of the Dánishmend family. When Bayazíd I. marched to the conquest of
Amasia the inhabitants of Gumish met him, and presented him with some
silver vases and the keys of the castle. The inhabitants are therefore
free of all duties, but it is incumbent upon them to work the silver
mines. The inspectorship is held by lease, and furnishes annually to
the Porte seventy quintals of pure silver, and one thousand pair of
horse-cloths. In the Ottoman Empire there are no less than seventy
silver mines, but this affords the purest silver; the goldsmith alloy
an hundred drachms of this pure silver with ten of copper, and yet
it is a good white silver, which receives the Imperial stamp. There
are seven veins underground, which increase from day to day. The
inhabitants of the town are all employed in the mines, and their
commander is the inspector of the silver mines. The judge, appointed
with an hundred and fifty aspers, may collect seven purses a year. The
castle of this town situated on a hill is in a ruined state and has
no accommodation at all within; being an inland castle it has neither
a garrison nor commander. There is a Serdár and a Kiaya-yerí of the
Janissaries, and the town consists of a thousand houses covered with
planks, eleven mosques, of which that in the market-place is the most
frequented, but no hospital, the salubrity of the air rendering one
superfluous. Its products are the purest silver and horse-cloths
and bags, which the Imperial stables and those of the principal
men of Constantinople are furnished with from hence. The gardens
produce good grapes. In the town are heaped up mounds of earth taken
from the mines. We remained here three days on account of the heavy
gales, and then advanced five hours to the south, suffering from
the snow, to Dankaza-koí, a village of an hundred houses belonging
to the jurisdiction of Gumish in the territory of Amasia. Near the
farm of Kosseh Sha’abán Páshá is the Pilgrimage of Bardáklí-bábá and
Akche-bábá, who are both buried here. The first gained his living by
making cans (Bardák) for which the village is still famous. We visited
the tomb of Bardáklí-bábá; after holding a council we approached,
amidst a thousand difficulties, the high mountain of Kirk Dilim, which
was passed with much suffering and the loss of many stragglers who
returned to Dánkaza. Alí Aghá, the Kiaya of the Páshá, encouraged some
brave lads, who had not yet lost their hands and feet, to wrap up the
feet of the horses and mules by tearing up many carpets and coverlets,
and in this way passed them over the snowy mountain of Kirk Dilim; but
the heavy baggage, the munition, cellar, kitchen, and artillery were
all left in the snow. The Kiaya of the Páshá again distributing money,
the bags and casks were dragged up and rolled over the snow. This
night was passed in a woody valley without the means of getting on,
and seventy men, who had lost their hands and feet, remained behind.
The next morning we continued our way amidst snow and storms through
the straight of Kirk Dilim, and arrived after eight hours painful
march at a village, the name of which has escaped my memory, whose
inhabitants had all fled upon the news of our arrival. Men and horses
during the night were nearly dying of hunger, and there was such a
gale and heavy storm of snow that in the morning it was five spans in
depth. On the signal of departure being given the Kullákjí, conductors
(Sarbán), and tent-pitchers (Mehter) assembled before the Páshá’s tent
and declared they were unable to stir. Ten piastres were promised to
the men, but they answered, “Health first, then wealth.” The Páshá
said, “My children, how is it possible to remain in this place, where
there is not a grain of provisions?” In short the Kullákjí (leaders)
could not be induced to move on until they had received a present of
