National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books
|
|
Color Thumbnail -
Page Number -
Biliographic Information (Metadata) -
Caption -
Color Image -
Gray HighRes. Image -
Facing Pages -
Graphics -
| 0108 |
Notes on Marco Polo : vol.1 |
Citation Information
OCR Text
system, can only be a Sanskritized form *Palūra (cf. BEFEO, III, 406; not «Po-lo-lo», and not —
«Bolor», as in LENTZ, ZDMG, 1932, 27); as the first vowel is not marked in most Arabic tran-
scriptions, we are justified in reading them as Balōr or Balūr instead of Bolor; and it was «Pālor»
which was heard by Shaw in modern times (cf. Y, III, 42). The country of Balur or Baluristan
is again described in his Ta'rīḥ-i-Rašīdī by Mirza Haidar, who visited it in 1528 (cf. trad. N. ELIAS
and E. D. Ross, 135, 385). By Baluristan, Mirza Haidar understands the mountainous tract
south of Badaḫšan, south-west of Yarkand, west of Balti, north and north-west of Kashmir, that
is to say the valleys of Chitral, Yassin, and Gilgit; N. ELIAS's note on the subject has been quoted
in Y, III, 42-43, and need not be repeated here; cf. also LENTZ, in ZDMG, 1932, 27-28. We
must also see Balūr in the 勃 律 Po-lü (*Balür? or Palür?) of Chinese historical texts of the
8th cent.; there is a Po-lü which is Baltistan and a «Little Po-lü» which is the Gilgit valley (cf.
CHAVANNES, Doc. sur les Tou-kiue, 149-154). It is true that Mirza Haidar seems to leave Baltistan
out of Baluristan; but the localization may have been viewed differently by others at different
dates, and CUNNINGHAM heard the name «Balor» used as a designation of Balti by the Dards of
Gilgit (Y, I, 178). It might also be supposed that the very name of Balti is connected with that
of Balūr, but I do not think that such is the case, as the Tibetan texts distinguish sBal-ti from
'Bru-šal or Bru-ža, and it is Bru-ža which is likely to be the same name as Po-lü or Balūr (cf.
LAUFER, in TP, 1908, 2-3). In such a case, it is the «Little Po-lü» which would be the true
Balūr; and the extension of the name Po-lü to Baltistan might be due to the fact that the Chinese
reached Baltistan by way of Gilgit.
Belor seems to be the form used by Polo, as it is given by all the mss.; we must then
attribute to a simple coincidence that Fra Mauro should write «Balor» (cf. HALLBERG, 74; the
other name quoted from Fra Mauro, «Boler», seems to refer to quite a different place far to the
north; see «Bolgara»). As to «Bolor», adopted in YULE's edition, it is devoid of authority. A
last form looms up occasionally, that of «Billūr mountains», understood as «Crystal mountains»
(for instance in ELLIOT's History of India, I, 46, 65, where Rašīdu-'d-Dīn copies Al-Bīrūnī); this
is simply a case of popular etymology, and it is also represented by the pseudo-Turkish name
«Belur-tagh» still used in B², 439. Cf. also STEIN, Ancient Khotan, I, 6; Serindia, 33, 61.
68. BERCA
abarca, barcalor FB barbarba, burba P⁵ bargha, bergho TA¹
abarcha, abracha, VB barca F, Fr, FA, FB, O, VL bata, bercu Ft
arbaca FA barch F berca F, Fr, t, Z
bacara (?—bolgara) F, L barcha F, Fr, LT, TA², VA, bercha F, L, Z
baraba, barba P VL; R bracharchan, tharzara V
This is Bārkā, a Mongol name; bārkā means «difficult». Bārkā was Jöčī's third son. The
forms «Bérékeh» of Bl, II, 90, 433, 549, App. 54, «Baraka» of Stanley LANE-POOLE, The Moham-
medan Dynasties¹, 230, and «Bereke» of HOWORTH, II, 113, III, 193, and of Wy, LIII, 316, are due
1
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
11
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
21
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
31
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
41
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
51
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
61
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
71
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
81
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
91
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
101
.
.
.
.
106
107
108
109
110
111
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
121
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
131
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
141
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
151
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
161
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
171
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
181
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
191
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
201
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
211
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
221
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
231
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
241
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
251
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
261
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
271
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
281
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
291
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
301
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
311
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
321
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
331
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
341
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
351
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
361
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
371
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
381
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
391
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
401
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
411
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
421
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
431
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
441
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
451
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
461
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
471
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
481
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
491
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
501
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
511
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
521
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
531
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
541
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
551
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
561
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
571
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
581
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
591
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
601
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
611
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
621
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
631
632
Copyright (C) 2003-2019
National Institute of Informatics
and
The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.
