winter was far advanced at the time of our stay here, yet we now saw
seventeen various sorts of pears offered as presents to the Páshá, with
raisins and apricots; its mulberries both white and black are much
renowned and when dried are exported to all countries. The sherbet of
mulberries seasoned with different spices gives new life to the soul.
Erzerúm is provided with fruits from this town, from whence they are
transported in two days.
_Pilgrimages._
The convent of Khizr, a convent of Mevlevís; the convent of Sheikk
Khaled Efendí; and the tomb of Himmet Páshá, one of the vezirs of
Sultán Selím, who was killed on his way to Chaldirán.
I remained here for three days to collect the sums due from the
Inspectors of salt and the Súbáshí of Kúrúchaí. Whilst the inhabitants
were giving feasts to the Páshá news arrived of the rebellion of Várvár
Páshá, with a letter to the following intent: “My son! Hezárpara Ahmed
Páshá the Vezír of Ibrahím has killed eleven Vezirs and deprived me
of the Governorship of Sívás, because I did not send to the Sultán
the wife of Ipshír Páshá, the daughter of the Prince of Georgia, the
Lady Perikhán. Three Kapijí-bashí came with orders to take my head,
but I happily escaped from them. I have now received letters from all
the great and principal men at Constantinople, and from the officers
of the seven military corps, summoning me to come with my troops to
Scutarí, and to demand there the heads of the Vezir, of Jenjí Khoja,
Begtásh Aghá, Chelebí Kiaya, Mossleh-ud-dín Aghá and Kara Chaúsh. I am
now united with three Vezirs, seven Begler-begs and eleven Sanjak-begs
ready to march against Constantinople. If thou wishest to save thy head
from Ahmed Páshá (the grand Vezir), I invite thee to join us at Tokát,
from whence we shall march our united forces to Constantinople to try
our fortune.” This letter having been received at Erzenján a council
was held, and the levies (levend) having determined to follow the
auspices of the Páshá, the resolution was taken to join the party of
the rebels, and a Fátihah was said to that intention. Alaja Atlí Hassan
Aghá was sent on with a foraging party to be quarter-master general,
and letters were sent to Várvár Páshá with the declaration upon oath to
join him. I, poor Evliyá, was quite perplexed and out of my wits, I had
so many things and goods, which I knew not how to dispose of. We were
in the midst of winter, and the tradition of the prophet, “a journey
is a portion of hell, be it but a farsang’s length,” received its full
application. I did not know where to leave my things in safety; and
only with my horse and sword accompany the Páshá, my gracious Lord, as
a rebel.
We first moved from Erzenján to the north and halted after seven hours
at Báshkhán; five hours further, to the village Erzensí, an Armenian
village, six hours further to the village of Sheikh Sinán, near
which at Bárúgúnde is the tomb of Behlúl of Samarkand, a convent of
bareheaded and barefooted Begtáshís; and three hours further we crossed
the bridge of the Shepherds near Hassan Kala’assí. Shah Kúrúdúmán of
the Chobán family is buried in the same place with Behlúl of Samarkand.
It is said, that the tomb being opened, King Chobán Kúrúdúmán with all
his family was burnt by a fire that issued out by talismanic virtue.
He was a Prince of great enterprise, built the bridge of Tiflís and
near Melázjerd the bridge with golden rings over the Araxes. Adjoining
the bridge is a magnificent caravánseraï, the windows of which look
on the river, so that travellers lodging there have the pleasure of
fishing out of their windows. I have sometimes passed this bridge on
my way to and from Eriván. This time I visited the builder’s tomb and
said the Súra yass, for his soul. We left Bárúgúnde and came after a
march of eight hours to the north to Ezendeler, a cultivated village in
the district of Terján, and after four hours more to the north to the
station of Tapán Ahmed Aghá, where a feast for ten days was ordained.
Here I took leave of the Páshá and proceeded with the men of Ahmed Aghá
to Shín Kara Hissár. I first travelled towards the east through woods
and deserts along the valley of Kara hissár, and villages belonging to
it, and reached the town itself after a nine hours march.
