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   <title>Hudud al-'Alam - 43</title>
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<b><font size=+1>Hudud al-'Alam, The Regions of the
World</font></b>
<br><b>V. Minorsky</b>
<br>&nbsp; </font>
<p><font face="Palatino Linotype"><b>§ 43. Discourse on the Slav Country (S</font><font face="Arial Unicode MS">̣</font><font face="Palatino Linotype">aqlāb).</b>
</font>
<p><font face="Palatino Linotype">East of this country are the Inner Bulghārs
(<i>Bulghār-i andarūnī</i>)
and some of the Rūs;
south of it, some parts of the Gurz sea and some parts of Rūm;
west and north of it everywhere are the deserts of the Uninhabited Lands
of the North. This is a vast country with extremely numerous trees growing
close together (<i>payvasta</i>). The people live among the trees and sow
(<i>kisht</i>) nothing except millet (<i>arzan</i>). They have no grapes
but possess plenty of honey from which they prepare wine and the like.
Their vessels (casks) for wine (<i>khunb-i nabīdh</i>)
are made of wood, and there are people (<i>mard buvadh kī</i>)
who annually prepare a hundred of such vessels of wine. They possess herds
of swine (<i>ramma-hā-yi
khūg</i>) which are
just like (<i>ham chinānk</i>)
herds of sheep. They burn the dead. When a man dies, his wife, if she loves
him, kills herself. They all wear shirts and shoes over the ankles (<i>pirāhan
va mūza tā
ba ka'b</i>). All of them are fire-worshippers. They possess string instruments
(ā<i>lāt-hā-yi
rūdh</i>) unknown
in the Islamic </font>
<p><font face="Palatino Linotype"><img SRC="line_down.gif" height=18 width=596>
<br>§ 43-4&nbsp;&nbsp; <i>"The Regions of the World"</i>&nbsp;&nbsp;
159 </font>
<p><font face="Palatino Linotype">countries (<i>andar musalmānī</i>),
on which they play. Their arms are shields, javelins (<i>zūpīn</i>),
and lances. The&nbsp;S</font><font face="Arial Unicode MS">̣</font><font face="Palatino Linotype">aqlāb
king is called S.mūt-swyt
(or <i>Bsmūt-swyt</i>,&nbsp;<img SRC="159_1.jpg" height=24 width=136 align=ABSBOTTOM>)
The food of their kings is milk. They spend the winter in huts and underground
dwellings (<i>kāz-hā
va zīr-zamīn-hā</i>).
They possess numerous castles and fortresses. They dress mostly in linen
stuffs. They think it their religious duty (<i>vājib
andar dīn</i>) to
serve the king. They possess two towns. </font>
<p><font face="Palatino Linotype">1. VĀBNĪT is
the first town on the east of the&nbsp;S</font><font face="Arial Unicode MS">̣</font><font face="Palatino Linotype">aqlāb
and some (of its inhabitants) resemble the Rūs.
</font>
<p><font face="Palatino Linotype">2. KHURDĀB, a
large town and the seat of the king.
<br>&nbsp; </font>
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