family and by his Vezir Hezár-dínar, and then by Sultán Orkhán. If
Angora is viewed from the village of Erkiksú, which is a journey’s
distance from the north, it appears a brilliant place; for the houses
rising one behind the other, similarly to Buda on the Danube, makes it
look like a ship of transport (Maúna) which has set up its trees and
adorned its head. Buda, Ván and Angora are the three first fortresses
of the Empire: its name (Engúrí) is Persian, given from the quantity
of grapes (Engúr) which are found here. It is said to have been built
by a Byzantine Emperor, and employed forty thousand workmen for seven
years, who each day received forty nuts and a loaf apiece. It is
also called the leafy castle (Motabbak), because its different parts
cover one another like leaves of a tree, and the castle of the chains
(Selasil) because the Emperor Heraclius surrounded it with seven chains
on the birth year of the Prophet. The Mogols call it Ankra; the Tatars,
Kermen Ankra; the Germans, Constantinople (!) the Turks, Aidín Karí,
Unkúr and Ungorú. In the Imperial Registers it is spelled Ankra. It
is the seat of a Sanjak Beg in the province of Anatoli, and has been
given many times as living (Arpalik) to Vezírs of three tails. The
khass of the Páshá is two hundred and sixty three thousand four hundred
aspers, fourteen ziámets, and two hundred and fifty seven timárs, an
Alai-beg (Colonel) Cherí-beg (Captain) and Yúzbáshí (Lieutenants).
The Zaims and Timariots with the Jebelle make three thousand armed
men. The Súbashís depending from Angora are, those of the town, that
of Mertátova, of Yebánava, of Jubúkova, and of Jorba, which annually
import forty thousand piastres. The Judge is a Molla of five hundred
aspers, whose revenues may be calculated at twenty purses a year. There
are also a Sheikh-ul-islám or Muftí, a Nakíb-ul-eshraf, or head of
the Emírs, Seids and Sherífs (the relations of the Prophet), a Serdár
of the Janissaries, a Kiaya-yerí of the Sipáhís, a Náíb of the town
and a Mohtessib (provost and lieutenant of police) the commanding
officers of the Jebejí and Topjí, a Dizdár (commander of the castle)
and a garrison of an hundred men. The castle is situated on a high
mountain, mocking all assaults, rising in four natural terraces, so
that there is a distance of three hundred paces from one enclosure to
the other; the height of each wall is sixty cubits and the breadth
ten royal cubits; the foundations are all built on vaults. The castle
forms an oblong square from east to west. It has four iron-gates one
behind the other towards the west, each strengthened behind by iron
cages. These iron cages or gratings are thrown before the gates in
time of sieges, the bars are of the thickness of an arm. The gate on
the extremity of the fortress looking to the Horse market opens to the
west, on the upper part of it are suspended the arms of old knights,
and the bones of a whale. The guards keep watch here day and night.
If the commander leaves the castle the garrison are empowered to kill
him, or at least to exile him for ever. Abaza, the rebel, besieged
this town with an hundred thousand men, and took possession of the
lower town, but wounded by a cannon shot from the upper castle, he
was obliged to return to Erzerúm; the commander ever since has been
prohibited from leaving the castle, and the watchmen all night long
cry, Yegdir-allah, One is God! It has no ditch on one side on account
of the rocks, and it is not easily to be attacked by mines because its
quarters rise one behind the other. The four enclosures have eighteen
hundred battlements, and its circumference is four thousand paces. On
the east side is a place of pilgrimage situated on a hill, it is called
Khizrlik; this hill looks over the town, which is of no consequence as
it is not within gun-shot distance. The inner castle is defended by
sixty-eight guns, but none of them are large. The houses number six
hundred and are all terraced, but have neither gardens nor vineyards;
the old mosque was formerly a convent. The lower town was surrounded
with a wall by Ahmed Páshá against the rebels. It has four gates,
and its circumference on the three sides, on which it does not join
the citadel, is six thousand paces. On the east side of the superior
castle you descend into the valley of Khizrlik by a road leading down
for fetching water. In the inner castle are cisterns and magazines;
but in the lower town are no cisterns, because water is in abundance,
there being an hundred and seventy fountains, three thousand wells,
seventy-six mosques, those of Ahmed Páshá and Hájí Beirám the saint,
having been built by the great Sinán, fifteen convents of Dervishes
with mihráb (mosques) the greatest of them is that of Hájí Bairám,
where three hundred Dervishes of his order follow the rules of their
founder. Their first patron is Khoja Abd-ul-Kádír Jeilání, by whom they
ascend to the prophet; in Rúmelí they are called also Hamzeví from
Sheikh Hamza. There is likewise a fine convent of Mevlevís founded
by Ahmed Páshá. The colleges are richly endowed, three houses for
lectures on tradition, an hundred and eighty schools for boys, two
hundred baths, seventy palaces with gardens; all these buildings are
of brick not stone, and covered with earth instead of with bricks, six
thousand six hundred and sixty houses, and two hundred sebíl-kháneh
or establishments for distributing water. The shops are two thousand,
and there is an elegant bezestán with four gates with chains; the
market places are almost all on elevated spots; the coffee houses and
barber’s-shops are always crowded; the public places and streets are
paved with white stones. Its divines, poets, and learned and pious men
are innumerable, although it is a Turkish town, it counts more than two
thousand boys and girls who know the Korán by heart; some thousand also
know by heart the Mohammedieh, or works on the Mohammedan religion by
Yázijí-zadeh Mohammed Efendí. Some of its inhabitants have the repute
of performing miracles like Abd-ur-rahman Efendí, a pious man, who is
free of four enticements, viz. hair, brows, beard and eye-lashes; he is
descended from Hájí Bairám’s family, who had the same advantage.
