KAEATEPE
AUTHOR ENTERTAINED BY AN AFGHAN, NUR-ULLAH
SUSPICIONS AS TO HIS DERVISH CHARACTER
HADJIS PROVISION THEMSELVES FOR JOURNEY THROUGH DESERT
AFGHAN COLONY
NADIR SHAH
FIRST VIEW OF THE CASPIAN
YACOUB THE TURKOMAN BOATMAN
LOVE TALISMAN
EMBARKATION FOR ASHODRADA
VOYAGE ON THE CASPIAN
RUSSIAN PART OF ASHOURADA
RUSSIAN WAR STEAMERS IN THE CASPIAN
TURKOMAN CHIEF, IN THE SERVICE OF RUSSIA
APPREHENSION OF DISCOVERY ON THE AUTHOR'S PART
ARRIVAL AT GÖMÜSHTEPE AND AT THE MOUTH OF THE GORGHEN.
_Ultra Caspium sinum quidnam esset, ambiguum aliquamcliu
fuit._--Pomponius Mela, _De Situ Orbis_.
[Karatepe; Author entertained by an Afghan, Nur-Ullah]
Nur-Ullah, an Afghan of distinction, whose acquaintance I had already
formed at Sari, conducted me to his house on my arrival at Karatepe;
and as I objected to be separated from all my friends, he included
Hadji Bilal also in his invitation, and did not rest until I had
accepted his hospitality. At first I could not divine the motive of
his extraordinary kindness, but I observed a little later that he had
heard of the footing upon which I stood at the Turkish Embassy in
Teheran, and he wished me to repay his kindness by a letter of
recommendation, which I promised, and very willingly gave him before
we parted.
{31}
[Suspicions as to his Dervish Character]
I had hardly taken possession of my new abode when the room filled
with visitors, who squatted down in a row all round against the walls,
first staring at me with their eyes wide open, then communicating to
each other the results of their observations, and then uttering aloud
their judgment upon the object of my travelling. 'A Dervish,' said the
majority, 'he is not, his appearance is anything but that of a
Dervish; for the wretchedness of his dress contrasts too plainly with
his features and his complexion. As the Hadjis told us, he must be a
relative of the ambassador, who represents our Sultan at Teheran,' and
here all stood up. 'Allah only knows what a man who issues from so
high an origin has to do amongst the Turkomans in Khiva and Bokhara.'
This impudence amazed me not a little. At the first glance they wanted
to tear the mask from my face; in the meantime I was acting the
genuine part of an Oriental, sat seemingly buried in thought, with the
air of one who heard nothing. As I took no part in the conversation,
they turned to Hadji Bilal, who told them I was really an Efendi, a
functionary of the Sultan, but had withdrawn myself, in pursuance of a
Divine inspiration, from the deceptions of the world, and was now
engaged with Ziaret (a pilgrimage to the tombs of the saints);
whereupon many shook their heads, nor could this subject any more be
broached. The true Musselman must never express a doubt when he is
told of Divine inspiration (Ilham); and however speaker or listener
may be convinced that there is imposture, they are still bound to
express their admiration by a 'Mashallah! Mashallah! 'This first scene
had, however, clearly unfolded to me that, although still on Persian
soil, I had nevertheless at last gained the frontiers of Central Asia;
for on hearing the distrustful enquiries of these few Sunnites--
enquiries never made in any part of Persia--I could {32} easily
picture to myself the splendid future in store for me further on in
the very nest of this people. It was not until two hours had elapsed,
spent in chattering and questioning, that these visitors retired and
we prepared tea, and then betook ourselves to repose. I was trying to
sleep when a man in a Turkoman dress, whom I regarded as a member of
the family, came near me, and began to tell me, in strict confidence,
that he had travelled the last fifteen years on business matters to
and from Khiva; that he was born at Khandahar; but that he had a
perfect knowledge of the country of Özbeg and Bokhara; and then
proposed that we should be friends, and make the journey together
through the Great Desert. I replied, 'All believers are brethren,'
[Footnote 7] and thanked him for his friendliness, with the
observation that as a Dervish I was very much attached to my
travelling companions. He seemed desirous to continue the
conversation; but as I let him perceive how inclined I was to sleep,
he left me to my slumbers.
