Marco Polo in Central Asia: 16: City of Cobinam

Cobinam [1] is a great city inhabited by Mohammedans. There is abundance of iron, brass and andanico [2], and with brass they make large and beautiful mirrors.  They make here also tutty [3] which is extremely good for eyes, and likewise sponge in the following manner.  They take a vein of earth [4] fit for this purpose and throw it into a burning furnace above which is a grating iron.  Then the smoke and moisture ascending adhere to the iron and form putty, while the earth which remains in the furnace becomes sponge.

Note:-
1. Cobinam: Modern day Qom, the province and capital city on the banks of Qom River. Cobi in Mongol and Chinese language means desert. Mongols must have been the earliest settlers in the area. The name reflect the original geography of the area, which was a desert. Cobinam means desert by lake.
2. Andanico: A variant of the word andanik, a type of bronze or copper alloy that was highly valued for its strength and durability.
3. Tutty: An amorphous yellow brown substance, obtained as a sublimation product in the flues of furnaces smelting Zinc. It is crude zinc oxide.
4. A vein of earth: A fracture in earth containing a deposit of mineral or ore.

End of the Section 

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