Al-Qazwini
Āthār al-bilād wa-akhbār al-ʿibād
before 1238 CE
experimental AI-aided translation
2026
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NOTE |
Zakariyya‘ al-Qazwini (c. 1203-1283) was a Persian cosmographer and geographer who wrote a famous cosmological treatise and also a geographical dictionary. It is from the latter work, whose name translated into English as Monuments of the Lands and Historical Traditions about Their Peoples, that I excerpt the passages from the work’s chapters on the Third Climate and the Sixth Climate covering the barrier Alexander (Dhu al-Qarnayn) erected against Gog and Magog at the ends of the earth. This barrier grew out of the Alexander Romance, particularly the version given in the Syriac Song of Alexander, and its references to Alexander fighting against the tribes of Gog and Magog and eventually became a key component of medieval apocalyptic literature, particularly the Tiburtine Sibyl and the Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius. The story given here is a relatively late Arabic account, drawing on centuries of earlier Islamic traditions, demonstrating how the Syriac Song of Alexander was adapted and transformed in Arabic.
Note: Because al-Qazwini’s work has never been translated into a European language, this translation is experimental and was produced with the aid of artificial intelligence. In other cases where I have used this method, I have had partial Latin, French, or German translations or extensive quotations to compare the results to. However, this was not possible for al-Qazwini. While the gist of the translation remained consistent across various platforms and models, different AI translators disagreed markedly about specific words and phrases, and Google’s translator was most prolix in adding explanatory material not in the original, while Copilot tended to fabricate names or hallucinate details where the text was difficult. Therefore, I cannot guarantee that the translation is word-perfect (especially for proper names, which had the greatest variance), and I advise readers to consult the Arabic original. |
THE THIRD CLIMATE.
It is rumored among the inhabitants of those lands that these are the ruins of a palace built by a certain king—specifically, King Dhū al-Qarnayn—who designed it as a sanctuary against scorpions, fearing that they might sting him. Thus, he constructed this edifice entirely of stone, with no wood whatsoever incorporated into its structure. Yet, as fate would have it, a basket of grapes was once brought into the palace; concealed within it was a scorpion. When the king reached out to take the grapes from the basket, the scorpion stung him.
THE SIXTH CLIMATE.
They are creatures in great number, two tribes whose count none knows but God. Al‑Shaʿbī related that Dhū al‑Qarnayn marched toward the region of Yājūj and Mājūj, and a great multitude gathered before him and said:
“O victorious king, behind this mountain‑pass there is a people whose number none knows but God. They attack our lands, destroy our villages, and consume our crops.”
He said, “What are they like?” They replied, “Short of stature, broad‑faced.” He said, “And how many kinds are they?” They said, “Many nations—so many that only God can number them.”
Then they said, “Shall we pay you a tribute so that you may place a barrier between us and them?” Its meaning is: they would gather money for him to spend on a fortification to protect them from their harm.
But the king said, “I have no need of your wealth. God has granted me such power that I have no need of payment.” Then he commanded that iron be melted, and he fashioned from it great blocks. He melted copper and used it as mortar for those blocks. With it he built the barrier through which the enemy used to enter. He made it level with the mountain‑sides until it became like a smooth, polished surface.
It is related that Dhū al‑Qarnayn only built the barrier after returning from them. He crossed the middle of their land, then turned toward the space between the two mountain‑cliffs. He measured the distance between them—which was the frontier of the Turks—and found it to be one hundred farsakhs. He dug foundations until he reached water. He made the width fifty cubits, filled it with stones, and plastered it with molten copper. It became like a vein of metal running from the mountain into the earth. Then he raised it higher, strengthening it with iron and molten copper, and set within it a vein of yellow brass. It appeared like a thing whose surface was golden from the copper and black from the iron.
Among the well‑known reports is the story of Salām al‑Tarjumān. He said:
“The Commander of the Faithful saw in a dream that the barrier built by Dhū al‑Qarnayn between us and Yājūj and Mājūj had opened. He was terrified by this vision. He summoned me and ordered me to travel to the barrier, inspect it, and return with news. He gave me fifty men, five thousand dirhams, ten thousand dirhams for expenses, and ten mules to carry provisions.”
Salām continues:
“We departed from Sāmarrāʾ with a letter to the governor of Armenia, Ismāʿīl, who was then in the city of Tiflīs. He was commanded to assist us and fulfill our needs. He wrote on our behalf to the governor of al‑Sarrīr, and the governor of al‑Sarrīr wrote to Ṭarkhān, lord of the Alān, and Ṭarkhān wrote to Fīlānshāh, and Fīlānshāh wrote to the king of the Khazars. Five guides were assigned to us.
