The Nāṣirī Generations 263.3
Tabakat-i-Nasiri 263.3
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263.3.1
By the generality of writers it is said, that some 300 or 400 victims fell to the share of each Mughal butcher; and, although the number seems incredible, when we consider that the people of other cities were fugitives at Marw, and that the inhabitants of the towns and villages near had taken shelter within the walls, it is doubtless correct. The Sayyid, 'Izz-ud-Din of Nisa, and a number of clerks, were occupied during thirteen days and nights in recording the number of the slain, and the number, without accounting such as it was impossible to recognize, belonging to the city and neighbouring villages alone, it is said, amounted to a little over 1,300,000 souls. See page 281. After this, the walls and defences of this great city, after it had been thoroughly sacked, were demolished, and in such wise “that scarce a trace of it was left; and for a period of two hundred and nine years its desolation was such that its site did not afford sufficient shade for a wild beast,” after which, in 812 H., through the favour of Sultan Shah-Rukh, the son of Amir Timur, the Gurgan, the city was rebuilt.
263.3.2
Tuli Khan now bent his steps towards Nishabur; and, according to the Jahan-Kushae, when he had proceeded two marches on his way, fearing, probably, that enough blood had not been shed, with the instinct of a fiend, sent back a body of 2000 horse to slay all who might have crept out of holes and corners since his departure; and about 10,000 persons more were, in this wise, massacred. The Tarikh-i-Jahan-gir, however, states that, after sacking Marw, Tuli nominated the Amir, Ziya-ud-Din, 'Ali, one of its great men, who had been spared because he had retired previously from public life, and was dwelling in seclusion, to proceed thither, and remain there as governor of the desolated city and its dependencies, along with a Mughal Daroghah or Overseer, named Barmas—also styled Barmas and Barmias—over such of the inhabitants as might, from holes and corners, and other places of concealment, return to the city.
263.3.3
After the departure of the Mughal army towards Nishabur, about 5000 fugitives once more assembled, but their cup of misery was not yet full. A body of Mughals, who subsequently arrived there on their way to join Tuli, desired to have their share of slaughter, and so they required that every person in the place should bring out a skirt full of grain for them. By this stratagem all who did so were massacred; and this same detachment slew all they met with on the road to Nishabur. Soon after another body of Mughals, who had separated from the Nu-yan Jabah [Yamah] arrived, and they also put to death all who chanced to come in their way. There was still more misfortune in store for Marw. Some time after, an outbreak of Musalmans against the Mughals took place at Sarakhs, and the Amir, Ziya-ud-Din, 'Ali, set out to suppress it, and the Mughal, Barmas, or Barmias, the Overseer, moved outside Marw, with his following, taking with him the artificers and mechanics of the place, with the object, in case of need, of retiring to Bukhara. Those left within Marw imagined that he had heard news of the Sultan, Jalal-ud-Din's arrival, and that he was preparing to fly. which] the city [stood], in such wise that not a vestige of the buildings thereof remained.
263.3.4
Having finished with them [the inhabitants], and the city, and territory, Tuli's army, greater in magnitude than the previous one, notwithstanding the vast preparations they had made for defence, as previously narrated, became disheartened, and so no other remedy remained than to despatch the Kazi-i-Mamalik, Rukn-ud-Din, son of Ibrahim, to the presence of Tuli. On reaching his quarters, which was a considerable distance from the place, the Kazi besought security for the lives of the inhabitants, and tendered submission and payment of tribute, but all was of no avail, and he was dismissed. On Wednesday, the 12th [in some, the 2nd] of Safar, 618 H., early in the morning, the attack commenced, and was persisted in until the afternoon of the Friday, during which time, also, the Mughals had dammed up the water in the ditch in several places, so as to cause breaches in the walls. They then renewed the attack on all sides with greater vigour than before, and effected a lodgment on the top of the walls, where they were as bravely resisted ; but the defenders were being gradually forced back. A lodgment had also been effected near the Sher-ban gate ; and, during the Friday night, the walls and bastions became crowded with Mughals. On the following day they poured in through the gates, and began their work of plunder and massacre, while the people were still resisting at every favourable point. The Mughals made search for the Mujir-ud-Din [the Fakhr-ul-Mulk, Nizam-ud-Din, probably.
