The Story of the City of Brass - Part I

There was, in olden time, in Damascus of Syria, a king,
named Abd-El-Melik the son of Marwan ; and he was
sitting, one day, having with him the great men of his
empire, consisting of kings and sultans, when a discussion took
place among them, respecting the traditions of former nations.
They called to mind the stories of Solomon, son of David, and the
dominion which God had bestowed upon him over mankind, and
the genies, and the birds, and the wild beasts, and they said:
"We have heard from those who were before us, that God
bestowed not upon any one the power which He bestowed upon
Solomon, so that he used to imprison the genies and the devils
in bottles of brass, and pour molten lead over them, and seal a
cover over them with his signet."

Then Talib, one of the sultans, related, that a man once
embarked in a ship with a company of others, and they voyaged to
the island of Sicily and ceased not in their course until there
arose against them a wind which bore them away to an unknown
land. This happened during the black darkness of night, and
when the day shone forth, there came out to them, from caves
in that land, people of black complexion and with naked bodies,
like wild beasts, not understanding speech. They had a king
of their own race, and none of them knew Arabic save their king.
So when they saw the ship and those who were in her, he came
forth to them attended by a party of his companions, and saluted
them and welcomed them: They acquainted him with their
state; and he said to them, "No harm shall befall you; there
hath not come to us any one of the sons of Adam before you.'*
And he entertained them with a banquet of the flesh of birds and
of wild beasts and of fish. And after this, the people of the ship
went down to divert themselves in the city, and they found one
of the fishermen who had cast his net in the sea to catch fish, and
he drew it up, and, lo, in it was a bottle of brass stopped with
lead, which was sealed with the signet of Solomon the son of
David. And the fisherman came forth and broke it; whereupon
there proceeded from it a blue smoke, which united with the
clouds of heaven; and they heard a horrible voice, saying: "Re-
pentance! repentance! O Prophet of God!" Then, of that
smoke there was formed a person of terrible aspect, of terrific
make, whose head would reach as high as a mountain; and he
disappeared from before their eyes. As to the people of the
ship, their hearts were almost eradicated ; but the blacks thought
nothing of the event. And a man returned to the king, and
asked him respecting this; and the king answered him: "Know
that this is one of the genies whom Solomon, the son of David,
w^hen he was incensed against them, imprisoned in these bottles,
and he poured lead over them, and threw them into the sea.
When the fisherman casteth his net, it generally bringeth up
these bottles; and when they are broken, there cometh forth
from them a genie, w^ho imagineth that Solomon is still living;
wherefore he repenteth, and saith: 'Repentance! O Prophet of
God!'"

And the Prince of the Faithful, Abd-El-Melik, wondered at
these words, and said: "By Allah, I desire to see some of these
bottles!" So Talib replied: "O Prince of the Faithful, thou art
able to do so, and yet remain in thy country. Send to thy brother
Abd-El-xzeez, that he may write orders to the Emeer Moosa to
journey from the Western Country to this mountain which w^e
have mentioned, and to bring thee what thou desirest of these
bottles; for the furthest tract of his province is adjacent to this
mountain." And the Prince of the Faithful approved of his
advice, and said: "O Talib, thou hast spoken truth and I desire
that thou be my messenger to Moosa for this purpose." To
this, Talib replied: "Most willingly, O Prince of the Faithful."
And the king said to him: "Go in dependence on the blessing of
God, and his aid." Then he gave orders that they should write
for him a letter to his brother Abd-El-Azeez, his viceroy in Egypt,
and another letter to Moosa, his viceroy in the Western Country,
commanding him to journey, himself, in search of the bottles of
Solomon. He sealed the two letters, and delivered them to
Talib, commanding him to hasten, and he gave him riches and
riders and footmen to aid him in his way.

So Talib went forth on his way to Egypt, and when the Emeer
Moosa knew of his approach, he went forth to him and met him,
and rejoiced at his arrival; and Talib handed to him the letter.
So he took it and read it, and understood its meaning; and he
put it upon his head, saying: "I hear and obey the command of
the Prince of the Faithful." He determined to summon his great
men; and they presented themselves; and he inquired of them
respecting that which had been made known to him by the
letter; whereupon they said: "O Emeer, if thou desire him who
will guide thee to that place, have recourse to the Sheikh Abd-Es-
Samad; for he is a knowing man, and hath travelled much, and
he is acquainted with the deserts and wastes and the seas, and
their inhabitants and their wonders, and the countries and their
districts. Have recourse therefore to him, and he will direct
thee to the object of thy desire." Accordingly he gave orders to
bring him, and he came before him; and, lo, he was a very old
man, whom the vicissitudes of years and times had rendered
decrepit. The Emeer Moosa saluted him, and said to him: "O
Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad, our lord, the Prince of the Faithful, hath
commanded us thus and thus, and I possess little knowledge of
that land, and it hath been told me that thou art acquainted with
that country and the routes. Hast thou then a wish to accomplish
the affair of the Prince of the Faithful.^" The sheikh replied:
"Know, O Emeer, that this route is difficult, far extending, with
few tracks." The emeer said to him: "How long a period doth
it require.''" He answered: "It is a journey of two years and
some months going, and the like returning; and on the way are
difficulties and horrors, and extraordinary and wonderful things.
But," he said, "God will assuredly make this affair easy to us
through the blessing attendant upon thee, O Viceroy of the Prince
of the Faithful."

After this they departed, and they continued their journey
until they arrived at a palace; w^hereupon the sheikh said:
"Advance with us to this palace, which presenteth a lesson to
him who will be admonished." So the Emeer Moosa advanced
thither, together with the Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad and his chief
companions, till they came to its entrance. And they found it
open, and having lofty angles, and steps, among which w^ere tw^o
wide steps of coloured marbles, the like of w^hich hath not been
seen: the ceilings and walls were decorated with gold and silver
and minerals, and over the entrance was a slab, whereon was an
inscription in ancient Greek; and the Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad
said: "Shall I read it, O Emeer .^" The emeer answered:
"Advance and read." So he read it; and, lo, it was poetry;
and it was this:

Here was a people whom, after their works, thou shalt see wept over for their lost dominion ;
And in this palace is the last information respecting lords collected in the dust.

Death hath destroyed them and disunited them, and in the dust they have lost what

they amassed;
As though they had only put down their loads to rest a while: quickly have they

departed !

And the Emeer Moosa wept and said: "There is no deity but
God, the Living, the Enduring without failure!"

Then they attentively viewed the palace ; and, lo, it was devoid
of inhabitants, destitute of household and occupants: its courts
were desolate, and its apartments were deserted; and in the
midst of it was a chamber covered with a lofty dome, rising high
into the air, around which were four hundred tombs.

And the Emeer Moosa drew near to the dome-crowned
chamber, and, lo, it had eight doors of sandal-wood, with nails
of gold, ornamented with stars of silver set with various jewels,
and he beheld in it a long tomb, of terrible appearance, whereon
was a tablet of iron of China; and the Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad
drew near to it, and read its inscription; and, lo, on it was
written :

Shouldst thou think upon me after the length of my age, and the vicissitudes of days

and circumstances,
I am the son of Sheddad, who held dominion over mankind and each tract of the

whole earth.
All the stubborn troops became abject unto me, and Esh-Sham from Misr unto Adnan.
In glory I reigned, abasing their kings, the people of the earth fearing my dominion;
And I beheld the tribes and armies in my power, and saw the countries and their

inhabitants dread me.
When I mounted, I beheld my army comprising a million bridles upon neighing steeds;
And I possessed wealth that could not be calculated, which I treasured up against

misfortunes,
Determining to devote the whole of my property for the purpose of extending the term

of my life.

