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Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

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26   MARCO POLO.   VOL. I. BK, L

route from Kuh-benan to Tun. He has since altered his opinion

in the Geographical Journal, October, 1905, p. 465 : " I was under

the impression that a route ran direct from Kubunán to Tabas,

but when visiting this latter town a few months ago I made

careful inquiries on the subject, which elicited the fact that this

was not the case, and that the route invariably followed by

Kubunán-Tabas caravans joined the Kermán-Rávar-Naiband

route at Cháh-Kuru, 12 miles south of Darbana. It follows

this track as far as Naiband, whence the route to Tabas branches

off ; but the main caravan route runs vice Zenagan and Duhuk

to Tun. This new information, I would urge, makes it almost

certain that Ser Marco travelled to Tun, as Tabas falls to the

west of the main route. Another point is that the district of

Tabas only grows four months' supplies, and is, in consequence,

generally avoided by caravans owing to its dearness.

" In 1893 I travelled from Tun to the south across the Lut

as far as Cháh Kuru by this very route, and can testify to the

general accuracy of Ser Marco's description,* although there are

now villages at various points on the way. Finally, as our traveller

especially mentions Tonocain, or Tun va Kain, one is inclined to

accept this as evidence of first-rate importance, especially as it

is now corroborated by the information I gained at Tabas. The

whole question, once again, furnishes an example of how very

difficult it is to make satisfactory inquiries, except on the spot."

It was also the opinion (1882) of Colonel C. E. Stewart, who

says : " I was much interested in hearing of Kuh Banan, as it

is one of the places mentioned by Marco Polo as on his route.

Kuh Banan is described as a group of villages about 26 miles

from the town of Rawar, in the Kárman district. I cannot help

thinking the road travelled by Marco Polo from Kárman to Kain

is the one by Naiband. Marco Polo speaks of Tun-o-Cain, which,

Colonel Yule has pointed out, undoubtedly means Tun and Kain.

At present Tun does not belong to the Kain district, but to the

Tabbas district, and is always spoken of as Tun-o-Tabbas ; and

if it belonged, as I believe it formerly did, to the Kain district, it

would be spoken of as Tun-o-Kain, exactly as Marco Polo does.

Through Naiband is the shortest and best road to either Tun or

Kain." (Proc. Royal Geog. Soc., VIII., 1886, p. 144.)

Support to Yule's theory has been brought by Sven Hedin,

who devotes a chapter to Marco Polo in his Overland to India,

* The eight stages would be :—(x) Hasanábad, 21 miles ; (2) Darband, 28 miles ; (3) Chehel Pái, 23 miles ; (4) Naiband, 39 miles ; (5) Zenagán, 47 miles ; (6) Duhuk, 25 miles ; (7) Chah Khusháb, 36 miles ; and (8) Tun, 23 miles.