Tarikh (al-Tabari) 346
the accounts of past peoples from the Israelites and others
صِفَةُ بِنَاءِ السَّدِّ وَأَمَّا السَّدُّ فَلَا يُعْرَفُ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْأَرْضِ بِنَاءٌ أَجَلُّ مِنْهُ، وَلَا أَنْفَعُ لِلْخَلْقِ مِنْهُ فِي أَمْرِ دُنْيَاهُمْ. قَالَ الْبُخَارِيُّ: وَقَالَ رَجُلٌ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ: رَأَيْتُ السَّدَّ. قَالَ: وَكَيْفَ رَأَيْتَهُ ؟ قَالَ: مِثْلَ الْبُرْدِ الْمُحَبَّرِ. فَقَالَ: رَأَيْتَهُ هَكَذَا ذَكَرَهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ مُعَلَّقًا بِصِيغَةِ الْجَزْمِ، وقد ذَكَرَ أَبُو الْحُسَيْنِ بْنُ الْمُنَادِي عَنِ الْمَوْجُودِ فِي أَيْدِي الْفُرْسِ عَنْ كُتُبِهِمُ الْمَوْرُوثَةِ: أَنَّ ذَا الْقَرْنَيْنِ لَمَّا عَزَمَ عَلَى الْمَسِيرِ إِلَى مَطْلَعِ الشَّمْسِ أَخَذَ عَلَى طَرِيقِ كَابُلَ فِي الْهِنْدِ وَتِبْتَ، فَتَلَقَّتْهُ الْمُلُوكُ بِالْهَدَايَا الْعَظِيمَةِ، وَالتَّحَايَا الْكَرِيمَةِ وَالطَّاعَةِ وَالْأَمْوَالِ، إِلَى أَنْ صَارَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ الْمُنْتِنَةِ السَّوْدَاءِ، فَقَطَعَهَا سَيْرًا فِي شَهْرٍ، ثُمَّ جَاءَتْهُ الْأَدِلَّاءُ فَانْتَهَوْا بِهِ إِلَى الْحُصُونِ الشَّامِخَةِ وَالْمُدُنِ الْمُعَطَّلَةِ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا، وَقَدْ بَقِيَتْ مِنْهُمْ فِيهَا بَقَايَا سَأَلُوهُ بِأَجْمَعِهِمْ أَنْ يَسُدَّ عَنْهُمُ الْفَجَّ الَّذِي بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ، فَسَارَ إِلَيْهِ وَنَزَلَ بِجَيْشِهِ الْعَظِيمِ الْهَائِلِ وَمَعَهُ الْفَلَاسِفَةُ وَالصُّنَّاعِ وَالْحَدَّادُونَ، فَاتَّخَذَ قُدُورَ الْحَدِيدِ الْكِبَارَ وَالْمَغَارِفَ الْحَدِيدِيَّةَ، وَأَمَرَ أَنْ يُجْعَلَ كُلُّ أَرْبَعَةٍ مِنْ تِلْكَ الْقُدُورِ عَلَى دِيكْدَانٍ، طُولُ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ خَمْسُونَ ذِرَاعًا أَوْ نَحْوُهَا، وَأَمَرَ الصُّنَّاعِ أَنْ يَضْرِبُوا اللَّبِنَ الْحَدِيدَ، فَاتَّخَذُوا النُّحَاسَ وَالْحَدِيدَ، وَأَضْرَمُوا عَلَيْهِ النَّارَ، فَصَارَتْ حِجَارَةً لَمْ يَرَ النَّاسُ مِثْلَهَا كَأَنَّهَا تُشْبِهُ جَبَلَ السَّدِّ، طُولُ كُلِّ لَبِنَةٍ ذِرَاعٌ وَنِصْفٌ بِالذِّرَاعِ الْأَعْظَمِ، وَسُمْكُهَا شِبْرٌ. فَمَا زَالُوا يَبْنُونَ السَّدَّ مِنْ جَانِبِ الْجَبَلِ، وَجَعَلَ فِي وَسَطِهِ بَابًا عَظِيمًا، طُولُهُ أَقَلُّ مِنْ عَرْضِهِ، فَالْعَرْضُ مِائَةُ ذِرَاعٍ، كُلُّ مِصْرَاعٍ خَمْسُونَ ذِرَاعًا، وَالطُّولُ خَمْسُونَ ذِرَاعًا، وَعَلَيْهِ قُفْلٌ عَظِيمٌ نَحْوُ عَشَرَةِ أَذْرُعٍ، وَفَوْقَهُ بِأَذْرُعٍ غَلَقٌ أَطْوَلُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الْقُفْلِ. وَكُلُّ ذَلِكَ أَمْلَسُ كَمِلَاسَةِ الْجَبَلِ وَبِلَوْنِهِ. فَذَكَرُوا أَنَّهُ لَمَّا فَرَغَ مِنْ بِنَاءِ السَّدِّ أَمَرَ بِالنَّارِ فَأُضْرِمَتْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَسْفَلِهِ إِلَى أَعْلَاهُ، فَصَارَ مَعْجُونًا كَأَنَّهُ حَجَرٌ وَاحِدٌ مِثْلُ الْجَبَلِ سَوَاءً، فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ مِنْ بِنَاءَهُ مَالَ رَاجِعًا بَعْدَ أَنْ لَقِيَ الْأُمَمَ الَّتِي