Page:From Constantinople to the home of Omar Khayyam.djvu/342

 194 AMONG HISTORIC SITES

This quarter, we know, is certainly as old as 874 A.D., when Bayazid was buried here; and a still earlier date (unless it refers to the ruined section already described) seems to be assured by Yakut's statement that Bustam (or Bistam, as it was then called) was taken, without resistance, by the army of the Caliph Omar in 640 a.d.^ This date for the town's exist- ence would harmonize well with the tradition that ascribes its foundation to Bistam, an interesting figure in Persian history of the sixth century, presuming this to be the same prince as Bustam Mirza (the title mirzd^ when appended, not prefixed, means prince), to whom the city owes its name, and whose tomb is one of the chief sanctuaries of the place. ^ The historic Bistam, or Gustahm (the older pronunciation of the name Bustam, from the ancient Vistakhma), was a prince of the royal blood and uncle to Khusrau Parviz, or Chosroes II, whose father he had slain. Bistam sided for a time with his nephew in wars that involved relations with the Byzantine Empire, but later turned against him, setting himself up as an independent ruler until treacherously put to death at the instigation of Chosroes in 596 A.D.^ There may be some question as to whether the valiant warrior and the Moslem saint were actually identical, but the likelihood is strong, as Mordtmann, in par- ticular, has shown.*

1 Yakut gives ' 18 or 19 ' a.h. = 640 see the able discussion by Mordtmann, A.D.; cf. Barbier de Meynard, Diet. Hekatompylos, in Sitzh. Munchener geog. p. 105. See also Shah Ndmah, ^A;ad,Jahrgang 1869, pp. 499-509, and tr. Mobl, folio ed., 6. 650. compare the material given by Justi,

2 See Eraser, p. 336. The historic Iranisches Namenbuch, s.v. Wistaxma, Bistam, or Bustam Mirza, was appar- p. 371, Marburg, 1895, and in Grundr. ently apotheosized later and canonized iran. Philol. 2. 542-543 ; also Noldeke, as a Moslem saint, being called Imam- Aufsdtze zur persischen Geschichte, zadah Muhammad Bustam Mirza. pp. 122-124, Leipzig, 1887. Further- See Mordtmann, Hekatompylos, pp. more, on the death of Bistam by treach- 499-518, and consult the works re- ery, see Isfandiar (1216 a.d.) in ferred to in the next note. The fuller Browne, History of Tabaristdn by Is- name, Imam-zadah Muhammad Bus- fandiydr, p. 35, London, 1905 ; and tam Mirza, is given by Sarre, Denk- Tabari, Chronique, sur la version per- mdler, Textband, p. 117. sane de BeVami, tr. Zotenberg, 2. 303.

8 For the historic data about Bistam * See Mordtmann, pp. 617-618.

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