The extent of his Empire is a journey of four months. When this great
Emperor Sinjar, king of Persia, saw that they took the coffin of
Daniel from one side of the river to the other, and that a great
multitude of Jews, Mohammedans and Gentiles, and many people from the
country were crossing the bridge, he asked the meaning of this
proceeding, and they told him these things. He said, "It is not meet
to do this ignominy unto Daniel the prophet, but I command you to
measure the bridge from both sides, and to take the coffin of Daniel
and place it inside another coffin of crystal, so that the wooden
coffin be within that of crystal, and to suspend this from the middle
of the bridge by a chain of iron; at this spot you must build a
synagogue for all comers, so that whoever wishes to pray there, be he
Jew or Gentile, may do so." And to this very day the coffin is
suspended from the bridge. And the king commanded that out of respect
for Daniel no fisherman should catch fish within a mile above or a
mile below.[154]

[p.76]

Thence it takes three days to Rudbar where there are about 20,000
Israelites, and among them are learned and rich men. But the Jews live
there under great oppression. Thence it is two days to Nihawand, where
there are 4,000 Israelites. Thence it is four days to the land of
Mulahid. Here live a people who do not profess the Mohammedan
religion, but live on high mountains, and worship the Old Man of the
land of the Hashishim[155]. And among them there are four communities
of Israel who go forth with them in war-time. They are not under the
rule of the king of Persia, but reside in the high mountains, and
descend from these mountains to pillage and to capture booty, and then
return to the mountains, and none can overcome them. There are learned