The Nāṣirī Generations 260: ACCOUNT OF THE PASSAGE OF THE RIVER JIHON BY THE CHINGIZ KHAN.

260

When the month of Rabi'-ul-Awwal of the year 618 H. came round, the Mughal hosts, a second time, were despatched into different parts of Khurasan, Ghur, and Gharjistan; and, as the route of the Mughal armies used to be before the fortress of Nasir Koh of Talkan, the holywarriors of that fortress used to display valour and self-devotion. This circumstance coming constantly to the hearing of the Chingiz Khan, and the forces sent against that stronghold being unable to gain possession of it, and it being impossible to capture it, he crossed the Jihun for the purpose of taking it, and pitched his camp on the Pushtah [mound] of Nu’man and in the Bayaban [uncultivated plain] of Ka’b which is between Tal-kan and Balkh.
When the affairs of the people of the fortress of Nasir Koh came to a crisis, they resigned their hearts to martyrdom, and washed their hands of all hope of life. Three months prior to the occurrence of the capture of the fortress, and their attainment of the glory of martyrdom, the whole of them, by mutual consent, donned deep blue [mourning] garments, and used to repair daily to the great masjid of the fortress, and would repeat the whole Kur'an, and condole and mourn with each other; and, after doing all this, they used to pronounce benediction on and bid farewell to each other, and assume their arms, and engage in holy-warfare with the infidels, and despatch many of the Mughals to hell, and some among themselves would attain martyrdom.
On the Chingiz Khan, the Mughal, becoming aware of the severity of the conflict carried on by these warriors of the faith, he moved from the Pushtah of Nu’man against the fortress in person, and the attack commenced. On one side of the fortress, where the upper gateway was situated, they had excavated a ditch in the rock, and the Mughals, with stones from their catapults, battered down the bastion at that point, and filled in the ditch, and effected a breach to the extent of about a hundred ells. Still the Mughal forces were unable to take the fort ; but the Chingiz Khan, through excessive rage, swore his accustomed oath that he would take that fortress on horseback. For a period of fifteen days more fighting was carried on, until an even passage was made, so that the capture of the fort of Nasir Koh might be effected. When the Mughal cavalry charged into the fortress, 500 men of the defenders of the place, tried warriors, formed in a compact body, and sallied forth from the gateway of the Koh-i-Janinah [Janinah mountain] of Tal-kan, and threw themselves upon the Mughal army, broke through its ranks, and cut their way out. As mountains and ravines were close by, some of them attained martyrdom, but the greater number escaped in safety.
The Chingiz Khan destroyed that fortress, and caused the whole of [the rest of] the inhabitants to be martyred. May God reward them !