The Rashīdī History 17.6

17.6

A curious passage, it may be noted here, occurs in the Geographical Dictionary of the Arab author Yakut, as translated by Thonnelier. He writes: "Farghanah .... confinant avec le Turkestan du cote du district de Haital, lequel fait face au soleil levant, a droite du voyageur qui se rend au pays des Turks." This passage would be too obscure, in any case, to throw light on the question at issue. It is remarkable only as an instance, in this particular region, of regarding a certain tract, or province, as "facing the sun." With regard to the limits given for Mangalai Suyah, the only boundary that the author defines by names that appear to be unknown at the present day, is the western one. Sam, Gaz (or the two may be read together as Sam-gaz) and Jashman are indeed subject to some variants, but however read, I can find no place to answer to any of them on the western confines of Farghana, unless it be a small town, or village, marked on Ritter and Oetzel's map of 1841, as Sam Seirak, and placed on the Angren, tributary of the Syr, about midway between he received the surname [lakab] of Kuk Uchgu, which is now borne by all his descendants.