Felt houses on wheels, drawn by twenty oxen
Editorial contextHammer's chapter on dwellings, food and women pulls together Rubruck, Carpini and Marco Polo. The tents were of felt and set on wheels, like the wagon-houses of Horace's Scythians; the chimney-like top was of white felt whitened with lime or powdered bone to shine from afar against the dark tent; the south-facing door was closed by a felt embroidered with vines, trees, birds or beasts. The largest, rectangular and up to thirty feet long, were drawn by twenty-odd oxen and called chargah; round ones were called tscherke. A footnote adds that Timur's chargah was made of two hundred gilded, jewelled tents.
Their tents were of felt and on wheels, like the tents of the Scythians in Horace; their top, shaped almost like a chimney, was of white felt, whitewashed with lime or with white dust of crushed bone … These tents were of different shape and size; the largest, an oblong rectangle, often up to thirty feet long and drawn by twenty-odd oxen, were called chargah
Working translation
Original wording
Ihre Zelte waren aus Filz und auf Rädern, wie schon die Zelte der Scythen bey Horaz; der Gipfel derselben, fast wie ein Rauchfang gestaltet, war von weissem Filz, mit Kalk oder weissem Staub aus zermalmtem Gebein übertüncht … Diese Zelte waren von verschiedener Form und Grösse; die grössten, ein längliches Viereck, oft bis dreyssig Fuss lang und von einigen und zwanzig Ochsen gezogen, hiessen Chargiah
About Mongols (Tatars) of the 13th century
Keep in mind
Second-hand: the details are Rubruck's and Carpini's eyewitness notes, restated; the comparison with Horace is Hammer's.
Twenty-seven days through ruined cities
Editorial contextAfter leaving the Khazar king, Sallam says, his party crossed a black, foul-smelling land, then travelled twenty (or twenty-seven) days among ruined cities. They were told these were the remains of cities overrun by Gog and Magog. Near the wall they found forts held by Arabic- and Persian-speaking Muslims with schools and mosques, who had never heard of the caliph.
we passed twenty (twenty-seven) days in the midst of ruined cities. We were told these were the remains of cities once invaded and laid waste by the peoples of Gog and Magog. At last we came to fortresses built near the mountains … There we found people who spoke Arabic and Persian. They are Muslims and can read the Koran
Working translation
Original wording
nous passâmes, durant vingt (vingt-sept) jours, au milieu de villes en ruine. On nous apprit que c'étaient les restes des villes envahies autrefois et dévastées par les peuples de Gog et Magog. Nous arrivâmes enfin à des forteresses bâties dans le voisinage des montagnes … Nous y trouvâmes des personnes qui parlaient l'arabe et le persan. Ils sont musulmans, sachant lire le Koran
About Peoples of the steppe; ruins blamed on Gog and Magog
Keep in mind
A ninth-century tale: the ruins are real or imagined, but the explanation (Gog and Magog) is what Sallam was told, not something he could check.
The Horse Lord's people live in felt domes
Editorial contextThe preface divides the known world among four 'lords': elephants in the south, treasure in the west, men (China) in the east, and horses in the cold north. The northern horse peoples are fierce, live in felt tents and domed yurts, and move 'like birds' after their herds. It is a learned Buddhist scheme rather than an eyewitness scene, but it is a compact Chinese picture of steppe housing.
In the north is the Horse Lord, whose land is bitterly cold and suited to horses... The ways of the Horse Lord's people: fierce by nature, hardened to killing; they live in felt tents and domed yurts, dwelling like birds and following their herds.
Working translation
Original wording
北馬主寒勁宜馬…馬主之俗天資獷暴情忍殺戮毳帳穹廬鳥居逐牧
About Northern nomads (the 'Horse Lord' peoples, in practice the Turks)
Keep in mind
A cosmological scheme from Buddhist and Chinese learning, not a description of one place.