But the Deity would nought save the execution of his purpose; and thus I became

separated from my brethren.
Death, the disuniter of mankind, came to me, and I was removed from grandeur

to the mansion of contempt;

And I found the recompense of all my past actions, for which I am pledged: for I

was sinful!
Then raise thyself, lest thou be upon a brink; and beware of calamities! Mayest

thou be led aright!

And again the Emeer Moosa wept, in considering the fates of the
people; after which, as they were going about through the differ-
ent apartments of the palace, and viewing attentively its chambers
and its places of diversion, they came to a table upon four legs
of alabaster, whereon was inscribed:

Upon this table have eaten a thousand one-eyed kings, and a thousand kings each
sound in both eyes. All of them have quitted the world, and taken up their abode in
the burial-grounds and the graves.

And the Emeer Moosa wTote down all this. Then he went forth,
and took not with him from the palace aught save the table.

The soldiers proceeded, with the Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad before
them shewing them the way, until all the first day had passed, and
the second, and the third. They then came to a high hill, at
which they looked, and, lo, upon it was a horseman of brass, on
the top of whose spear was a wide and glistening head that almost
deprived the beholder of sight, and on it was inscribed:

O thou who comest unto me, if thou know not the way that leadeth to the City of
Brass, rub the hand of the horseman, and he will turn, and then will stop, and in
whatsoever direction he stoppeth, thither proceed, without fear and without difficulty;
for it will lead thee to the City of Brass.

And when the Emeer Moosa had rubbed the hand of the
horseman, it turned like the blinding lightning, and faced a
different direction from that in which they were travelling.

The party therefore turned thither and journeyed on, and it
was the right way. They took that route, and continued their
course the same day and the next night until they had traversed
a wide tract of country. And as they were proceeding, one day,
they came to a pillar of black stone, wherein was a person sunk
to his arm-pits, and he had two huge wings, and four arms ; two
of them like those of the sons of Adam, and two like the fore-legs
of lions, with claws. He had hair upon his head like the tails
of horses, and two eyes like two burning coals, and he had a third
eye, in his forehead, like the eye of the lynx, from which there
appeared sparks of fire. He was black and tall; and he w^as
crying out: "Extolled be the perfection of my Lord, who hath
appointed me this severe affliction and painful torture until the
day of resurrection!" When the party beheld him, their reason
fled from them, and they were stupefied at the sight of his form,
and retreated in flight ; and the Emeer Moosa said to the Sheikh
Abd-Es-Samad : " What is this .^ " He answered: "I know not
what he is." And the emeer said: "Draw near to him, and
investigate his case: perhaps he will discover it, and perhaps
thou wilt learn his history." So the Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad
drew near to him, and said to him: "O thou person, what is thy
name, and what is thy nature, and what hath placed thee here in
this manner ?" And the person answered him : '* As to me, I am an
efreet of the genies, and my name is Dahish, and I am restrained
here by the majesty of God." Then the Emeer Moosa said : " O
Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad, ask him what is the cause of his confine-
ment in this pillar." He therefore asked respecting that, and the
efreet answered him: "Verily my story is wonderful; and it is
this:

"There belonged to one of the sons of Iblees an idol of red
carnelian, of which I was made guardian; and there used to
worship it one of the Kings of the Sea, of great glory, leading,
among his troops of the genies, a million warriors who smote
with swords before him, and who answered his prayer in cases of
difficulty. These genies who obeyed him were under my
command and authority, following my words when I ordered
them: all of them were in rebellion against Solomon, the son of
David; and I used to enter the body of the idol, and command
them and forbid them. Now the daughter of that king was a
frequent adorer of the idol, assiduous in the worship of it, and
she was the handsomest of the people of her age, endowed with
beauty and loveliness, and elegance and perfection; and I
described her to Solomon, on whom be peace! So he sent to her
father, saying to him: * Marry to me thy daughter, and break
thy carnelian-idol, and bear witness that there is no deity but
God, and that Solomon is the Prophet of God. But if thou refuse,
I will come to thee with forces that shall leave thee like yesterday
that hath passed.' And when the messenger of Solomon came
to him, the King of the Sea was insolent, and magnified himself
and was proud. Then he said to his viziers: 'What say ye
respecting the affair of Solomon ? For he hath sent demanding
my daughter, and commanding me to break my carnelian-idol,
and to adopt his faith.' And they replied: 'O great King, can
Solomon do aught unto thee, when thou art in the midst of this
vast sea.^ He cannot prevail against thee; since the genies
will fight on thy side; and thou shalt seek aid against him of
thine idol that thou worshippest. The right opinion is, that thou
consult thy red carnelian-idol, and hear what will be his reply:
if he counsel thee to fight him, fight him ; but otherwise, do not.'
And upon this the king went immediately, and, going in to his
idol, after he had offered a sacrifice and slain victims, fell down
before it prostrate, and began to weep, and to seek counsel.

"Thereupon I entered the body of the idol, by reason of my
ignorance, and my solicitude respecting the affair of Solomon,
and recited this couplet:

'As for me, I am not in fear of him; for I am acquainted with everything.
If he wish to wage war with me, I will go forth, and I will snatch his soul from him.

So when the king heard my reply to him, his heart was strength-
ened, and he determined to wage war with Solomon the Prophet
of God and to fight against him. Accordingly, when the mes-
senger of Solomon came, he inflicted upon him a painful beating,
and returned him a shameful reply; and he sent to threaten
Solomon, saying to him, by the messenger: 'Dost thou threaten
me with false words? Either come thou to me, or I will go to
thee.'

"Then the messenger returned to Solomon, and acquainted
him with all that had occurred. And when the Prophet of God
heard that, his resolution was roused, and he prepared his forces,
consisting of genies and men, and wild beasts, and birds and
reptiles. He commanded his vizier, Ed-Dimiryat, the king of the
genies, to collect them from every place: so he collected for him,
of the devils, six hundred millions. He also commanded Asaf,
his vizier of men, to collect his soldiers of mankind; and their
number was one million, or more. He made ready the accoutre-
ments and weapons, and mounted, with his forces, upon the magic
carpet, w^ith the birds flying over his head, and the wild beasts
beneath the carpet marching, until he alighted upon his enemy's
coast, and surrounded his island, having filled the land with the
forces. He then sent to our king, saying to him : ' Behold, I have
arrived: therefore submit thyself to my authority, and acknowl-
edge my mission, and break thine idol, and worship the One, the
Adored God, and marry to me thy daughter according to law,
and say thou, and those who are with thee, I testify that there is
no deity but God, and I testify that Solomon is the Prophet of
God. If thou say that, peace and safety shall be thy lot. But
if thou refuse, thy defending thyself from me in this island shall
not prevent thee: for God hath commanded the wind to obey
me, and I will order it to convey me unto thee on the carpet, and
will make thee an example to restrain others.' So the messenger
came to him, and communicated to him the message of the
Prophet! But the king said to him: 'There is no way for the
accomplishment of this thing that he requireth : therefore inform
him that I am coming forth unto him.' Accordingly the messenger
returned to Solomon, and gave him the reply. The king then
sent to the people of his country, and collected for himself, of
the genies that were under his authority, a million ; and to these
he added others, of the devils that were in the islands and on the
mountains ; after which he made ready his forces, and opened the
armouries, and distributed to them the weapons. And as to the
Prophet of God, he disposed his troops, commanding the wild
beasts to form themselves into two divisions, on the right of the
people and on their left, and commanding the birds to be upon
the islands. He ordered them also when the assault should
be made, to tear out the eyes of their antagonists with their beaks,
and to beat their faces with their wings ; and he ordered the wild
beasts to tear in pieces their horses ; and they replied : * We hear
and obey God and thee, O Prophet of God!' Then Solomon
set for himself a couch of alabaster adorned with jewels, and
plated with plates of red gold, and he placed his vizier Asaf on
the right side, and his vizier, Ed-Dimiryat, on the left side, and the
kings of mankind on his right, and the kings of the genies on his
left, and the wild beasts and the vipers and serpents before him.
"After this, they came upon us all together, and we contended
with him in a wide tract for a period of two days; and calamity
befell us on the third day, and the decree of God was executed
among us. The first who charged upon Solomon were I and
my troops; and I said to my companions: 'Keep in your places
in the battle-field while I go forth to them and challenge Ed-
Dimiryat.' And, lo, he came forth, like a great mountain, his
fires flaming, and his smoke ascending; and he approached, and
smote me with a flaming fire; and his arrow prevailed over my
fire. He cried out at me with a prodigious cry, so that I imagined
the heaven had fallen, and the mountains shook at his voice.
Then he commanded his companions, and they charged upon us
all together: we also charged upon them: the fires rose and the
smoke ascended, the hearts of the combatants were almost cleft
asunder, and the battle raged. The birds fought in the air; and
the wild beasts in the dust; and I contended with Ed-Dimiryat
until he wearied me and I wearied him; after which my com-
panions and troops w^ere enervated, and my tribes were routed.
I flew from before Ed-Dimiryat; but he followed me a journey of
three months, until he overtook me. I had fallen down through
fatigue, and he rushed upon me, and made me a prisoner. So
I said to him : ' By Him who hath exalted thee and abased me,
pity me, and take me before Solomon.' But when I came
before Solomon, he met me in a most evil manner: he caused
this pillar to be brought, and hollowed it, and put me in it, and
sealed me with his signet; after which, he chained me, and Ed-
Dimiryat conveyed me to this place, where he set me down as
thou seest me; and this pillar is my prison until the day of
resurrection."

