On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c7.s4.2

v1.c7.s4.2

The country here described has been long ago correctly identified with the modern Tashkend. Our pilgrim calls it *Che-shih* (赭時), as we are told to read the characters, or Chesh. This is evidently the *Che-she* (者舌)² of earlier writers with its capital *Che-chih* (赭支): the latter, Dr Hirth's "Tjadj," is also used to designate the country.³ The name is also written *Che-chih* (柘支) and its capital *Che-che* (柘折), and some western writers call the capital "Seket." The river of this country is here called *She* or *Ye* (葉) short for *Ye-ye* or *Ye-she*, the Jaxartes. Another transcription is Yao-sha (藥殺), and the river is also known as the Sihon and the Syr-daria. On entering China, we read in one treatise, it is called Chên-chu (眞珠), but another account makes Chên-chu to be a river of Tashkend alone.¹