_Description of the strong Castle of Shín or Shábín Kara-hissár._
There are in the Ottoman Empire various castles, which bear the name of
Kara-hissár, the most renowned of which is that before us. The others
are Kara-hissár called Afiún (Apamea), Develí Kora-hissár, Adalia
Kara-hissárí, and Ván Kara-hissárí. The two first are superior to the
others. Shábín Kara-hissár is so called because a mine of alum (Sháb)
was found in its mountains; the stones of the castle being black, it
is also called Shabín from Shab (night, dark coloured). It was built
by the Armenian kings, fell into the power of the Greek Princes of
Trebisonde, and then into that of Záhir-ud-dín, the Prince of Erzenján,
who conquered it on a dark night, which is another reason given for
its being called Shabín. It passed into the power of Uzún Hassan, the
Prince of Azerbeiján and was taken from him by Mohammed II. In the
time of Sultán Selím I. it was described as a sanjak belonging to the
government of Erzerúm. Its khass is thirteen thousand aspers; and
there are thirty-six ziámets and nine hundred and forty timárs, which
furnish, together with the men belonging to the Beg, two thousand
men. The revenue of the Páshá amounts annually to forty purses. It has
sometimes been given as a supplementary allowance (Arpalik) to Páshás
of three tails. It was so given to Ghází Sefer Páshá, the vezir of
Akhiska, in addition to Akhiska. His administrator (Motessellem) was
Dervish Aghá, a Georgian and powerful commander. He once sent me on
service to the valleys of Mendvál and Túsdereh by which I gained a
horse, a sword, two red mules, and a Georgian boy; presented to me by
himself. The judge is appointed with an hundred and fifty aspers and
may annually make four thousand piastres from the different districts.
There is a Muftí, a Nakíb, a Serdár, Kiaya-yerí, Subashí, Mohtessib, a
Dizdár and an hundred and fifty men invested with timárs.
The castle of Shabín Kara-hissár is of a heptagon form and stands on a
high mountain, appearing like a man of war dismantled and dismasted.
It is the work of an architect who was a second Ferhád. It is one of
the twelve fortresses in the Ottoman Empire, which, not being commanded
by the neighbouring heights, seem to have been built by the hand of
Omnipotence. The height of the walls on all the seven sides is seventy
cubits, with seventy bulwarks and seven hundred battlements. The whole
circumference is three thousand six hundred paces; there is no ditch,
it being surrounded by precipices. It has three strong gates where
the garrison keep watch day and night, because the inhabitants of the
villages along the shores of the Black sea send all their best goods
into the castle to protect them from the inroads of the Cossacks; there
are seventy houses with terraces, but they suffer from want of water,
which is obliged to be brought upon asses from the river below; in case
of siege they use the water kept in cisterns. The magazines are full
of millet and rice, and have been for more than a century. As it is
not a frontier fortress the artillery is neither heavy nor numerous.
A small mosque bearing the name of Sultán Mohammed II., a khán, bath
and market are in the lower town or suburb. This suburb, with gardens
around it, consists of sixteen hundred terraced houses, the windows of
which look towards the north; the courtyards are spacious. There are
forty-two mosques, none of which are covered with lead, like those of
the Sultáns at Constantinople; the one within the market place near
the court of justice is much frequented: three convents, two baths,
four kháns, seven schools for boys and an hundred and fifty shops;
as this place does not lie on the great road, but on one side of it,
its establishments are not very elegant. Tapán Ahmed Aghá began a new
bezestán with eighty shops on both sides of the main street; it is
sheltered by a roof against rain and foul weather, and protected by two
gates on each side against thieves and bad men. Watchmen keep guard
every night because many precious things are deposited there.
_Description of a Lion._
Upon the gate leading to the outer town a lion, stuffed with cotton,
is to be seen, it has oranges in the place of eyes, yawning like a
seven-headed dragon, with a piece of red felt instead of a tongue, and
teeth as sharp as Turcoman daggers or Arab lances. It measures from
its nose to its tail forty-five spans. This mountain lion continued
his havoc on the cattle of the neighbouring country for seven years,
when it was killed by a brave man, and placed by the order of Ahmed
Tapán upon the gate of his new built bezestán. It is a terrific beast,
with feet resembling columns; it is not so beautiful as the lions
of Baghdád, Helle, Jevazer and Kavarna, with their yellow coloured
hair of a span’s length, like Angora-goats. Lions being generally the
inhabitants of deserts, this one of the mountains deserves so much
the more to be noticed. The mountains of this part, being all covered
with thick forests, abound with leopards, lynxes, wild sheep, martens,
wolves, foxes and jackals, and men are scarcely able to fetch wood from
the mountains because they are so full of ferocious animals. A party of
Cossacks, who had once pushed their inroads as far as these mountains,
became the prey of wild beasts; intending to devour men’s goods they
were themselves devoured, and ever since the town has enjoyed perfect
security from the roving Cossacks, who availed themselves of the
vicinity of the Black Sea.
