Turquestan
1638. Some yeares travels into divers parts of Asia and Afrique by Thomas Herbert.
Tocharistan or Turquestan is a member of the Ouzbeg-Tartar in 40 degrees, adjoyning Gaznehen and S'marcand. Townes of note there, are Tuz (in 38 degrees, the birth-place of Nazarradyn the great Mathematician, & Commentator upon Euclyde) Nishapore, Sarkas, Gelack, &c. extending from this part of Taurus to the river Nycaphtac, of old call'd Oxus, the Terminus to the ambitious Persians; subdivided into many Toparchies, the Camae, Camaecae, Alizonii, Basilei, Vrgi, &c. buried at this day in oblivion, or wrapt up in other Nomenclations. Maurenahar, part of Sogdiana has the river Iehun on the South, (Gihon or Gychon) and Korazon with Gaznehen to the South East; and to the West the Mare Caspium; it is a part of Tartary, spatious, populous, but barren, mountainous; the people affecting rape and idlenesse. Some make it a part of Turquestan (a remnant of those, Alexander shut up) and from whom are sprung those Caterpillers of the world, the Turks, the of-spring of Hagar, and though to us but lately knowne, yet to old Geographors the name Torc was familiar, repeated by Rabbi Benjamin-ben Ionas in his Itinerary, who notes that the captive Jewes brought hither by Salmanasser, associated with the Torqs neere Nyshabur, by Ptolomy Nisibi, by others the mountains of Nisebon; Hayton also commemorates them and Vlughbeghius. Townes of account are, Buchar and Seonargant, (Maracanda in Arrhyan, Samrachatan in Chalcondiles, Paracanda in Strabo, Sarmagana in Ptolomy.) (Bokar and Samarchand) the birth places of Avicen (call'd Honain-Ali-ben-sein) borne Anno Heg. 370, a famous scholler, in ninety bookes of Physicks, Chymicks, and Philosophy helping others: and of Tamerlan borne Anno Heg. 760. Balk, Thalan, Arzan, Kaz, Sychamest, &c. inhabited by Scythic people then and now removing too and fro in Tents; a warlike race, but illiterate and blockish; great Idolators, carving the Devill in many ugly postures; very ceremonious, abstaing from bread, drink, wine, but to raw flesh of horse and man, had a terrible appetite.
1652. Cosmographie in four bookes by Peter Heylyn.
TVRCHESTAN is bounden on the East, with Zagathay specially so called; on the West, with the River So•ne, parting it from Deserta; on the North, with those desarts which Ptolomy blindeth under the name of 〈◊〉; and on the South, with the Caspian Sea. So called from the Turks, some of which people when they left their first Seats neer the Fennes of Moeotis, setled in this Country, and here still continue.
The Countrey as desert and ill planted, as the rest of Tartary, not so much out of any defect in the soyl it self, as in the humour of the people: who though originally Turks, do yet compose themselves unto the lives of the Scythian or Tartarian Nomades, neglecting tillage, and abiding in no place longer than that place affords them pasturage for their Cattell: huge herds of which they keep as their greatest treasure, but more to cloth their backs with the skinns, than to fill their Bellies with the flesh.
Amongst the Rivers of most note we may reckon,
- Rhymnus, mentioned by Ptolomy, which by the position of it in the 91 degree of longitude, seems to be of this Tract. It riseth out of the mountains called Montes Rhymnici, giving name to the River, or taking name from it.
- Ardock, not known by that name amongst the Antients, and whether known at all or not, I am not able to say. Shaping its course towards the North, and weary of so cold a clime, and such barbarous people, after a long and swift course of a thousand miles, it hideth it self under the ground for five hundred more: but breaking out again, and finding little or no hope of a better fortune, loseth it self for ever in the great Lake of Kitay.
To look for Towns amongst a people which delight not in settled houses, were a labour lost: yet some I find ascribed unto them. The principall, but of no great note,
- Calba, and
- Occrra;
- Then there is Crustina, situate on or neer the Lake of Kitay, never without the company of Russian and Tartarian Merchants: the Russians sailing to it by the River Ob; and the Zagathaian Tartars travelling to it by land. By these two nations more peopled, to maintain their traffick, than by the Turcomans themselves, in whose land it standeth.
