doors are to be opened, a swiftly-running man is chosen, who, having his body covered over with clay, opens the door; takes as much as he can of the copperas, and runs off; if he should delay, he would be burnt. This vapor comes forth in different places, from time to time; when it ceases to issue from one place, they dig in another until it appears, and then they erect that kind of house over it; if they did not erect this house, the vapor would burn, or evaporate away."
Taxes are still paid in this district with sal ammoniac. Abu Mansur sets forth its medicinal properties.4
' See Beginnings of Porcelain (this volume, p. I15).
2 Dictionnaire géographique de la Perse, p. 235 (Paris, 1861). Ibn al-Fagih's text is translated by P. SCHWARZ (Iran im Mittelalter, p. 252). According to Ibn Haukal (W. OUSELEY, Oriental Geography of Ebn Haukal, p. 233), sal-ammoniac mines were located in Maweralnahr (Transoxania).
3 W. OUSELEY, Op. Lit., p. 264.
4 AcHUxnow, Abu Mansur, p. 144.—ABEL-RtMUSAT (Mélanges asiatiques, Vol. I, p. 209, 1825), translating from the Japanese edition of the cyclopmdia San ts`ai t`u hui, gave the following interesting account: "Le sel nommé (en chinois)
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