The Bābur-nāma in English (Memoirs of Bābur)
like an enemy, and plundered the families of most of Bāqī Beg's
men.[710] They made prisoner Qul-i-bāyazīd's little son, Tīzak; he came
into Kābul three or four years later. The plundered and unhappy families
crossed by the Qībchāq-pass, as we had done, and they rejoined us in
Ābā-qūrūq.
Leaving that camp we went, with one night's halt, to the Chālāk-meadow,
and there dismounted. After counsel taken, it was decided to lay siege
to Kābul, and we marched forward. With what men of the centre there
were, I dismounted between Ḥaidar _Tāqī's_[711] garden and the tomb of
Qul-i-bāyazīd, the Taster (_bakāwal_);[712] Jahāngīr Mīrzā, with the men
of the right, [Sidenote: Fol. 127.] dismounted in my great Four-gardens
(_Chār-bāgh_), Nāṣir Mīrzā, with the left, in the meadow of
Qūtlūq-qadam's tomb. People of ours went repeatedly to confer with
Muqīm; they sometimes brought excuses back, sometimes words making for
agreement. His tactics were the sequel of his dispatch, directly after
Sherak's defeat, of a courier to his father and elder brother (in
Qandahār); he made delays because he was hoping in them.
One day our centre, right, and left were ordered to put on their mail
and their horses' mail, to go close to the town, and to display their
equipment so as to strike terror on those within. Jahāngīr Mīrzā and the
right went straight forward by the Kūcha-bāgh;[713] I, with the centre,
because there was water, went along the side of Qūtlūq-qadam's tomb to a
mound facing the rising-ground;[714] the van collected above
Qūtlūq-qadam's bridge,—at that time, however, there was no bridge. When
the braves, showing themselves off, galloped close up to the
Curriers'-gate,[715] a few who had come out through it fled in again
without making any stand. A crowd of Kābulīs who had come out to see the
sight raised a great dust when they ran away from the high slope of the
glacis of the citadel (_i.e._ Bālā-ḥiṣār). A number of pits had been dug
up the rise [Sidenote: Fol. 127b.] between the bridge and the gate, and
hidden under sticks and rubbish; Sl. Qulī _Chūnāq_ and several others
were thrown as they galloped over them. A few braves of the right
exchanged sword-cuts with those who came out of the town, in amongst
the lanes and gardens, but as there was no order to engage, having done
so much, they retired.
Those in the fort becoming much perturbed, Muqīm made offer through the
begs, to submit and surrender the town. Bāqī Beg his mediator, he came
and waited on me, when all fear was chased from his mind by our entire
kindness and favour. It was settled that next day he should march out
with retainers and following, goods and effects, and should make the
town over to us. Having in mind the good practice Khusrau Shāh's
retainers had had in indiscipline and longhandedness, we appointed
Jahāngīr Mīrzā and Nāṣir Mīrzā with the great and household begs, to
escort Muqīm's family out of Kābul[716] and to bring out Muqīm himself
with his various dependants, goods and effects. Camping-ground was
assigned to him at Tīpa.[717] When the Mīrzās and the Begs went at dawn
to the Gate, they saw much mobbing and tumult of the common people, so
they sent me a man to say, "Unless you come yourself, there will be no
holding these people in." In the end I got to horse, had two or three
persons shot, two or three cut in pieces, and so stamped the rising
down. Muqīm and his belongings then got out, safe and sound, [Sidenote:
Fol. 128.] and they betook themselves to Tīpa.
It was in the last ten days of the Second Rabī` (Oct. 1504 AD.)[718]
that without a fight, without an effort, by Almighty God's bounty and
mercy, I obtained and made subject to me Kābul and Ghaznī and their
dependent districts.