fifteen purses from the Páshá. There was, however, such a storm of
wind, hail and snow that the horses danced like Dervishes Mevleví, and
the camels like Lúlús (Tatar robbers). The unhappy leaders of them
put their hands in their bosoms and uttered a piteous cry. Praise be
to God! we now entered a forest and were a little sheltered against
the wind and snow, and after a march of five hours arrived at the
great village of Bardákjí, in the jurisdiction of Gumish, consisting
of an hundred houses. From hence continuing our march to the south we
arrived in four hours at the station of Kirk Dilim, a place of two
hundred Mussulmen houses in the sanjak of Chorún. Here both men and
horses rested till the following day, when the weather clearing up we
proceeded through cultivated villages to the town of Chorúm, said to
have been built (God knows if truly) by Kilij Arslán, the Prince of
the Seljúk family, who sent his son Yakúb Mirza and some hundred sick
men to this town, where being cured, it received in consequence the
name of Chorúm. From the hands of the Seljúkides it passed into those
of the Dánishmend family from whom it was taken by Ilderím; it is now
the seat of a Sanjak Beg in the government of Sívás. His khass is three
hundred thousand aspers, nineteen ziámets, and thirty-one timárs. There
is a Colonel (Alaí-beg) a Captain (Cherí-báshí) a judge appointed with
an hundred and fifty aspers, and receiving from its districts annually
five purses, a Muftí, Nakíb, Serdár, Kiaya-yerí, Mohtessib, Súbáshí,
Inspector of the hall (Kapán Emíní) and Náíb of the town. The military
officers are in great favour because the troops are numerous and there
are a great number of bad men. Lodgings were positively refused to our
Páshá; but mediators were employed and documents were made out at the
Mehkemeh (Court of Justice), so that they were prevailed upon to give
us lodgings, but only for the space of three days. The town consists
of forty-two quarters in which are forty-two mosques, four thousand
three hundred houses covered with bricks and surrounded with gardens;
nine mosques where the Friday prayer is performed, of which that of
Sultán Murad is the best, it had but one minareh which was throw down
by Ilderím Bayazíd. The mosque of Sultán Ala-ud-dín was repaired under
Sultán Súleimán by the architect Sinán; as it is situated in the
market-place it is much frequented. That of Murad covered with lead is
the finest. The new bath is a foundation belonging to the bath of Alí
Páshá at Tokát; in the palaces are many other baths. Of the colleges,
of which there are seven, that of Murad is the most frequented; there
are eleven schools for boys, seven kháns and eighteen fountains,
the water by which they are supplied was conducted hither by Sultán
Súleimán, in honour of the martyrs of Kerbela (who died of thirst).
The convents of Dervishes are three, but no house for reading the
korán or for tradition exists. The shops are three hundred, in which
all the necessaries of life are to be found, although this is a town
of Turkistán. The temperature of the climate gives red cheeks and good
proportions to the inhabitants, who almost all wear cloth. The fair sex
and the winter are both renowned. The Castle on the kiblah side of the
town has only been built for protection against riots and rebellion.
It has an iron gate, a commander and garrison. God knows! but it seems
to have been built since the Islám, because there is no trace of any
building of the time of the infidels.
On the day we came here the late chief barber of the Sultán arrived in
the quality of Kapijí-báshí accompanied by forty other chamberlains,
saying, that he was the bearer of the diploma of the government of
Diárbekr. The Páshá surrounded himself with all his guards, Sárija,
Segbán, Gonullí (volunteers) three hundred pages and all the Levends.