“We traveled twenty‑six days until we reached a black, foul‑smelling land. We had brought vinegar to counteract its stench, following the advice of the guides. We traveled through it for ten days, then entered a ruined region whose cities were desolate. We journeyed through it for twenty‑seven days. We asked the guides why it was ruined, and they said: ‘Yājūj and Mājūj destroyed it.’
“Then we came to a fortress near the mountain where the barrier stands. There were people there—Muslims—who spoke Arabic and Persian, read the Qurʾān, and had mosques. They asked us who we were and where we were going. We told them we were envoys of the amīr. They marveled and said, ‘Is he an old man or a youth?’ We said, ‘A youth.’ They asked, ‘Where does he live?’ We said, ‘In the land of Iraq, in a city called Sāmarrāʾ.’ They said, ‘We have never heard of this.’
“They traveled with us until we reached a smooth mountain with no vegetation. At its base was a valley 150 cubits wide. On each side of the valley stood a buttress, built to prevent the enemy from descending. Each buttress was 25 cubits wide, with 10 cubits visible above ground.
“The gate itself was built of iron between the two buttresses. Its height was 120 cubits. Upon each buttress rested a beam 10 cubits long and 5 cubits wide. Above the beams was a construction of iron and molten copper reaching to the top of the mountain, rising as far as the eye could see. Above it were battlements of iron, and on the summit two horns, each leaning toward the other.
“The gate had two iron leaves, closed shut. Each leaf was 60 cubits wide, 70 cubits high, and 5 cubits thick. Two iron rings were fixed to it, turning on pivots at the threshold of the pass. Upon the gate was a lock 7 cubits long and a fathom thick. The lock was 25 cubits above the ground. Above the lock was a bolt 5 cubits long, thicker than the lock. Upon the bolt was a cover 7 cubits long with fourteen teeth, each larger than a blacksmith’s anvil. A chain was fixed to it, 8 cubits long and 4 spans in circumference. Its links were like the rings of a mangonel.
“The height of the gate was 10 cubits, and its width 100 cubits, not counting the buttresses, of which 5 cubits were visible. All these measurements were in the ‘black cubit’ used in that region.
“Every Friday, twelve horsemen mounted with iron hammers strike the gate and the lock repeatedly, so that those behind the barrier hear the blows and know that guards are present, and the guards know that nothing has happened to the gate. When they strike it, they place their ears upon it and hear a great roaring sound from behind.
“Near the barrier is a great rock, a farsakh in size, to which the craftsmen once came in the time of Dhū al‑Qarnayn. There are also two fortresses, each 200 cubits square. At the gate of one fortress is a great stone whose nature is unknown. Between the two fortresses is a spring of sweet water. In one of them are the tools used in building the barrier—cauldrons, ladles, and molds. There remain pieces of iron fused together by the molten copper, each piece a cubit and a half long and a span thick.
“We asked the people of that land whether they had seen any of Yājūj and Mājūj. They said they had seen, in a dream, a number of them upon the battlements. Then a black wind blew and drove them away. The size of each, in the vision, appeared to be a cubit and a half.
“We prepared to return, taking the guides toward Khurāsān. We traveled until we passed beyond Samarqand by seven farsakhs, then turned toward the road to Iraq until we arrived. From our departure from Sāmarrāʾ to our return was eighteen months.
This is a land of the Turks—vast, populous, rich in rivers, commerce, and blessings.”
“O victorious king, behind this mountain‑pass there is a people whose number none knows but God. They attack our lands, destroy our villages, and consume our crops.”
He said, “What are they like?” They replied, “Short of stature, broad‑faced.” He said, “And how many kinds are they?” They said, “Many nations—so many that only God can number them.”
Then they said, “Shall we pay you a tribute so that you may place a barrier between us and them?” Its meaning is: they would gather money for him to spend on a fortification to protect them from their harm.
But the king said, “I have no need of your wealth. God has granted me such power that I have no need of payment.” Then he commanded that iron be melted, and he fashioned from it great blocks. He melted copper and used it as mortar for those blocks. With it he built the barrier through which the enemy used to enter. He made it level with the mountain‑sides until it became like a smooth, polished surface.
It is related that Dhū al‑Qarnayn only built the barrier after returning from them. He crossed the middle of their land, then turned toward the space between the two mountain‑cliffs. He measured the distance between them—which was the frontier of the Turks—and found it to be one hundred farsakhs. He dug foundations until he reached water. He made the width fifty cubits, filled it with stones, and plastered it with molten copper. It became like a vein of metal running from the mountain into the earth. Then he raised it higher, strengthening it with iron and molten copper, and set within it a vein of yellow brass. It appeared like a thing whose surface was golden from the copper and black from the iron.