These Turcon•ans are of the posterity of some of those Turca, who wanting room, or otherwise oppress'd with want, forsook their antient dwelling neer the Fennes of Moeotis, and the coasts of the Euxine Sea, to seek new dwellings, Anno 844. That their whole body settled here, and from hence made their conquest quest of Persia, as some very industrious men are of opinion, I by no means grant. For when the Sultan of Persia, having by the means of Tangrolipix and those Mercinary Turks whom he invited to his aid, obtained the victory; and thought it fit for his affairs to detain them longer in his service: it is said he shut up the passages of the River Araxes, to hinder them from returning to their habitations. The shutting up of which River, and fortifying against them all the passages and bridges of it, had not served his tum, if the Turks had come from this place: for then he must have manned against them the River Oxus, and such as lay betwixt them and him in the common rode. Nor is it probable, that the Turcomans dwelling in this Province, on the East side of the River Volga, would undertake the fording of that dangerous and violent Water, and force themselves a way thorow Albania, and Armenia, with no greater numbers than 3000 men, which was the whole strength that they carryed with them. So that it is not to be doubted but that they came first into Persia out of Turcomania, and not out of Turchestan: and probable enough, that when they first left their own abode, and came unto the Northwest shores of the Caspian Sea, they might there divide themselves; Some of which leaving that Sea on the left hand, and passing thorow the Sarmatian or Albanian Streights, made their way into Armenia, and those parts of Iberia, which from them are now called Turcomiania. The residue keeping that Sea on the right hand, and crossing the Volga, where they found the passage most easie for them, settled themselves in these parts of Scythia which they found less peopled, now from them named Turchestan. Some of which hearing of the good success of their Countrey-men in the Conquest of Persia, might afterwards join with them to assure that purchase. Governed since their first comming hither by the Chiefs of their severall Clans, whom they honour with the title of Chams; but all of them tributaries, and vassals to the Cham of Zagathay.
1662. A Geographical dictionary in which are described... London. by Henry Brome.
Turquestan, one of the greatest parts of Tartary in Asia.
1682. Cosmography and geography in two parts by Richard Blome.
TƲRQƲESTAN lies East from Ʋsbeck or Zagathay, West from Cathay, North from India, and South from True Tartary. It is subdivided into some Kingdoms, of which the best known are Castar, Cotam, Chialis, Ciartiam, Thibet, Chinchintalis, &c. A part of their chief Cities being of the same name. Some name Hiarchan instead of Cascar, and Turon or Turphan instead of Chialis, for the chief Cities of the Kingdom. That of Cascar is the richest, most fertil, and best cultivated of all: That of Ciartiam is esteemed the least, and all sandy, having in recompence many Jaspars and Cassidoines; but that of Cascar hath likewise excellent Rhubarb, and in great quantity. Those of Cotam and Chialis have Corn, Wine, Flax, Hemp, Cotton, &c. Thibet is more advanced towards the Mogolls of India, and the most engaged in the Mountains of Imaus, Caucasus, and Ʋssontes. It hath many wild Beasts, Musk, and Cinnamon; and they make use of Coral instead of Mony. The Relations which have been given in 1624 and 1626, have made this Estate so great and rich, that they would confound it with Cathay: but those of 1651 make the Region very cold, and always covered with Snow; esteeming its King wholly barbarous, and less powerful than him of Serenegar, who is only a Rahia in the Estates of the Great Mogoll: so little assurance is there in the most part of these Relations. The other places of note in Turquestan are, Camul, Turfan, Emil, Sark, Cassia, Andegen, Raofa, Cotain, Peim, Finegle, Lop, Ciartiam, Sazechiam, and Vociam; and in this part is the Lake of Kithay, which is 65 Leagues in length, and 40 in breadth.
1694. The great historical, geographical and poetical dictionary by Louis Moreri.
Turquestan, a Province between Great Tartary and the Kingdom of the Great Mogul. Several Moderns think there is no such Place as Turquestan, and that this Country is the Kingdom of Tibet, but it's hard to determine the truth.