has ever been heard; then they marched to Darband of Shirwan (1), took control of its towns—only the citadel that housed their ruler held out—and from there they crossed (2) into the land of the Alans (3) and the Lakz (4) and the many nations (5) dwelling in that region. They dealt out to them (6) wholesale slaughter, plunder, and destruction. Next (7) they headed for the territory of Qipchaq, whose people constitute one of the largest branches of the Turks. They killed everyone who faced them, while the rest fled (8) into the forests and up the mountain peaks, abandoning their country (9); the Tatars then occupied it. They accomplished all this with breathtaking speed, lingering no longer than the time it took them to march.

Another contingent advanced to Ghazna and its districts, and to the neighboring parts of India, Sijistan, and Kirman, and there they carried out deeds (10) like these—indeed, even worse. Such things had never before reached human ears. Alexander, about whom the historians agree that he conquered the world, did not achieve his dominion with such swiftness (11); he required roughly ten years, and he killed (12) no one, being satisfied with people’s submission. These, however, have conquered in about a single year most of the inhabited earth—its choicest, most fertile, and best-built regions, the most thickly populated areas, and those whose inhabitants were the most upright in character and conduct (13).

No one in the lands they had not yet reached could remain without fear, ever anticipating their arrival. Furthermore, they have no need of provisions or outside supplies: they travel with sheep, cattle, horses, and other livestock, eating nothing but their meat. As for the mounts they ride, they scrape the earth with their hooves and feed