72 
LIVES OF THE MOGHUL EMPERORS. 
ward as Soltaniya, supposed to be the ancient Ragau 
or Rages, he returned to Samerkund. During the 
winter, Tauris, a great city, which has at different 
periods been the capital of the Persian empire, was 
attacked by an army of ninety thousand Calmucks, 
under Toktamish Khan, who, becoming masters of 
the place, exercised the greatest cruelties. The 
Jagatay sovereign, not choosing that such sangui- 
nary acts should be exercised except by his own 
armies and with his authority, was greatly incensed 
at the audacity of the infidels. It confirmed him the 
more strongly in his determination to subdue the 
Persian empire. The year following, therefore, he 
again crossed the Oxus with a numerous army, and, 
after a long march, encamped before Firuzkeh, a 
fortress in Persian Irak. Here, receiving intelligence 
that a caravan, on its way to Mecca through this dis- 
trict, had been attacked and plundered, with a select 
detachment of his army he stormed a strong citadel, 
whither the plunderers had retired in the neighbour- 
ing mountains, and, having obliged them to surrender, 
ordered them to be cast headlong from the battle- 
ments. 
After inflicting summary justice on these public 
robbers, the conqueror invested Tauris, which open- 
ed its gates, and a large sum of money was im- 
posed upon the citizens by way of ransom. The 
whole country of Azerbejan, one of the most fruit- 
ful districts of Persia, was in a short time subdued ; 
and Timur, with his usual barbarous policy, having 
put to death the bravest amyrs among the van- 
quished, and demolished several of their fortresses. 
