On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c7.s8.1

v1.c7.s8.1

Our narrative proceeds to describe that going out of the Iron Pass you reach the Tu-huo-lo country. This was above 1000 *li* north to south and 3000 *li* east to west; it reached on the east to the Ts'ung-Ling, on the west to Persia, on the south to the Great Snow Mountains (the Hindu-Kush) and on the north to the Iron Pass; the river Oxus flowed through the middle of it from east to west; for several centuries the succession to the sovereignty had been interrupted and the country was divided into 27 States with separate chiefs and all subject to the Turks, "When the climate becomes warm there is much sickness. and at the end of winter and beginning of spring there is constant rain (in C. "a succession of hoarfrost and rain"); hence in all the countries south of this to Lan-p'o much heat-sickness is a natural characteristic; hence the Buddhist Brethren go into Retreat of the Rainy season on the 16th day of the 12th month and go out on the 15th day of the 3rd month; this is because there is much rain then, thus making their religious precepts conform to the seasons." The people were pusillanimous and ill-favoured, but they were in a manner reliable and were not given to deceitful ways. They had a peculiar spoken language and an alphabet of 25 letters, their writing was horizontal from left to right, and their records had gradually increased until they exceeded those of Su-li in number. They had for clothing more calico (tieh) than serge; their currency consisted of gold, silver, and other coins which were different from those of other countries.