ARMENIANS
Adjoining Kurdistan lies Armenia, but it is difficult to determine where
the one begins and the other ends, as during the time of the Armenian
troubles the Sultan decreed that no such place as Armenia should exist,
and vast stretches of country inhabited by Armenians were officially
incorporated in the villayets, or provinces, of Kurdistan and others.
So determined was the Sultan to blot out the name he hated that the
censors were ordered to prohibit or deface all books having reference to
Armenia, and the writer of these lines had unpleasant experiences at the
Custom-house where a number of his books were mutilated; Keith
Johnston's book on "Geography," for instance, had ten pages torn out.
But in spite of Imperial edicts, Armenia still exists, and will continue
to do so as long as Mount Ararat stands as a monument in the land to
proclaim an antiquity claimed to be coeval with Noah.
The traditions of the Deluge are still cherished by the Armenians, who
yearly celebrate the exit from the Ark, and symbolize it in their
national pudding, called the _anoosh aboor_, or sweet pudding. This
consists of as many varieties of dried fruits as they can collect, which
they mix together and stew, in imitation, it is alleged, of Noah, who
did the same with the remnants of the provisions he had stored in the
Ark. On this occasion they also sprinkle water on each other's faces, to
denote the flood, and liberate captive doves and make cakes to represent
birds.
Tradition also maintains that it was in Armenia, on the southern slopes
of Ararat, still rich in vines and olive-yards, that Noah planted the
first vineyard. A withered root of one of the plants is still exhibited
to show the result of the Divine malediction on the vine which
occasioned his drunkenness.
Armenia has passed through a number of vicissitudes, and frequently
changed masters, and, owing to its geographical position, has often been
the highway for the passage of opposing armies. It was the first country
that officially embraced Christianity, their Sovereign, Tigranes, having
been converted at the end of the third century by Gregory the
Illuminator, and the Armenian Church has since been called the
Gregorian. Armenia fell under the sword of the Moslem powers, and many
of its inhabitants were compelled to turn Mahomedans, but as a whole
they bravely maintained their faith and worship, notwithstanding
persecutions. They have a language and an alphabet of their own, the
latter consisting of thirty-eight letters, and expressing so many sounds
that it is often used with advantage in writing Turkish also. The
language spoken by the people principally is Turkish, while that used in
the Church services is Ancient Armenian, which is not understood by the
illiterate, but efforts are now made to revive the use of Modern
Armenian, and it is being taught in their schools, and spoken more
extensively.
Armenia is to-day portioned between Russia, Persia, and Turkey, the
latter ruling over the largest share. The population of the Turkish
section is probably about 1,000,000, but about as many, if not more,
are spread about other portions of the Empire, and Constantinople holds
150,000.
The Armenians are of medium height, but broad-shouldered and of powerful
build; their complexion is swarthy, their hair black, and they can grow
magnificent beards. Their eyes are black, and their nose aquiline, or
eagle-beaked. This latter characteristic is very marked, and can be
traced back to the coins of Tigranes, and of their earliest sovereigns.
Their habits are indolent, and years of servitude have made them timid,
and until quite recently they appeared so infatuated with their masters
that their highest ambition seemed to be to ape them. They have been
described as "having no high feeling, no emulation, no enthusiasm, no
longing for a place among nations, no aspirations after the bright and
the beautiful." But now all this has changed--at least with the educated
people--and ecclesiastically, as well as socially, they have aspirations
for an improvement in their condition. They have great business
capacities, and show some aptitude in the arts, especially in weaving
and embroidery, but have little initiative. They are naturally devout
and kind-hearted, especially to animals, and ill-treatment of the latter
is considered as deserving ecclesiastical censure, a case being on
record where a priest imposed a fast of twenty years upon a woman for
killing her cat.
Villagers and Armenians from the interior are remarkable for their
honesty, and have been entrusted for generations with the guardianship
of merchants' offices, banks, shops, and the surveillance of public
establishments.
Their inducements to faithfulness are strengthened by their conviction
that honesty is the best policy, for as a result of their proverbial
trustworthiness their functions have come to be regarded as hereditary,
and when one servant dies or returns to his family, he is replaced by
his son, or brother, or near relative. There is thus solidarity between
the members of a family, and even between the citizens of a town, for
there are some towns--Mush, for instance--that hold the palm for the
integrity of its inhabitants.
An occupation, akin to the previous one, held by Armenians, in common
with Turks of Asia Minor, is that of porterage, an institution of the
greatest importance, especially in Constantinople, where the narrowness
or steepness of the streets often prevents wheeled conveyance.
These porters, known under the name of _hamals_, carry their burden on
their back by means of a leather cushion, which is strapped over their
shoulders, and called a _semer_, or saddle (see illustration, "In the
Grand Bazaar," Chapter IV.), and it is extraordinary what weight and
bulk they can carry. The object to be carried, if heavy, is lifted by
one or two companions, and rested on the _semer_, while the wearer
stoops forward to receive it.