In this town I saw another marvellous thing, it was a boy standing
before a barber’s shop with his father who begged alms; the boy was
about eight or nine years of age with a stupendous head, like the
heads of the people of A’ad and Themúd, like the head of Salsál (?)
at Akgermán or like pumpkins of Adana and cabbages of Ván, on a neck
no thicker than an arm, which not being capable of bearing such an
enormous weight the head was supported by a wooden fork, which was
fixed in the ground, and on it the weight of the head rested. This
monstrous head, held up in this way before a barber’s shop, laughed in
the faces of all who passed by. It had no turban but a kind of coarse
saddle-cloth wrapped round it, the brows were of two fingers breadth
extending to the ears, which were of human form, but of immense size,
as were also the eyes, the lashes of which resembled arrows; the nose
was somewhat of the shape of a Melonyena (Bádinján) of Morea, and
when breathing, the nostrils were like those of a snorting horse; the
mouth opened to such an astonishing width, that he was able to swallow
at once a small water melon; of his teeth two were curved outside of
the mouth towards the upper, and two downwards to the under lip; the
lips were ruby-coloured but like the lips of a camel; the spittle was
continually running out of his mouth. The physiognomy was that of a
Kalmúk, and the hair crisped like that of black Arabs. The arms and
breasts were those of a boy’s of his years, the fingers very thin
and the feet like sticks. This was a case to apply the verse of the
Koran to: “God does what he wills and orders what he likes.” I asked
the father whether the mother of this monstrous child was still alive,
he said “Yes, and that she was actually again with child.” I said,
“Bandage her body tightly, that she may miscarry, for if the head of
the child should grow to the size of its brother’s, its entrance into
the world might cause an inconvenient enlargement.” The father said,
“You are joking, but I assure you most earnestly, that when the mother
of this boy laid in with him, the birth was so easy that she was aware
of nothing at all and thanked God for such an easy deliverance.” I,
poor Evliyá, said, “But never has there been created a creature with
such a head, such a face and such teeth; do you believe it to be the
real produce of your loins?” The man answered, “Having once gone to
the mountain with my wife to cut wood, we there enjoyed a shepherd’s
hour in most pleasant conversation. I then left her reposing under
a tree, and went on my business, when I suddenly heard her cries,
and saw her running towards me pursued by a naked giant, tall as the
fir-trees. When she got home she fell sick, and her figure increased
in size daily, until at the end of a year’s time she was delivered of
this boy, whose head grows bigger and bigger every day.” I said, “If it
please God, that it should still grow to a larger size, you must come
to Constantinople, where if shown to the Vezirs and great men of the
Empire he may easily gain two thousand piastres in a year.”
_Praise of the Alum, called Solomon’s Alum._
This is a reddish alum produced in the mountains of this town, which
is therefore called Shábín Kara-hissár; it is much sought after by the
goldsmiths of all countries. The Inspectorship is let at seven hundred
thousand aspers a year. It breaks up into pentagon and sexagon stones
shaped like the seal of Solomon; the goldsmiths use it to brighten the
silver, and the surgeons for plasters. It has many excellent qualities.
The temperature of this town being mild the inhabitants are fair. Its
quinces and a kind of small bread are famous. We remained here three
days as guests in the palace of Tapán Ahmed Aghá, purchased coffee,
horse-shoes and some other necessary things and then returned.
On our journey we passed a great river, which flows into the Kerkúk,
and whose waters collect from the vallies of Mánd, Vál, and Kúrd-dereh.
