“The road between Sebsevar and Meshed is, in short, of such a character that it can hardly fit in with Marco Polo’s enthusiastic description of the six days.  And as these came just before Sapurgan, one cannot either identify the desert regions named with the deserts about the middle course of the Murgab which extend between Meshed and Shibirkhan.  He must have crossed desert first, and it may be identified with the nemek-sar or salt desert east of Tun and Kain.  The six days must have been passed in the ranges Paropamisus, Firuz-kuh, and Bend-i-Turkestan.  Marco Polo is not usually wont to scare his readers by descriptions of mountainous regions, but at this place he speaks of mountains and valleys and rich pastures.  As it was, of course, his intention to travel on into the heart of Asia, to make a detour through Sebsevar was unnecessary and out of his way.  If he had travelled to Sebsevar, Nishapur, and Meshed, he would scarcely call the province of Tun-o-Kain the extremity of Persia towards the north, even as the political boundaries were then situated.

“From Balkh his wonderful journey proceeded further eastwards, and therefore we take leave of him.  Precisely in Eastern Persia his descriptions are so brief that they leave free room for all kinds of speculations.  In the foregoing pages it has been simply my desire to present a few new points of view.  The great value of Marco Polo’s description of the Persian desert consists in confirming and proving its physical invariableness during more than six hundred years.  It had as great a scarcity of oases then as now, and the water in the wells was not less salt than in our own days.” (Overland to India, II., pp. 75-77.)

XXVII., p. 152 n.

DOGANA.

“The country of Dogana is quite certain to be the Chinese T’u-ho-lo or Tokhara; for the position suits, and, moreover, nearly all the other places named by Marco Polo along with Dogana occur in Chinese History along with Tokhara many centuries before Polo’s arrival.  Tokhara being the most important, it is inconceivable that Marco Polo would omit it.  Thus, Poh-lo (Balkh), capital of the Eptals; Ta-la-kien (Talecan), mentioned by Hiuan Tsang; Ho-sim or Ho-ts’z-mi (Casem), mentioned in the T’ang History; Shik-nih or Shi-k’i-ni (Syghinan) of the T’ang History; Woh-k’an (Vochan), of the same work; several forms of Bolor, etc. (see also my remarks on the Pamir region in the Contemporary Review for Dec., 1897).” (E.H.  PARKER, Asiatic Quart.  Rev., Jan., 1904, p. 142.)

XIX., p. 160.

BADAKHSHAN.

“The Chinese name for ‘Badakhshan’ never appears before the Pa-ta-shan of Kublai’s time.” (E.H.  PARKER, Asiatic Quart.  Rev., Jan., 1904, p. 143.)

XXX., pp. 164-166.  “You must know that ten days’ journey to the south of Badashan there is a province called PASHAI, the people of which have a peculiar language, and are Idolaters, of a brown complexion.  They are great adepts in sorceries and the diabolic arts.  The men wear earrings and brooches of gold and silver set with stones and pearls.  They are a pestilent people and a crafty; and they live upon flesh and rice.  Their country is very hot.”