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Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

*Oh*, iv, 102), this name was given to Gāïḥatu by the *baḫši* (see « Bacsi ») when he ascended the throne;
according to others, it was conferred on the *ilkhans* by the Mongol Emperor (cf. *Y*, i, 428; Howorth,
iii, 357). The two seem easily reconcilable. Qubilai had given to his eldest son the name of
rDo-rje (see « Cinchim »), and, after his accession to the throne, was strongly under the influence
of the Tibetan lamas. It may be that the Tibetan lamas in China (whom Waṣṣāf calls *baḫši* just
as Polo) chose a Tibetan name which Qubilai gave to Gāïḥatu when he sent him the edict of inves-
titure. As a matter of fact, it is only under the name of « King 亦憐眞朶兒只 I-lien-chên
to-êrh-chih » (°Irānjin-Dorji = Rin-ch'en rDo-rje) that Gāïḥatu appears in *YS*, 107, 7 *b* (and wrongly
as a brother of Abaya, while he is his son). It is not impossible that, like Gāïḥatu, Baidu should
have also received the appellation of Irānjin, though, for him, the investiture had no time to come
from China, at least in his lifetime. Moreover, this Mongolized Tibetan name Irānjin or Irinjin
really came to be in use in Persia by that time and was borne by a great « Emir », who belonged,
curiously enough, to the Christian family of the ancient Kerait princes (cf. *Ha*¹, ii, 457). Both
the name Irinjin-torji of Gāïḥatu and the name Irinjin of the Kerait emir appear in the *Life of Mar
Yahballaha* III, but Chabot has restored them to their correct form without giving the true readings
of the Mss., and Budge (*The Monks of Ḳûblat Khân*) has reproduced the successive and conflicting
readings of the Mss. without taking the trouble to give anywhere the correct forms. To account
for the adoption of Tibetan names by Mongols of Persia, without any intervention from the Mongol
Emperor of Peking, we must not forget that Aryun had greatly favoured the Lamas (*baḫši*); cf. *Oh*,
iv, 53.

Gāïḥatu, of whom Mussulman writers speak so harshly, was benevolent towards Christians,
and the *Life of Mar Yahballaha* III praises him for his justice and generosity (Chabot, 97); but
it seems to be by confusion with Öljäitü that d'Ohsson (*Oh*, iv, 69) says Gāïḥatu had been baptized,
under the name of Nicholas; with Aḥmad (see « Acmat² ») and Öljäitü, it is enough to have two
Nicholas among the Mongol sovereigns of Persia (assuming that Öljäitü's Christian name was not
Theodosios; all these questions have never been taken up seriously).

323. QUIAN—QUIANSUI

*chiensui, quiazauis* V *quiam* Pr, TA¹r, TA³, VA, VBm *quiatici* LTr
*conuiansiu* FA *quian* F, FB, P, TA¹; R *quien* VB
*qiansiu* L *quianci, quingiasu* LT *quiiafu* TA¹
*qiansui* F, Z *quianfu* P, TA³, VA *quyam* G
*quanphu, toguglian* VL *quiansuy* FB *quyan* Ps

In most Mss. of the F type, Polo speaks of the 岷 Min river at Ch'êng-tu, which he takes for the
upper course of the Yang-tzŭ (in accordance with the common Chinese belief of the time), as « Quian-
sui », and of the Yang-tzŭ when he reaches it south of Yang-chou as « Quian ». Nevertheless Ramusio