DESCRIPTION OF KĀBUL[719]
The Kābul country is situated in the Fourth climate and in the midst of
cultivated lands.[720] On the east it has the Lamghānāt,[721]
Parashāwar (Pashāwar), Hash(t)-nagar and some of the countries of
Hindūstān. On the west it has the mountain region in which are Karnūd
(?) and Ghūr, now the refuge and dwelling-places of the Hazāra and
Nikdīrī (var. Nikudārī) tribes. On the north, separated from it by the
range of Hindū-kush, it has the Qūndūz and Andar-āb countries. On the
south, it has Farmūl, Naghr (var. Naghz), Bannū and Afghānistān.[722]
(_a. Town and environs of Kābul._)
The Kābul district itself is of small extent, has its greatest length
from east to west, and is girt round by mountains. Its walled-town
connects with one of these, rather a low one known as Shāh-of-Kābul
because at some time a (Hindū) Shāh of Kābul built a residence on its
summit.[723] Shāh-of-Kābul begins at the Dūrrīn narrows and ends at
those of Dih-i-yaq`ūb[724]; it may be 4 miles (2 _shar`ī_) round; its
skirt is covered with gardens fertilized from a canal which was brought
along the hill-slope in the time of my paternal uncle, Aūlūgh Beg Mīrzā
by his guardian, Wais Atāka.[725] The water of this canal comes to an
end in a retired corner, a quarter known as Kul-kīna[726] where much
debauchery has gone on. About this place it [Sidenote: Fol. 128b.]
sometimes used to be said, in jesting parody of Khwāja Ḥāfiẓ[727],—"Ah!
the happy, thoughtless time when, with our names in ill-repute, we lived
days of days at Kul-kīna!"
East of Shāh-of-Kabūl and south of the walled-town lies a large
pool[728] about a 2 miles [_shar`ī_] round. From the town side of the
mountain three smallish springs issue, two near Kul-kīna; Khwāja
Shamū's[729] tomb is at the head of one; Khwāja Khiẓr's Qadam-gāh[730]
at the head of another, and the third is at a place known as Khwāja
Raushānāī, over against Khwāja `Abdu'ṣ-ṣamad. On a detached rock of a
spur of Shāh-of-Kābul, known as `Uqābain,[731] stands the citadel of
Kābul with the great walled-town at its north end, lying high in
excellent air, and overlooking the large pool already mentioned, and
also three meadows, namely, Siyāh-sang (Black-rock), Sūng-qūrghān
(Fort-back), and Chālāk (Highwayman?),—a most beautiful outlook when the
meadows are green. The north-wind does not fail Kābul in the heats;
people call it the Parwān-wind[732]; it makes a delightful temperature
in the windowed houses on the northern part of the citadel. In praise of
the citadel of Kābul, Mullā Muḥammad _T̤ālib Mu`ammāī_ (the
Riddler)[733]
[Sidenote: Fol. 129.] used to recite this couplet, composed on
Badī`u'z-zamān Mīrzā's name:—
Drink wine in the castle of Kābul and send the cup round
without pause;
For Kābul is mountain, is river, is city, is lowland in one.[734]
(_b. Kābul as a trading-town._)
Just as `Arabs call every place outside `Arab (Arabia), `Ajam, so
Hindūstānīs call every place outside Hindūstān, Khurāsān. There are two
trade-marts on the land-route between Hindūstān and Khurāsān; one is
Kābul, the other, Qandahār. To Kābul caravans come from Kāshghar,[735]
Farghāna,Turkistān, Samarkand, Bukhārā, Balkh, Ḥiṣār and Badakhshān. To
Qandahār they come from Khurāsān. Kābul is an excellent trading-centre;
if merchants went to Khīta or to Rūm,[736] they might make no higher
profit. Down to Kābul every year come 7, 8, or 10,000 horses and up to
it, from Hindūstān, come every year caravans of 10, 15 or 20,000
heads-of-houses, bringing slaves (_barda_), white cloth, sugar-candy,
refined and common sugars, and aromatic roots. Many a trader is not
content with a profit of 30 or 40 on 10.[737] In Kābul can be had the
products of Khurāsān, Rūm, `Irāq and Chīn (China); while it is
Hindūstān's own market.
(_c. Products and climate of Kābul._)
In the country of Kābul, there are hot and cold districts close to one
another. In one day, a man may go out of the town of Kābul to where snow
never falls, or he may go, in two sidereal [Sidenote: Fol. 129b.] hours,
to where it never thaws, unless when the heats are such that it cannot
possibly lie.