_Praises of Hájí Bairám the Saint._
In his youth he was once invited by a cunning woman, who in order
to seduce the Saint, with whom she was in love, began to praise his
hair, beard, brows and eye-lashes. The Saint retired into a corner and
prayed to God that he might be delivered of these four inducements to
lust, and become of an ugly form; he then returned without a hair into
the woman’s presence, who shocked at his ugliness had him turned out
of doors by her maidens. Hence the descendants of the Saint by his
daughter actually wear short beards (Kosseh).
The rich inhabitants of the town wear Ferrájes of sable, those of
the middle class, Serhaddís of cloth and Contoshes, the workmen
Ferrájes of white linen, the Ulemas, of wool, and the women also of
wool of different colours. The climate and temperature being mild the
inhabitants are fair with red faces.
_The Eatables and Products._
The calves’ and sheep’s feet of Angora are the counter part of those of
Kútahia; the salted flesh (Pássdirma) of its goats has an excellent
perfume. These goats called Teftekgechí are of a brilliant whiteness;
of the hair is made the soft (Shalloon) of different, colours which is
worn by Monarchs. If the wool is cut by scissors it becomes coarse, but
if pulled out it is as soft and as fine as the silk of Eyúb (Job). The
poor goats, when the hair is pulled out in that way, raise lamentable
cries; to avoid this some wash them with a mixture of chalk and ashes,
by which they are enabled to pull out the hair without difficulty or
giving pain; thus the poor goats are stripped naked. The hair is then
worked into Shalloons, and both men and women are busy at making or
selling them. The Franks tried to transport the goats of Angora into
their own country, but God be praised! they degenerated into common
goats, and the stuff wove from their hair was no Súf (Shalloon). They
then took the hair of the Angora-goat and tried to work it into Sof,
but were never able to give it the true lustre (Máj). They now make of
it for their monks a kind of black shalloon, which however has neither
colour nor lustre. The inhabitants of Angora say that the exclusive
working of fine shalloon is granted to them by the miracles of Hájí
Bairám, and the water and air. Indeed the sof (Shalloon) of Angora is
the most famous in the world; the chalk also of Angora is renowned.
Its inhabitants make great journies to Frengistán and Egypt to sell
their Shalloons. There are a great number of Jews, but few Greeks and
Copts. The inhabitants are a goodnatured hospitable people. It is an
incomparable town, which may God preserve till the end of time in the
hands of the Ottomans!
The day I entered Angora I visited the tomb of Hájí Bairám, recited
the Korán and then returned to my lodgings where I soon fell asleep.
