'The lands of the Eastern Caliphate Mesopotamia, Persia, and Central Asia from the Moslem conquest to the time of Timur' [‎192] (229/586)

192
JIBAL.
[CHAP.
populous even than Kirind. These two places lie together at
the head of the Hulwan pass, in a fertile plain, and correspond
in position—for as already said neither are mentioned by the
earlier Arab geographers—with the station of Marj-al-KaPah (the
Meadow Castle), which Ibn Hawkal describes as a great walled
town surrounded by populous and fertile districts. Ya'Mbi states
that in these pastures the Abbasid Caliph kept his stud of horses.
Four leagues beyond these pastures the high road passed Tazar,
where, according to Mukaddasi, might be seen the remains of a
palace of the Chosroes, built Yaktit records by one Khusrujird, son
of Shahan. Tazar had good markets, and it appears to be
identical with Kasr Yazid (Yazid's palace or castle), mentioned
by other authorities. Six leagues beyond Tazar again was Az-
Zubaydiyah, 4 a fine healthy place' according to Ibn Hawkal, the
position of which on the high road shows it to be identical with
the present village of Hariinabad. Here the Khurasan road turns
east, and crossing the plain of Mayidasht (or Mahidasht) runs
direct to Kirmanshah. The Mayidasht plain is described by
Mustawfi as in his day dotted with some fifty villages, surrounded
by excellent pasture lands that were well watered from the neigh
bouring hills. In this region was the castle of Harsin with a small
town at its base, which still exists, lying about 20 miles to the
south-east of Kirmanshah 1 .
As regards the origin of the Kurdistan province, it is stated
that about the middle of the 6th (12th) century Sultan Sanjar the
Saljtik divided off the western part of the Jibal province, namely
the region which was dependent on Kirmanshah, and giving it the
name of Kurdistan put it under the government of his nephew
Sulayman Shah, surnamed Ab^h (or Ayilh), who, at a later period
that is from 554 to55^( II 59 to 1161)—succeeded his uncle as
chief of the house of Saljtik and Sultan of the Two Traks. This
is the account given by Mustawfi, who states that under Sulayman
Shah Kurdistan flourished greatly, and its revenues then amounted
to two million gold dinars (equivalent to about a million sterling),
I. H. 168, 256, 262. I. R. 165. Ykb. 270. Muk. 123, 135, 393.
Kaz. ii. 239, 302. Mst. 138, 168. Yak. iii. 537; iv. 382. J. N. 450. The
ruins of Hulwan exist at the village now called Sar-i-Pul (Bridge-head), where
a bridge crossed the stream.