In a country of Turks
6
We departed from Jurjan on Monday, the second day of Zu al-Qa'ada in the year 39 of the Hijra calendar. We stayed at a place called Zamjaan, which is the gateway to the land of the Turks.
Notation Explanation Zu al-Qa'ada month The 11th month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Dates in the text are shown according to this calendar.
The next day, we departed again and arrived at a campsite called Jeet. There, we were hit by snow, and the camels were buried in snow up to their knees, making it difficult for them to move forward. We stayed at this campsite for two days.
Notation Translation Note Jiito A phonetic transcription of the place name in the adopted edition. The manuscript contains a different reading, and the identification of the place name is currently uncertain.
Then, without stopping for anything, we advanced into the depths of the land of the Turks. We did not meet a single person and traveled across desolate plains with no mountains for ten days. We suffered from hardship and fatigue, severe cold, and incessant snow. Compared to that, the cold of Khwarazm was like a summer day. Everything that had happened before seemed forgotten. We were driven to the brink of death.
One day, a particularly severe cold snap struck. A Takin was walking alongside me, and next to it, a Turkish man was speaking to it in Turkish. The Takin laughed and said:
"Do you understand what this Turkish person is saying? He says, 'What does our Lord want from us? Is he trying to kill us in this cold weather? If we knew what he wants, we would offer it to God accordingly.'"
I said to Takin.
"Please tell that person, 'God desires that you say, "There is no god but God."' "
Notation Translation Note There is no god but God. This phrase, spoken during a conversation while traveling, expresses a belief. Please distinguish between the question from the Turkish person, the translation by Takin, and the author's response when reading this passage.
The man laughed and said, "If you had known, you would have done it differently."
After that, we arrived at a place where there were an enormous amount of tag trees for firewood, and we stayed there. The people in the caravan made a fire to warm themselves, and they took off their clothes and spread them out.
We started again. Every night, from midnight until the time of afternoon prayers, or noon, we advanced as intensely and powerfully as possible, and then camped.
Notation Translation Note Time of afternoon worship The original text mentions Asul's time and then adds "or until noon." I have left both times separate without unifying them into one.
Thus, they proceeded for fifteen nights and arrived at a large mountain with many stones. There was a spring there, and water flowed down the mountain, collecting in depressions.
Notation Translation Note Water flows down the mountain and gathers in a depression. This sentence is unclear in the original document, and even the published versions include characters that have been added or corrected. The translation follows the reading of the published version, but does not mean that all words in the manuscript are confirmed.