[Footnote 7: 'Kulli mumenin ihvetun.' ]
[Hadjis provision themselves for Journey through Desert; Afghan
Colony; Nadir Shah]
Next morning Nur-Ullah informed me that this man was a Tiryaki
(opium-eater), a scapegrace, whom I should, as much as possible,
avoid. At the same time he warned me that Karatepe was the only place
for procuring our stock of flour for a journey of two months, as even
the Turkomans themselves got their provisions in this place; and that
at all events we must furnish ourselves with bread to last as far as
Khiva. I left this to Hadji Bilal to manage for me, and ascended in
the meantime the black hill which is situated in the village, and from
which it derives its name, Karatepe. One side is peopled by Persians,
{33} the other by 125 or 150 Afghan families. It is said that this
Afghan colony was at the beginning of this century of far more
importance than at present, and was founded by the last great
conqueror of the Asiatic world, Nadir Shah, who, as is well known,
accomplished his most heroic actions at the head of the Afghans and
Turkomans. Here also was pointed out to me the spot on the hill where
he sat when he passed in review the thousands of wild horsemen who
flocked from the farthest recesses of the desert, with their good
horses and thirsty swords, under his banners. On these occasions Nadir
is described as always having been in a good humour; so Karatepe had
its holidays. The precise object of the transplantation of this
Sunnite colony is unknown to me, but its existence has been found to
be of the greatest service, as the Afghans serve as negotiators
between Turkomans and Persians, and without them many a Persian would
languish for months in Turkoman bonds, without any medium existing by
which his ransom could be effected. On the east of Persia similar
services are rendered by the Sunnites of Khaf, Djam, and Bakhyrz, but
these have to deal with the Tekke, a far more dangerous tribe than the
Yomuts.
[First View of the Caspian; Yacoub the Turkoman Boatman; Love
Talisman]
From the summit of the black hill I was able to gain a view of the
Caspian Sea. It is not the main sea which is here visible, but rather
that portion of it shut in by the tongue of land which ends at
Ashourada: it is termed the Dead Sea. This tongue of land looks at a
distance like a thin strip on the water, whence shoots up a single
line of trees, which the eye can follow a long, long way. The sight of
this, with its bleak solitary beach, was anything but inspiriting. I
burnt with desire to behold its eastern shore, and I {34} hurried back
to my abode to ascertain how far our preparations were in a forward
state for any embarkation in quest of the Turkoman coast. Nur-Ullah
had taken upon himself to make all necessary preparations. The evening
before we had been told that for a kran (franc) per head we might be
taken to Ashourada by an Afghan vessel employed in supplying the
Russians with provisions, and that thence we might, with the aid of
Turkomans, reach Gömüshtepe in a few hours. 'In Ashourada itself,'
they said, 'there is Khidr Khan, a Turkoman chieftain in the service
of Russia, who gives assistance to poor Hadjis, and whom we may also
visit.' We were all delighted to learn this, and greeted the
intelligence with acclamation. How great then was my astonishment when
I learnt that this Afghan was ready for the voyage, that he would
allow the Hadjis to accompany him, but that he objected to my
highness, whom he regarded as a secret emissary of the sultan; fearing
lest he might lose his means of subsistence from the Russians should
he venture to take such an individual on board his vessel. His
resolution surprised me not a little. I was glad to hear my companions
declare that if he did not take me they would not go, but would prefer
to wait another occasion. So I heard, in an accent of peculiar
emphasis, from the opium-smoker, Emir Mehemmed. Later, however, came
the Afghan himself (his name was Anakhan), expressing his regret,
promising secresy, and begging me to give him a letter of
recommendation to Haydar Efendi. I considered it good policy not to
say a syllable calculated to quiet his apprehensions, laughed heartily
at his ideas, and promised to leave for him with Nur-Ullah some lines
for Teheran, a promise {35} which I did not forget. I felt it quite
necessary to leave my real character enveloped in a veil of doubt or
mystery. The Oriental, and particularly the Islamite, bred up in lies
and treachery, always believes the very contrary of what a man shows
particular earnestness in convincing him of, and the slightest
protestation on my part would have served to confirm their suspicions.
