The Memoirs of Bābur 910.5
The Bābur-nāma in English (A. S. Beveridge) 910.5
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910.5.1
The Sūrkh-rūd flows along the south of Adīnapūr. The fort stands on a height having a straight fall to the river of some 130 ft. (40-50 _qārī_) and isolated from the mountain behind it on the north; it is very strongly placed. That mountain runs between Nīngnahār and Lamghān[777]; on its head snow falls when it snows [Sidenote: Fol. 133.] in Kābul, so Lamghānīs know when it has snowed in the town. In going from Kābul into the Lamghānāt,[778]—if people come by Qūrūq-sāī, one road goes on through the Dīrī-pass, crosses the Bārān-water at Būlān, and so on into the Lamghānāt,—another goes through Qarā-tū, below Qūrūq-sāī, crosses the Bārān-water at Aūlūgh-nūr (Great-rock?), and goes into Lamghān by the pass of Bād-i-pīch.[779] If however people come by Nijr-aū, they traverse Badr-aū (Tag-aū), and Qarā-nakariq (?), and go on through the pass of Bād-i-pīch. Although Nīngnahār is one of the five _tūmāns_ of the Lamghān _tūmān_ the name Lamghānāt applies strictly only to the three (mentioned below).
910.5.2
One of the three is the `Alī-shang _tūmān_, to the north of which are fastness-mountains, connecting with Hindū-kush and inhabited by Kāfirs only. What of Kāfiristān lies nearest to `Alī-shang, is Mīl out of which its torrent issues. The tomb of Lord Lām,[780] father of his Reverence the prophet Nuḥ (Noah), is in this _tūmān_. In some histories he is called Lamak and Lamakān. Some people are observed often to change _kāf_ for _ghain_ (_k_ for _gh_); it would seem to be on this account that the country is called Lamghān. The second is Alangār. The part of Kāfiristān nearest to it is Gawār (Kawār), out of which its torrent issues (the Gau or Kau). This torrent joins that of `Alī-shang and flows with it [Sidenote: Fol. 133b.] into the Bārān-water, below Mandrāwar, which is the third _tūmān_ of the Lamghānāt.
910.5.3
Of the two _bulūks_ of Lamghān one is the Nūr-valley.[781] This is a place (_yīr_) without a second[782]; its fort is on a beak (_tūmshūq_) of rock in the mouth of the valley, and has a torrent on each side; its rice is grown on steep terraces, and it can be traversed by one road only.[783] It has the orange, citron and other fruits of hot climates in abundance, a few dates even. Trees cover the banks of both the torrents below the fort; many are _amlūk_, the fruit of which some Turks call _qarā-yīmīsh_;[784] here they are many, but none have been seen elsewhere. The valley grows grapes also, all trained on trees.[785] Its wines are those of Lamghān that have reputation. Two sorts of grapes are grown, the _arah-tāshī_ and the _sūhān-tāshī_;[786] the first are yellowish, the second, full-red of fine colour. The first make the more cheering wine, but it must be said that neither wine equals its reputation for cheer. High up in one of its glens, apes (_maimūn_) are found, none below. Those people (_i.e._ Nūrīs) used to keep swine but they have given it up in our time.[787] Another _tūmān_ of Lamghān is Kūnār-with-Nūr-gal. It lies somewhat out-of-the-way, remote from the Lamghānāt, with its borders in amongst the Kāfir lands; on these accounts its people give in tribute rather little of what they have. The Chaghān-sarāī [Sidenote: Fol. 134.] water enters it from the north-east, passes on into the _bulūk_ of Kāma, there joins the Bārān-water and with that flows east.
910.5.4
Mīr Sayyid `Alī _Hamadānī_,[788]—God's mercy on him!—coming here as he journeyed, died 2 miles (1 _shar`ī_) above Kūnār. His disciples carried his body to Khutlān. A shrine was erected at the honoured place of his death, of which I made the circuit when I came and took Chaghān-sarāī in 920 AH.[789] The orange, citron and coriander[790] abound in this _tūmān_. Strong wines are brought down into it from Kāfiristān. A strange thing is told there, one seeming impossible, but one told to us again and again. All through the hill-country above Multa-kundī, _viz._ in Kūnār, Nūr-gal, Bajaur, Sawād and thereabouts, it is commonly said that when a woman dies and has been laid on a bier, she, if she has not been an ill-doer, gives the bearers such a shake when they lift the bier by its four sides, that against their will and hindrance, her corpse falls to the ground; but, if she has done ill, no movement occurs. This was heard not only from Kūnārīs but, again and again, in Bajaur, [Sidenote: Fol. 134b.] Sawād and the whole hill-tract. Ḥaidar-`alī _Bajaurī_,—a sulṯān who governed Bajaur well,—when his mother died, did not weep, or betake himself to lamentation, or put on black, but said, "Go! lay her on the bier! if she move not, I will have her burned."[792] They laid her on the bier; the desired movement followed; when he heard that this was so, he put on black and betook himself to lamentation.