خَلَفَ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ. قَالَ أَبُو الْحُسَيْنِ: وَبَلَغَنِي عَنْ خُرْدَاذَبَهْ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي سَلَّامٌ التُّرْجُمَانُ: أَنَّ الْوَاثِقَ لَمَّا رَأَى فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنَّ السَّدَّ الَّذِي سَدَّهُ ذُو الْقَرْنَيْنِ بِبِنَاءٍ بَيْنَ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ انْفَتَحَ وَجَّهَنِي فَقَالَ: عَايِنْهُ وَأْتِنِي بِخَبَرِهِ، وَضَمَّ إِلَيَّ خَمْسِينَ رَجُلًا، وَوَصَلَنِي بِخَمْسَةِ آلَافِ دِينَارٍ، وَأَعْطَانِي دِيَتِي عَشَرَةَ آلَافِ دِرْهَمٍ، وَأَمَرَ بِإِعْطَاءِ كُلِّ رَجُلٍ مَعِيَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ وَرِزْقَ سِتَّةِ أَشْهُرٍ، وَأَعْطَانِي مِائَتَيْ بَغْلٍ يَحْمِلُ الزَّادَ وَالْمَاءَ. فَشَخَصْنَا مِنْ سُرَّ مَنْ رَأَى بِكِتَابٍ مِنَ الْوَاثِقِ إِلَى إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ صَاحِبِ أَرْمِينِيَّةَ وَهُوَ بِتَفْلِيسَ، فِي إِنْفَاذِنَا، فَكَتَبَ لَنَا إِلَى إِسْحَاقَ صَاحِبِ السَّرِيرِ، وَكَتَبَ لَنَا ذَاكَ إِلَى مَلِكِ الدَّانِ، فَكَتَبَ لَنَا إِلَى قُلَانْشَاهْ، فَكَتَبَ لَنَا إِلَى مَلِكِ الْخَرَزِ، [وَسِرْنَا مِنْ عِنْدَ مَلِكِ الْخَرَزِ] يَوْمًا وَلَيْلَةً، ثُمَّ وَجَّهَ مَعَنَا خَمْسِينَ رَجُلًا أَدِلَّاءَ، فَسِرْنَا مِنْ عِنْدِهِ خَمْسَةً وَعِشْرِينَ يَوْمًا، ثُمَّ سِرْنَا إِلَى أَرْضٍ سَوْدَاءَ مُنْتِنَةِ الرِّيحِ وَقَدْ كُنَّا تَزَوَّدْنَا قَبْلَ دُخُولِهَا طِيبًا نَشُمُّهُ لِلرَّائِحَةِ الْمَكْرُوهَةِ، فَسِرْنَا فِيهَا عَشَرَةَ أَيَّامٍ، ثُمَّ صِرْنَا إِلَى مُدُنٍ خَرَابٍ فَسِرْنَا فِيهَا سَبْعَةً وَعِشْرِينَ يَوْمًا، فَسَأَلْنَا عَنْ تِلْكَ الْمُدُنِ الَّتِي كَانَ يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ طَرَقُوهَا فَخَرَّبُوهَا، ثُمَّ صِرْنَا إِلَى حُصُونٍ بِالْقُرْبِ مِنْ جَبَلِ السَّدِّ فِي شِعْبٍ مِنْهُ. وَفِي تِلْكَ الْحُصُونِ قَوْمٌ يَتَكَلَّمُونَ بِالْعَرَبِيَّةِ وَالْفَارِسِيَّةِ مُسْلِمُونَ يَقْرَءُونَ الْقُرْآنَ، لَهُمْ كَتَاتِيبُ وَمَسَاجِدُ، فَسَأَلُوا: مِنْ أَيْنَ أَقْبَلْتُمْ؟ فَأَخْبَرْنَاهُمْ أَنَّا رُسُلُ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، فَأَقْبَلُوا يَتَعَجَّبُونَ وَيَقُولُونَ: أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ!! قُلْنَا: نَعَمْ، فَقَالُوا: أَشَيْخٌ هُوَ أَمْ شَابٌّ؟ فَقُلْنَا: شَابٌّ، فَتَعَجَّبُوا وَقَالُوا: أَيْنَ يَكُونُ؟ قُلْنَا: بِالْعِرَاقِ فِي مَدِينَةٍ يُقَالُ لَهَا سُرَّ مَنْ رَأَى، فَقَالُوا: مَا سَمِعْنَا بِهَذَا قَطُّ. ثُمَّ سِرْنَا إِلَى جَبَلٍ أَمْلَسَ لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ خَضْرَاءُ، وَإِذَا جَبَلٌ مَقْطُوعٌ بِوَادٍ عَرْضُهُ مِائَةٌ وَخَمْسُونَ ذِرَاعًا، [وَفِيهِ السَّدُّ]، وَإِذَا عِضَادَتَانِ مَبْنِيَّتَانِ لِلْمَشْيِ مِمَّا يَلِي الْجَبَلَ مِنْ جَنَبَتَيِ الْوَادِي، عَرْضُ كُلِّ عِضَادَةٍ خَمْسَةٌ وَعِشْرُونَ ذِرَاعًا، الظَّاهِرُ مِنْ تَحْتِهَا عَشَرَةُ أَذْرُعٍ خَارِجَ الْبَابِ، وَعَلَيْهِ بِنَاءٌ مَكِينٌ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ مُغَيَّبٍ فِي نُحَاسٍ فِي