The forty kapijís entered trembling and the Páshá having asked, where
the diploma was they had boasted of, was assailed all at once by
them, but before they were able to do any harm to him, they were all
disarmed and bound by his guards and soldiers. The Segbán and Sárija
called for the executioners and were going to cut off their heads,
when the principal men of the town kissed the earth before the Páshá,
and begged the lives of these kapijí-báshís, who were, they said,
only servants executing their master’s commands and therefore should
be spared. The Páshá yielding to their prayers set them at liberty,
instead of thrashing them to death as he ought to have done. Being
liberated they went to the Mehkemeh, called the Sanjak Beg, read the
firmán and demanded in consequence that the troops should be driven
out of the town. The inhabitants remonstrated against it, showing that
they might all be in danger of being cut to pieces and their houses
burned down, if they were to undertake the least thing against the
troops. The Páshá being made acquainted in time of what was going on,
sent word to the kapijís immediately to quit the place if they wished
to escape in safety. Thus they were all driven out of the town. The
next day a messenger was despatched to Várvár Alí Páshá to acquaint
him with what had happened. The inhabitants finding that our Páshá was
a goodnatured and righteous Vezír gave him the salutary advice not to
march to Constantinople, but always to remain at one or two journeys
distance from Várvár Alí Páshá, and to take his station, until the snow
should melt and the weather clear up, at Tokát or Kázova. The Páshá
approving of their advice, visited the tomb of Sheikh Olván Chelebí,
the son of Ashik Páshá, and proceeded to Tokát. In this plain we
remained ten days, during which the Páshá received letters from Várvár
Alí Páshá, exhorting him to be on his guard, and, as the spring was now
approaching and the weather clearing up, to collect as many troops as
he could for the march to Constantinople. The Páshá made as though he
were going to Angora, and on the eleventh day we arrived in the plain
of Chorúm at the convent of Sídim Sultán, a convent of bareheaded and
barefooted Begtáshí, where the Páshá was lodged and splendidly feasted.
The village of Kara Kechelí of two hundred houses in the territory
of Chorúm is an hour’s distance from the red river. Here the snow
beginning to fall and the wind to blow, the Sárija and Segbán drove the
families out of their houses, threw the cradles with the children in
them on to the snow, dug out the gates and thresholds to bring their
horses into the rooms to the fire, and committed the same excesses,
that they did at Gumish and Dánkaza, and which exceeded even the
tyranny of Yessúf Hejáj. The next day we left Kara Kechelí and instead
of passing over the bridge of Cháshnegír on the red river, proceeded
to the passage of Kara Yechíd; which was indeed a bad measure, because
the passage is a cruel one. It had ceased snowing but was so piercingly
cold that the men and horses trembled like leaves; nevertheless the
orders for the passage were given. It commenced with the tent-camels,
the kitchen, stable and other heavy baggage of the Páshá’s led by
twenty able pilots. Two hundred strings of camels and one hundred of
mules belonging to the Páshá, as well as mine and the Kiaya’s passed
over, and, went with all this heavy luggage to Kúrdseraí, but myself
and the Kiaya remained on this side of the river waiting to see the
passage of the baggage of all the Aghás. In the morning their heavy
things arrived along with the treasure-camels of the Páshá, but at the
moment the pilots had entered the river with them, there arose such a
storm of hail and snow, of thunder and of lightning, that the strings
of mules and camels were broken, numbers of them upset in the middle
of the river, and a great many lost. Great masses of ice, the shape of
mill-wheels, now began to float down the river and blocked the shores
at the bridge of Cháshnegír. In the midst of the confusion which took
place on both shores of the river, the Páshá arrived with his music
sounding. He distributed large sums of money amongst the inhabitants of
Kúrdseraí, who rescued the men and animals, while the troops on both
sides of the river were running about crying and lamenting. Some brave
fellows swam amongst the drifting shoals, but others were submerged,
and camels, mules, horses and men, were floating about in confusion
and dismay; some of whom were drowned and some saved. Some Kurds and
Turcomans swam into the midst of the ice and rescued many camels, mules
and horses, but as those who had crossed had left their clothes on this
side the river, it so happened that a great number perished from cold.
