["Marco Polo's steel mines are probably the Parpa iron mines on the road
from Kerman to Shiraz, called even to-day M'aden-i-fulad (steel mine);
they are not worked now.
Old Kerman weapons, daggers, swords, old
stirrups, etc., made of steel, are really beautiful, and justify Marco
Polo's praise of them" (Houtum-Schindler, l.c. p. 491) - H. C.]
Ondanique of the Geog. Text, Andaine of Pauthier's, Andanicum of the
Latin, is an expression on which no light has been thrown since Ramusio's
time. The latter often asked the Persian merchants who visited Venice, and
they all agreed in stating that it was a sort of steel of such surpassing
value and excellence, that in the days of yore a man who possessed a
mirror, or sword, of Andanic regarded it as he would some precious
jewel. This seems to me excellent evidence, and to give the true clue to
the meaning of Ondanique. I have retained the latter form because it
points most distinctly to what I believe to be the real word, viz.
Hundwaniy, "Indian Steel."[1] (See Johnson's Pers. Dict. and De
Sacy's Chrestomathie Arabe, II. 148.) In the Vocabulista Arabico, of
about A.D. 1200 (Florence, 1871, p. 211), Hunduwan is explained by
Ensis. Vuellers explains Hundwan as "anything peculiar to India,
especially swords," and quotes from Firdusi, "Khanjar-i-Hundwan," a
hanger of Indian steel.
The like expression appears in the quotation from Edrisi below as
Hindiah, and found its way into Spanish in the shapes of Alhinde,
Alfinde, Alinde, first with the meaning of steel, then assuming, that
of steel mirror, and finally that of metallic foil of a glass mirror.
(See Dozy and Engelmann, 2d ed. pp. 144-145.) Hint or Al-hint is
used in Berber also for steel. (See J. R. A. S. IX. 255.)
The sword-blades of India had a great fame over the East, and Indian
steel, according to esteemed authorities, continued to be imported into
Persia till days quite recent. Its fame goes back to very old times.
Ctesias mentions two wonderful swords of such material that he got from
the king of Persia and his mother. It is perhaps the ferrum candidum of
which the Malli and Oxydracae sent a 100 talents weight as a present to
Alexander.[2] Indian Iron and Steel ([Greek: sidaeros Indikos kai
stomoma]) are mentioned in the Periplus as imports into the Abyssinian
ports. Ferrum Indicum appears (at least according to one reading) among
the Oriental species subject to duty in the Law of Marcus Aurelius and
Commodus on that matter. Salmasius notes that among surviving Greek
chemical treatises there was one [Greek: peri baphaes Indikou sidaerou],
"On the Tempering of Indian Steel." Edrisi says on this subject: "The
Hindus excel in the manufacture of iron, and in the preparation of those
ingredients along with which it is fused to obtain that kind of soft Iron
which is usually styled Indian Steel (HINDIAH).[3] They also have
workshops wherein are forged the most famous sabres in the world.... It is
impossible to find anything to surpass the edge that you get from Indian
Steel (al-hadid al-Hindi)."
Allusions to the famous sword-blades of India would seem to be frequent in
Arabic literature.
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