"دليل بلاد فارس، المجلد I ويشمل محافظات أستراباد، شاهرود-بوستان، خراسان، وسيستان" [ظ‎‎٢‎٩‎٦] (٧٢٢/٥٩٩)

546
appointed the son of the Khan to the headship f the trihe, in the room
of his father.
After these successes, Abbas Mirza determined to march against Sarakhs.
This city was in the hands'of the Salor Turku mans. It is considered by
the Persians to be one of the four chief cities of Khurasan. Its situation
in the desert, between Mashhad and Mary, renders its possession a matter
of necessity to an invader from either side, whethei Usbak or Persian; and
accordingly, as Persia had been wholly unable. to advance so far to the
eastward since the days of Nadir Shah, the possession of Sarakhs had
Ing been a point of dispute between the Khan of Khiva and the Amir of
Bukhara. The S;dor tribe, who held the city, had not been in the habit
of making marauding incursions into Persia for the purpose of plunder
and capturing slaves; but they were charged by Abbas Mfrza with supply
ing arms to other Turkoman tribes, and of receiving Persian prisoners in
return, whom they either retained as slaves, or sold in Khiva and Bukhara.
The chief of the tribe was named Adina Khan. When Abbas Mirza
advanced against the place, there were three thousand captive Shiahs
within the city. Abbas Mirza at once summoned the city to surrender,
and Adina Khan proceeded to his camp, and offered to release the Persian
captives on receiving back some Turkuman hostages, who had been previ
ously sent to Persia. Abbas Mirza, however, placed Adina Khan in
confinement, and opened fire upon the city. 'The Turkumans within the
walls placed their Shiah captives in such a p sition, that they were exposed
to the full effects of the firing, and Abbas Mirza accordingly suspended
the cannonade. Subsequently the prince received a petition from the Shiah
captives in Sarakhs, imploring deliverance from a captivity in which they
were compelled to hear the Shiah faith blasphemed, and to see their wives
violated. Abbas Mirza then sent Adina Khan into the city with an ulti
matum, that, unless Sarakhs was surrendered without conditions, and
within an hour, he would storm the place. The hour elapsed, and the
order was issued for an assault, to be followed by a general massacre. The
Salors fought desperately, but were at length overpowered, and a fearful
carnage ensued. At last the soldiers abandoned the work of slaughter for
that of plunder, and are said to have obtained great spoil. The Shiah
captives were set at liberty, and permitted to wreak their vengeance upon
the slave-dealers; and a hundred and fifty slave-masters were literally tom
to pieces by their infuriated servants. The walls of Sarakhs were then
levelled with the ground. Subsequently the chief of the Kara tribe, the
last refractory leader in Khurasan, submitted to the authority of the Shah.
“After these successes, Abbas Mfrza returned to Mashhad. The bom
bastic intention of extending the Persian empire to the river Oxus had not
been realised, and the prince had not even penetrated as far as Marv.
The conquest, however, was effected on paper. Five thousand prisoners of
the tribe of Salor still remained in his camp, and the Khan of Khiva offered
fifty thousand tumans as ransom. Abbas Mfrza accepted the terms, on the
condition that he also received a paper comprising four stipulations :—
“1st ,—That Persian merchants proceeding to Central Asia should be
• conducted as far as the Oxus by guards of the Salor tribe, who
should be responsible for their safe-conduct.
“2nd .—That the Salor tribe should prevent the tribes of Tekke and
Sarik from invading Khurasan, or, at any rate, give timely notice
of such incursions to the nearest Persian authorities.