In a dream I saw a man with a yellow beard, honey-coloured cowl and
a turban of twelve folds on his head, who upbraided me for having
visited Hájí Bairám’s tomb and passed by his. I asked, who he was? and
he said, “Didst thou not call on Sárí Sáltik Dedeh, when in thy youth
thou performed prayer in the Convent of the Wrestlers at Constantinople
in Sultán Murad’s presence? didst thou not say that I was known here
by the name of Er Sultán? I am lying here under a thick cupola near
the wood market, where thou shouldest visit me and give me joy with a
fátihah. I will send to-morrow morning a man of my resemblance, who
shall lead thee to my tomb.” I awoke, said my prayers, and was waiting,
when a man came of the form of him I saw in my dream, and told me,
that Er Sultán had appeared to him in a dream and had commanded him
to show me his burying place. This man had a radiant face, and his
voice was as hollow as if it came from underground. We passed through
eleven quarters of the town and visited in passing all the tombs of
Saints, which I shall mention by and by, if it pleases God! At last
there appeared on the western side of the wood-market a small cupola,
which my companion pointed out to me, saying, “This is the tomb of Er
Sultán.” Whilst I was looking at it on my right side, he disappeared
on my left, and I was at a loss to know what had become of him and
fancied that he must have walked through a door covered with felt
which was near me. I opened it, walked in, and saw it was a Búza-house
full of riot. Ashamed of having got into such society I left the room
immediately and made the best of my way to the cupola which had been
shown to me. There I laid my face on the threshold and prayed to the
Saint, saying, that I had arrived by his blessing, and begged he would
not let me depart void of benediction in this and the other world. I
now commenced the recital of the Korán, and sheltering myself under
the green Súf with which the coffin was covered, said, “Protection,
protection, O Er Sultán!” I then fell asleep and sweated to such
a degree that when I woke my clothes were wet. Er Sultán appeared
to me again and I begged that he would not let me go hence void of
benediction. He replied, “Thou wilt not be void of it, because thou
art a Háfiz (knowing the Korán by heart) and a lover of the Saints
(Evliya) whose tombs thou always visitest. I led thee myself to this
place, I am a perfect leader (Murshid Kámil), thy path is straight. Be
merciful to the poor and weak, and tell thy Páshá not to molest the
inhabitants of Angora. God will grant to thee travel and good health,
and in thy last moments faith. Eat, speak, sleep and know little, but
do a great deal, for actions are necessary to discover the way to
God, because He hath said in the Korán, ‘Good words ascend, and good
works exalt.’ Honour thy parents, and the Sheikhs (Pír), and thy end
shall be happy. Say now a fátihah with this intent.” Here I was awoke
by a noise and voices saying, “Is there no tomb-keeper?” I arose from
beneath the cover of the coffin and to the question of the visitors,
“Whether I was the tomb-keeper?” replied, “Yes!” When they were gone I
returned home shedding many tears, and related my vision to the Páshá,
who also related to me a similar dream that he had had. He instantly
gave orders that all the Sárija and Segbán should deliver up their arms
and leave in quiet the inhabitants of Angora. The Páshá had had some
idea of shutting himself up in the town and declaring it in a state of
rebellion, but he immediately abandoned it after these visions. I then
made it a duty to myself to visit every day, during my stay at Angora,
the tombs of Hájí Bairám and Er Sultán and others of the Saints, which
I am now about to mention.
_Pilgrimages._
Sheikh Hájí Bairám, the pole and column of sanctity, was born on the
bank of the river Chepúl in the village of Solkoi and was the disciple
of Sheikh Hámed. At the time when Sultán Báyazíd I. was at Adrianople,
Sheikh Bairám preached there in the old mosque, and the pulpit which
he ascended is still shown. Different Sheikhs who tried to ascend
this pulpit could never utter a word, because none were worthy to
preach after him in the same place. After his death, which happened
in Báyazíd’s reign, he was buried beneath a high cupola in the inner
castle of Angora. Sheikh Er Sultán, the leader of divine truth, the
discoverer of mysteries, called Mahmúd by his proper name, was born at
Angora, and reposes beneath a small cupola in the wood market. East
of Angora on a high mountain is the pilgrimage of Hízr, a pleasure
place from which a fine view of the town is enjoyed. This Saint was
the disciple of Sheikh Hossám-ud-dín, and being imprisoned at Angora
he gave the order one evening to be buried the next day, and in the
morning, without any body having been near him, he was found washed,
perfumed, and ready for burial. Sheikh Kátib Saláh-ud-dín was a great
astronomer, a second Pythagoras. There are a great number of other
Saints, which I do not mention, as I could not visit their tombs during
my short stay.
The day of our departure being fixed, I made myself as light as
possible, by giving away a part of what I had taken from the robbers’
den in alms, and the rest as a pawn to the master of the house where I
lodged and got ready with seven Mamlúcs and one light pack horse. In
the morning I heard an uproar and riot by which heaven and earth was
thrown into confusion. Some were exclaiming that they were satisfied
with the Páshá, others that he was a rebel for having united with
Várvár Páshá, and that it was necessary to obey the Emperor’s command.