سُمْكِ خَمْسِينَ ذِرَاعًا. وَإِذَا دَرَوَنْدُ حَدِيدٍ طَرَفَاهُ عَلَى الْعِضَادَتَيْنِ، طُولُهُ مِائَةٌ وَعِشْرُونَ ذِرَاعًا، قَدْ رُكِّبَ عَلَى الْعِضَادَتَيْنِ، عَلَى كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ بِمِقْدَارِ عَشَرَةِ أَذْرُعٍ فِي عَرْضِ خَمْسَةِ أَذْرُعٍ، وَفَوْقَ الدَّرَوَنْدِ بِنَاءٌ بِذَلِكَ الْحَدِيدِ الْمُغَيَّبِ فِي النُّحَاسِ إِلَى رَأْسِ الْجَبَلِ فِي ارْتِفَاعِهِ مَدَّ الْبَصَرِ، وَفَوْقَ ذَلِكَ شُرَفُ حَدِيدٍ، فِي كُلِّ شُرْفَةٍ قَرْنَانِ يُشِيرُ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا إِلَى صَاحِبِهِ، وَإِذَا بَابٌ حَدِيدٌ مِصْرَاعَيْنِ مُعَلَّقَيْنِ، عَرْضُ كُلِّ مِصْرَاعٍ خَمْسُونَ ذِرَاعًا فِي ارْتِفَاعِ خَمْسِينَ ذِرَاعًا فِي ثِخَنِ خَمْسَةِ أَذْرُعٍ، وَقَائِمَتَاهُمَا فِي دَوَّارَةٍ فِي قِدْرٍ، وَعَلَى الْبَابِ قُفْلٌ طُولُهُ سَبْعَةُ أَذْرُعٍ فِي غِلَظِ ذِرَاعٍ فِي الِاسْتِدَارَةِ، وَارْتِفَاعُ الْقُفْلِ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ خَمْسٌ وَعِشْرُونَ ذِرَاعًا، وَفَوْقَ الْقُفْلِ بِقَدْرِ خَمْسِ أَذْرُعٍ غَلَقٌ طُولُهُ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ طُولِ الْقُفْلِ، وَقَعْرُ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا ذِرَاعَانِ، وَعَلَى الْغَلَقِ مِفْتَاحٌ مُغْلَقٌ طُولُهُ ذِرَاعٌ وَنِصْفٌ، وَلَهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ دَنْدَانِجَةً، كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ كَدَسْتَجٍ أَكْبَرُ مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ هَاوُونٍ مُعَلَّقٍ فِي سِلْسِلَةٍ طُولُهَا ثَمَانِيَةُ أَذْرُعٍ فِي اسْتِدَارَةِ أَرْبَعَةِ أَشْبَارٍ، وَالْحَلْقَةُ الَّتِي فِيهَا السِّلْسِلَةُ مِثْلُ حَلْقَةِ الْمَنْجَنِيقِ، وَعَتَبَةُ الْبَابِ عَشَرَةُ أَذْرُعٍ بَسْطُ مِائَةِ ذِرَاعٍ، سِوَى مَا تَحْتَ الْعِضَادَتَيْنِ، وَالظَّاهِرُ مِنْهَا خَمْسُ أَذْرُعٍ، وَهَذَا الذِّرَاعُ كُلُّهُ بِالذِّرَاعِ السَّوْدَاءِ. وَرَئِيسُ تِلْكَ الْحُصُونِ يَرْكَبُ فِي كُلِّ جُمُعَةٍ فِي عَشَرَةِ فَوَارِسَ، مَعَ كُلِّ فَارِسٍ مِرْزَبَّةُ حَدِيدٍ، فِي كُلِّ وَاحِدَةٍ خَمْسُونَ وَمِائَةٌ مَنٍّ، فَيَضْرِبُ الْقُفْلَ بِتِلْكَ الْمِرْزَبَّاتِ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ مَرَّاتٍ لِيَسْمَعَ مِنْ نُقَبَاءِ الْبَابِ الصَّوْتَ، فَيَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ هُنَالِكَ حَفَظَةً، وَيَعْلَمَ هَؤُلَاءِ أَنَّ أُولَئِكَ لَمْ يُحْدِثُوا فِي الْبَابِ حَدَثًا، وَإِذَا ضَرَبَ أَصْحَابُنَا الْقُفْلَ وَضَعُوا آذَانَهُمْ فَيَسْمَعُونَ بِمَنْ دَاخَلَ دَوِيًّا. وَبِالْقُرْبِ مِنْ هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ حِصْنٌ كَبِيرٌ يَكُونُ عَشَرَةَ فَرَاسِخَ فِي عَشَرَةِ فَرَاسِخَ، بِكَسْرِ مِائَةِ فَرْسَخٍ، وَمَعَ الْبَابِ حِصْنَانِ يَكُونُ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا بِمِائَتَيْ ذِرَاعٍ فِي مِائَتَيْ ذِرَاعٍ، وَعَلَى بَابِ هَذَيْنِ الْحِصْنَيْنِ شَجَرَتَانِ، وَبَيْنَ الْحِصْنَيْنِ عَيْنٌ عَذْبَةٌ، فِي أَحَدِ الْحِصْنَيْنِ آلَةُ الْبِنَاءِ الَّذِي كَانَ بُنِيَ بِهِ السَّدُّ مِنَ الْقُدُورِ وَالْحَدِيدِ وَالْمَغَارِفِ الْحَدِيدِ، عَلَى كُلِّ أَنْصِبَةٍ أَرْبَعُ قُدُورٍ مِثْلُ قُدُورِ الصَّابُونِ، وَهُنَالِكَ بَقِيَّةٌ مِنَ اللَّبِنِ قَدِ الْتَزَقَ بَعْضُهَا بِبَعْضٍ مِنَ الصَّدَاءِ، وَاللَّبِنَةُ ذِرَاعٌ وَنِصْفٌ فِي سُمْكِ شِبْرٍ. وَسَأَلُوا مَنْ هُنَالِكَ: هَلْ رَأَوْا أَحَدًا مِنْ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ، فَذَكَرُوا أَنَّهُمْ رَأَوْا مَرَّةً عَدَدًا فَوْقَ الشُّرَفِ، فَهَبَّتْ رِيحٌ سَوْدَاءُ فَأَلْقَتْهُمْ إِلَى جَانِبِهِمْ، فَكَانَ مِقْدَارُ الرَّجُلِ مِنْهُمْ فِي رَأْيِ الْعَيْنِ شِبْرًا وَنِصْفًا. قَالَ سَلَّامٌ التُّرْجُمَانُ: فَلَمَّا انْصَرَفْنَا أَخَذَتْنَا الْأَدِلَّاءُ إِلَى نَاحِيَةِ خُرَاسَانَ فَسِرْنَا إِلَيْهَا حَتَّى خَرَجْنَا خَلْفَ سَمَرْقَنْدَ سَبْعَ فَرَاسِخَ، وَقَدْ كَانَ أَصْحَابُ الْحُصُونِ زَوَّدُونَا مَا كَفَانَا، ثُمَّ صِرْنَا إِلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ طَاهِرٍ. قَالَ سَلَّامٌ: فَوَصَلَنِي بِمِائَةِ أَلْفِ دِرْهَمٍ، وَوَصَلَ كُلَّ رَجُلٍ مَعِي بِخَمْسِمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ. وَأَجْرَى لِلْفَارِسِ خَمْسَةَ دَرَاهِمَ وَلِلرَّاجِلِ ثَلَاثَةَ دَرَاهِمَ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ إِلَى الَّذِي. فَرَجَعْنَا إِلَى سُرَّ مَنْ رَأَى بَعْدَ خُرُوجِنَا بِثَمَانِيَةٍ وَعِشْرِينَ شَهْرًا. قَالَ ابْنُ خُرْدَاذَبَهْ: فَحَدَّثَنِي سَلَّامٌ التُّرْجُمَانُ بِجُمْلَةِ هَذَا الْخَبَرِ ثُمَّ أَتْلَيْتُهُ مِنْ كِتَابٍ كَتَبَهُ الْوَاثِقُ. وعند ابن الأثير في كتابه الكامل فَلَمَّا رَأَى أَهْلُ تِلْكَ الْبِلَادِ الْإِسْكَنْدَرَ شَكَوْا إِلَيْهِ مِنْ شَرِّهِمْ، كَمَا أَخْبَرَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ فِي قَوْلِهِ: ثُمَّ أَتْبَعَ سَبَبًا حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ بَيْنَ السَّدَّيْنِ وَجَدَ مِنْ دُونِهِمَا قَوْمًا لَا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ قَوْلًا قَالُوا يَاذَا الْقَرْنَيْنِ إِنَّ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ مُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَهَلْ نَجْعَلُ لَكَ خَرْجًا عَلَى أَنْ تَجْعَلَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمْ سَدًّا قَالَ مَا مَكَّنِّي فِيهِ رَبِّي خَيْرٌ فَأَعِينُونِي بِقُوَّةٍ أَجْعَلْ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمْ رَدْمًا. يَقُولُ مَا مَكَّنَنِي فِيهِ رَبِّي خَيْرٌ مِنْ خُرْجِكُمْ، وَلَكِنْ أَعِينُونِي بِالْقُوَّةِ، وَالْقُوَّةُ الْفَعَلَةُ وَالصُّنَّاعُ، وَالْآلَةُ الَّتِي يُبْنَى بِهَا، فَقَالَ: آتُونِي زُبَرَ الْحَدِيدِ، أَيْ قِطَعَ الْحَدِيدِ، فَآتَوْهُ بِهَا، فَحَفَرَ الْأَسَاسَ حَتَّى بَلَغَ الْمَاءَ، ثُمَّ جَعَلَ الْحَدِيدَ وَالْحَطَبَ صُفُوفًا بَعْضَهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ حَتَّى إِذَا سَاوَى بَيْنَ الصَّدَفَيْنِ، وَهُمَا جَبَلَانِ، أَشْعَلَ النَّارَ فِي الْحَطَبِ فَحَمِيَ الْحَدِيدُ وَأَفْرَغَ عَلَيْهِ الْقِطْرَ، وَهُوَ النُّحَاسُ الْمُذَابُ، فَصَارَ مَوْضِعَ الْحَطَبِ وَبَيْنَ قِطَعِ الْحَدِيدِ، فَبَقِيَ كَأَنَّهُ بُرْدٌ مُحَبَّرٌ مِنْ حُمْرَةِ النُّحَاسِ وَسَوَادِ الْحَدِيدِ، وَجَعَلَ أَعْلَاهُ شَرَفًا مِنَ الْحَدِيدِ فَامْتَنَعَتْ يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ مِنَ الْخُرُوجِ إِلَى الْبِلَادِ الْمُجَاوِرَةِ لَهُمْ. قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: فَمَا اسْطَاعُوا أَنْ يَظْهَرُوهُ وَمَا اسْتَطَاعُوا لَهُ نَقْبًا. فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ مِنْ أَمْرِ السَّدِّ دَخَلَ الظُّلُمَاتِ مِمَّا يَلِي الْقُطْبَ الشَّمَالِيَّ، وَالشَّمْسُ جَنُوبِيَّةٌ، فَلِهَذَا كَانَتْ ظُلْمَةً، وَإِلَّا فَلَيْسَ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَوْضِعٌ إِلَّا وَتَطْلُعُ الشَّمْسُ عَلَيْهِ أَبَدًا.
Translation
✧ The Description of Building the Barrier As for the barrier, no structure on the face of the earth is known to be more magnificent than it, nor more beneficial to creation in their worldly affairs. Al-Bukhārī said: A man said to the Prophet ﷺ: “I saw the barrier.” He said: “And how did you see it?” He said: “Like a striped cloak (burd muḥabbar).” He said: “You saw it thus.” Al-Bukhārī mentioned this in a muʿallaq form with a decisive wording. Abū al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Munādī mentioned from what is extant in the hands of the Persians from their inherited books: that when Dhū al-Qarnayn resolved to travel to the rising place of the sun, he took the road of Kābul in India and Tibet. The kings met him with magnificent gifts, generous salutations, obedience, and wealth, until he reached the stinking black land, which he traversed in a month’s journey. Then guides came to him and brought him to lofty fortresses and cities deserted by their inhabitants, in which remnants of them remained. They all asked him to block the pass between them and Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj with a barrier. So he traveled to it and encamped with his great, awe-inspiring army, accompanied by philosophers, craftsmen, and blacksmiths. He had large iron cauldrons and iron ladles made, and ordered that every four of those cauldrons be set on a furnace, the length of each being fifty cubits or about that. He commanded the craftsmen to strike iron bricks, and they made use of copper and iron. They kindled fire upon it, so it became stones the like of which people had never seen, as if they resembled the mountain of the barrier. The length of each brick was a cubit and a half by the greater cubit, and its thickness was a span. They continued building the barrier from the side of the mountain. He placed in its middle a great gate, whose height was less than its width; the width was one hundred cubits, each leaf fifty cubits, and the height fifty cubits. Upon it was a great lock of about ten cubits, and above it by several cubits was a bolt longer than that lock. All of it was smooth like the smoothness of the mountain and of its color. They mentioned that when he finished building the barrier, he ordered fire to be kindled upon it from its bottom to its top, so it became fused as if it were a single stone, exactly like a mountain. When he finished building it, he turned back after encountering the nations that were behind Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj. Abū al-Ḥusayn said: It reached me from Khurdādhbih, who said: Sallām the Interpreter narrated to me: When al-Wāthiq saw in a dream that the barrier which Dhū al-Qarnayn had built between Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj had opened, he sent me and said: “Inspect it and bring me news of it.” He attached fifty men to me, provided me with five thousand dinars, gave me my blood-money of ten thousand dirhams, and ordered that every man with me be given one thousand dirhams and six months’ provisions. He gave me two hundred mules to carry the provisions and water. So we departed from Surra man raʾā with a letter from al-Wāthiq to Isḥāq ibn Ismāʿīl, the governor of Armenia, who was in Tiflis, to send us on. He wrote for us to Isḥāq, the lord of al-Sarīr, and he wrote for us to the king of al-Dān, and he wrote for us to Qūlānshāh, and he wrote for us to the king of al-Khazar. [We traveled from the king of al-Khazar] for a day and a night, then he sent with us fifty men as guides. We traveled from him for twenty-five days, then we came to a black land of stinking odor. We had provisioned ourselves before entering it with perfume that we would smell on account of the foul odor. We traveled through it for ten days, then we came to ruined cities, and we traveled through them for twenty-seven days. We asked about those cities which Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj had raided and ruined. Then we came to fortresses near the mountain of the barrier in a ravine of it. In those fortresses were people who spoke Arabic and Persian, Muslims who recited the Qurʾān. They had schools and mosques. They asked: “From where have you come?” We informed them that we were messengers of the Commander of the Believers. They came forward in amazement, saying: “The Commander of the Believers?!” We said: “Yes.” They said: “Is he an old man or a young man?” We said: “A young man.” They were astonished and said: “Where is he?” We said: “In Iraq, in a city called Surra man raʾā.” They said: “We have never heard of this at all.” Then we traveled to a smooth mountain with no vegetation on it, and behold, a mountain cut by a valley whose width was one hundred and fifty cubits, [and in it was the barrier]. And behold, two gateposts built for passage on the side facing the mountain on both sides of the valley. The width of each gatepost was twenty-five cubits, the visible part beneath it was ten cubits outside the gate, and upon it was a solid structure of iron embedded in copper, to a