As for “Chīn,” it was another ancient name wellknown to Muslims and was still used by Rashīd alDīn in two ways. The first way was the same as howMuslim geographers (such as Kāshgharī) beforethe 13th century used it, thinking that “Chīn” wasequivalent to Khitāy, that is North China. In hisbook, Rashīd al-Dīn explained the origins of“Chīn” and “Māchīn,” believing they both camefrom India:In the language of India and Kashmir thatprovince (Qarajang) is called Kandar, theprovince of Cathay is Chin, and the provinceof Machin is Mahachin (Mahāchīn), meaning“big Chin.” Since our realm is near India andthere is much commercial traffic, in theserealms those areas are also called Chin andMachin in the idiom of the people of India, butthe origin of the word is Mahachin.61