ÿþ<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=unicode"> <meta name="Author" content="Vassil Karloukovski"> <meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft FrontPage 5.0"> <meta name="ProgId" content="FrontPage.Editor.Document"> <title>Hudud al-'Alam - 44</title> </head> <body> <font face="Palatino Linotype"> <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>§ 44. Discourse on the Rks Country and its Towns</b> </font> <p><font face="Palatino Linotype">East of this country are the mountains of the Pechenegs; south of it, the river Rkt (<img SRC="159_2.jpg" height=19 width=25 align=ABSBOTTOM> ?); west of it, the&nbsp;S</font><font face="Arial Unicode MS">#</font><font face="Palatino Linotype">aqlbs; north of it, the Uninhabited Lands of the North. This is a vast country, and the inhabitants are evil-tempered (<i>badh&nbsp;t</font><font face="Arial Unicode MS">#</font><font face="Palatino Linotype">ab'</font></i><font face="Palatino Linotype">), intractable (<i>badh-rag va n-szanda</i>), arrogant-looking (<i>shkkh-rky</i>), quarrelsome (<i>sit++za-kr</i>), and warlike (<i>h</i></font><i><font face="Arial Unicode MS">#</font><font face="Palatino Linotype">arb-kun</font></i><font face="Palatino Linotype">). They war with all the infidels (<i>kfir</i>) who live round them, and come out victorious (<i>bihtar&nbsp;yand</i>). The king is called Rks-khqn. It is a country extremely favoured by nature with regard to all the necessaries (of life). One group (<i>gurkh</i>) of them practise chivalry (<i>muruvvat</i>). They hold the physicians in respect (t</font><font face="Arial Unicode MS">#</font><font face="Palatino Linotype"><i>ab+bn r buzurg drand</i>). They annually pay the tithe on their booty and commercial profits (<i>ghan+mat va bzurgn+</i>) to the government (<i>sult</font><font face="Arial Unicode MS">#</font><font face="Palatino Linotype">n</i>). Among them lives a group of Slavs who serve them. Out of 100 cubits (<i>gaz</i>) of cotton fabric (<i>karbs</i>), more or less, they sew trousers which they put on (<i>andar pkshand</i>), tucking them up above the knee (<i>bar sar-i znk gird karda drand</i>). They wear woollen bonnets (<i>ba sar bar nihdha drand</i>) with tails let down behind their necks (<i>dum az pas-i qaf furk hishta</i>). They bury the dead with all their belongings (<i>b har chi b khw+shtan dradh</i>), <br>38a <br>| clothes, and ornaments (<i>p+rya</i>). They (also) place in the grave, with the dead, food and drinks (t</font><font face="Arial Unicode MS">#</font><font face="Palatino Linotype"><i>a'm va sharb</i>). </font> <p><font face="Palatino Linotype">1. KjYBA (? Kkbba, &amp;c.) is the town [land ?] of the Rks lying nearest to the Islamic lands. It is a pleasant place and is the seat of the king. It produces various furs (<i>mky</i>) and valuable swords. </font> <p><font face="Palatino Linotype">2.&nbsp;S</font><font face="Arial Unicode MS">#</font><font face="Palatino Linotype">.LBA (?&nbsp;<img SRC="159_3.jpg" height=19 width=37 align=ABSBOTTOM>), a pleasant town from which, whenever peace reigns, they go for trade (? <i>b bzurgn+yand</i>) to the districts of Bulghr. </font> <p><font face="Palatino Linotype">3. URTB (?&nbsp;<img SRC="159_4.jpg" height=21 width=36 align=ABSBOTTOM>), a town where strangers are killed whenever they visit it. It produces very valuable blades and swords which can be bent in two (k<i> r du th tavn kardan</i>), but as soon as the hand is removed they return to their former state. <br>&nbsp; </font> <p><font face="Palatino Linotype">[<a href="hud_43_c.html">Previous</a>] [<a href="hud_44_c.html">Next</a>] <br>[<a href="index.html">Back to Index</a>] </font> </body> </html>