While I am lacking in updates with my own research, I thought I might share with my readers two of my favorite stories from Al-Mas'udi's The Meadows of Gold. First, though, I should share a little information about the author.
The great temple known as Jayrun in the city of Damascus was built by Jayrun ibn Sa'd of the tribe 'Ad who supplied the marble columns which support it. This monument is identical to the Iram of the Columns mentioned in the Qur'an.
Abu al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī al-Masʿūdī was born around the year 890 AD in Baghdad. He was an Arab Historian and Geographer who traveled extensively, collecting information on local ethnic and religions groups, customs, laws, histories, natural sciences, geography, etc. Of the thirty-six books that Al-Mas'udi wrote, only two are extant: The aforementioned Meadows of Gold and The Book of Admonition. Both books represent attempts at compiling a global history, lending to Al-Mas'udi's nickname "The Arab Herodotus". While such works, based on interviews with individuals and contemporary sources and reports from other travelers, can have issues with accuracy, or even flights of absolute fancy, there are also incredibly accurate reports in The Meadows of Gold, such as the report of Huang Ch'ao's Rebellion in China, the reports on trade goods, and descriptions of ancient sites, such as the pyramids and Persepolis. Al-Mas'udi's contributions to scholarship are invaluable sources on the world of the late Abbasid Caliphate and give an insight to how scholars of his time period regarded their world and its history. (1)
In this first entry I am about to share, Al-Mas'udi is relating information on the famous city of Iram (Irem), whom many of you may have heard of in relation to the Chthulhu Mythos by H.P Lovecraft. Mysterious, legendary desert cities were breeding romantic stories even in Al-Mas'udi's day. Notice how in this entry, Al-Mas'udi turns a critical eye to the story of Iram, dissecting the fact from the fiction, and noting the work of others on this same subject, and condemning the storytellers of the day for blending the lines between reality and fantasy to curry favor with political and religious leaders. I edited out Al-Mas'udi's description of The Thousand and One Nights because, honestly, I became tired of typing. If anyone desires more information on the subject of that classic of literature, please Google it. I believe it is also offered as a free Kindle download from Amazon.
25. Iram of the Columns
The great temple known as Jayrun in the city of Damascus was built by Jayrun ibn Sa'd of the tribe 'Ad who supplied the marble columns which support it. This monument is identical to the Iram of the Columns mentioned in the Qur'an.
A different story is told on the authority of Ka'b al-Akhbar. When he came to the court of Mu'awiya ibn abu Sufyan, Mu'awiya asked him about Iram. Ka'b described a wonderful building covered with gold and silver and cemented with saffron and musk. He said that an Arab searching for his two lost camels would resdiscover Iram, and he described the man. Then, turning to the assembly, he cried out: "There's the man I just told you about!"
And indeed, this Arab had found Iram while looking for his lost camels. So Mu'awiya rewarded Ka'b's truthfulness and reliability. If the story related on Ka'b's authority were true, it would be a good thing; unfortunately it is suspect, both for the chain of transmission and for other reasons. It must be considered the invention of the professional storytellers.
The site of Iram of the Columns, and indeed its very existence, has given rise to much discussion. None of the experts in tradition at the court of Mu'awiya, men who knew most about the history of the Arabs and other ancient peoples, accepted the legend of Iram, with the exception of 'Ubayd ibn Sharya, who gave Mu'awiya much information on the battles and events of the past. The work of this 'Ubayd is available to the public and well known.
Many learned men believe stories of this sort to be apocryphal: lies invented by the storytellers to gain favour with kings. It is these men who gave their contemporaries the idea of preserving these tales and repeating them in their turn.
Among these collections are works which have come down to us in translations from Persian, Indian or Greek originals. we have already mentioned the way they were composed. One such book is entitled Hazar Efsaneh, The Thousand Tales, for that is what efsaneh means in Persian. This book is known to the public as The Thounsand and One Nights...A similar book is called Farzi u Simas, which includes information on the kings and viziers of India. Another is the Book of Sindbad, and there are other compilations of the same kind. (2)
I have questioned the most learned Copts of Upper Egypt and other provinces on the meaning of the word 'pharaoh', but no one has been able to tell me anything about it, for this name does not exist in their language. Perhaps originally it was the general title of all their kings and then the language changed, just as Pahlavi, the language of ancient Iran, has become Persian, classical Greek has evolved into modern Byzantine, and Himyaritic and many other tongues have changed. You will find in our previous works strange tales of the treasures and monuments of Egypt and the wealth which both its kings and other nations who ruled this land buried in the earth and which are sought even today.
Among the strange anecdotes on this subject is one told by Yahya ibn Bukayr. While 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Marqan [governor of Egypt, 685-705] was governing Egypt in the name of his brother 'Abd al-Malik, he was visited by a man who wished to give him some information. 'Abd al-'Aziz asked him what it was about, and the mane said, 'Under such and such a dome there is a great treasure.' 'Abd al-'Aziz said, 'What evidence do you have of that?'
