CHAPTER XXXIV.
OF THE GREAT CITY OF SAMARCAN.
Samarcan is a great and noble city towards the north-west, inhabited
by both Christians and Saracens, who are subject to the Great Kaan’s
nephew, CAIDOU by name; he is, however, at bitter enmity with the
Kaan.{1} I will tell you of a great marvel that happened at this city.
[Illustration: View of Samarcand. (From a sketch by Mr. Ivanoff.)
“Samarcan est une grandisme cité et noble.”]
It is not a great while ago that SIGATAY, own brother to the Great
Kaan, who was Lord of this country and of many an one besides, became
a Christian.{2} The Christians rejoiced greatly at this, and they
built a great church in the city, in honour of John the Baptist; and
by his name the church was called. And they took a very fine stone
which belonged to the Saracens, and placed it as the pedestal of a
column in the middle of the church, supporting the roof. It came to
pass, however, that Sigatay died. Now the Saracens were full of rancour
about that stone that had been theirs, and which had been set up in
the church of the Christians; and when they saw that the Prince was
dead, they said one to another that now was the time to get back their
stone, by fair means or by foul. And that they might well do, for they
were ten times as many as the Christians. So they gat together and went
to the church and said that the stone they must and would have. The
Christians acknowledged that it was theirs indeed, but offered to pay
a large sum of money and so be quit. Howbeit, the others replied that
they never would give up the stone for anything in the world. And words
ran so high that the Prince heard thereof, and ordered the Christians
either to arrange to satisfy the Saracens, if it might be, with money,
or to give up the stone. And he allowed them three days to do either
the one thing or the other.
What shall I tell you? Well, the Saracens would on no account agree
to leave the stone where it was, and this out of pure despite to the
Christians, for they knew well enough that if the stone were stirred
the church would come down by the run. So the Christians were in
great trouble and wist not what to do. But they did do the best thing
possible; they besought Jesus Christ that he would consider their case,
so that the holy church should not come to destruction, nor the name of
its Patron Saint, John the Baptist, be tarnished by its ruin. And so
when the day fixed by the Prince came round, they went to the church
betimes in the morning, and lo, they found the stone removed from under
the column; the foot of the column was without support, and yet it bore
the load as stoutly as before! Between the foot of the column and the
ground there was a space of three palms. So the Saracens had away their
stone, and mighty little joy withal. It was a glorious miracle, nay, it
_is_ so, for the column still so standeth, and will stand as long as
God pleaseth.{3}
Now let us quit this and continue our journey.
NOTE 1.—Of Kaidu, Kúblái Kaan’s kinsman and rival, and their long
wars, we shall have to speak later. He had at this time a kind
of joint occupancy of SAMARKAND and Bokhara with the Khans of
Chagatai, his cousins.
[On Samarkand generally see: _Samarqand_, by W. Radloff, translated
into French by L. Leger, _Rec. d’Itin. dans l’Asie Centrale_, École
des Langues Orient., Paris, 1878, p. 284 et seq.; _A travers le
royaume de Tamerlan (Asie Centrale)_ ... par Guillaume Capus ...
Paris, 1892, 8vo.—H. C.]
Marco evidently never was at Samarkand, though doubtless it was
visited by his Father and Uncle on their first journey, when we
know they were long at Bokhara. Having, therefore, little to say
descriptive of a city he had not seen, he tells us a story:—
“So geographers, in Afric maps,
With savage pictures fill their gaps,
And o’er unhabitable downs
Place elephants for want of towns.”
As regards the Christians of Samarkand who figure in the preceding
story, we may note that the city had been one of the Metropolitan
Sees of the Nestorian Church since the beginning of the 8th
century, and had been a bishopric perhaps two centuries earlier.
Prince Sempad, High Constable of Armenia, in a letter written
from Samarkand in 1246 or 1247, mentions several circumstances
illustrative of the state of things indicated in this story: “I
tell you that we have found many Christians scattered all over
the East, and many fine churches, lofty, ancient, and of good
architecture, which have been spoiled by the Turks. Hence, the
Christians of this country came to the presence of the reigning
Kaan’s grandfather (_i.e._ Chinghiz); he received them most
honourably, and granted them liberty of worship, and issued orders
to prevent their having any just cause of complaint by word or
deed. _And so the Saracens, who used to treat them with contempt,
have now the like treatment in double measure._”
Shortly after Marco’s time, viz. in 1328, Thomas of Mancasola, a
Dominican, who had come from Samarkand with a Mission to the Pope
(John XXII.) from Ilchigadai, Khan of Chagatai, was appointed Latin
Bishop of that city. (_Mosheim_, p. 110, etc.; _Cathay_, p. 192.)
NOTE 2.—CHAGATAI, here called Sigatay, was Uncle, not Brother, to
the Great Kaan (Kúblái). Nor was Kaidu either Chagatai’s son or
Kúblái’s nephew, as Marco here and elsewhere represents him to
be. (See Bk. IV. ch. i.) The term used to describe Chagatai’s
relationship is _frère charnel_, which excludes ambiguity,
cousinship, or the like (such as is expressed by the Italian
_fratello cugíno_), and corresponds, I believe, to the _brother
german_ of Scotch law documents.
NOTE 3.—One might say, These things be an allegory! We take the
fine stone that belongs to the Saracens (or Papists) to build our
church on, but the day of reckoning comes at last, and our (Irish
Protestant) Christians are afraid that the Church will come about
their ears. May it stand, and better than that of Samarkand has
done!
There is a story somewhat like this in D’Herbelot, about the
Karmathian Heretics carrying off the Black Stone from Mecca, and
being obliged years after to bring it back across the breadth
of Arabia; on which occasion the stone conducted itself in a
miraculous manner.
There _is_ a remarkable Stone at Samarkand, the _Kok-Tash_ or
Green Stone, on which Timur’s throne was set. Tradition says that,
big as it is, it was brought by him from Brusa;—but tradition may
be wrong. (See _Vámbéry’s Travels_, p. 206.) [Also _H. Moser, A
travers l’Asie centrale_, 114–115.—H. C.]
[The Archimandrite Palladius (_Chinese Recorder_, VI. p. 108)
quotes from the _Chi shun Chin-kiang chi_ (Description of
Chin-Kiang), 14th century, the following passage regarding the
pillar: “There is a temple (in Samarcand) supported by four
enormous wooden pillars, each of them 40 feet high. One of these
pillars is in a hanging position, and stands off from the floor
more than a foot.”—H. C.]