Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- PREFACE
- INTRODUCTORY LIFE OF TIMOUR
- NARRATIVE OF RUY GONZALEZ DE CLAVIJO:—
- I Voyage from Cadiz to Constantinople
- II Constantinople
- III Voyage from Constantinople to Trebizond
- IV Trebizond, and the Journey through Armenia
- V The Journey through Azerbijan, Irak, and Khorassan
- VI Journey from the river Oxus to Samarcand, and festivities at the Court of Timour
- VII The City of Samarcand
- VIII Return of the Ambassadors
- Plate section
VI - Journey from the river Oxus to Samarcand, and festivities at the Court of Timour
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 August 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- PREFACE
- INTRODUCTORY LIFE OF TIMOUR
- NARRATIVE OF RUY GONZALEZ DE CLAVIJO:—
- I Voyage from Cadiz to Constantinople
- II Constantinople
- III Voyage from Constantinople to Trebizond
- IV Trebizond, and the Journey through Armenia
- V The Journey through Azerbijan, Irak, and Khorassan
- VI Journey from the river Oxus to Samarcand, and festivities at the Court of Timour
- VII The City of Samarcand
- VIII Return of the Ambassadors
- Plate section
Summary
The lord Timour Beg, as soon as he had gained the government of Samarcand, desired to pass over this great river, to conquer the land of Khorassan. He therefore caused a great bridge of timber to be made, supported by boats ; and when his army had crossed, the bridge was destroyed ; but, on his return to Samarcand, he ordered it to be made again, for the passage of himself and his host; and the ambassadors crossed over on this bridge ; and they said that the lord had given an order to destroy the bridge, as soon as all his host had passed over. Near this great river Alexander fought a battle with Porus, king of India, and defeated him.
On the Thursday that the ambassadors reached this great river, they crossed to the other side, and, in the afternoon, they arrived at a great city called Termit, which once belonged to India the Less, but is now in the territory of Samarcand, having been conquered by Timour Beg, and from this place the empire of Samarcand begins. The territory of this empire of Samarcand is called Mongolia, and the language of the people is Mongol, so that those on the other side of the river do not know it, as they speak Persian: and the handwriting which they use on the Samarcand side of the river, is not understood by those on the other side. The lord has certain scribes who read and write this Mongol writing. The land of Samarcand is very populous, and very rich and fertile.
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- Narrative of the Embassy of Ruy. González de Clavijo to the court of Timour, at Samarcand, A.D. 1403–6 , pp. 119 - 163Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010