Years before we meet Elias Dorn, during his travels to the east, he met Özbeg (or Öz beg) Khan while visiting Sarai, the capital of the Golden Horde, which is in present-day Kolobovka, Russia, north of the Caspian Sea. Living from 1282 to 1341, Özbeg’s full name was Giyasuddin Muhammad Uzbek Khan, longest reigning khan of the Golden Horde, or Ulug Ulus, literally “Great State.” It was during his leadership that the “khanate” reached its zenith. His army was the largest in the world, numbering over 300,000 warriors. The name of the Uzbeks and their country are derived from Özbeg.
The appellation “Golden” is said to have been inspired by the golden color of the tents the Mongols lived in during wartime, or an actual golden tent used by Batu Khan or by Özbeg Khan, or to have been bestowed by the Slavic tributaries to describe the great wealth of the khan.
I have my fictional Elias being responsible for advising the khan in opening trade routes to the west, turning Sarai into a thriving city. Caravans went unmolested while traveling through the territory, and the khan built baths for visiting merchants. With the wealth from increased trade, Sarai became a large and beautiful city with vast streets and fine markets where six “nations”—Mongols, Alans, Kypchaks, Circassians, Russians and Greeks—each had their own quarters. Merchants had a special walled section of the city all to themselves.
As a reward for bringing Western trade to Sarai*, Elias was given nine bags, each containing 108 gold dinari. The gold dinar (Arabic: ﺩﻳﻨﺎﺭ ذهب) is an Islamic medieval coin first issued in AH 77 (696–697 CE) by Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. The word dinar comes from the Latin word denarius, which was a silver coin. For the Khan, 9 was the symbol of prosperity, and 108 was the number of times his ancestor, the great Chinggis Khan, knelt toward the sun during his prayers. In yoga, a Sun Salutation, known as Surya Namaskar, strengthens, tones, and lengthens the muscles, as well as circulating energy and detoxifying the body. Practicing 108 sun salutations connects body, mind, and breath.
*Actually, there were two towns of that name, with the other called “New Sarai” (سرای الجدید, Sarāy al-Jadīd), said to have been founded in the 13th century and made capital in the early 14th century by Öz Beg Khan in the first half of the 14th century.
Özbeg Khan in the 1339 map by Angelino de Dulceto. Legend: Hic dominatur Usbech, dominus imperator de Sara, “Here rules Özbeg, the Emperor of Sara.”
Sign pointing to the grave of ÖzBeg Khan at the exit of the city of Aktau.