The Beginning of a Journey -- In Persia

2

We departed from "the city of peace" on Thursday, the eleventh day of the month of Safar in the year 309 of the Hijra calendar. We stayed in Najran for one day, and then proceeded quickly to Dascar, where we stayed for three days. After that, without stopping anywhere else, we arrived at Furwan and stayed there for two days.

Notation	Explanation
Heian's capital	A name referring to Baghdad.
Safar month	The second month in the Islamic lunar calendar. The dates in the text are based on that calendar.

From there, we proceeded to Kilmysheen and stayed for two days. Then, we departed and went to Hamadan, where we stayed for three days.

Next, I proceeded to Sarwa and stayed there for two days. From there, I went to Raiy and stayed for eleven days. I was waiting for my brother, Ahmad ibn Ali, who was in the vicinity of Raiy.

After that, we departed for Fawar al-Rayyi and stayed there for three days. Next, we went to Simnan, from where we headed towards Damghan. In Damghan, I met Ibn Karin, who was standing near al-Dari', so I hid among a caravan. Then, we moved quickly again and arrived at Nishapur. Layla bint Nu'man had already been killed, and we met Hammawihi Kusari, the commander of the Khurasan army, there.

Next, we went to Sarufus, then from there to Maru, and further on to Kishmahan. Kishmahan is located at the edge of the Amur desert. We stayed there for three days in order to rest the camels before entering the desert. After that, we crossed the desert to reach Amur, and after crossing the Jaifun River, we arrived at Arfur, where Tahir ibn Ali's ribat is located.

Notation	Explanation
Ribat	A facility used for the accommodation and defense of travelers. This passage refers to a ribat named after Tahir ibn Ali.