Fruits of hot and cold climates are to be had in the districts near the
town. Amongst those of the cold climate, there are had in the town the
grape, pomegranate, apricot, apple, quince, pear, peach, plum,
_sinjid_, almond and walnut.[738] I had cuttings of the _ālū-bālū_[739]
brought there and planted; they grew and have done well. Of fruits of
the hot climate people bring into the town;—from the Lamghānāt, the
orange, citron, _amlūk_ (_diospyrus lotus_), and sugar-cane; this last I
had had brought and planted there;[740]—from Nijr-au (Nijr-water), they
bring the _jīl-ghūza,[741] and, from the hill-tracts, much honey.
Bee-hives are in use; it_ is only from towards Ghaznī, that no honey
comes.
The rhubarb[742] of the Kābul district is good, its quinces and plums
very good, so too its _badrang_;[743] it grows an excellent grape, known
as the water-grape.[744] Kābul wines are heady, those of the Khwāja
Khāwand Sa`īd hill-skirt being famous for their strength; at this time
however I can only repeat the praise of others about them:—[745]
The flavour of the wine a drinker knows;
What chance have sober men to know it?
Kābul is not fertile in grain, a four or five-fold return is reckoned
good there; nor are its melons first-rate, but they are not altogether
bad when grown from Khurāsān seed.
It has a very pleasant climate; if the world has another so pleasant, it
is not known. Even in the heats, one cannot sleep at night without a
fur-coat.[746] Although the snow in most places lies deep in winter, the
cold is not excessive; whereas in [Sidenote: Fol. 130.] Samarkand and
Tabrīz, both, like Kābul, noted for their pleasant climate, the cold is
extreme.
(_d. Meadows of Kābul._)
There are good meadows on the four sides of Kābul. An excellent one,
Sūng-qūrghān, is some 4 miles (2 _kuroh_) to the north-east; it has
grass fit for horses and few mosquitos. To the north-west is the Chālāk
meadow, some 2 miles (1 _shar`ī_) away, a large one but in it mosquitos
greatly trouble the horses. On the west is the Dūrrīn, in fact there are
two, Tīpa and Qūsh-nādir (var. nāwar),—if two are counted here, there
would be five in all. Each of these is about 2 miles from the town; both
are small, have grass good for horses, and no mosquitos; Kābul has no
others so good. On the east is the Siyāh-sang meadow with Qūtlūq-qadam's
tomb[747] between it and the Currier's-gate; it is not worth much
because, in the heats, it swarms with mosquitos. Kamarī[748] meadow
adjoins it; counting this in, the meadows of Kābul would be six, but
they are always spoken of as four.
(_e. Mountain-passes into Kābul._)
The country of Kābul is a fastness hard for a foreign foe to make his
way into.
The Hindū-kush mountains, which separate Kābul from Balkh, Qūndūz and
Badakhshān, are crossed by seven roads.[749] Three of these lead out of
Panjhīr (Panj-sher), _viz._ Khawāk, the uppermost, T̤ūl, the next lower,
and Bāzārak.[750] Of the passes on them, the one on the T̤ūl road is the
best, but the road itself is rather [Sidenote: Fol. 130b.] the longest
whence, seemingly, it is called T̤ūl. Bāzārak is the most direct; like
T̤ūl, it leads over into Sar-i-āb; as it passes through Pārandī, local
people call its main pass, the Pārandī. Another road leads up
through Parwān; it has seven minor passes, known as Haft-bacha
(Seven-younglings), between Parwān and its main pass (Bāj-gāh). It is
joined at its main pass by two roads from Andar-āb, which go on to
Parwān by it. This is a road full of difficulties. Out of Ghūr-bund,
again, three roads lead over. The one next to Parwān, known as the
Yāngī-yūl pass (New-road), goes through Wālīān to Khinjan; next above
this is the Qīpchāq road, crossing to where the water of Andar-āb meets
the Sūrkh-āb (Qīzīl-sū); this also is an excellent road; and the third
leads over the Shibr-tū pass;[751] those crossing by this in the heats