ghaznah

Updated: May 3, 2025

The river Gozan, on which we are told Ghaznah lies, must appear to the reader to be ubiquitous. On p. 33 we find the Habor of Kurdistan is its affluent; on p. 55 it is at Dabaristan; on p. 59 in Khorasan. There is a simple solution of the difficulty. In each of the localities Benjamin was told that the river was called Gozan; for in the Mongolian language "Usun" is the name for water or river.

of Tudela Benjamin - The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela

Four days onward is Shiraz, which is the city of Fars, and 10,000 Jews live there . Thence it is seven days to Ghaznah the great city on the river Gozan, where there are about 80,000 Israelites . It is a city of commercial importance; people of all countries and tongues come thither with their wares. The land is extensive.

of Tudela Benjamin - The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela

He also substitutes Oxus for Gozan. The name of the city according to our text is Ghaznah, which eight hundred years ago was the capital of Afghanistan. Ibn Batuta says it was ten stages from Kandahar on the way to Herat. Istakhri says: "No city of this countryside was richer in merchants and merchandise, for it was as the port of India."

of Tudela Benjamin - The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela