1 840.] Account of Khyrpoor and the Fortress of Bukur. 1 199 



and camels of the caravan, although urged repeatedly forwards, would not 

 pass.* Moohummud Mukaee declared this a proof it was the site chosen 

 by his father, and kneeling down offered thanksgiving, and because a 

 cowherd conducted the caravan, and it arrived at the place at dawn, he 

 called it Bukur, which means in the Arabic tongue " a cow," and " the 

 morning." 



At this period the inhabitants of the country were infidels, and when 

 the governorf Alim Khan Urghoon heard of the new worship he proceeded 

 to seize and punish the offender ; on appearing however before Moohummud 

 Mukaee he suddenly lost the power of injuring him, and his disposition 

 changed entirely : he entreated to be admitted to the bosom of Islam, and 

 became one of its most devoted followers. He offered to assign lands to 

 Moohummud Muhaee which the latter declined, and wished to purchase a 

 spot where he could build temples to God. Alim Khan accompanied 

 Sudr-deen to Sehwan to choose a site, and Suyud Ali, a friend of his 

 father's, persuaded him to settle there, and gave him his daughter in 

 marriage. He purchased lands in the vicinity, which he called " Rusool- 

 poor," but had not been long there when Moohummud Mukaee disapproved 

 of his residing so far from Bukur, and recalled him. He then desired him to 

 mount a domestic on a camel, and promised to purchase of Alim Khan 

 and bestow on him as much land as the animal could traverse between 

 dawn and dusk. The man rode through a district on the east bank of the 

 Indus, which became thence forward the property of Sudr-deen, who cul- 

 tivated and peopled it. The district is two kos from the town of Roree, 

 and retains the name of Alee-wahun it received from Sudr-deen. It con- 

 tains the villages of Machee and Turee Chanee, and part still belongs to 

 the descendants of Moohummud Mukaee, and they pay no revenue to 

 government. 



Mohummud Mukaee died a. h. 691, and the Suyuds raised his son Sudr- 

 deen to the chief dignity. Alim Khan's death followed soon after, and in 

 the year 697 Sudr-deen invited Nusrut Khan, of the Khilchee tribe, the 

 then Sooltan of Mooltan, to take possession of Bukur. The Sooltan on his 

 arrival gave his daughter in marriage to Budr-deen, son of Sudr-deen, and 

 swore on the Koran to assign a third of his dominions to her in dower, 

 but broke his engagement and gave in lieu of it the country of Umeer 

 Wuhun, now called Surjudpoor, in North Khyrpoor, which continued in the 

 possession of Budr-deen's descendants until the Kalhoras deprived them 



* This seems to confirm Captain Macmurdo's opinion that Bukur was not originally 

 I surrounded by water. 



t He must have received this title on his conversion to Islam ; his former name is 

 not given. 