After six hours march to the west we reached the village of Yakúb-aghá
and further on, along the shores of the Kerkúk, through steep and stony
ways and the tremendous pass of Bogház-kessen, to where the river,
which flows through Amasia, enters the Kerkúk, and falls into the sea
at Ener. Having passed it we continued our way for eight hours over
hills and valleys and arrived at the Castle of Hájí Murád, built by
Uzún Hassan’s vezír. After the defeat of Uzún Hassan it surrendered
its keys without contest to Mahmúd Páshá, the vezír of Sultán Mohammed
II. It is a high and steep castle like that of Kavilí-hissár, of a
thousand paces in circumference and without a ditch, which from its
situation on a hill would be superfluous. In the castle are seventy
small houses, but no market, khán, bath, college or imáret. There are a
great number of nut-trees. On the border of the Kerkúk, which flows at
the foot of the castle in a deep valley is a khán. The Súbashí resident
here is subordinate to Shábín Kara-hissár. I here informed the Páshá
of the strength of Shábín Kara-hissár, at which he was surprised. From
hence we ascended a high mountain to the north and came in six hours
to the village of Chaúdár; in seven more to Emírler, a village in the
territory of Shábín; in five more to an Armenian village; in four more
to the west to the village of Kílárjí Veliaga, on the border of a
high mountain, consisting of two hundred houses, in the jurisdiction
of Iskefser, in five more to the station of Básh-chiflik also in the
jurisdiction of Iskefser on the frontier of Erzerúm and Sívás, which
has already been mentioned on our road to Erzerúm. Further to the west
is the castle of Ník-hissár (good castle) and five hours further the
village of Kazán-kia in the province of Sívás, in the jurisdiction of
Ník-hissár. Still passing to the west by Bogház-kessen we came through
thick woods to the village of Kúmánova; in two hours more to the great
village Sontissa, on the frontier of Nígissár, with three hundred
houses, a mosque, and bath; and in five hours more to Zavádí-tekiessí,
of two hundred houses, on a high mountain on the frontier of Ládík; a
great foundation, being a great convent at the tomb of a great saint.
Its Dervishes are almost all of the Prophet’s family. I here performed
with the Páshá the prayer of I’idí-asha (Kurbán-bairám) and the Sheikh
of the convent gave us a repast. The tails having been sent on, we
passed the next morning in five hours the pass of Setlí-púlí, and
arrived at the village of Hamíd, which has a mosque and gardens; and in
five hours more to the west, at Ládík.
_Description of the Castle of Ládík._
This castle was built by one Havík one of the Greek Princes of Amasia.
Melek Ghází of the Dánishmend family, who came from Mahán with the
Seljúk family, conquered both Ník-hissár and Ládík in the same year.
There are three Ládíks in the Ottoman Empire, viz: that of Konia now
quite ruined by rebellions, that of Korládík in the province of Ván and
the third, Ládík of Amasia. After the conquest of the town by Bayazíd
I., Ládík surrendered its keys to Timúr-tásh Páshá, who accepted them
with the good wish that the inhabitants might live long. The blessing
of this wish is still evident in the long and prosperous lives of the
inhabitants. Bayazíd II., when governor of Amasia, passed six months
of the year in this place and made a delightful garden, which is kept
in order by a Master (Ustá) and forty Bostánjís, Kúrújí and Tablakjí.
It is a town free from all duties and gifts, because it is the wakf of
Bulbul Khatún the mother of Ahmed I. The governor of Sívás has no right
to interfere by his officers. The judge has the rank and pay of three
hundred aspers, but may collect in a fair way six purses annually from
the districts. There is a Muftí, Nakíb, Serdár, Kiaya-yerí, Naíb and
Mohtessib. The Castle is an old pile of building, which is now without
a commander or garrison; the Bostánjís run over the woods and heaths
and watch the town, which has seventeen quarters; forty-seven Mihrábs,
six of which are jamís and three of them Imperial ones; three thousand
and twenty houses covered with bricks and surrounded with gardens;
seven convents, the most remarkable of which is that of Seid Ahmed
Kebír; two baths; seven kháns; a large caravánseraï, built by Gházi
Davúd Páshá; four hundred shops, and a bezestán; forty-one palaces
of Vezírs and great men, all having baths; no particular college,
but lectures are given in all the mosques; eighteen schools for boys
and two dining establishments. The Noblemen wear sable pelisses, the
merchants ferráje and kontosh of cloth, and the women velvet trowsers,
boots, ferráje of cloth, white veils and pointed caps; they are no
where to be seen but in the bath and in the houses where they pay
visits. They are most modest, lovely creatures, who entangle lovers
with sweet words and gracious behaviour.
