"Khudud al-Alam" - "The Boundaries of the World"

«Hudud al-Alam». («Boundaries of the World»). Translation from Persian by N. Vorozheikina.

This anonymous work was written in 372/982—83 in Persian. It was discovered in 1892 in Bukhara by A. G. Tumansky. The Orientalist V. F. Minorsky translated it into English with extensive scholarly commentary. The «Hudud al-Alam» («Boundaries of the World») contains very valuable information about the Kyrgyz and the geography of Kyrgyzstan. V. V. Bartold based his first writings on their information regarding the penetration of part of the Yenisei Kyrgyz into the Tian Shan in the 9th century.

Text: The tenth lake is Tuz-Kul1 in the region of the Khallukh. Its length is ten farsakhs2, and its width is eight farsakhs. Salt is formed in it, and there is enough salt for seven Khallukh tribes. The eleventh is Lake Issyk-Kul3, located between the Chigils4 and the Toguzguzs. Its length is 30 farsakhs and its width is 20 farsakhs, and the city of Barskhan5 is located on the shore of this lake.

...And another mountain rises from the very beginning of the Toguzguz border, near Lake Issyk-Kul, stretching all the way to the end of the Tukhsi6 region and the beginning of the Khallukh border, and then it turns; its spur enters the area of one of the Khyrgyz tribes. This mountain is called Tulas7. Sables are found on this mountain, as well as many gray squirrels and musk gazelles. And in that spur, which goes towards the Khyrgyz region, there are musk deer, deer with hut horns, gray squirrels, and sables.

And another mountain is located in the northern region, between the Kimak border and the beginning of the Khyrgyz settlement. It goes from the very Kimak border and stretches eastward to the Khyrgyz border, then turns and descends to the northern regions, to those very places where the populated areas of the world end. In the northern regions, the Kimaks call this mountain Kandaurbagi8.

And there is another river, called Ila (p. 38). It originates from the mountain Irgadj-art, flows towards the northern regions, and empties into Lake Issyk-Kul9.

And another river is Uzgend, which originates behind the Khallukh mountain and goes past Uzgend, the city of Baba, Ahsikety, Khojenda, and Benaketa10, all the way to the borders of Chacha. Then it passes after Syutkenda, Paraba11, and numerous towns, reaching the border of Jend12 and Javar, and empties into the Khwarezm Sea13.

And another river is Khursab; it begins at the very edges of Butman, on the northern side of the mountain, and flows into the river Uzgend14 near the city of Khursab15.

And another river is Osh16; it originates on the same mountain, flows between Osh and Urest, and empties into the river Uzgend.

And another river is Kuba, flowing from the same mountain and nearby the settlement of Kuba, it empties into the river Uzgend.

And another river is Khatlam17; it originates from the mountain Maisa, at the point where the border between the Khallukhs and the Yagma18 passes, reaches the border of Khatlam, then approaches Baba and empties into the river Uzgend.

And another river is Parak19; it originates on the Khallukh mountain and flows into the southern regions, runs along the border of Chacha, and empties into the river Uzgend between Benaketa and the wall of Kelasa20. And then all these waters merge into one, they are called Chach21, and the Arabs call this river Seyhun.

And another river is Ras22; it flows in the northern limits and through the land of the Guzz. This is a large river, but muddy and foul-smelling. It originates from the mountain located on the border between the Kimaks23 and the Khyrgyz, crosses the land of the Guzz, and empties into the Caspian Sea.

...And there is another desert, located north of China24; to the east of it is the basin of the Eastern Ocean, to the south is the province of China, to the west is the river Kucha, and to the north are the Toguzguzs and Khyrgyz.

The entire populated part of the world consists of 51 countries...— Khifchak, Guzz, Kimak, Chigil, Tukhsi, Khallukh, Yagma, Toguzguz, and Khyrgyz. And each of these countries is divided into regions, and in each region, there are many cities.

To the east of it (i.e., the Toguzguzs — O. K-)25 is the country of China (p. 40), to the south — part of the Khyrgyz, and to the north — also the Khyrgyz, who settle along all its borders.

To the north of the Toguzguzs is a desert26, which extends between the Toguzguzs and the Khyrgyz to the region of the Kimaks.

Kashgar belongs to the region of Chinistan, but is located on the border between Yagma, Tibet, Khyrgyz, and China27. And the elders of Kashgar in ancient times were from the Khallukhs or from the Yagma.

To the east of it is the region of China and the sea — the Eastern Ocean, to the south of it are the limits of the Toguzguzs and partially the Khallukhs, to the west of it are the limits of the Kimak settlement, and to the north — the uninhabited lands of the north28. The surroundings of this region are completely deserted, and the uninhabited lands of the north are places where people cannot stay due to the severe cold. In this region, a lot of musk is harvested and many furs, white poplar and Khalaj wood, and hut horns (which are used) for making knife handles. Their ruler is called Khyrgyz-Khan29. And these people resemble wild beasts in their nature; their faces are rough, they have little hair, they are unjust and merciless, distinguished by their belligerence and propensity for quarrels: they fight and feud with all the peoples around them.

(The main articles) of their wealth are Khyrgyz carts, sheep, cows, and horses. They migrate (in search of) water, dry grass, (favorable) weather, and green meadows. They worship fire and burn the dead30. They live in yurts and tents, engage in hunting and fishing.

Furi — this is the name of a people — also from the Khyrgyz; they settle to the east of the Khyrgyz and do not mix with other Khyrgyz. They eat people and are merciless, their language is not understood by other Khyrgyz, they are like wild beasts31, and not far from them is a city called Ksmidzhket32, where the Khyrgyz-Khan lives.

Kesim33 — the name of another people, also from the Khyrgyz, they settle on the slopes of the mountains, in tents, harvest furs, musk, hut horns, and more. This is one of the Khyrgyz peoples, their speech is closer to that of the Khallukhs, and in clothing, they resemble the Kimaks.

And all these varieties of Khyrgyz have, of course, no villages or cities at all, and they all settle in tents, except for the place where the Khan lives.

A word about the region of the Khallukhs and its cities:
Penchul34 is located within the settlement of the Khallukhs, and in ancient times its ruler was from the Toguzguzs, but now it is ruled by the Khyrgyz35.

This region, whose inhabitants are of Khallukh origin, is densely populated; to the east and south of it are the limits of the Khallukhs, to the west of it are the limits of the Tukhsi, and to the north is the region of the Khyrgyz. And everything that is harvested in the region of the Khallukhs and in the region of the Khyrgyz is also obtained by the Chigils. They have many sources of income, they live in tents and yurts, and they have few cities and villages, (the main articles) of their wealth and income are cows, sheep, and horses. Some of them worship the sun and stars; they are good, sociable, and pleasant people; the ruler is one of them.

A word about the region of the Tukhsi and its cities:
To the east of it are the limits of the Chigils, to the south are the Khallukhs and forested mountains, to the west of it is a group of Khyrgyz, and to the north are the Chigils. This region is even richer than the region of the Chigils; there they harvest musk and various furs. (The main articles) of their wealth are horses, sheep, and furs, tents, and yurts. They migrate both in winter and summer (in search of) pastures, grazing lands, and green meadows.
A word about the region of the Kimaks and its cities:
Karkar (a)khan is another region belonging to the Kimaks, and its inhabitants resemble the Khyrgyz in their customs36.