Arrived in the Province of Irak we skirted the Demavend range,
traveling from Mazendran to Bestam, where we visited the graves of
Mohammed Aftah, Sheik Bayazid Bestami, and Sheik Ebulhasan Harkani. The
next day we reached Damgan.
That night one of our company called Ramazan the pious, and known as
_Boluk Bashi_,[204] had a dream. Bayazid Bestami with 40 Dervishes
had appeared unto him and had spoken thus: "Let us pray for the safe
return of Mir Sidi Ali." The Sheik, moreover, had written a passport
and sealed it, "that we might not be molested by the way."—This was
his dream, and when I heard of it I rejoiced greatly and thanked God
for his mercy vouchsafed; for this message (from the dead) virtually
saved my life. After visiting the grave of Imam Djafar in Damgan, we
proceeded to Semnan, where we visited the grave of Sheik Ala-ed-Dowleh
Semnani. In this place they tried to draw us into sectarian
controversies, but I restrained my comrades, and reminded them of the
Hadis, which says: "_Ustur zahbak, zahabek in mazhabak_," _i.e._, "hide
thy gold, thine opinions, and thy faith"; and I argued with them,
saying, "Not one of you has traveled more than I have, and experience
has made me wise. A wise man does not heed the words of the vulgar and
the ignorant."
They saw the wisdom of my words, and acted upon my advice.
Before long we came to Rei,[205] where I made pilgrimages to the
graves of Imam Abdul Azim, and of Bibi Shehrbanu, the consort of Imam
Husein. Here I also met Mohammed Khudabend, a son of the Shah's, and
the _Kurdji-bashi_[206] Sevindek Aga. Their presence was accounted for
in this way: Some time ago the Shah had sent Ismail Mirza from Kazvin
to Herat, and had now recalled him to Kazvin. The reason of this was
that certain things which had happened during his rule had come to
light, and by command of the Shah one of the nobles of Kazvin had been
executed, and in like manner, also by order of the Shah, some followers
of Ismail had been put to death. After this the Shah commanded Prince
Mohammed Khudabend to appear before him, and the _Kurdji-bashi_ was
sent to fetch him. I was very pleased to meet the Prince, who assured
me of the unwavering devotion of the Shah to our glorious Padishah.
Journeying from Rei it took us a month and a half (to the end of Safar)
before we reached Kazvin, the capital of Irak.[207]
Upon the Shah being told of our arrival we were none of us allowed to
enter the city, but had to take up our quarters in Sebzeghiran, one of
the neighboring villages, under the protection of Mohammed Bey, the
_Divan Bey_[208] of the Great Vizier Maasum Bey. Presently the _Ishik
Agasi_[209] arrived, who took down our names, and the number of our
horses, and gave his people private instructions to watch us strictly
at night, until further orders.
We were told that the Shah was very angry that we had been allowed to
leave Meshhed without any further inquiry, and that in consequence of
this Kokche Khalipha and Mir Munshi (first secretary) had been deprived
of office. Following up this information, the Kapchadji, Ali Bey, came
to us by order of Yassaul Pir Ali, and said: "The people here have evil
intentions, if you have any ready money about you, give it to me to
keep, and if Providence deliver you out of this plight, I will return
it; if on the other hand evil should befall you it is better that your
riches should fall in the hands of friends than of foes."
But I replied: "People who have wandered so long in foreign parts carry
no cash about them, and they who fear death do not venture so far from
home. I believe in the words of the Koran: 'He who is appointed to die
can not delay the hour, and without God's permission no man can slay.'"
It so happened that the Shah had by this time examined the letters
which had been conveyed to him in a sealed bag, and the ladies who had
traveled with us bore witness that we were poor and harmless folk.
Moreover, I had sent the Shah a quatrian which had found much favor, so
he set us free. The Shah commanded his Vekil,[210] Maasum Bey, to offer
me a banquet, after which he would himself entertain me. Maasum Bey
was also commissioned to give me the glad news, that I was free to go
where I liked, and, as an envoy was shortly to be sent to the Sublime
Porte, I might, if I liked, travel by the way of Azerbaidjan, _i.e._,
by Tebriz and Van. Thereupon I requested that my desire might be made
known to the Shah. I said, "We are not prepared to meet the hardships
of the Van road in the winter time, and we beg to be allowed to travel
by the way of Bagdad"; which request he graciously granted.
On the second day we were invited by the Shah to a banquet, and I
presented my humble offerings. During the feast we conversed upon
poetical and other subjects, and the Shah remarked to his courtiers:
"These men do not look like intriguers; they are only pilgrims and
religious fanatics"—and on the strength of this verdict Kokche Khalipha
and Mir Munshi were reinstated in their office. I received a horse and
two changes of robes, a bale of silk, and several other things; the
two Serdars received each two robes of honor, and my five traveling
companions, each one. Altogether the Shah behaved handsomely to us and
showed a marked respect for the person of his Majesty the Padishah.
One day I was invited to a banquet in the large music-hall, all the
Beys of the royal family being present. To give some idea of the
magnificence here displayed I will only mention that from five hundred
to one thousand _Tumens_[211] had been spent on the decoration of the
hall. There were some hundreds of velvet and silken brocaded carpets,
painted and embroidered in figurative designs; quantities of luxurious
cushions and exquisitely artistic tents, canopies, and sunshades.
Yuzbashi Hasan Bey, one of the Shah's confidants, turned to me and
said: "Is not this indeed a treasure-house?" "It is," I replied, "yet
the wealth of kings is not measured by their gold and silver but by
their military power." This remark silenced him; he did not return to
the subject.
As the envoy had already started for Tebriz I was detained for another
month, during which time the Shah showed me much attention, and I spent
a good deal of my time in his presence. One day he ventured the remark:
"Why were those 300 Janissaries sent from Turkey to assist Borak Khan?"
I answered that these had not been sent to strengthen Borak Khan's
forces, but merely as an escort to the late Sheik Abdullatif, because
it was a well-known fact that the Circassians[212] had killed Baba
Sheik, a son of the holy Ahmed Jesewi, on the road from Astrakhan,
and that that route was therefore made unsafe. If the Padishah had
intended to send military help, not three hundred, but some thousands
of Janissaries, would have gone to Bokhara.
Another time I was drawn into a religious dispute with Mir Ibrahim
Sefevi, one of the Shah's relatives and a sage. The conversation ran as
follows: