drums beating and banners flying to give us welcome: a crowd of poor
fellows all in raptures of divine love, by the prayers of whom I was
restored to health. Next day we crossed a plain for thirteen hours,
and halted three times on it. At the southern end of this field we
pitched our tents on the bank of the great river Zengí, where the
people of all the Kents of the neighbourhood, flocking together,
brought us abundance of provisions as presents, so that our servants
feasted as if they were as many Ma’adí Karbs, and our horses feasted on
trefoil and other luxuriant herbs, so that their bellies swelled like
wine-skins. The river Zengí issues on the south from the mountains of
Khárán, flows to the North, supplying water to many thousand Kents,
and then joins the Aras, which falling into the Kúr (Cyrus) runs into
the Caspian sea. We continued our journey hunting hares, and came at
the end of ten hours to the Kent Sídreghí, a Wakf of Imám Riza in the
territory of Nakhshiván. It is a flourishing Kent of about one thousand
houses surrounded with gardens. The inhabitants are all Shi’ís. The
hot-spring of Sídreghí is outside of the town close to the vineyards;
this hot-spring is covered with a large cupola, and in the large basin
the Persian youths swim like silver fishes; they amuse themselves by
disporting in the water, and singing with melodious voices. Fourteen
hours further to the east, we came to Zavieí Ahmed Beg, consisting of
five hundred houses, in the territory of Nakhshiván. Here are three
mosques, one of which was built by Zál Páshá-zadeh Ahmed, when governor
of Nakhshiván, in the style of the mosques at Constantinople. This is
the reason why the Persians called this Kent (borough) the cell (zavie)
of Ahmed Páshá; the whole borough is appropriated to the endowment of
this mosque. We passed during sixteen hours through many cultivated
Kents (boroughs) until we reached the large town Kara-bághlar, first
built by Menúchehr, it is the seat of a Sultán (Beg) in the territory
of Nakhshiván, it was wrested from the Ottomans by the Persians in the
time of Mohammed III. and laid waste by the army of Sultán Murád IV.,
so that now ruins are only to be seen. Timúr passed a winter in perfect
quietness at Karabághlar; Suleimán Khán and other commanders-in-chief
were stationed here at different times for five or six months in the
greatest affluence. This place is now recovering from the havoc made
by Sultán Murad IV., but in comparison with its former state, it is
not as an atom in the sun, nor a drop in the ocean. Our servants
counted forty minarehs, and according to the report of our Mihmándár
it consisted of ten thousand houses with gardens and vineyards, and
seventy mosques (forty of which have minarehs), a great number of
Kháns, baths and markets. The mildness of the air contributes to the
beauty of the inhabitants; the variety of fruits which abound here, is
no where else to be met with. Taking a walk with the Envoy in a garden,
the gardener brought us twenty-six different kinds of pears, the best
are the Meleje, Abbássí, Ordúbaí, which when eaten, inundates the
mouth and hands with rich juice, like jelly or sirup; there are also
ruby-coloured pomegranates. In the cleanly cookshops you find pilaw of
Eriván, with excellent herísse (fricassee). The cooks are extremely
clean because they are all Moslíms, and in the whole of Persia eatables
are never sold by Armenians or Greeks; indeed there are no Greeks at
all in Persia, except a few travelling merchants, but there are a great
many Shi’ítes and Jews being the sect of the Teberraites and Karaites.
There are also Mulhads (impious); Zindíks, (atheists); Ja’aferites,
Jeberites, Kadrites, Húrúfites, Zimínites, and other such heretics.
After having taken a good view of the gardens at Karabágh we departed,
and in seven hours reached the fortress of Nakhshiván, which by some is
spelt Nakhjíván, (the cosmetic water of all the towns of Irán;) it is
the seat of a Khán (answering to the Turkish Páshá) on the frontier of
Azerbeiján and Avján. Its officers are an Itimád-ud-devlet (minister);
Kelenter, (provost, in Turkish Súbashí); a Múnshí, (secretary,
otherwise Kiatib); a Dárogha, an Agha of the Dízchoken (the troops) a
judge and a muftí. It was originally built by Sháh Efrasiáb, and the
cupolas are shewn where his ancestors are said to be buried; in their
times it was extremely populous and cultivated: it was then pillaged
by the Moghols, who levelled the castle with the dust; Sháh Ismaíl
rebuilt it, and in the reign of Mohammed III. it was taken possession
of by Zúltakár Khán, and again conquered in the time of Sultán Murad
IV. by Tabán Yassí Mohammed Páshá. Such is the state of the world where
nothing remains unchanged, but every thing perishes except His (God’s)
face. After Sultán Murad’s conquest it consisted of twelve thousand
houses with terraces, seventy mosques, forty mesjíds, twenty kháns,
seven baths, and one thousand shops. The air is mild, but as it has
few gardens, it has also but few fruits, one of its best products, is
cotton of seven colours, black, yellow, ruby-coloured and of the purest
white. The corn and wheat of Nakshiván is praised every where. Above
all its painted linen and its Chít (chintz) deserve to be recommended.
Its barley is so rich, that if a horse eats four grains of it, it is
satiated; its gardens are repositories of melons and water-melons. The
youth are all fair and white on account of its excellent air, they wear
the Persian turban, Táj, and robes of painted cotton and Chít (chintz)
breeches of different colours, and green, red and orange-coloured
papúshes. The women wear pointed caps on which they wrap white muslin,
and boots of various colours. The fashionable young men wear pelisses
of Isfahán, and walk with great pomp and dignity, but they are wholly
attached to women. The people pretend to be of the orthodox sect of
Sháfií although they are Persians, but this is a foul lie, they are
Ja’aferites, who, however, keep the regular prayer hours five times a
day, but never in company. They have some very fine mosques, every one
of which may be compared to Eden, they are lined with painted pottery,
and at some, the cupolas are covered in the same manner, there are
thirty-three minarehs in the style of those of Constantinople; that of
Ahmed Páshá exactly resembles that of Rostán Páshá at Constantinople.
The bath of Jenání is very pleasant, the walls are faced with
porcelain, and the floor is paved; the waiters are black-eyed youths
from Khoten, whose crystal white bodies are set off by the dark blue of
their aprons. Near the house where we lodged, as guests, is the bath
of Zál Páshá, which is also a soul-delighting bath, owing to its fine
water and excellent attendance; the walls are faced with porcelain,
and the floor paved with jasper, marble, and granite of various hues.
In the large basin ten feet square, which is underneath the cupola,
the young people swim like angels of the sea: the bath-keeper every
day pours into the basin, a basket of rose-leaves, which attaching
themselves to the bodies of the bathers forms a kind of veil which
is very becoming; thus they sport and play like peacocks and doves,
their nakedness being covered by rose-leaves; in short this bath is so
delightful that such poets as Hassán and Selmán could not sufficiently
praise it, how then could it be possible for me, poor Evliyá, to
succeed.
Rich merchants are established in the market, who trade by land and
sea, each of whom is as rich as Karún; the inhabitants are all given to
pleasure, and pass part of every day in each other’s gardens. The Khán
of Nakhshiván, Rísa-ud-din, after having met us, carried us directly to
one of his gardens, where he read our letters to the principal men of
Nakhshiván, and gave us an entertainment, attended by so many singers
and musicians, that it was equal to the feast of Hossein Bikara. The
Khán, a person of great repute, had been the treasurer of Sultán Sifí,
who had delivered the castle of Baghdád to Sultán Murad; he was a man
of great judgment, of Georgian extraction, and his name was Devlet
Murád Khán. After dinner he gave to Alaja Atlí Hassan, who came as
envoy from the Páshá, and to me, brilliant robes of honour, ten tománs
of Abbássí, and a horse, investing his own envoy also with a caftán.
He has from forty to fifty delightful companions excelling in various
arts. The inhabitants of this town generally speak the dialect Dihkáni,
or of peasants, but they have poets who speak the Pehleví and Moghol
languages with elegance. The languages that are spoken here, are the
Dihkání or rough Persian; the Derí, or court language; the Farsí, or
pure but less elegant Persian; the Ghází and the Pehleví, two ancient
dialects.
In the commentary of Dilemí, it is reported that the Prophet asked
Michael “whether God ever spoke any thing in Persian;” and Michael
replied, “yes, that there were some passages in the books which
Abraham received from Heaven:” and the Prophet answered, “whoever
ridicules the Ghází dialect is an Infidel”.
The Turkomans, Gokdúlák and Moghols, who are settled in the different
districts, again speak other dialects. All these districts are defended
by strong castles, some of which I passed on hunting parties, without
having leisure to examine them properly. The names of these castles
are:—Alánjak Ván, built by Molla Kotb-ud-dín; Serán, Sersú, and
Semaraván, built by Merván Ibn-al-himár. The names of Persian towns
almost all terminate as follows:—in Tartary the castles are named,
Cherkers Kermán, Kiresh Kermán, Sháhin Kermán, Irbát Kermán, In Kermán,
Ghází Kermán, Uzí Kermán, and Ak Kermán. The names of Polish fortresses
are Kamanija (Kaminiuk), and Alúnjissa. The names of fortresses in
Transylvania terminate in ár, as Sakmár, Sakswár, Oivár, &c. The
German fortresses are Iran, Comoin, Tata, Papa, Santmarton, Posonium,
Bedj (Vienna), the latter is the residence of the German Emperor.
Amongst the names of Ottoman towns, those of the Holy land are the
most sounding. The whole Ottoman Empire consists of seventy seats of
Begler-Begs, three hundred and sixty sanjak Begs, and thirteen hundred
and eighty strong castles. May they all remain in the power of the
Ottoman family until the end of the World. Amen! The names of Persian
castles will be given in the course of our travels.
JOURNEY FROM NAKHSHIVAN TO TABRIZ.
From Nakhshiván we proceeded for eight hours towards the Kiblah, and
arrived at the place Kessik Kunbed, containing one thousand houses with
gardens, three mosques, a Khán and Hamám.
_Pilgrimage of Riza, the Son of Hossein Bikara._
The inhabitants of the kent told us, that it was the tomb of the son of
Hossein Bikara, but on the marble coffin was written Murád Ibn Beháder
Shefád Ibn Hossein Bákara. It is a high cupola, and the tomb-keeper
is one of the descendants of Hossein Bikara. We continued our journey
from hence seven hours along the Arash, which rises in the mountains
of the Curds Bínpánshí, in the province of Ván, flows to the North and
joins the river Zenghí. It may be crossed on horseback. We now advanced
for some time amongst gardens, and arrived at Karabágh, a town of
Azerbeiján, which was built by one of the princes of this country, and
ruined by Koja Ferhád Páshá one of the Vezírs of Sultán Mohammed the
conqueror of Erla. The traces of havock are still to be seen.
When Sultán Murad IV., on his expedition to the conquest of Eriván,
came to this country, he again pillaged the town, which is just now
rising from its ruins. It is the seat of a Sultán, who commands one
thousand men. Its officers are a Kelenter, Darogha, Múnshí, Bínbáshí,
and Dizchoken-agassí. The town is situated on a beautiful wide plain,
and consists of three thousand houses, seven mosques, seven baths,
three kháns, and six hundred shops. The youth of both sexes are
pretty; the products good and plentiful; the air salubrious and the
water excellent; it is adorned and surrounded with gardens. Among the
fruits deserve to be mentioned twelve different sorts of ruby-coloured
grapes, and eighteen sorts of cherries; some of its quinces are of the
size of a man’s head. Its waters are carried in some places through
subterraneous conduits, and are most refreshing in summer time. The
cupolas of the mosques are built in the old style of architecture, that
is to say, pointed, and are covered with china of different colours;
eleven minarehs are conspicuous, but there are altogether seventy
mihrábs. The inhabitants have been exempted from the payment of all
gifts and duties, on condition that they would rebuild the town; they
only contribute annually to the Sháh of Irán an hundred camel-loads
of dried fruits. In short, there are three towns in Azerbeiján called
Karabágh, each of which is a garden resembling Paradise. We went from
hence turning towards the Kiblah, and arrived at the place where
the river Irs joins that of Shán. We crossed it amidst a thousand
difficulties; it collects its waters from the mountains of Punyánshí
(Bínpánshí?) Bíredos, and Bághassí. Three stations below the plain of
Nakhshiván the Irs runs into the Zenghí, the Zenghí into the Aras,
the Aras into the Kúr, the Kúr into the Terek, (?) and the Terek into
the Caspian Sea. After having crossed the river we came in six hours
to Kent Kerken, which is situated in the province of Tabríz on the
frontier of Merend, consisting of three hundred houses, a mosque, a
khán, and a bath; but the inhabitants are extremely uncivil Persians;
they are all cotton weavers, of which their plain produces a large
quantity; bogassins of various colours are manufactured here.
After a march of nine hours towards the Kiblah, we arrived at the kent
of Zeneves, one thousand well-built houses, ten mosques, a khán, and
bath. Ten hours further on, towards the Kiblah, is the town of Tessúí;
it is situated on the frontier of Merend and the bank of the Irs, and
has three thousand houses with terraces, seven mosques, three baths,
and six kháns. Its Sultán commands one thousand armed men; there is
a Kelenter and Darogha, a Múnshí and Kádhí. It was also destroyed by
Murad IV., and is now recovering from its ruins; it is twelve farsangs
distant from the town of Merend; the fruits of Tessúí are celebrated.
The inhabitants are Shiítes, who live by gardening. We now passed to
the south, drinking fresh water from wells, because the greatest part
of the water is here subterraneous, and at the end of twelve farsangs
we reached the town of Merend, the residence of the Khán of Elvend, and
the seat of a Sultán commanding one thousand men. Its authorities are a
Kelenter, Darogha, Munshí, and Dizchoken Aghá. The interval of fourteen
farsangs between here and Tabríz is all well cultivated ground.
Merend lies to the east of Tabríz. It was formerly a hunting place
of Sháhrokh, the son of Timúr, and was in a flourishing state, but
Sultán Murad IV. laid it waste; there are now three thousand houses,
seven mosques, three kháns, five baths and six hundred shops, but no
Bezestán, no colleges nor abecedarian schools; but praise must be given
to its seventy fine walks and gardens, each of which outrivals those of
Eden. Its youth of both sexes are pretty and eloquent. The inhabitants
are for the most part military men, all the sect of the Shiítes; on the
Kiblah side of the town is the tomb of Hossein Teftazání, one of the
ancestors of the great Teftazání, also of Alí Khándí, Sheikh Súsemári,
and Alí-ud-dín. We received presents from the Sultán of this town,
and went on seven hours, on the Kiblah side, through roads planted on
both sides with willows and planes, so that we always travelled in the
shade, sheltered against the rays of the sun. We halted at the wells,
and arrived at Kent Kuherín, belonging to the Secretary of the Khán
of Tabríz, of one thousand houses, six mosques, three baths, and two
great palaces. It is an extremely flourishing kent. May God destroy
it! because they are all Shiítes, and because I heard here for the
first time, curses uttered against Omar. Allah confound them! I was
obliged to listen quietly to those obloquies, though I had a great mind
to kill the rascal, which I might have done without incurring much
responsibility, because envoys travelling from Rúm to Persia are free
in all their actions, even if they should kill a Persian.
We now marched six hours further to Kent Sehlán, which is the khass of
the Khán of Tabríz, situated in a plain, consisting of one thousand
houses, seven mosques, a khán, a bath and some small markets (Súk).
Its streets are all planted with willows and planes. The inhabitants
of Tabríz have their koshks and pleasure-houses in this kent; the
inhabitants of the place pretend to be Sháfiítes, but are all cursed
Ráfedites; the young people and the air of the place is praiseworthy.
As we continued our journey, we saw on our right, the high cupola of
Ghazán Mohammed Sháh towering into the skies, conspicuous at six hours
distance. We said a Fátihah to his memory, halted on a fine meadow, and
sent a messenger to Tabríz. After three hours we mounted our horses for
the solemn entry, I and the Envoy of Tabríz side by side; before the
envoy marched his soldiers well dressed, and before me forty persons
composing my train; the Kiaya of the Khán of Tabríz came to meet us
in solemn pomp (Istikbál), and accompanied by him we made our entrance
into the town of Tabríz, where many thousand persons in the market were
collected to stare at us; our march from the town-gate to the palace
of the Khán at the other extremity of the town lasted for two hours.
The Khán received us in his Diván, where a great Council was assembled,
the Persian music consisting of kettle-drums and trumpets were three
times sounded, and the troops paraded. After the music was over, I
got up, and drew forth from my breast the letter of Defterdár-zadeh
Mohammed Páshá, the governor of Erzerúm, giving it into the hand of
the Khán, who got up and kissed it, and put it on his head. The Ishek
Aghá (master of the ceremonies) then shewed me my place, where I stood
in the Mohammedan fashion. The Khán gave the letter to his secretary
(Múnshí), who kissed it respectfully, and read it with a loud voice.
At the mention of God’s name, and the Prophet’s name, all stood up
praising the Prophet, but at the mention of his four friends, some
looked askance (not liking to hear Omar mentioned amongst them.)
The reading being finished the Khán said: “With the aid of God I will
send to my honourable brother the Vezír of the Emperor, before a month
elapses, a caravan of a hundred horses, and one of a hundred camels.”
Then adding different kind greetings and words, he made us sit down
close to him, and ordered the repast to be brought in. After dinner, I
delivered the pearl beads, the quiver and the Venetian stuffs, which,
said I, “the Páshá has furnished me with, that I may not appear before
your Excellency with empty hands; he has added to these two Arabian
horses of high breeding, which shall now make their appearance, if
your Excellency would be pleased to see them.” He rose up, and we
came to the end of the room; the horses richly caparisoned were on
the signal given by me led into his presence: they came dancing and
capering to the great astonishment of all the gentlemen of the Diván;
saying, “Bismillah!” I gave the bridle of the horse into the hands of
the Khán, adding “Mobarek-bád” (Be it prosperous!) The Khán took some
turns on the horse, riding without stirrups in the fashion of Persian
horsemanship. I then presented him with the second horse (Yelkendiz),
with which he was no less satisfied, and sent it to his stable. At
a signal by the Khán all our servants were served with sherbet,
rosewater and incense was repeated; and we were then given in to the
care of the Mihmándár, Kúrújí-báshí, Darogha, and Kelenter. The latter
conducted us to his garden, where we remained. The Khán sent me forty
tománs bath-money, a caparisoned horse (Karajabuk), with an elegant
saddlecloth, and seven camel-loads of provisions. The public cryers
now published, throughout the town, an order of the Khán to make known
that an Ottoman embassy of Sunnís having arrived, every body should be
cautious of insulting them, lest they might be killed by the Sunnís.
They curse neither Abúbekr nor Osmán, but Omar gives them a terrible
head-ache, and they cannot refrain from injuring him by slanderous
words. The same day the Khán sent us ten fine youths all dressed in
embroidered cloth. They were led by our Mihmándár to kiss our hands,
according to the ancient etiquette by which the Kháns of Persia used to
send ten fine youths as servants to the Ottoman Envoys. We now began to
take a view of the town.
_Description of the Capital of Azerbeiján, the ancient town of Tabríz._
In the Moghol language it is called Túris; in the Derí dialect,
Táríz; in the Dihkání, Tábríz; and in the Farsí, Tabríz: in all these
dialects, _tab_ signifies fever, and _ríz_ pouring [dispersing],
because the air is so salubrious, and the water of Aján so good, that
people who come from regions where fever prevails, completely recover
here; the fortress of Cairo is also a place where no fever is to
be found. Tabríz was founded by Zobeide, Harún Rashíd’s wife, who,
when pregnant with Mamún, built a pleasure-house here on account of
the excellent air. Afterwards a large town was built at an immense
expense, and of such extent that it took three days to go round it.
In the time of Calíf Motevekel, it was ruined by an earthquake which
destroyed forty thousand men. Motevekel came himself from Baghdád to
rebuild the town at the expense of immense treasure. It rests on one
side upon mount Aján, on another side upon mount Sehlán, on a third
side upon mount Senján, and on the fourth upon the Maiden’s mount
(Kiztágh). The actual circumference of Tabríz, is six thousand paces,
there are three hundred towers, three thousand battlements, and six
gates, viz., that of Aján, of Berserván, of Serzúd, and of Shámnemázán,
each of which is guarded by five hundred watchmen. The third builder
of Tabríz was Húlagú, who resided here seven years, and embellished it
wonderfully: Mohammed Khodabende Ibzárgún Sháh transferred the whole
palace, built by Húlagú, on camels to his new built town. The timber
used in the buildings was all cypress and aloe wood, and they have
been faced with china ever since. The fourth builder was Mohammed Sháh
Ghazán, who extended the boundaries to the mountains of Senján, Aján,
and Sehlán, and surrounded it with a wall, which required four days to
make a tour of it. The town formerly built by Motevekel became then
the inner castle or citadel of the new town. In the year 959, it was
taken by Sultán Suleimán, who did not ravage it, but made a present
of it to Sháh Elkáss Mirza. In the year 994 (1585), it was taken by
the Persians. In the reign of Murad III., Uzdemir-oghlí Murad Páshá
undertook the expedition into Persia with an immense army, the van of
which was led by Jighála-oghlí Sinám. Osmán Páshá, one of his generals,
took the town of Tabríz out of the hands of the Sháh.
To defend this town a strong citadel was then built of twelve thousand
seven hundred cubits, which seems as though it had been built by
Ferhád, and on the gate of which the name of Uzdemir is inscribed.
Uzdemir Páshá, the fifth builder, finished the castle in thirty-six
days, and filled it with all necessary stores, and a garrison of forty
thousand men. But he was not so happy as to perform the Friday’s
prayer, having died before it; the whole army proclaimed Jighála-zadeh
Sinám their commander, who was not however confirmed in his place by
the Porte, which when made acquainted with the news, named Khándin
Ja’affer Páshá, formerly Governor of Tripolis; under whose government
the flourishing state of Tabríz excelled even that at the time
of Sultán Gházán. According to the description made in his time,
Tabríz reckoned eighty thousand houses, and three hundred thousand
inhabitants. During the troubles which took place soon afterwards by
the rebellion of the troops, it happened, that the Persians became
masters of Genje, Shirván, Shamákhí, Eriván, Nakhshiván and Tabríz,
until the time of vengeance arrived in the reign of Sultán Murad IV. He
conquered the fortress of Eriván in seven days, ransacked the towns of
Nakhshiván, Merend and Karabágh, remained a week at Tabríz, levelled
the palace of Sháh Abbás, and set fire to all the wooden houses, so
that only stone buildings, such as mosques and baths, remained; after
which havock he returned to Constantinople. Sháh Abbás returned,
conciliated the inhabitants, and began to restore it to its former
splendour. It is now the capital of Azerbeiján, and the seat of the
Khán its Governor, who commands ten thousand men. Its officers are the
Muftí, Nakíb or head of the Seids (Emírs), the Molla (Judge), Kelenter
(Lieutenant of police), Múnshí, (Secretary), Darogha (Provost),
Kúrújí-báshí (chief of the guards of the woods and heaths), Dízchoken
Aghá, (commander of the garrison), Chiyek-yeyen Aghá (another officer
of the troops), Yassúl Aghá (Inspector of the sentinels), and Ishek
Aghá (Master of the Ceremonies) Mihmándár. These public officers keep
good order in the town of Tabríz, so that justice prevails as it did in
the time of Núrshírván, and no person can take a grain of mustard-seed
from another.
_Description of the Mosques of Tabríz._