Ch. 3: Hindustan

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	622	HINDUSTAN

	(w. News of Tahmasp's victory over the Aiizbegs.) Bian Shaikh brought news about Shah-zada Tahmasp's advancing out of 'Iraq and defeating the Auzbeg.¹ Here are his particulars: Shah-zada Tahmasp, having come out of 'Iraq with 40,000 men arrayed in RumI fashion of matchlock and cart,²advances with great speed, takes Bastam, slaughters Rlnlsh (var. Zlnlsh) Auzbeg and his men in Damghan, and from there passes right swiftly on.³ Kipiik Bi's son Oambar-i-'ali Beg is beaten by one of the Qlzil-bash (Red-head)'s men, and with his few followers goes to 'Ubaid Khan's presence. 'Ubaid Khan finds it undesirable to stay near Herl, hurriedly sends off gallopers to all the sultans of Balkh, Hisar, Samarkand, and Tashkend (Tashkint) and goes himself to Merv. Siunjak Sl.'s younger son Baraq SI. from Tashkend, Kuchum Khan, with (his sons) Abu -sa'id SI. and Pulad SI., and JanI Beg SI. with his sons, from Samarkand and Mlan-kal, Mahdl Sl.'s and Hamza Sl.'s sons from Hisar, Kltln-qara SI. from Balkh, all these sultans assemble right swiftly in Merv. To them their informers (til-chi) take news that Shah-zada, after saying, " 'Ubaid Khan is seated near Herl with few men only," had been advancing swiftly with his 40,000 men, but that \vhen he heard of this assembly {i.erm. Merv), he made a ditch in the meadow of Radagan⁴ and seated ¹ On Muh. loth 934AH. Sep. 26th 152SAP. For accounts of the campaign see Rieu's Suppl. Persian Cat. under Histories of Tahmasp (Churchill Collection) ; the Habibu's-siyar anA the '.jlam-tirfif-'aibilsi, the last a highly rhetorical work. Habur's accounts (Index s.n. Jam) are merely repetitions of news given to him ; he is not responsible for mistakes he records, such as those of f. 354. [It must be mentioned that Mr. Erskine has gone wrong in his description of the battle, the starting-point of error being his reversal of two events, the encampment of Tahmasp at Radagan and his passage through Mashhad. A century ago less help, through maps and travel, was available than now.] ³ tufak u araba, the method of array liabur adopted from the Rfirm-Persian model. ³ Tahmasp's main objective, aimed at earlier than the Auzbeg muster in Merv, was Herat, near which 'Ubaid Khan had been for 7 months. He did not take the shortest route for Mashhad, viz. the Damghan-Sabzawar-Nishapur road, but went from Damghan for Mashhad by way of Kalpush {''Alam-arai lith. ed. p. 45) and Radagan. Two military advantages are obvious on this route; (1) it approaches Mashhad by the descending road of the ivechef-valley, thus avoiding the climb into that valley by a pass beyond Nishapiir on the alternative route ; and (2) it passes through the fertile lands of Radagan. [For Kalpush and the route see Ft. military map. Sheets Astarabad and Merv, n.e. of Bastam.] ' 7m. from Kushan and 86m. from Mashhad. As Lord Curzon reports (Persia, ii 120) that his interlocutors or. the spot were notable to explain the word "Radkan," it may be useful to note here that the town seems to borrow its name from the ancient tower standing near it, the Mil-i-radagiin, or. as Reel us gives it, Tour de niHmandan. both names meaning, Tower of the bounteous (or, beneficent, highly-distinguished,

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