thickness of fifty cubits. And behold, an iron lintel whose two ends rested on the two gateposts. Its length was one hundred and twenty cubits, mounted on the two gateposts, on each one by a measure of ten cubits in a width of five cubits. Above the lintel was a structure of that iron embedded in copper up to the top of the mountain, in height as far as the eye could reach. Above that were iron battlements, on each battlement two horns, each one of them pointing toward its companion. And behold, an iron gate with two hanging leaves, the width of each leaf fifty cubits, in a height of fifty cubits, in a thickness of five cubits. Their two posts were in a pivot within a socket. On the gate was a lock whose length was seven cubits, in a thickness of one cubit in circumference. The height of the lock from the ground was twenty-five cubits. Above the lock by a measure of five cubits was a bolt whose length was greater than the length of the lock. The depth of each of them was two cubits. On the bolt was a closed key, its length a cubit and a half, with twelve teeth, each like a pestle as large as the largest pestle of a mortar, suspended from a chain whose length was eight cubits, in a circumference of four spans. The ring that held the chain was like the ring of a mangonel. The threshold of the gate was ten cubits, in an expanse of one hundred cubits, apart from what was under the two gateposts; the visible part of it was five cubits. All of this cubit was by the black cubit. The chief of those fortresses rode out every Friday with ten horsemen, each horseman carrying an iron sledgehammer, each weighing one hundred and fifty minas. He would strike the lock with those sledgehammers several times every day so that the watchers of the gate might hear the sound and know that there were guards there, and so that these might know that those had not done anything to the gate. When our companions struck the lock, they put their ears to it and heard a dull sound from within. Near this place was a large fortress, about ten farsakhs by ten farsakhs, that is, an area of one hundred square farsakhs. With the gate were two fortresses, each about two hundred cubits by two hundred cubits. At the gate of these two fortresses were two trees, and between the two fortresses was a spring of sweet water. In one of the two fortresses were the tools of construction with which the barrier had been built: cauldrons, iron, and iron ladles. On each base were four cauldrons, like soap-makers’ cauldrons. There were remnants of bricks, some stuck to others by rust. The brick was a cubit and a half in a thickness of a span. They asked those who were there whether they had seen anyone of Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj. They mentioned that they had once seen a number above the battlements, and a black wind blew and