296 RUINED TUS, THE HOME OF THE POET FIRDAUSI
a native of Tus ; and the scientific writer Nasir ad-Din (1200- 1274), whose learned works, especially on astronomy, gained him a position at the court of the Mongol ruler Hulagu, was known by the title ' Tusi ' from the place of his birth. ^
The whole region round about us, as we spurred our horses over it (the fine Afghan riders still in the lead), seemed to live again with memories of the historic past — memories made bright by Firdausi's name and fame. A golden sheen from the afternoon sun poured over the widespread tract and turned the clouds of dust swept up by our galloping cavalcade into a burnished halo that crowned the ruined town. Then slowly the powdery vapor sifted down once more into the barren waste, mingling itself with the dust of ages that covers this ancient site. Hist. Persia, 2. 293-296 (al-Ghazali) ; (Asadi) ; 484-486 (Nasir ad-Din Tusi).
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