263.3.5
See note page 990, para. 11], and at last dragged him forth, and he, to make them put him speedily out of pain, was reviling and defying them, and they put him to death in the basest manner possible. Alfi says the defence was carried on for eight days, during which great numbers perished on both sides, and, on the ninth day, the city was taken by assault. The remainder of the inhabitants were now, as customary, driven out into the open country outside the city and slaughtered ; for it was directed, in order to avenge the death of the Gurgan, Taghachar, that Nishabur should be utterly destroyed, and no living creature, not even a dog or cat, was to be left alive. The daughter of the Chingiz Khan, the Khatun of Taghachar, with her own followers, afterwards [not before. The idea of her “ leading the avenging force at the head of 10,000 men,” as stated in the “ Mongols Proper,” is as absurd as the idea of “cutting off all the heads, and making separate heaps of men’s, women’s, and children’s heads ”] entered the place, and caused all that could be found, and any who might have crept out of concealment, to be slaughtered. Only forty — not so many as four hundred — who were mechanics and artisans, were allowed to escape, and they were carried off to Turkistan ; and in the time of Amir Timur their descendants were still dwelling there.
263.3.6
The walls, towers, and all the buildings of Nishabur were thrown down, and for seven days and nights the water of the neighbouring river, which had been dammed up for the purpose, was made to run over it, so as to sap whatever buildings remained — the greater number of houses were probably built of unburnt bricks — and bullocks and ploughs were brought, and its site was sown with barley, and the Mughal horses [some of them ?] fed with it when it sprang up. One Mughal officer and four Tajziks were left there to slay any persons who might have escaped the general massacre ! It is stated in the Tarikh-i-Khurasan, quoted by some of my authorities, that it took twelve days to number the slain, and that, without enumerating women and children, and such as could not be accounted for, the number recorded was 1,747,000 souls. With respect to this immense, and almost incredible, number of persons said to have been butchered by the Mughal advanced towards Hirat, and pitched his camp before the barbarians, we must understand that the people of the open country always sought shelter within the walled cities and towns. This fact, no doubt, tended to hamper their garrisons, and, from the quantity of food required for their subsistence, caused the early surrender of many very strong places that, otherwise, would have held out like the fortresses of Ghur and Gharjistan, as our author so graphically relates farther on.
263.3.7
The next movement of Tuli Khan was against Hirat. On reaching the verdant plain of Shabartu near that city, he despatched an agent, named Zanbur, demanding that the Amir who was governor on the part of Sultan Jalal-ud-Din, and the Kazi, the Khatib, and chief men of the city of Hirat, should come out and wait on him, and submit to the Mughal sovereign, and secure protection for their lives and property, lest the fate of Marw and Nishabur might be theirs also. The governor, Amir Shams-ud-Din, Muhammad, the Juzjani, and other Maliks therein, on hearing of the advance of the Mughals, had prepared to make a determined resistance, and all the approaches and defences were strongly guarded. The Tarikh-i-Jahan-gir, Rauzat-us-Safa, and Hafiz Abru, state, that there were 100,000 troops at that time in Hirat, but this is mere exaggeration for the glorification of the Mughals, as the sequel shows the contrary to have been the fact, but there certainly was a strong force there. When the envoy from Tuli Khan appeared before Amir Shams-ud-Din, Muhammad, and delivered his message, he forthwith ordered him to be put to death, saying at the same time: “Let not that day come for me to be subject to Mughal and Tattar infidels while breath remains in my body!” Next day, when intimation reached Tuli of the fate of his envoy, he was greatly enraged, and directed the troops to take up positions round about the city, and to slay every Harawi Tajik they could meet with.