Chronicles of al-Sūdān (Taʾrīḫ al-Sūdān)
Mount Kura
Title
The sound of horses trampling on a shield
Short description
The sound of horses trampling on a shield terrifies the soldiers who take refuge in the lake Debo's waters.
Text on source
وما افترقوا في القتال الّا عند دَنْو الشمس للغروب وما روّعهم في المنزل الذي نزلوا فيها الّا صوت الدرقة التي ركضها الحصان برجله فهرب اهل المحلّة بأسرها فكبارها وصغارها الى بحر دَبِ افخاذم في الماء ثمّ تحقّقوا بعد ذلك السبب فخرجوا من البحر وبلغوا الغاية والنهاية من الرعب والخوف وما اغاثهم الّا اصوات غياطة القائد عليّ بن عبد الله فوق البحر يقطعها الى نحوهم فقال من حضر في ذلك الغزو ما سمعنا في اذاننا قطّ احلى من تلك الاصوات فكان لهم فرجا بعد الشدّة [ص. ١٩٧-١٩٨]
English translation
The two sides only disengaged when sunset drew near. What caused them consternation in the situation they were in was the sound [ṣawt] of horses trampling on a shield, so the Arma forces fled to a man, young and old, and plunged into Lake Debo up to their thighs.
Having been completely terrified, they then realised what the cause of the sound was, and emerged from the lake. They were only saved by the sound of the algaitas [ġyāṭa] of Qāʾid ʿAli b. 'Abd Allāh wafting across the water as they crossed the lake. Those who took
part in that campaign said it was the sweetest sound they had ever heard. Thus did they find relief after distress.
Folios/Pages
252-253
Date
1608 circa
Observations on the events description
Hunwick notes: This is a little obscure, but seems to refer to the clattering sound made by horses galloping
over the large leather shields of fallen warriors (p. 252, n. 35).
The dots on the map indicate the places where sound and music events were described. They don't represent travel stages.
Participants
No other participants in this event description.
How to quote
Pintimalli A., "The sound of horses trampling on a shield" (Event description), Echos. Sound Ecosystems in Travelogues. Published 2024 10 10.doi: 10.25430/echos.travels.139
This work is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 
