In Commemoration of the Building of Khurramábád.

The inscriptions over its gateway record, in verse, the praise of the Khalifa repeatedly; may his throne be established to eternity, as well as that of the King of the World, who has declared that it is his pleasure to serve the Imám of God. The Shah has given it the name of Khurramábád, and Zahiru-l Jaiúsh was its architect, the slave of the lord of the universe, the prelate of religion, the most select among the pious. This fortunate building was completed in Muharram, in the year 744 H. (June, 1343 A.D.). Badr has strung the pearl of this ode in one night, and made it worthy of ornamenting the ears of the nobles of the land.

On the same subject.

Without, though the courts, full of armies, are raising a tumult and uproar, yet within it is so quiet, that prayers for pardon can be offered up.'*** All is so still and clear that the ear of man might hear the humming of a fly's wing reverberate like music.

1

* Speak not of a fort, speak not of a saráí, for in appearance and stability it is like the Ka'bah of Paradise. Zahíru-d dín erected this blessed structure by the propitious order of the Khusrú of the time, the director of the architects, and in the name of the Khalifa May his life be prolonged for the confirmation of the religion of Muhammad, the Apostle of God. It was completed on the date, "Enter thou into Paradise," or, that I may explain more openly, 744 H. I have been entitled by the king, Fakhru-z zamán; call me not by that name, but rather the sweet-noted parrot.

In Celebration of the Completion of the Shah-náma.

In the year of Arabia, represented by "the power of the king" (745 H., 1344 A.D.), heaven completed the verses which I had strung together. Every line was like a pearl, which dazzled the eye in the dead of night. • The whole of the poem is filled with praises of the king, Sháh Muhammad, the defender of the law

In allusion to the mode in which these multi-columned buildings are constructed, so as to render the centre compartments private, while externally all appears exposed.

of the Prophet, and by right the ruler of the earth, by order of the Imám. Everywhere crowned heads swear fealty to him, every

where celebrated men are the slaves of his behests.

C.-MASALIKU-L ABSAR FI MAMALIKU-L AMSAR

OF

SHAHABU-D DIN ABU-L 'ABBAS AHMAD.

["Travels of the Eyes into the Kingdoms of Different Countries." This is the work of Shahábu-d dín 'Abú-l 'Abbás Ahmad, also called 'Umarí and Dimashki, or native of Damascus. He was born in the year 697 H. (1297 A.D.), and died at Damascus in 749 (1348 A.D.). Shahábu-d dín says little about himself and his family, but he mentions that his ancestors were, like himself, employed in the service of the Sultán of Egypt. His father, Kázi Mohíu-d dín, was secretary of secret despatches at Damascus, and after being dismissed from that office, and remaining some time without employ, became chief of the department of secret correspondence in Egypt. Shahábu-d dín assisted his father in both his offices, but he incurred disgrace, and retired into private life at Damascus, and so lived until his death.

Shahábu-d dín was a man of very considerable learning and ability. He studied different sciences under men of celebrity, and his extensive works testify to his learning, research, and literary activity. He is known to have written seven different works, inclusive of the one now under notice. Most of his writings have perished, or are at least unknown, but the Masálik, which is the most important of them in its extent and research, has come down to us in an imperfect state. The complete work consisted of twenty volumes, but of these only five are known to be extant. They are in the Bibliothèque Impériale at Paris, and in 1838 M. Quatremère published in Tome XIII. of the Notices et Extraits des MSS. his description and specimens of the work, from which the present notice and the following extracts have been taken by the Editor. So early as 1758 Deguignes gave a short notice of the MS. in the

Journal des Savants, and he frequently refers to the author under the surname of Marakashí in his Histoire des Huns; but M. Quatremère shows this title of Marakashí, or "native of Morocco," to be a mistake.

The MS. is a small folio of 231 leaves, and consists of six chapters. 1. Description of Hind and Sind. 2. The Empire and family of Changíz Khán. 3. The Kingdom of Jílán. 4. The Kurds, Lúrs, and other mountain tribes. 5. Turk states in Asia Minor, with notices of the empires of Trebizond and Constantinople. 6. Egypt, Syria, and Hijjáz.

At the close of his notices of India, he mentions the name of Muhammad Tughlik as the reigning sovereign, and the general tenor of his observations points unmistakably to that able but perverse ruler. The author quotes occasionally the works of other authors on geography and history, and among them Abú-1 Fidá and Juwainí; but he depends principally on the oral information supplied by intelligent and learned travellers with whom he had come in contact. His method of gathering and using information is apparent in the following extracts. The work stood high in Oriental estimation, and was often quoted by later writers-among others by the author of the Nuzhatu-l Kulúb.]

EXTRACTS.

India is a most important country, with which no other country in the world can be compared in respect of extent, riches, the numbers of its armies, the pomp and splendour displayed by the sovereign in his progresses and habitations, and the power of the empire.