In short Mustafa, one of the Emperor’s Kapijí, had arrived with forty
of his companions; they had shut the gates of the castle and proclaimed
a general call to arms (Nefír-a’ám). Most fortunately the Páshá, who
had been terrified by a disastrous dream, was gone incognito to visit
the tomb of Sídí Battál’s father, and could not therefore be found in
his palace, which was searched in every part by the Kapijí. The Páshá
of course did not re-enter the town but repaired to the village of
Erkeksú, which is to the north of it, and sent a letter to his Kiaya to
request him to send his troops. In the mean time the Páshá not having
been found the gates were opened and a proclamation issued, that all
who belonged to the Páshá were to leave the town instantly; I therefore
took leave of the master of my house and Hájí Bairám and Er Sultán, and
arrived after seven hours’ march at the village of Erkeksú consisting
of two hundred houses and a mosque at the foot of a rock. Seven hours
further on we arrived at the great place Istanozí, with a judge of one
hundred and fifty aspers, in the district of Mortátova, bordering on
a valley, on each side of which are towering rocks; it has a thousand
houses without gardens, a mosque, a bath and market: the river Erkek
flows through it. This place had formerly two great gates at either
end, which were destroyed in the time of Murad III. by the rebel
Korayazijí; if these two gates were restored it would be impossible
to take the place, because it is situated between two walls of high
rocks on which eagles and vultures build their nests, but to which
man scarcely dares to lift up his eyes. These rocks are as tremendous
as those of Ván, Shabín and Márdín, some of them are excavated below
like Mount Bisútún and some are shaped above like dragons, lions and
elephants. The inhabitants are for the most part Armenians. About a
thousand looms are employed in working Súf. This place being enclosed
by two rocks the air is very warm. The Armenian girls here are famed
for their beauty. There are caverns which can hold a thousand horses.
Formerly an old castle stood here on a rock.
The day we entered the town there was a great conflux of men to see
tumblers and wrestlers exhibit their tricks; Istanoz and the town of
Kodoz in Anatoli being the places where tumblers and wrestlers assemble
to make bets. They stretch the rope from one rock to the other and
place watchmen at each end, that enemies may not cut it when they
are dancing on it. The rocks and the valley beneath are crowded with
spectators and on both sides of the river, which flows through the
valley, tents are pitched for the spectators. We witnessed during three
days the tricks of seventy six tumblers, who were followed by three
hundred scholars, to whom they gave lessons in their art.
(_The Description of the tricks, and an account of two letters from
and to Vávár Páshá, are here omitted._)
Having received the letters of My Lord the Páshá I passed Hossein Ghází
and Bálik-hissár, halted at the village of Sárí Alán, and further on
passed Kala’ajik, Sheikh Shámí, Akche-koyúnli, and the river Kizil
Irmák with great ease at Kárdlar, heard that Várvár Páshá had left the
station of Túrhál, and met him further on to the eastward at Gergezár.
I first went as the rule requireth to his kiaya, who conducted me
to the presence of the Páshá. He was seated in a tent, like Solomon
surrounded by many thousand Sárija and Segbán. I kissed the ground
and delivered the letter in the usual form. Having looked into my
face and said, “Art not thou Evliya Chelebí, who at the mosque of Aya
Sofia recited in the night Kadr, the Korán in eight hours? and who
was received by Sultán Murad amongst the pages of the Kíldár.” Having
replied, “Yes,” he asked further in what office I was to the Páshá. I
said, that on the way to Erzerúm I was head of the Muezzins, but that
he afterwards made me clerk of the Custom-house and sent me three times
into Persia, and that now I was his Imám and intimate companion. The
servants having been ordered to withdraw he called the Diván Efendí
and read the letter. “It is a pity,” said he, “that your Páshá did not
with such an army shut himself up at Angora; he might have played the
devil there, and by this glorious deed have hung his sword in the skies
(like that of Orion).” Rejoiced, however, at the number of our troops
he gave me an hundred zechins, a rosary of corals and a watch set
with jewels. I was also invested with a magnificent sable pelisse and
recommended as a guest to the Khazinedár.
The same day news arrived that Koprilí Mohammed Páshá and seven Vezírs
had taken post at the bridge of Osmánjik and the rocks of Sárimshik,
where they were entrenching themselves; and that Hossein the Páshá of
Amasia had closed the pass (Púl) of Diriklí and carried the population
away to the mountains. Upon this news Várvár Alí Páshá directed his
march straight to the passage of the Kizil Irmák. Our march was, from
Kiraz to Dánkaza seven hours, to Bardáklí-bábá seven hours and to the
river Kizil Irmák six hours. The passage of the river was effected in
the best order, without the least harm happening to any body. We halted
at Airak which lies north of the Kizil Irmák in the Sanjak of Kangrú;
it has an hundred houses and a mosque. We here visited the tomb of
Mohammed Sháh Dedeh, who came with Hájí Begtásh from Khorassan to the
court of Bayazid I., a large hospitable convent of an hundred Dervishes
Begtáshí. I witnessed the Páshá perform his visit to the tomb with a
devotion and a faith outshining that of many preachers from the pulpit.