cast them down beside them. The size of a man among them was, in the eye’s estimation, a span and a half. Sallām the Interpreter said: When we turned back, the guides took us toward the region of Khurāsān. We traveled to it until we came out seven farsakhs behind Samarqand. The people of the fortresses had provisioned us with enough for us. Then we came to ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṭāhir. Sallām said: He gave me one hundred thousand dirhams, and he gave every man with me five hundred dirhams. He assigned for the horseman five dirhams and for the foot soldier three dirhams every day until we returned. We came back to Surra man raʾā after twenty-eight months from our departure. Ibn Khurdādhbih said: Sallām the Interpreter narrated to me the whole of this account, and then I dictated it from a letter that al-Wāthiq had written. In Ibn al-Athīr’s book al-Kāmil: When the people of those lands saw Alexander, they complained to him of their evil, as God has reported of them in His saying: “Then he followed another way, until, when he reached between the two barriers, he found on the near side of them a people who could scarcely understand speech. They said: ‘O Dhū al-Qarnayn, indeed Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj are corrupters in the land. Shall we assign for you a tribute on condition that you make between us and them a barrier?’ He said: ‘That wherein my Lord has established me is better. So assist me with strength; I will make between you and them a rampart.’” He means: What my Lord has established me in is better than your tribute, but assist me with strength, and strength is the laborers, the craftsmen, and the tools with which it is built. So he said: “Bring me blocks of iron,” that is, pieces of iron. They brought them to him. He dug the foundation until he reached water, then he placed iron and firewood in layers, one above the other, until, when he had leveled it between the two mountain sides—that is, two mountains—he kindled fire in the firewood, so the iron became red-hot, and he poured upon it molten copper (qiṭr), which is molten brass. It filled the place of the firewood and between the pieces of iron, so it remained like a striped cloak (burd muḥabbar) from the redness of the copper and the blackness of the iron. He made its top a battlement of iron, so Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj were prevented from going out to the lands adjacent to them. God, exalted be He, said: “So they were unable to scale it, nor were they able to pierce it.” When he finished the matter of the barrier, he entered the darkness toward the northern pole, while the sun was in the south; for this reason it was darkness, and otherwise there is no place on earth over which the sun does not always rise.
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