MERAT. 
213 
is in heaven The letters forming the last two words. 
date of his death — Zikad , 19, a.h. 873. 
In the early part of the thirteenth century, Merat 
was invested by the army of Turma Kurreem Kahn, 
a descendant of, and the seventeenth prince in suc- 
cession to, the illustrious Genghis Kahn ; but the 
good fortune and courage of the garrison, this time, 
prevailed, and the besiegers were driven off, after 
suffering immense losses. Their wonderful success 
on this occasion, however, appears to have taught 
them an arrogance of conduct, which was the ulti- 
mate cause of their ruin, and of the total destruction 
of their ancient stronghold ; for, in the year 1399, 
when that ruthless conqueror, Taimour, had ren- 
dered his name terrible throughout India, by carry- 
ing the worst horrors of pillage and bloodshed into 
the proud city of Delhi, the very heart and life- 
spring of Hindostan, the people of Merat laughed 
to scorn that warriors ambassadors, and returned 
them with a message to the effect that they who 
had repulsed the attacks of so great a person as 
Turma Kurreem Kahn, would not condescend to 
notice the presence of so obscure a pretender as 
Taimour. 
Taimour immediately despatched several of his 
most powerful Omras, among whom was the cele- 
brated Roostum Toghai Boorga, with a large force, 
to invest the city ; but these chiefs, on their arrival 
numerals, will give the 