'A pavement of different-coloured marbles will appear to us not very far down. Digging farther, we have to remove a door made of bronze, above which is a golden column. On top of the column there is a golden cock; his eyes are two rubies worth more than the revenues of the entire world. His wings are encrusted with rubies and emeralds, and his claws grip plates of gold on top of the column.'
'Abd al-'Aziz immediately commended him to be given several thousand dinars to pay the wages of the labourers hired for the excavations and all the other necessary work.
There was a large tell at the site and the men opened a vast trench in the earth, in which the marble slabs which the man had mentioned were brought to light, thus sharpening the greed of 'Abd al-'Aziz, who immediately made over to him new sums of money and incresed the number of workmen.
As they went on digging, they uncovered the head of the cock. His appearance was heralded by a light, swift and intense as lightning, which flashed, shining and brilliant from his ruby eyes. Then the wings and then the claws of the cock appeared. Next, they found, all about the column, a colonnade made of different kinds of stone and marble. It was composed of arches and, above the arched doors, niches with statues and figures of people in bronze and gold. Then came sarcophagi of stone whose lids were battened down and enclosed in nets, locked with rods of gold.
'Abd al-'Aziz ib Marwan came on horseback to visit the scene of the excavations and look at the discoveries. One of those present, less patient, set foot on the steps of a staircase cast in bronze which led down to the finds. When he set foot on the fourth step, two enormous swords sprang out to the left and right of the staircase, meeting at the point where the man stood and slicing him to pieces. His body rolled to the bottom of the staircase. When a part of the corpse hit a certain step, the column shook, the cock gave a strange whistling cry, which was heard at a great distance, and flapped its wings. Terrifying sounds caused by a variety of devices and instruments were heard from beneath him. As soon as an object fell on the steps or only touched them, all who were present slid to the bottom of the excavation. The labourers engaged in digging and moving the earth, those who were supervising and organizing the work and those overseeing the workmen - some two thousand in all - perished to a man.
'
They opened a deep trench and eventually came to vaults, catacombs and hollowed blocks of stone cut into the rock. Inside stood statues. There were coated with a varnish designed to prevent them rotting or wearing away. The figures were of all different kinds: old men, youths, women and children. Their eyes were made of precious stones, such as rubies, emeralds, turquoise and topaz, and some of them had faces made of silver or gold.
After having broken open several of these statues, it became clear that the housed fragments of bone and bodies crumbling into dust. Beside each one was a kind of jar like an amphora of emerald and marble containing the same varnish as had been used upon the corpses lying in their wooden coffers. The jars containing the remains of this substance, which was made of many ingredients, mixed and pounded, had no odour, but when it was tested in a fire it gave off an agreeable aroma different from any other perfume.
Each of the wooden chests had precisely the shape of the body it enclosed, and they varied according to the rank, age and appearance of the dead. In front of each chest was a statue in white or green marble, which was apparently one of the idols that the Egyptians worshipped. Each of these statues bore a different inscription, which no one, of any religion, could decipher. Several learned men maintained that this script disappeared in Egypt 4,000 years ago. All of which at least proves that the inhabitants of the country in antiquity were neither Jews nor Christians.
The excavations took place in the year 328/939 and led to no discoveries beyond these figures. From the ancient masters of Egypt up until Ahmad ibn Tulun [ruler of Egypt, 878-84] and indeed the present year, 332/944, strange circumstances have led to a series of discoveries of buried objects: money, jewels, treasures and hoards, hidden in tombs. We have already discussed them in our preceding works and in our writings already mentioned. (3)
This next entry relates a story told to Al-Mas'udi about a certain disastrous excavation of an ancient Egyptian burial site. It's almost charming the way Al-Mas'udi says that the wonders and treasures of the ancient Egyptians are so highly sought after "even today", with today being his contemporary era. It is fun and fascinating to know that then, as now, the allure of Egyptian treasure has brought archaeologists and explorers to Egypt for over a thousand years after the death of our author! Even in Al-Mas'udi's day, as in the time of Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter opening King Tutankhamen's Tomb, Pharaoh's curses were feared and ancient sites were excavated cautiously. The fruits of these excavations (see also: grave robbing) give a description of Egyptian burial sites that contain astonishing continuity with the contents of Tutankhamen's tomb, which is the most intact Egyptian royal tomb ever excavated. I don't know about anyone else reading this, but it makes my heart ache a little bit when Al-Mas'udi describes the excavators busting open statues for their precious contents. Hang on, dear readers, because this story is a long one, but a good one.
32. Excavations
Among the strange anecdotes on this subject is one told by Yahya ibn Bukayr. While 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Marqan [governor of Egypt, 685-705] was governing Egypt in the name of his brother 'Abd al-Malik, he was visited by a man who wished to give him some information. 'Abd al-'Aziz asked him what it was about, and the mane said, 'Under such and such a dome there is a great treasure.' 'Abd al-'Aziz said, 'What evidence do you have of that?'
'A pavement of different-coloured marbles will appear to us not very far down. Digging farther, we have to remove a door made of bronze, above which is a golden column. On top of the column there is a golden cock; his eyes are two rubies worth more than the revenues of the entire world. His wings are encrusted with rubies and emeralds, and his claws grip plates of gold on top of the column.'
'Abd al-'Aziz immediately commended him to be given several thousand dinars to pay the wages of the labourers hired for the excavations and all the other necessary work.
There was a large tell at the site and the men opened a vast trench in the earth, in which the marble slabs which the man had mentioned were brought to light, thus sharpening the greed of 'Abd al-'Aziz, who immediately made over to him new sums of money and incresed the number of workmen.
As they went on digging, they uncovered the head of the cock. His appearance was heralded by a light, swift and intense as lightning, which flashed, shining and brilliant from his ruby eyes. Then the wings and then the claws of the cock appeared. Next, they found, all about the column, a colonnade made of different kinds of stone and marble. It was composed of arches and, above the arched doors, niches with statues and figures of people in bronze and gold. Then came sarcophagi of stone whose lids were battened down and enclosed in nets, locked with rods of gold.
'Abd al-'Aziz ib Marwan came on horseback to visit the scene of the excavations and look at the discoveries. One of those present, less patient, set foot on the steps of a staircase cast in bronze which led down to the finds. When he set foot on the fourth step, two enormous swords sprang out to the left and right of the staircase, meeting at the point where the man stood and slicing him to pieces. His body rolled to the bottom of the staircase. When a part of the corpse hit a certain step, the column shook, the cock gave a strange whistling cry, which was heard at a great distance, and flapped its wings. Terrifying sounds caused by a variety of devices and instruments were heard from beneath him. As soon as an object fell on the steps or only touched them, all who were present slid to the bottom of the excavation. The labourers engaged in digging and moving the earth, those who were supervising and organizing the work and those overseeing the workmen - some two thousand in all - perished to a man.
'
Abd al-'Aziz was seized with terror and cried, 'Here are ruins of the most marvellous kind to which all access is forbidden! We seek refuge in God from the evil therein!' Then he ordered that earth from the excavations should be flung onto the bodies of the victims and that the place should be their tomb.
Some people, interested in excavations and such discoveries, are very eager to dig mounds in order to hunt for the treasures and precious things which the kings and people of Egypt had long ago hidden in the bosom of the earth, found in a book written in ancient characters a description of a place, only a few cubits from the pyramids mentioned above, which promised them a rich treasure. They told the ruler, the Ikhshid Muhammad ibn Tughj, who gave them permission to excavate and to use all means necessary to reach the aim of their search.
They opened a deep trench and eventually came to vaults, catacombs and hollowed blocks of stone cut into the rock. Inside stood statues. There were coated with a varnish designed to prevent them rotting or wearing away. The figures were of all different kinds: old men, youths, women and children. Their eyes were made of precious stones, such as rubies, emeralds, turquoise and topaz, and some of them had faces made of silver or gold.
After having broken open several of these statues, it became clear that the housed fragments of bone and bodies crumbling into dust. Beside each one was a kind of jar like an amphora of emerald and marble containing the same varnish as had been used upon the corpses lying in their wooden coffers. The jars containing the remains of this substance, which was made of many ingredients, mixed and pounded, had no odour, but when it was tested in a fire it gave off an agreeable aroma different from any other perfume.
Each of the wooden chests had precisely the shape of the body it enclosed, and they varied according to the rank, age and appearance of the dead. In front of each chest was a statue in white or green marble, which was apparently one of the idols that the Egyptians worshipped. Each of these statues bore a different inscription, which no one, of any religion, could decipher. Several learned men maintained that this script disappeared in Egypt 4,000 years ago. All of which at least proves that the inhabitants of the country in antiquity were neither Jews nor Christians.
The excavations took place in the year 328/939 and led to no discoveries beyond these figures. From the ancient masters of Egypt up until Ahmad ibn Tulun [ruler of Egypt, 878-84] and indeed the present year, 332/944, strange circumstances have led to a series of discoveries of buried objects: money, jewels, treasures and hoards, hidden in tombs. We have already discussed them in our preceding works and in our writings already mentioned. (3)
A note on formatting: The paragraphs are formatted this way because blogger will not let me use tabs to indicate a new paragraph. Also, reading huge blocks of text becomes painful for my eyes.
Citations
(1) Mas'udi. From The Meadows of Gold. trans. Paul Lunde and Caroline Stone. (New York: Penguin Books. 2007.), 1-2
(2) Ibid., 44-46
(3) Ibid., 53-57
Citations
(1) Mas'udi. From The Meadows of Gold. trans. Paul Lunde and Caroline Stone. (New York: Penguin Books. 2007.), 1-2
(2) Ibid., 44-46
(3) Ibid., 53-57
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