مسالك الابصار في ممالك الامصار 2.129

2.129

ولقد حدثني الشيخ مبارك قال: اللك الأحمر [1] مائة ألف تنكة، واللك الأبيض مائة ألف تنكة الذهب، وهي المسمى عندهم التنكة الحمراء، ثلاثة مثاقيل، والتنكة النقرة [2] وهي تنكة الفضة، ثمانية دراهم هشتكانه [3] ، وهذا الدرهم الهشتكاني [4] هو وزن الدرهم النقرة معاملة مصر والشام، وجوازه لا يكاد يتفاوت ما بينهما، وهذا الدرهم الهشتكاني هو أربعة دراهم سلطانية، وهي المسماة الدكانية، وهذا الدرهم السلطاني يجيء ثلث درهم ششتكاني، وهو درهم ثالث يتعامل به في الهند، وجوازه بنصف وربع درهم ششتكاني [5] (ولهذا الدرهم السلطاني نصف يسمى يكاني [6] وهو بكتيل واحد، وكلهم درهم آخر اسمه شاتربكاني [7] جوازه بدرهمين، فحينئذ دراهم الهند ستة شاذودكاني ودوازديدكاني [8] هشتكاني [9] ششكاني [10] وسلطاني ويكاني [11] أصغرها

Thus a letter from a very distant place is conveyed in a very short time with greater celerity than if it had been transmitted by post, or by camel express. At each of these post-stations there are mosques, where prayers are said, and where travellers can find shelter, reservoirs full of good water, and markets where all things necessary for the food of man and beast can be purchased, so that there is very little necessity for carrying water, or food, or tents. All through the country which separates the two capitals of the empire, Dehli and Deogír, the Sultan has had drums placed at every post-station. When any event occurs in a city, or when the gate of one is opened or closed, the drum is instantly beaten. The next nearest drum is then beaten, and in this manner the Sultan is daily and exactly informed at what time the gates of the most distant cities are opened or closed. * * * * I will now speak about the money, and afterwards about the price of provisions, seeing that these are regulated and calculated upon the value of money. Shaikh Mubárak informed me that the red lac consists of 100,000 tankas (of gold), and the white lac of 100,000 tankas (of silver). The gold tanka, called the red tanka, is equal to three miskáls and the silver tanka comprises eight dirhams hashtkání. The dirham hashtkání has the same weight as the silver dirham, current in Egypt and Syria. The value of both is the same, with scarcely the slightest difference.

The dirham hashtkání answers to four dirhams sultánís, otherwise called dukánís. A dirham sultání is worth the third of a dirham shashkání, which is a third kind of silver coin current in India, and which is worth three-fourths of the dirham hashtkání. A piece, which is the half of the dirham sultání, is called yakání (piece of one), and is worth one jítal. Another dirham, called dwázdahkání (piece of twelve), passes for a hashtkání and a half. Another coin, called shánzdahkání, corresponds to two dirhams. So the silver coins current in India are six, i.e. the dirham shánzdahkání, the dwázdahkání, the hashtkání, the shashkání, the sultání, and the yakání. The least of these pieces is the dirham sultání. These three kinds of dirhams are employed in commerce, and are taken universally, but there is no one of more general use than the dirham sultání, which is worth a quarter of the dirham of Egypt and of Syria. The dirham sultání is equal to eight fals [or fulús] ; the jítal to four fals ; and the dirham hashtkání, which corresponds exactly to the silver dirham of Egypt and Syria, is worth thirty-two fals. The ritl of India, which is called sír, weighs seventy miskáls, which, estimated in dirhams of Egypt, is worth 102f. Forty sírs make one man. They do not know the way of measuring grain in India.