'The lands of the Eastern Caliphate Mesopotamia, Persia, and Central Asia from the Moslem conquest to the time of Timur' [‎62] (93/586)

62
'irAk.
[chap.
off the Khurasan high road, being also noticed by Mustawfi.
Leaving Nahrawan town the next stage of the Khurasan road
was Daskarah-al-Malik, ' of the King,' which Ibn Rustah describes
as a considerable city, possessing a great walled castle of
Sassanian times, to which a single gateway on the west side gave
access. From its position this 'Daskarah of the King' appears to
be identical with the celebrated Dastagird, where Khusraw Parwiz
had his great palace, which history relates was plundered and
burnt to the ground by Heraclius in 628 a.d. This palace, the
ruins of which it would seem were in the 4th (10th) century still
known as Dastagird Kisrawiyah (of the Chosroes), was seen by the
traveller Ibn Muhalhal (quoted by Yakut) who says that it then
consisted of a wonderful edifice containing many halls and domes,
so finely built as to appear carved, each wall in a single block
of stone. In regard to the Arab town, Ibn Hawkal in the 4th
(10th) century describes Daskarah as possessing a strong castle,
doubtless of Moslem foundation, and Mukaddasi speaks of the
place as a small market town, with a Friday Mosque that had a
finely vaulted roof. Not far distant from Daskarah was the
village of Shahraban, mentioned by both Yakut and Mustawfi,
the latter adding that eighty villages belonged to this town, which
had been founded by Princess Gulban, a daughter of one of the
Chosroes.
The town of JalMa was the next stage on the Khurasan road,
surrounded by many trees but unfortified. Not far from the town,
standing in the village of Hariiniyah, was an ancient bridge
of stone wrought with leaden joints, which had been built
by one of the Chosroes, and this crossed the river by which,
according to Yakut, boats went down to Ba'ktiba and Bajisra.
In history Jaldla was famous for the great victory gained over the
Persians by the Moslems here in the year 16 (637), which
resulted in the final overthrow and flight of King Yazdajird.
At a later date Mustawfi names the place Rubat JaKila, from
the guard-house which had been built here by Malik Shah the
Saljflk; and the position of Jalula corresponds with the modern
station of Kizil Rubat, ' the Red Guard-house.' East of Jalula
was the town of Khanikin, which is noticed by Mukaddasi as
a city on the road to Hulwan. Here Ibn Rustah says there