No further allusion was made to the subject, and that very evening we
heard that a Turkoman who plies to Gömüshtepe was prepared, from
feelings of mere piety, without remuneration, to take all the Hadjis
with him; that we had but to station ourselves early in the morning on
the seashore, to profit by a tolerably favourable wind. Hadji Bilal,
Hadji Salih, and myself, the recognised triumvirate of the mendicant
karavan, immediately paid a visit to the Turkoman, whose name was
Yakoub; he was a young man, with an uncommonly bold look; he embraced
each of us, and did not object to wait a day that we might complete
our provisioning. He received beforehand his benediction from Hadji
Bilal and Hadji Salih. We had already risen to go, when he called me
aside, and tried to get me to tarry a few moments with him. I remained
behind. He then, with a certain timidity, told me that he had long
entertained an unhappy unreturned affection for a girl of his own
race, and that a Jew, an accomplished magician, who for the moment was
staying in Karatepe, had promised to prepare an efficacious Nuskha
(talisman) if he would but procure thirty drops of attar of roses
fresh from Mecca, as this could not be dispensed with in the formula.
'We know,' said Yakoub, 'that the Hadjis bring back with them out of
the holy city essences of roses {36} and other sweet perfumes; and as
you are the youngest of their chiefs, I apply to you, and hope you
will listen to my entreaty.'
The superstition of this son of the desert did not so much astonish me
as the trust he had reposed in the words of the cunning Israelite, and
as my travelling friends had really brought with them such attar of
roses his wish was soon gratified. The joy that he displayed was
almost childish.
The second day afterwards, early in the morning, we all assembled on
the sea-shore, each furnished, besides his mendicant equipment, with a
sack of flour. We lost considerable time before the boat (called
Teïmil), which was formed out of a hollow tree, set us alongside the
little vessel, or skiff, called by Turks 'mauna.' This, on account of
the shallowness of the water near the shore, was lying out at sea at a
distance of about an English mile. Never shall I forget the mode in
which we embarked. The small tree, in the hollow of which passengers
were stowed away, together with flour and other effects, in the most
diversified confusion, threatened each instant to go to the bottom. We
had to bless our good fortune that we arrived on board all dry. The
Turkomans have three kinds of vessels--
(1) Keseboy, furnished with a mast and two sails, one large and one
small, principally for carrying cargoes;
(2) Kayuk, with a simple sail, generally used on their predatory
expeditions; and
(3) The Teïmil, or skiff, already mentioned.
{37}
[Embarkation for Ashourada; Voyage on the Caspian]
The vessel provided for our use by Yakoub was a keseboy, that had
conveyed a cargo of naphtha, pitch, and salt to the Persian coast from
the island Tchereken, and was now homeward-bound with corn on board.
As the vessel had no deck, and consequently had no distinction of
place, every one suited himself, and sat down where he wished as he
entered. Yakoub, however, observing that this would disturb the trim
and management of the vessel, we each seized our bundle and our
provisions, and were closely packed in two rows near each other like
salted herrings, so that the centre of the boat remained free for the
crew to pass backwards and forwards. Our position then was none of the
most agreeable. During the daytime it was supportable, but at night it
was awful, when sleep threw the sitters from their perpendicular
position to the right and left, and I was forced to submit for hours
to the sweet burthen of a snoring Hadji. Frequently a sleeper on my
right and another on my left fell one over the other upon me: I dared
not wake them, for that would have been a heinous sin, to be atoned by
never-ending suffering.
It was mid-day on the 10th April, 1863, when a favourable wind
distended our sails, driving the little vessel before it like an
arrow. On the left side we had the small tongue of land; on the right,
thickly covered with wood, extending down to the very sea, stood the
mountain upon which rose the Palace Eshref, built by Shah Abbas, the
greatest of the Persian kings. The charm of our Argonautic expedition
was augmented by the beautiful spring weather; and in spite of the
small space within which I was pent up, I was in very good spirits.
The thought might have suggested itself to me that I had to-day left
the Persian coast; that at last I had reached a point from which there
was no drawing back, and {38} where regrets were useless. But no! at
that moment no such idea occurred to me. I was firmly convinced that
my travelling friends, whose wild appearance had at first rendered
them objects of alarm, were really faithful to me, and that under
their guidance I might face the greatest dangers.
Towards evening there was a calm; we cast anchor near the shore, and
were allowed in turn to make our tea on the little hearth of the
vessel. Having stored away some pieces of sugar in my girdle, I
invited Yakoub and honoured him with a bowl of tea. Hadji Salih and
Sultan Mahmoud were of the party; the young Turkoman was the great
talker, and began to recount stories of the Alaman (as the Turkomans
name their marauding expeditions), a favourite topic with this people.