Its eatables are large pears better than those of Malatia, Nissú, Khúí
and Merend; delicious cherries, a kind of bread called Memejik-ekmek
which is the first bread in the world after the Súmún of Sapánja: there
are no raisins, melons, water-melons, figs, &c. The white honey called
Tághbálí is not equalled either by that of Creta, Adana or Sicily. Its
fine cotton linen excels the linen of Mossúl and Lekefúr in Persia.
_The Walks of Ládík._
The head fountain of the water Bállí-kiasú, which flows through the
town, is a pleasant walk on the Kiblah side. Another famous walk on
the east side is called Frenk-gozí, the Frank’s eye; Hossein Páshá
built a koshk by the splendid spring which arises here; the water is
so cold that people cannot take out of it three stones consecutively.
The rivulets formed by those two sources of Bállí and Frenk-gozí flow
through the town supplying water to the palaces, kháns, mosques,
gardens, and mills, and terminate in the lake of Ládík. Another walk
is that called Akbínár, a fountain of cold water, which does not flow
through the town, but outside. All these sources rise in the high
mountains to the north of the town and find their way into the lake
of Ládík. On the west of Ládík, a pleasure-place called the monastery,
a delightful spot with a water called Rámja, which is sweeter than the
water of Ma’avia. These united sources divide below the castle into
two branches, one of which waters the gardens of Kowa-mahallessí below
the pilgrimage of Khizrlik, and the other passes by the pilgrimage of
Bálídedeh, where the principal men come to meet the pilgrims returning
from Mecca.
_The warm laths of Ládík._
A hot spring is situated one hour and a half on the west of Ládík on
a high hill in a village, called Khalliz, below which it flows as
a small rivulet, turns some mills, and falls into the Kizil Irmák;
being situated behind the mountains of Ládík it cannot fall into the
lake. The warm bath of Khalliz is much renowned. In the cherry season
this place is visited by thousands of people, who here renovate their
health by God’s command. An outlet from this hot bath flows into the
river Khalliz which empties itself into the Kizil Irmák. Another warm
bath (Ilije, Turkish; Humma, Arabic; Germáb, Persian;) is on the
west side of Ládík in the jurisdiction of Kaúza. Kaúza is in this
country the name of a hot bath, which in Rúmelí is called Kainarje;
in Tartary, Ilissí; in Mogolastán, Kerenda; and Frangistán, Bagno. It
is a double bath so that men and women have their separate bathing
places. The basin in the men’s apartment is ten feet square and is such
a delightful sight that it might restore dead men to life. The water
rushes forth from four lions’ mouths, which are at the four corners.
The water is not very warm, but in addition to this great basin there
is a small one the water of which is so extremely hot, that no man
can bear it. On the four sides of this great basin under vaults are
eight bathing troughs, where thousands of men are cured in the cherry
season. In the same bath is a cold, limpid spring, called the maiden’s
eye (Kiz-gozí), which gives fresh life to those who drink of it. The
distance between this spring, cold as ice, and the hot spring is but a
yard.
_Description of the Lake of Ládík._
This is a large lake to the east of Ládík, which would take a day
to go round; eleven different sorts of fish are found in it, the
description of which would be too long to give. Twenty-six springs and
rivulets flow into this lake on its four sides, from the districts of
Zedaí, Súnssa, Kaúza and Zeitúm; it has no outlet. On its border is
Bogházi-koí, a pleasant village, and the village of Otúz, renowned
for its kaimak (cream), which is no where better; it can be cut like
cheese and is elastic as gum. If any Kaimak can be compared with it,
it is that of Bíngol (thousand lakes). Amasia lies eight hours to the
south of Ládík, and to the eastward is Ník-hissár; the jurisdiction of
Kavákelí is at a journey’s distance. To the west is the town of Koprí
and the jurisdiction of Zeitúm at a journey’s distance. North to it is
the harbour of Samsún and further on Sinope.
_Pilgrimages of Ládík._
Sheikh Seid Ahmed Kebír, buried in his own convent, was the disciple
of Sheikh Ekber who is also buried here in the old mosque, built by
himself in the year 952 (1545); he was one of the Sheiks of Sultán
Orkhán. Beneath the castle Sheikh Ya Wúdúd is buried, and Báli-dedeh at
the meeting place of the caravan of Mecca. Ghází Tayár Mustafa Páshá is
also buried here beneath a lead covered cupola.