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0248 Report of a Mission to Yarkund in 1873 : vol.1
Report of a Mission to Yarkund in 1873 : vol.1 / Page 248 (Color Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000196
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( 170 )

He made Yarkand the capital of his kingdom, and greatly improved the city. T.R. He built its fortifications which enclosed two hundred man of land (that is land capable of being sown by that quantity of corn, which at fifteen pounds the man equals three thousand pounds), and had six gates, each protected by two bastions, and connecting walls one hundred yards in advance, a novel arrangement, by which the approach was defended by archers on each side. Inside the city he laid out twelve parks, with handsome mansions, and a hundred houses in each. He brought canals into the city, and planted twelve thousand gardens in its suburbs. All these now fell into the hands of Said, and were ravaged and plundered by his soldiery.

After settling Yarkand, Said returned to Kâshghar, and there, in the winter of 921 H.=1514-15 A.D., received a visit from Mansur who had come from his government of Jalish and Turfan. In the first month of the following year Said went by Uch Turfan, where his brother, Ayman Khoja, was Governor, to Aksii which since its devastation by Ababakar on the death of Ahmad had remained in ruins, and at Bay met Mansûr for the return of his visit. He now acknowledged him as

. i   his elder brother and independent ruler of Jalish and Turfan, and giving Aksû to him
returned to Yarkand for the winter.

In the following spring Said moved to Kâshghar, and there collected his forces to invade Andijan and expel Sûyûnj Ik. He was joined by Ayman and Baba.jac with their small contingents, and on arrival at Châdir Kul mustered his troops. His brothers warned him that the army was unequal to the task undertaken, and proposed

  •                 that they should change the plan of the expedition, and limit it to a raid in the

}   hills. Consequently they spent a few weeks in the chase of wild horse and sheep, and
the plunder of nomad camps, and then returned to the capital.

After titis Said set out on an expedition against the Sarigh Uighûr twelve days' journey from Khutan, but on arrival at the latter place he was so prostrated from the effects of a hard bout of debauchery that he was obliged to forego the meritorious duty of converting them. He sent a force, however, to explore their country, and it returned after an absence of two months without having found any traces of the pagan enemy ; whilst himself in the interim was borne back to the capital in a stupid state of drunkenness.

He wag roused from this ignoble course by the plain admonition of the Uzbak master of Mawaranahar, and his warning against the unchecked hostilities of the border tribes ; and Said, alarmed lest the vengeance of Shahibeg should fall upon himself, at once set out on an expedition to Isigh Kul to check the inroads of his Kirghiz there upon the lands of Turkistan, Syram, and Andijan. He dispersed their camps, and capturing their Chief, Muhammad Bay, carried him off prisoner to Yarkand in 923 H.=1516 A.D., and thus restored quiet on the border.

During the reign of Shahibeg Khan, Badakhshan was divided between Khusro Shah on the west and Ababakar on the east. Said on taking Kashghar had given his share of the country up to Sarigh Chopan in fief to Mir Beg,, one of his nobles ; but Mirza Khan, the Governor of Zafar fort, expelled him. Consequently Said marched against him, and settling the difficulty peaceably returned to Yarkand. From this in the summer following he went to Aksû, which had recently (923 H.) been recovered from Mansûr by Ayman Khoja, who restored and resettled the place for himself. He now

}   removed Ayman to Kashghar, whence he went to Babur in India where he died in
938 H.=1531 A.D., and installed Mansûr in the Government ; and he reigned there in peace for two years till 928 H.=1521 A.D.

In this year (926 H.) Mirza Khan died, and his infant son, Suleman, was put on his throne in Badakshan. Said meant to have gone against him, but a revolt of the Kirghiz pagans in Mogholistan prevented him. He sent his son, Rashid, with

the liberated Muhammad Bay to quell them, and himself followed to their support in

  •      the following year. He wintered at Kuchcar, and being there seized with a fit of piety and remorse for his many sins returned to Kashghar, and wished to abdicate in

s z   favour of his brother Ayman. His priestly adviser, Tajuddin, aided by the persuasive