According to Mandeville, no one ventures into Hanyson out of fear, but the people in the surrounding area know it to be populated, as they can hear human voices inside.
The residents of Hanyson are the descendants of Persian Emperor Saures (Shapur II) and his men, who were trapped there forever by a miracle of God.
After passing through Russia and coming almost to the edge of the world, Alexander finds the darkened country and travels it with his servant Andreas (in the Persian version of the Romance, this servant is identified with the enigmatic Quranic figure of al-Khidr).
[2] When Abu Hamid al-Gharnati visited Volga Bulgaria in 1135-36, he was told that the Land of Darkness was not far from Yugra (or Yura).
Ibn Battuta was in the same area and wanted to visit the Land of Darkness but decided not to because it required a 40-day journey on "small wagons drawn by large dogs.