Of all the baggage, only that which had passed over before the ice
began to drift was saved, the rest was lost. An hundred and sixty men,
more than a thousand horses and mules were drowned, but only a small
number of camels. The drowned men were for the most part Kulenkjí,
Sárija and Segbán; some going to paradise and others to hell: the
latter were at least delivered from the hell of winter. This horrible
discomfiture lasted only from the morning till afternoon, when the
drifting of the ice and the storm suddenly ceased, so that the Tatars,
Delís, and Gonillás, who had waited till then, crossed over without the
least difficulty. Witnessing these misfortunes I reflected on the cruel
conduct of those troops, who had behaved in so barbarous a manner in
the passage at Chardáklí-púlí, and now at Kúrd-dereh: burning down the
houses, throwing infants on the snow and wounding men and women with
battle-axes. The inhabitants of the villages came crying and lamenting
to the Páshá,; but what was to be done with this crowd of Sárija and
Segbán, of whom the Páshá stood in need and whose excesses therefore
he was obliged to tolerate. I, poor Evliya, whilst witnessing those
scenes, shivered at the thought of the vengeance which God would send
one day on those cruel troops.
_Praise of Sheikh Bárdáklí-bábá._
Near the above mentioned place is the pilgrimage of a Saint called
Bárdáklí-bábá, a disciple of Sheikh Hájí Bairám. He obtained his living
by making cans, which afforded a continual supply of water for the
ablutions of his disciples. His can is suspended from his tomb and
therefore he is called Bárdáklí-bábá, the father of cans or tankards.
With the leave of the tomb-keeper, I took down the suspended can to
perform my ablutions and found it full of clear water, though covered
with the dust of forty years. The Páshá’s Imám and some others of his
suite were astonished at this extraordinary sight, they asked the
keeper if he would swear the can had not been recently filled with
water. He swore that it had not been touched for forty years until
I, poor Evliya, had taken it down to perform my ablutions. The Imám
and the others said, “Well then Evliya hang it up again,” but I being
determined to carry my point would not until I had performed the
ablution in the legal way. The Imám and four other persons then did
the same, but the water was not diminished in the least to our great
astonishment. We again hung up the can, which was of a reddish colour,
and on its side was written the verse of the Súra Ra’ad, “He sent water
from heaven,” the number 66626, three Ks, two Js and one M, the figure
of a glass and of a can. I now began to recite the Korán according to
the intention of the Saint, with whom I made spiritual acquaintance,
remarking the Prophet’s tradition, “If you are perplexed in your
affairs look for assistance from the Inhabitants of the tombs.” The
mirror of my heart was polishing and rubbing off the rust of sadness,
when a woman walked in, who threw the body of a dead child and herself
on the threshold of the tomb, crying and lamenting that her child had
been killed by the troops, who had cast it on the snow, and calling
down divine vengeance upon them, through the aid of the Prophet and the
Saints. She was followed by a great number of injured men, who united
their prayers and imprecations with hers. I trembled at hearing them,
and drawing near with a friendly face, kissing their hands and cheeks,
I said to them, “People of Mohammed, I also belong to the troops of
the Páshá, who, God knows, does not approve of their excesses; but he
has been forced to collect them in order to save his own head, which
is endangered by the Grand Vezír, Ahmed Páshá, on whom must be laid
the fault of all this.” An old man gave me some comfort by saying,
that I was not included in this imprecation, which was to fall only on
the troops; and a good deal of it was realized at the above described
passage of the river, where so many lost their lives and goods, while
I, poor Evliya, God be thanked for it! passed over safely to the
opposite side.