Great care is necessary to poise and balance it properly, as the secret
of lifting lies in the correct adjustment--an art which with the
_hamals_ seems instinctive. A short rope is then thrown over the burden,
and the ends are held by the porter so as to prevent the burden from
slipping as he proceeds on his way with heavy but steady steps. Should
the road be steep, he will generally find resting-stones, which have
been placed at regular intervals, where he can lean his burden without
removing it, and obtain a brief repose. The placing of these
resting-stones is considered a meritorious act among Moslems, and finds
its equivalent in the Rest-and-be-Thankful Stones to be met with in many
places in this country, where the weary traveller sits and blesses the
donor.
It is an interesting study to watch the muscles of the _hamal's_ legs
distend and his veins dilate as, nearly bent in two, he treads leisurely
along, groaning under a weight which it would take two ordinary men to
carry.
Conveying a piano, for instance, is no unusual occurrence, and on one
occasion the writer had coals conveyed to his house, situated on a hill,
and about three miles from the ship, at the same price as they would
have been conveyed by horses, each _hamal_ carrying half a horseload. A
_hamal's_ carrying capacity may therefore be expressed, after this
experience, as equal to a half horse-power.
[Illustration: IN THE GRAND BAZAAR]
If the object to be conveyed is a very heavy one, it is suspended on a
long pole, and carried between two _hamals_, the rounded ends of the
poles resting on their shoulders, with perhaps a leather pad between to
protect the bone.
Should the weight be heavier still, say a large bale of merchandise or a
pig of lead, four, six, or eight _hamals_ combine, each pair carrying a
separate pole. As they march swinging and staggering along, with their
right hand resting on their neighbours' left shoulder, and occupying
half the street, they shout _Varda!_ which means "Make room!" and
everybody has to clear out and rush to the sidewalk, or run the risk of
being thrown over.
_Hamals_ form themselves into Guilds, allotting themselves special
spheres of work or districts, and are very jealous of interference by
outsiders in what they consider their monopoly.
In addition to the porterage of goods they also undertake the hewing of
wood, such as is used for warming purposes in the East. They begin by
conveying it on their backs in lengths of 5 or 6 feet, in which it
arrives from the forests, and, throwing it in a heap in front of your
door, they proceed forthwith to chop it with their axes into lengths of
12 to 14 inches, and then store it. In the meanwhile half the street is
occupied by the hewers, and chips fly right and left, endangering the
eyes and faces of passers-by.
Up to the time of the Armenian massacres, Armenian _hamals_ had nearly
the entire monopoly of the Constantinople Custom-house porterage, but
the majority were slaughtered in cold blood or had to flee, and Kurds
(many of whom were their murderers) were engaged in their place.
But the latter had neither the experience, nor the skill, nor the
obliging manners of the Armenians, and for a long time business was
disorganized, and merchants were discontented.
Before dismissing the subject of the _hamals_, reference may be made to
a peculiar contrivance they adopt for preventing water conveyed in open
barrels from spilling, through the vibration. It simply consists in
floating a disc of wood on the surface, and this seems as effectual as
the sailors' device of throwing oil over the troubled waters. Anyone may
try it and see the result.
It is difficult to depict the habits of a people in a country so
widespread as Armenia, but I may briefly allude to the houses they
inhabit in Erzerum, the principal town of Armenia, and one which,
according to Armenian tradition, stands on the site of the Garden of
Eden! In any case, the climate has changed since those blissful days,
for owing to its high latitude of 5,000 feet above the sea, that
district is bitterly cold during the winter and hot during the summer.
Indeed, for six months of the year, and more, snow is said to lie in the
streets of Erzerum. The houses are in consequence low and small,
consisting generally of a ground-floor only, with a flat roof over it.
They are built of stone against the sides of a hill, and each room
stands with a separate roof. As these roofs or terraces are connected
with steps, one can walk a very considerable way over them. During the
summer they are overgrown with grass, and are the favourite resort of
women and children, the latter taking with them their lambs to browse
over the grass and flowers. Each room of these houses has a fireplace,
where cow-dung fuel is consumed. The furniture is very simple, and
consists of a raised divan round three sides of the room, on which the
family sit during the day, and often sleep at night. Only few houses
possess chairs and tables. Meals are served on a round tray placed on a
stool, around which the family squat and partake from a common dish. The
characteristic feature of the house is the stable for oxen, one portion
of which has a raised platform, with divans and carpets, and is used as
the men's reception-room. The breath of the cattle helps to keep it warm
and cosy, and underneath the platform the dogs lie and sleep, while on
the divan, resting along with the men, are lovely silken-haired cats,
many of which have their tails dyed red with henna.
In winter the houses can hardly be distinguished under the snow, and the
town is described as a great rabbit-warren, with the passages leading to
the doors of the houses like so many burrows.