Page:From Constantinople to the home of Omar Khayyam.djvu/235

 with a defeated joy,' to the tramping steeds of Alexander's hosts that were destined to temper the stigma of conquest by the glory of future renown. ^ To while away the time, I asked our driver if he knew anything about Alexander. He immediately answered by giving the Macedonian's usual name in the East, Iskandar-i Zul Karnain, 'Alexander of the Two Horns,' and said that he knew that ' Iskandar had set out to measure the world' — a good answer; but when questioned as to where the conqueror came from or whither he went, the man frankly answered, 'I don't know' — na mlddnam. Nor had he any knowledge of Darius, except that 'Darab was a Pahlavan (champion) like Khusru, Suhrab, and Rustam.' Yet in ages past the fleeing king had probably made nearly the same halts as we had made on our morning march. In point of distance from the capital, a stopping-place like Sharifabad corresponds to others on the same route, though along slightly different roads, such as Aluhak or Hissar Amir, or answers to the main station, Kabud Gumbaz (lit. ' Blue Dome '), mentioned by most writers that have traveled this way, and the bluish green dome of whose mosque we had seen three or four miles to the north of the road.^

Some of the Arab-Persian geographers of a thousand years ago have left notes of this route, or have listed the stations from Rai to Nishapur and beyond. The road-books of these old- time authorities are still of service in recording the itinerary of the journey or possible military marches in this same direction.

1 The generally accepted fact that 8ea^ 1. 357 =3 ed. 1. 246 ; Ouseley Alexander followed this course and (1812), TraueZs, 3.204 ; Eraser (1821), not the long northern route over the Narrative, p. 286; Eastwick (1862), mountain of Firuz Kuh, as has some- Journal, p. 135; O'Donovan (1880), times been thought, will be brought Merv, 1. 367 ; Curzon (1889), Persia, out in part in this and the following 1. 298 ; others will be cited in my chapters, and still more fully in my Caspiae Portae, or the Caspian Gates promised monograph, Caspiae Portae. of Antiquity. Consult, furthermore,

2 Kabud Gumbaz was mentioned, the map in Houtum-Schindler, Eastern for example, by Van Mierop (about Persian Irak, London, 1897.

1740) in Hanway, Hist. Acct. Casp.

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