Among the well‑known reports is the story of Salām al‑Tarjumān. He said:
“The Commander of the Faithful saw in a dream that the barrier built by Dhū al‑Qarnayn between us and Yājūj and Mājūj had opened. He was terrified by this vision. He summoned me and ordered me to travel to the barrier, inspect it, and return with news. He gave me fifty men, five thousand dirhams, ten thousand dirhams for expenses, and ten mules to carry provisions.”
Salām continues:
“We departed from Sāmarrāʾ with a letter to the governor of Armenia, Ismāʿīl, who was then in the city of Tiflīs. He was commanded to assist us and fulfill our needs. He wrote on our behalf to the governor of al‑Sarrīr, and the governor of al‑Sarrīr wrote to Ṭarkhān, lord of the Alān, and Ṭarkhān wrote to Fīlānshāh, and Fīlānshāh wrote to the king of the Khazars. Five guides were assigned to us.
“We traveled twenty‑six days until we reached a black, foul‑smelling land. We had brought vinegar to counteract its stench, following the advice of the guides. We traveled through it for ten days, then entered a ruined region whose cities were desolate. We journeyed through it for twenty‑seven days. We asked the guides why it was ruined, and they said: ‘Yājūj and Mājūj destroyed it.’
“Then we came to a fortress near the mountain where the barrier stands. There were people there—Muslims—who spoke Arabic and Persian, read the Qurʾān, and had mosques. They asked us who we were and where we were going. We told them we were envoys of the amīr. They marveled and said, ‘Is he an old man or a youth?’ We said, ‘A youth.’ They asked, ‘Where does he live?’ We said, ‘In the land of Iraq, in a city called Sāmarrāʾ.’ They said, ‘We have never heard of this.’
“They traveled with us until we reached a smooth mountain with no vegetation. At its base was a valley 150 cubits wide. On each side of the valley stood a buttress, built to prevent the enemy from descending. Each buttress was 25 cubits wide, with 10 cubits visible above ground.
“The gate itself was built of iron between the two buttresses. Its height was 120 cubits. Upon each buttress rested a beam 10 cubits long and 5 cubits wide. Above the beams was a construction of iron and molten copper reaching to the top of the mountain, rising as far as the eye could see. Above it were battlements of iron, and on the summit two horns, each leaning toward the other.
“The gate had two iron leaves, closed shut. Each leaf was 60 cubits wide, 70 cubits high, and 5 cubits thick. Two iron rings were fixed to it, turning on pivots at the threshold of the pass. Upon the gate was a lock 7 cubits long and a fathom thick. The lock was 25 cubits above the ground. Above the lock was a bolt 5 cubits long, thicker than the lock. Upon the bolt was a cover 7 cubits long with fourteen teeth, each larger than a blacksmith’s anvil. A chain was fixed to it, 8 cubits long and 4 spans in circumference. Its links were like the rings of a mangonel.
“The height of the gate was 10 cubits, and its width 100 cubits, not counting the buttresses, of which 5 cubits were visible. All these measurements were in the ‘black cubit’ used in that region.
“Every Friday, twelve horsemen mounted with iron hammers strike the gate and the lock repeatedly, so that those behind the barrier hear the blows and know that guards are present, and the guards know that nothing has happened to the gate. When they strike it, they place their ears upon it and hear a great roaring sound from behind.
“Near the barrier is a great rock, a farsakh in size, to which the craftsmen once came in the time of Dhū al‑Qarnayn. There are also two fortresses, each 200 cubits square. At the gate of one fortress is a great stone whose nature is unknown. Between the two fortresses is a spring of sweet water. In one of them are the tools used in building the barrier—cauldrons, ladles, and molds. There remain pieces of iron fused together by the molten copper, each piece a cubit and a half long and a span thick.
“We asked the people of that land whether they had seen any of Yājūj and Mājūj. They said they had seen, in a dream, a number of them upon the battlements. Then a black wind blew and drove them away. The size of each, in the vision, appeared to be a cubit and a half.
“We prepared to return, taking the guides toward Khurāsān. We traveled until we passed beyond Samarqand by seven farsakhs, then turned toward the road to Iraq until we arrived. From our departure from Sāmarrāʾ to our return was eighteen months.
This is a land of the Turks—vast, populous, rich in rivers, commerce, and blessings.”
