The Rashīdī History 187.3

187.3

The mind is incapable of conceiving how there could have been, at one time and in one city, so many men of eminence, and that now neither name nor trace is to be found of Bala-Sakun. Nor have I ever heard of a place called Ghur-baligh. Another town mentioned in books is Taraz. It is said that the Moghuls call Taraz, 'Yangi'; and this Yangi is placed in Moghulistan. There are many men of Yangi in Mavara-un-Nahr who are called 'Yangiligh.' Now in those deserts [mafáza] which they call Yangi, there are remains of many cities, in the form of domes, minarets, and traces of schools and monasteries; but it is not evident which of these ruined cities was Yángi, or what were the names of the others. Another famous town was Almaligh, which is known at the present day. The tomb of Tughluk Timur Khan is there, together with [other] traces of the city's prosperity. The dome of the Khan's tomb is remarkable, being lofty and decorated; while on the plaster, inscriptions are written. I recall one-half of a line, from one of the books, namely: "This court [bárgáh] was the work of a master-weaver [shar-báf]" — words which show that this master was an Iraki; for in Irak they call a weaver [kár-báf] 'shar-báf.' As far as I can recollect, the date inscribed on that dome was seven hundred and sixty and odd.