910.5.5
(_Authors note to Multa-kundī._) As Multa-kundī is known the lower part of the _tūmān_ of Kūnār-with-Nūr-gal; what is below (_i.e._ on the river) belongs to the valley of Nūr and to Atar.[791] Another _bulūk_ is Chaghān-sarāī,[793] a single village with little land, in the mouth of Kāfiristān; its people, though Muṣalmān, mix with the Kāfirs and, consequently, follow their customs.[794] A great torrent (the Kūnār) comes down to it from the north-east from behind Bajaur, and a smaller one, called Pīch, comes down out of Kāfiristān. Strong yellowish wines are had there, not in any way resembling those of the Nūr-valley, however. The village has no grapes or vineyards of its own; its wines are all brought from up the Kāfiristān-water and from Pīch-i-kāfiristānī. The Pīch Kāfirs came to help the villagers when I took the place. Wine is so commonly used there that every Kāfir has his leathern wine-bag (_khīg_) at his neck, and drinks wine instead of water.[795] Kāma, again, though not a separate district but dependent on Nīngnahār, is also called a _bulūk_.[796] [Sidenote: Fol. 135.] Nijr-aū[797] is another _tūmān_. It lies north of Kābul, in the Kohistān, with mountains behind it inhabited solely by Kāfirs; it is a quite sequestered place. It grows grapes and fruits in abundance. Its people make much wine but, they boil it. They fatten many fowls in winter, are wine-bibbers, do not pray, have no scruples and are Kāfir-like.[798]
910.5.6
In the Nijr-aū mountains is an abundance of _archa_, _jīlghūza_, _bīlūt_ and _khanjak_.[799] The first-named three do not grow above Nigr-aū but they grow lower, and are amongst the trees of Hindūstān. _Jīlghūza_-wood is all the lamp the people have; it burns like a candle and is very remarkable. The flying-squirrel[800] is found in these mountains, an animal larger than a bat and having a curtain (_parda_), like a bat's wing, between its arms and legs. People often brought one in; it is said to fly, downward from one tree to another, as far as a _giz_ flies;[801] I myself have never seen one fly. Once we put one to a tree; it clambered up directly and got away, but, when people went after it, it spread its wings and came down, without hurt, as if it had flown. Another of the curiosities of the Nijr-aū mountains is the _lūkha_ (var. _lūja_) bird, called also _bū-qalamūn_ (chameleon) because, between head and tail, it has four or five changing colours, resplendent like a pigeon's throat.[802] It is about as large as the _kabg-i-darī_ and seems to be the _kabg-i-darī_ of Hindūstān.[803] People tell this wonderful thing about it:—When the birds, at [Sidenote: Fol. 135b.] the on-set of winter, descend to the hill-skirts, if they come over a vineyard, they can fly no further and are taken.[804] There is a kind of rat in Nijr-aū, known as the musk-rat, which smells of musk; I however have never seen it.[805]
910.5.7
Panjhīr (Panj-sher) is another _tūmān_; it lies close to Kāfiristān, along the Panjhīr road, and is the thoroughfare of Kāfir highwaymen who also, being so near, take tax of it. They have gone through it, killing a mass of persons, and doing very evil deeds, since I came this last time and conquered Hindūstān (932 AH.-1526 AD.).[806] Another is the _tūmān_ of Ghūr-bund. In those countries they call a _kūtal_ (_koh_?) a _bund_;[807] they go towards Ghūr by this pass (_kūtal_); apparently it is for this reason that they have called (the _tūmān_?) Ghūr-bund. The Hazāra hold the heads of its valleys.[808] It has few villages and little revenue can be raised from it. There are said to be mines of silver and lapis lazuli in its mountains. Again, there are the villages on the skirts of the (Hindū-kush) mountains,[809] with Mīta-kacha and Parwān at their head, and Dūr-nāma[810] at their foot, 12 or 13 in all. They are fruit-bearing villages, and they grow cheering wines, those of Khwāja Khāwand Sa`īd being reputed the strongest roundabouts. The villages all lie on the foot-hills; some pay taxes but not all are taxable because they lie so far back in the mountains. Between the foot-hills and the Bārān-water are two detached stretches of level land, one known as _Kurrat-tāziyān_,[811] the other as _Dasht-i-shaikh_ (Shaikh's-plain). As the green grass of the millet[812] grows well there, they are the resort of Turks and [Sidenote: Fol. 136.] (Mughūl) clans (_aīmāq_).