The borough of Kúrdlar-seraí (wolves’ palace) is situated in the
Sanjak of Kánghrí in the jurisdiction of Kala’ajik on the bank of the
red river and consists of four hundred houses covered with terraces,
a mosque, a khán and a bath. Here the Páshá appointed two Aghás to
watch the endeavours made to retrieve from the river some of the lost
baggage. Moving on to the north we arrived at the village of Boyalí,
situated in the territory of Kanghrí; five hours further, the village
Akche-Koyúnlí of an hundred Turcoman houses; and three hours further,
the village of Kojí-bábá, situated in the jurisdiction of Kala’ajik, of
two hundred Turcoman houses, which do not appear above ground but are
all below it, with stables, kitchens and sitting-rooms. The reason for
the construction of these subterraneous houses is the violence of the
winter; they are all built of a soft stone, which has the appearance
of having been whitened with chalk. Chests, boxes, and rafters are all
cut in this stone, which is as soft as cheese; the houses are so large,
that a thousand men might be lost in them, and yet is there nothing
seen of them above ground. Here is the pilgrimage of Kojí-bábá, one
of the disciples of Hájí-begtásh. There is no other building but the
convent; the tomb is adorned with lamps and candelabras. His banner,
drum, habit and carpet are all preserved as though he were himself
present. The Turcomans have great faith in this saint. At Keskin (the
name of this place) is also the tomb of Sheikh Ibrahím Tenúrí Ben
Sarráf Hossein, one of the disciples of Ak-shems-ud-dín; he was born
at Sivás. Five hours further to the north is the village of Sheikh
Shámí of the order of Bairámís, whose name was Hamza; the sect of the
Hamzeví take their name from him. Many miracles are recorded of him,
one of them is the spring which he called forth by his staff and which
is, therefore, actually called the Spring of the Staff. He is buried
beneath a high cupola near the mosque which he himself built, but which
is not covered with lead. Its mihráb is of very great dimensions, and
the stones are adorned with inscriptions in Kúfí, Jellí, Mostea’assemí,
Ríhání, and Thúlúth characters. The verses: “Every time Zacharias went
before the Mihráb,” and “He was standing praying before the Mihráb,”
and the verses Kursí and Emen-er-ressúl are written upon it. On both
sides it is carved and sculptured in a most astonishing way with
flowers and arabesque ornaments, so that the stone seems rather to
be engraved or painted than sculptured. Some say it is the work of
Sheikh Shám himself, and it is indeed probable because it is such a
wonderful work, like the paintings of Mání and Behzád Aghá Riza Wání.
Before his tomb rises the Spring of the Staff which is much visited.
From hence we went five hours to the north to the village of Hossein
Aghá in the district of Kala’ajik and five hours further to the village
of Kala’ajik itself, which was built by the Prince of Brússa Sirúna
for his daughter. Topál the commander of Kastemúní conquered it; and
he resisted the Ottoman power, till at last Ilderím Bayazíd took by
surprise this castle, which is not to be conquered in any other way. It
is now the seat of a Subáshí of the Sanjak of Kánghrí, and a judge is
appointed to it with an hundred and fifty aspers, and collects from the
districts annually four purses; there is also a Dizdár and a garrison
of twenty men.
_Form of the Castle._
It is situated on a high reddish cliff, towering into the clouds, as
though built by Ferhád. The walls are sixty royal cubits high, as it
is an isolated rock there are no ditches. An iron-gate opens to the
kiblah side and within the castle are about twenty houses, a mosque, a
magazine of corn, a cistern, and six small guns. The inhabitants of the
neighbouring tracts deposit in this castle their effects and precious
things from fear of rebels and robbers, and the commander is the keeper
of these deposited goods. It is not commanded by any neighbouring
height and is surrounded with gardens. One the kiblah-side is a
well-built suburb, but without fortifications (robát), consisting of
two thousand houses partly covered with bricks and partly with earth;
the largest is the palace of Shehsuvár Páshá, they all face towards
the kiblah-side; the streets instead of being paved with stone, are
all strewn with sand. There are seventeen mosques, that in the market
place having one mináreh, thirteen schools for boys, a small bath,
three khans and six coffee-houses; the air is good, but not the water.
We lodged here in the palace of Shehsuvár Páshá, and I thanked God that
I could change clothes, and lie quietly down after the many fatigues
undergone.
