"Sallaam's interpreter related to me that when Al-Wathiq bi-'llah dreamt that the wall built by Dhu'l-Qarnain between us and Gog & Magog was opened, and he sought a man to send out to the place, in order to gain news of it, Ashnas said "There is no-one here except Sallaam's interpreter who is fitted for the business, and Salaam spoke 30 languages. So, says Sallaam, Wathiq summoned me and said "I wish you to go out to the rampart that you may actually see it and bring me news of it."
After some time journeying, Sallaam came to a "lofty mountain on which was a fortress. And the rampart which Dhu'l-Qarnain built is in a broad opening between two mountains, the breadth of which is two hundred cubits [300ft or 100m]. That was the road through which they (Gog & Magog) issued and spread over the earth. And he dug the foundation of it to the depth of 30 cubits, and built it of iron and copper until it reached to the surface of the ground. Then he raised two side pillars near to the mountains on both sides of the opening 25 cubits broad, and 50 cubits high, which projected at the base to ten cubits beyond the gate. The while was built with iron bricks, covered with copper, each a cubit and a half by a cubit and a half, and four finger breadth high. There was an iron lintel 120 cubits long and 5 cubits broad, which rested on each end on the pillars, projecting 10 cubits beyond them. Above the lentel was a structure of iron covered with copper to the top of the mountains. The height of the structure extending as far as the eye could reach, about 60 cubits above the lentels. Above it were iron pinnacles, each having as the side, two horns bent towards each other. The length of each pinnacle was five cubits and the breadth four. There were 37 pinnacles upon the structure. Then the gate had two doors which lowered, each 50 cubits broad by 75 cubits high, and 5 cubits thick. The upright of the doors turned on pivots upon a level with the lintels, and no air could penetrate either by the gate, or from the mountains. The whole being built as in one piece. On the gate was a bolt 7 cubits long and a fathom round which two men could not draw. The height of the bolt from the ground was 25 cubits. Five cubits above the bolt was a lock longer than the bolt, the two staples of which were each 2 cubits long. To the lock a key was hung a cubit and a half long with 12 wards, each ward like the pestle of a mortar. The key was 4 spans round and was suspended from a chain 8 cubits long and 4 spans round which was riveted to the gate. The ring to which the chain was attached was like the ring of a ballista. The threshold of the gate was 10 cubits broad, with a length of 100 cubits, excluding the space under the two pillars, the visible part of which was 5 cubits. ... In one of the two fortresses, were the builders implements, with which the rampart had been built, consisting of iron cauldrons, and iron ladles. On each trivet, 4 cauldrons like those in which soap is boiled (could be placed).
There was also the remainder of the iron bricks which were sticking together with rust.
Sallaam says: "I said to those of the fortress which were present, 'Has anything at all of this rampart been damaged?' They answered 'Nothing except this crack.' Now the crack was in breadth as thin as a thread. I said 'Do you put anything in it?' They replied 'No! For the thickness of the rampart is 5 cubits which are equal each to one and a half Iraqian cubits'. Sallaam said: "So I approached, and taking my knife out of my boot, I scraped in the fissure and got out as much as half a drachm, and tied it up in a cloth to show it to Al-Wathiq bi-'llah. At the top of the right door of the rampart was written in iron characters in the ancient language "But when the promise of my Lord shall come to pass, He shall turn it to dust and the promise of my Lord is true".[6]
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