The inhabitants are remarkable for their wisdom and great intelligence; no people are better able to restrain their passions, nor more willing to sacrifice their lives, for what they consider agreeable in the sight of God.

According to the information of Siráju-d dín Abú-1 Fath 'Umar, a lawyer, and a native of the province of Oudh, who had lived long at the court of the Sultán of Dehli, the dominions of that monarch consisted of twenty-three principal provinces. 1. Dehli. 2. Dawákír (Deogir). 3. Multán. 4. Kahrán (Kuhrám). 5. Sámána. Siwistán. 7. Uch. 8. Hasí (Hansí). 9. Sarsutí (Sírsah). 10. Ma'bar.

6.

11. Tilank (Telingana). 12. Gujarát. 13. Badáún. 14. Oudh. 15. Kanauj. 16. Lakhnautí. 17. Bihár. 18. Karra. 19. Málwa. 20. Láhor. 21. Kalanor (Gwalior ?). 22. Jájnagar. 23. Tilanj Darusamand (Telingana (?) and Dwára-samudra).

According to the account of Shaikh Mubárak, the city of Dehli is the capital of the kingdom of India. Next comes Dawákír (Deogír), which was founded by the Sultán of that empire, and named by him “Kabbatu-l Islám, or the Metropolis of Islám." This place, said the Shaikh, is situated in the third climate. When I left it six years ago the buildings were not completed, and I doubt if they are yet finished, the extent it covers being so great, and the number of its intended edifices so vast. The king divided it into quarters, each of them intended for men of the same profession. Thus there was the quarter of the troops, that of the ministers and clerks, that of the kázís and learned men, that of the shaikhs and fakirs, and that of the merchants and those who carry on trades. Each quarter was to contain within it everything necessary for its wants, mosques, minarets, markets, baths, mills, ovens, and workmen of every trade, including even blacksmiths, dyers, and curriers, so that the inhabitants should have no necessity to resort elsewhere for buying or selling, or the other requirements of life. Each quarter was to form a separate town, entirely independent of those surrounding it.

I questioned the Shaikh Mubárak about the city of Dehli and the court of its sovereign, and I obtained from him the following details. "Dehli consists of several cities which have become united, and each of which has a name of its own. Dehli, which was one among them, has given its name to all the rest. It is both long and broad, and covers a space of about forty miles in circumference. The houses are built of stone and brick, and the roofs of wood. The floors are paved with a white stone, like marble. None of the houses are more than two stories high, and some only one. It is only in the palace of the Sultán that marble is used for pavement. But if I can believe the Shaikh Abú Bakr bin Khallál, this description applies only to the old houses of Dehli, for the new ones are built differently. According to the same informant, Dehli comprises an aggregate of twenty-one cities. Gardens extend on three sides of

it, in a straight line for twelve thousand paces. The western side is not so furnished, because it borders on a mountain. Dehli contains a thousand colleges, one of which belongs to the Sháfa'is, the rest to the Hanafis. In it there are about seventy hospitals, called Dáru-sh Shifá, or houses of cure. In the city, and those dependent upon it, the chapels and hermitages amount to 2,000. There are great monasteries, large open spaces, and numerous baths. water used by the people is drawn from wells of little depth, seldom exceeding seven cubits. Hydraulic wheels are placed at their tops. The people drink rain-water, which is collected in large reservoirs constructed for that purpose, the distance across each of them being a bowshot, or even more. The chief mosque

The

is celebrated for its minaret, which, in point of altitude, is said to have no equal in the world. If the statement of Shaikh Burhánu-d dín Búrsí can be believed, the height of this part of the edifice is 600 cubits.

According to Shaikh Mubárak, the palaces of the Sultán of Dehli are exclusively occupied by the Sultan, his wives, concubines, eunuchs, male and female slaves, and mamlúks. None of the kháns and amírs are permitted to dwell there. They make their appearance there only when they come to wait upon the Sultán, which they do twice a day, morning and afternoon. Afterwards, each one of them retires to his own house.

The army con

As regards the great officers of State, those of the highest rank are called kháns, then the maliks,' then the amirs, then the isfahsálárs (generals), and, lastly, the officers (jand). The court of the sovereign comprises eighty kháns, or even more. sists of 900,000 horsemen, some of whom are stationed near the prince, and the rest are distributed in the various provinces of the empire. All are inscribed in the registers of the State, and partake of the liberality of their sovereign. These troops consist of Turks, inhabitants of Khatá, Persians, and Indians. Among them are to be found athlete (pahlawán), runners, (shattár), and men of every kind. They have excellent horses, magnificent armour, and a fine costume. The Sultán has 3,000 elephants, which, when ac

1 The French translation says "rois," but I have no hesitation in substituting "malik," which is no doubt the original word.