THE. 
DERBEND -NAMEH, 
PREFACE. 
When 1 was a boy of about 1# years of age, 1 well remember that the public reading 
of the Derbend-nämeh, with explanatory illustrations and remarks, occupied, for a few days, 
the attention of that small circle of curious and semi-civilized young men of Derbend, 
who — be it recorded to their honour — passed the tedious hours of their winter eve- 
nings in acsembling together and amusing-themselves with reading, out of ancient MSS. 
popular stories, fictions and romances, concerning the antiquities of Asia, the exploits of 
its ancient heroes, and the enterprises of renowned adventurers.. 
The fame of this little: MS. had long before attracted the attention. of that commu- 
nity, and the extreme scarcity of the work contributed much to the heartÿy welcome 
with: which its first appearance was hailed! — Many had heard of the existence of The 
history ‘of Derbend; but very few indeed had expérienced the pleasure of perusing it. This 
scarcity; even more than the reputed merits of the work, had excited'in certain « book- 
lovers» an eager desire to procure it — not for the sake of’ its perusal or of reaping 
any real benefit from it; but merely in order to add it to the numberof other valuable 
MSS. which they af ‘and which are, in general, left to moulder!:and decay in 
their book-cases. 
It thus: happened; that: among all the ‘inhabitants of Derbend, this valuable work 
was in the possession of only threealmost illiterate merchants, who, according to the 
existing. custom, had shut itup among their other MSS. and would, ôn no: account, lend 
it to any one, for reading or copying. At last, however, one of the members of the 
reading society above alluded to, obtained, by some means, a tolerably correct copy 
of the long-desired work, and offered it for general perusal. The énthusiasm with 
which this interesting book was .received, arising simply, from curiosity,. soon disap- 
Mém, des sav. étrang. T. VI. 56 
