Derbend-ndmeh or the History of Derbend. 481 
Teberi calls #® in one place (see Extract VI in the Appendix) and again A in another place 
(see Appendix ; IV Extr.). This, and similar misunderstandings concerning the proper nouns which 
we meet with, even in the best Eastern authors, we must attribute chiefly to the carelessness 
of the copyists, who, with all their experience of the susceptibility of the Arabic characters 
to expose any word to unavoidable ambiguity and. error, through the change even of a dot, — 
would not sacrifice the slightest attention to decipher the names given by the first writer; — 
and ‘partly to the’ indifference of the original authors themselves, who used to write down every 
word according to their own hearing and reading. Upon these grounds we must always expect, 
as We have already experienced, to be entangled in difficulties, arising from the false rea- 
ding of proper names in every MS, which may fall into our hands. The beforementioned 
two contemporary writers, for instance, agreed in Bulkher's bemg a Khazarïan city, but having 
followed different geographical works of the IX century, they seem to differ in their ideas 
regarding its situation and extent. In Teberi’s description of b (Extr. IL). I rather suspect 
his mistaking it for JUb, although,in such case the distance of 200 farsakhs between it and 
Derbend must be almost doubled. In Abu-1l-fida’s sb 1 recognize the sathé Eb or é&. The 
contradiction between Teberi and Ibnu-l-A’asam in regard to the situation of that city may 
arise from the differént demonstrations of the Geographers of IX century respecting the residence 
of the Khagkan: some maintaïined that it was not far from Derbend; others placed it in the 
North beyond Astrachan on the shores of the Volga (the xl). The fact is that both indi- 
cations are true, that in different periods the Khagkan’s residence was in different places, but 
- it was neïther PBelenjer nor Bulkher; and that the Balkh or the Bulkher of our author must 
have béen a fortified town, not far from Derbend, and it appears to have been the ancient 
name of Anderay , (so called from the name of its governor, see the following remark 19), 
which was situated about 3 miles to the south of the present Anderay, as We pavé it explained 
in the MS. of Berlin, where éi is saïd to have been the town of Sy. Hamdulla also men- 
tions that si a town-near Derbend- founded. by Anûshirvän. See-his 45 for the word 
G 
nâmeh ce to the Royal Library of Paris we read . & was situated on the river which 
flows through Ihrän and supplres all Georgia with water, : : 
Remark 18. page 460 line 10 aud 28. ol 
Kivan or Keivan. We thus read the name in our MS. and: inthe version of St. Peters- 
burg; in Klaproth'’s translation we do not meet with this name. 
Remark 19. page 460 line 10 and 28, ets ULs 
The former of these two towns ülo) or Obs! ie” Thrân, in the time of our author 
was under the government of Avéristan. He says bus he à usb ol, J31 a5) el LH) « now 
Ibran is called the Pér-takht of Aväristan». This word (Pai-takht) means in general a metro- 
