‘The Oriental geography of Ebn Haukal, an Arabian traveller of the tenth century’ [‎238] (291/388)

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dows and pasture lands; and the Soghd is far more healthy than
the Rud Aileh, or the Ghuteh of Dameshk (or Damascus); and
the fruits of Soghd are the finest in the world. Among the hills
and palaces flow running streams, gliding between the trees-. In
Ferghanah and Chaje, in the mountains between Ferghanah
and Turkestan, there are all kinds of fruits, of herbs, and flowers,
and various species of the violet: all these it is lawful for any one
who passes by, to pull and gather. In Siroushteh
there are flowers of an uncommon species.
We have placed, as first of the borders of Bokhara, from the
banks of the Jihoon, the Kourehs and Districts of Maweralnahr.
From the Jihoon is the territory of Soghd, and Samarcand, and
Siroushteh, and Chaje, and Ferghaneh, and back, from the bor
ders of Samarcand to Kish, and ChegJianian,
and Khotlan, till one comes to the river Jihoon.
Termed and Cohadian, as far as Kharezm,
and Barah, and Sinjan, and Teran, and
Ailak, are reckoned as belonging to Chaje, and included
in Ferghanah. Khuarezm we have assigned to Maweralnahr;
and we must reckon as part of Soghd, Bokhara, and Rish, and
jSaksheb : but our design in this was to render the de
scription more easy. We begin with Maweralnahr, and the
district of Bokhara; and then we speak of the river Jihoon.
This river rises within the territories of Badakshan,