The tomb is surrounded with censers, vases for rose-water, lamps and
candelabra. Every year the Sheikh of this convent kills a horse and
abandons the carcase to the eagles and vultures of the rocks, who
live upon it till the next year. The Sheikh has bred eagles instead
of falcons for hawking beasts of all kind. From hence we marched
for three hours along the bank of the Kizil Irmák to the village of
Tordúk, in the territory of Kánghrí. At the convent of Hassám Efendí
a great repast was given to the Páshá. Three hours further on we
came to the convent of Kúm-bábá, and then we entered the Keskin of
the Turcomans in the land of Kánghrí. Having overran it for ten days
we halted on the eleventh at the village of Sálí. I perceived that
the army was preparing for battle and learned that spies had brought
the news, that Koprilí Mohammed Páshá, who had been named commander
against Várvár, was ready to give him battle on the following day. The
troops having armed during the night, the Páshá put himself in the
morning at the head of six thousand men of light troops, and pushed on
for seven hours towards the kiblah. Here the two armies engaged and
that of Koprilí was entirely routed; a great number were killed and
the rest dispersed or made prisoners. Amongst the last was Mohammed
Koprilí Páshá himself, the Páshá of Amasia, Kor Hossein, and the Páshá
of Kara Shehr, both of two tails, who were obliged to walk on foot
with chains on their feet and blocks on their necks, along with the
tails of Várvár. Such is the state of the world, that these great
and powerful men were now in the power of the Sárija and Segbán, who
tortured and killed their men before their eyes and the executioners
flung their swords over their necks. In brief a Vezír (Koprilí) and
five Begler-begs were bound to the poles of Várvár’s tent, who elated
with this victory declared now more than ever open rebellion, collected
all kinds of rabble, wrote letters to Begs and Begler-begs enforcing
them to come and join him with their troops, and in fact collected
an army of thirty-seven thousand men. When we arrived at the village
of Búzoghlán, in the Sanjak of Kanghrú, I waited on him wishing him
joy of his victory, and begging he would despatch me with the letters
expected. I endeavoured to persuade him to be mild and merciful, and
to pardon and set at liberty his prisoners, according to the text, “O
God! Thou art all-pardoning, Thou likest pardon, pardon me.” He however
remained obstinate, saying, I should see in a few days what would
happen when his friends little Chaúsh Páshá, Ipshír Páshá and Shehsuvár
Oghlí Páshá should arrive to join him. He was an open frank man, but
extremely simple and of little judgment, and therefore blindly believed
in the assurances of these Páshás; and being overjoyed with the news
he had received from them, he despatched me with letters to my master,
presenting me with an hundred piastres, a completely caparisoned horse
from Koprilí’s stable, and a complete dress.
From Yúz Oghlán in the Sanjak of Kánghru I rode for three days trusting
in God, left Angora on my right and met with the Páshá on the plain
of Múrtát. The Páshá hearing of Várvár’s blind confidence glowed with
anger and said, “He shall see it, the blockhead (Potúr).” He then
gave me Ipshír Páshá’s letter, which he had sent him to read, and I
saw it was full of flattery and deceit. The Páshá was about to answer
this letter, when a Khassekí and Kapijí-bashí arrived with Kiátib
Alí Chelebí, the Khazinedár of Seyavúsh Aghá Kiátib Alí Chelebí. The
Imperial rescript was instantly read, and contained the most positive
orders to join till the first of Jemází-ul-akhir the united troops of
Ipshír, Chaúsh, Bákí, Ketgáj and Sídí Páshá against Várvár, whose head
or the Páshá’s was required. If he refused to comply all his property
was to be confiscated, and his children and relations killed; but
under the supposition of ready obedience the Governorship of Egypt
was conferred upon him. The Páshá made immediate obeisance, ordered
the tails to proceed, gave to the Khassekí a purse for the expenses
of the road, and recommended him as a guest to his kiaya. The next
day the Cháhnegír (head carver) of Várvár arrived from Constantinople
with a Khattí-sheríf of the following tenor: “My Lálá, (Governor) thy
fault is pardoned, but the rebellion of Defterdár Oghlí, who wished
to put himself in possession of Erzerúm and Angora, is evident. His
head or yours is demanded. If you send the first the Governorship of
Egypt is assured to you.” The Páshá remained dumb at the sight of this
Khattí-sheríf and instantly despatched me back with that which he had
received to Várvár.
(_Here follows the relation of Várvár’s complete defeat by Ipshír
Páshá by whom he was ensnared; occupying three sheets of the
original._)