_The Pilgrimages of Karánjí-bábá Sultán._
There is but one steep path from the castle, at the bottom of which
near the market is the tomb of this saint in a narrow place. On leaving
it we marched five hours to the North to the village of Kúrbághlí, in
the territory of Kánghrí and the district of Kala’ajik, of two hundred
houses with mosques and gardens, where Sheikh Abd-allah, the son of
Sheikh Shámí, is buried; his tomb is covered with a simple roof, and
is without a convent. Five hours further to the North we came to the
village of Nenegler, in the territory of Kala’ajik, a Turkish village
of an hundred houses; a cubit of snow fell during the night, so that
nobody could leave their lodgings. In the morning when departure was
sounded the horses were loaded with the greatest pain; Turks served as
guides, and thus we marched three hours to the straight of Alák-púlí,
where we were assailed by such a storm and rain, that the confusion
and horror was general, and many lost their lives. The Aghás of the
Páshá, and even his treasurers left the treasure and fled away. Mustafa
Beg the son of the Páshá with his governor (Lálá), master (Khoja) and
servants were missing; the strings of mules and camels were broken and
they were straying on the mountains. I halted a little in a sheltered
valley and then with six of my boys and three packhorses looked for a
house, where I found three others of my slaves and ten Cháshnegírs; so
that we were now twenty-five persons. Thus we passed the straight of
Sárí Alák and arrived happily at the plain on the other side without
knowing where we were going to.
(_Here six pages of the original are omitted, which give a detailed
account of Evliya’s falling into a nest of robbers, headed by
Hyder-zádeh, Kátirjí-zádeh and other robbers, who held their meeting
at Háji-bábá’s, an old rogue. The robbers, on being informed by Evliya
of the Páshá’s being near, made off, and Evliya was kept by Háji-bábá
until rescued by his people and other armed men of the Páshá’s suite,
with whom he shared the rich presents which he forced out of Háji-bábá
upon taking an oath that he would not betray this den of robbers.
Evliya again joined the Páshá at the village of Hossein Aghá._)
The village of Hossein Aghá is situated in the district of Jubúk-owassá
on a high hill. This is the pilgrimage of Ghazí Hossein of Malatia
the father of Sídí Battál. Where there are more than an hundred
Dervishes Begtáshí versed in Arabic and Persian knowledge. The tomb is
surrounded with golden candlesticks, Koráns, &c. There are two places
of religious exercise for the summer and for the winter. The valleys of
Jubúk, Yebán, and Merbút are at the foot of this convent: Every year a
Mevlúd or birth-feast is held here, when forty to fifty thousand men
assemble to celebrate the feast of Hossein Sídí Batál’s father, one
of the descendants of Imám Hossein, and who like him was killed by
the hands of the Infidels. I gave to the Dervishes ten piastres for
alms, immolated three victims and received the Sheikh’s benediction
amidst the general shout of Allah! At the foot of the hill I met my
Lord the Páshá with whom during ten days I overran the plain of Jubúk,
as if I were going on conscription. This plain comprehends seven
districts, and seventy villages. We spent ten more days on the plain
of Yebán, containing an hundred cultivated villages belonging to the
jurisdiction of Angora, and ten days more in the jurisdiction of Jorba
of eighty-six villages. We passed a month in these three plains and
celebrated Nevrúz (the spring’s commencement) near Angora. The weather
now was mild, but we were all exhausted from the continual fatigue of
loading and unloading heavy loads. At last we returned to the village
of Hossein in the commencement of the year 1058 (1648). From hence we
marched in seven hours to the north amidst cultivated villages and
arrived at Angora.
_Description of Angora._
On the day that our quartermasters entered the town with the tails it
was declared to them in the court of justice, that the Páshá would not
be allowed to enter the fortress on account of his intentions being
known to be those of a rebel, but that in consequence of the great
number of friends and clients in the town, he would be well treated
and lodged there for three days. We entered with a great Istikbál
(procession of meeting) and were saluted by the firing of twenty
guns. I was lodged in the house of Keder-zádeh and went straight to
the convent of Hájí-bairám, where I read the Korán, and fulfilled the
vow I had made when in the hands of the robbers, distributing to the
Dervishes an hundred piastres of the money obtained at the village of
Bálik-hissár from the robbers.