The party therefore wondered at him, and at the horrible
nature of his form; and the Emeer Moosa said: *' There is no
deity but God!" And the Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad said to the
efreet: "O thou, I ask thee concerning a thing of which do thou
inform us." The efreet replied: "Ask concerning what thou
wilt." And the sheikh said: "Are there in this place any of the
efreets confined in bottles of brass from the time of Solomon.^"
He answered: "Yes, in the Sea of El-Karkar, where are a people
of the descendants of Noah, whose country the deluge reached
not, and they are separated there from the rest of the sons of
Adam." *'And where," said the sheikh, "is the way to the City
of Brass, and the place wherein are the bottles ? What distance
is there between us and it ?" The efreet answered: "It is near."
So the party left him, and proceeded ; and there appeared to them
in the distance a great black object, with two fires corresponding
with each other in position; whereupon the Emeer Moosa said
to the sheikh: "What is this great black object, and these two
corresponding fires .^" The guide answered him: "Be rejoiced,
O Emeer; for this is the City of Brass, and this is the appearance
of it that I find described in the Book of Hidden Treasures;
that its wall is of black stones, and it hath two towers of brass,
which the beholder seeth resembling two corresponding fires;
and thence it is named the City of Brass." They ceased not to
proceed until they arrived at it; and, lo, it was lofty, strongly
fortified, rising high into the air, impenetrable: the height of its
walls was eighty cubits, and it had five and twenty gates, none
of which would open but by means of some artifice. They
stopped before it, and endeavoured to discover one of its gates;
but they could not; and the Emeer Moosa said to the Sheikh
Abd-Es-Samad : "O sheikh, I see not to this city any gate."
The sheikh replied: "O Emeer, thus do I find it described in
the Book of Hidden Treasures; that it hath five and twenty
gates, and that none of its gates may be opened but from
within the city." "And how," said the emeer, "can we
contrive to enter it, and divert ourselves with a view of its
wonders.