His eye, always fiery, now vied with the stars of his own heaven, for
his vein was stimulated by the desire to win golden opinions from the
Sunnite Mollahs (we passed for such) by details of the conflicts in
which he had engaged with the Shiite heretics, and of the numbers of
the heretics that he had made prisoners. My friends soon began to
slumber around me; still I did not tire of listening to him, and it
was not until midnight that he thought of retiring. Before he withdrew
he told me that Nur-Ullah had directed him to take me as a guest to
the tent of Khandjan, a Turkoman chieftain; and he added that
Nur-Ullah was right, for I was not like the rest of the Hadjis, and
deserved better treatment. 'Khandjan,' said Yakoub, 'is the Aksakal
(chief) of a mighty race, and even in the time of his father, no
Dervish, Hadji, or other stranger ever dared to pass through
Gömüshtepe without having tasted his bread and drunk his water. He
will, as you come out of {39} foreign Roum (Turkey), certainly give
you a good reception, and you will be grateful to me.'
[Russian War Steamers in the Caspian]
The following morning, the weather being unfavourable, we could only
move slowly; it was already evening when we reached Ashourada, the
most southerly point of the Russian possessions in Asia. It fell
definitively into the hands of the Czar twenty-five years ago: perhaps
it would be better to express ourselves thus, that it became subject
to Russia from the time when, with their steamers, they began to
strike the necessary degree of terror into the daring Alaman cruisers
of the Turkoman pirates. The name Ashourada is of Turkoman origin; it
was inhabited, but served them rather as a station for their then
frequent and unchecked piratical expeditions. The Ashourada of the
present day produces upon the traveller arriving from Persia an
agreeable impression. Small, it is true, is the number of houses built
at the east end of the tongue of land; but the European fashion of the
buildings, as well as the church that the eye encounters, were not
indifferent objects for me. The war steamers more particularly
reminded me of European modes of existence; and I cannot say how
inspiriting it was to see towards evening a steamer from Gez (a place
that serves as the port for Astrabad) gliding proudly by. The Russians
here maintain three war steamers (two large and one small), without
the protection of which neither the Russian settlers nor the sailing
vessels proceeding from Astrakhan would be safe from the attacks of
the Turkomans. So long indeed as the merchantman remains out at sea,
it has no cause for alarm; and it rarely ventures to approach the
coast without being in the escort of a steamer, whose {40} protection
is also necessary for the voyage back. The Russian Government makes,
naturally, the greatest exertions, and at the greatest cost, to
paralyse the predatory habits of the Turkomans. This plague has, in
effect, somewhat diminished; still to establish security is an
impossibility, and many unhappy Persians, and even occasionally
Russian, sailors are hurried away in chains to Gömüshtepe. The Russian
ships cruise incessantly day and night in the Turkoman waters; and
every Turkoman vessel that is about to proceed from the east coast to
the Persian shore on the south, must be provided with a pass, for
which the owner has to pay yearly 8, 10, or 15 ducats. This pass is
renewable at the end of each year, and must be exhibited every time
the vessel passes Ashourada, when it is visited by the Russian
functionaries to ascertain if it has on board prisoners, arms, or
other contraband merchandise. The consequence of this salutary
regulation is that a great part of the Turkoman merchant shipping has
been overhauled and registered, and the rest mostly navigate in
indirect courses, and if encountered by the Russian cruisers are
taken, or, in case of resistance, sunk. Whilst thus on the one side
steps of necessary vigour have been taken, on the other a policy has
been adopted of establishing friendly relations with one tribe so as
to make use of it against another.
[Turkoman Chief, in the Service of Russia]
At the time when I passed by Ashourada, Khidr Khan, sprung from the
race of the Gazili Kör, had already borne the title of Derya bêghi
(admiral) thirty years in the Russian service, and had a salary of
about forty ducats per month, out of which he gave ten to his Mirza or
writer. Khidr Khan still continued to live in a tent in the middle of
the semi-European {41} colony; his functions consisted in using his
influence with the Turkomans generally to prevent their piracies, or
at least in conveying to the Russians intelligence of any intended
expedition, for his clansmen, as eye-witnesses, were well able to
perform the duty of spies. But this he could not effect. This Khidr
Khan, though once so good a Musselman, had formed at an early date
acquaintance with the generous vodki (Russian brandy): the consequence
was that, day and night, he was intoxicated; and his sons, who were to
be his successors, had come to an understanding with the Karaktchi
(robbers), and were very careful not to give intelligence to the
Russians of any projected marauding expedition.
[Apprehension of Discovery on the Author's part]
Our friend Yakoub was bound to produce his pass, and our little vessel
could not proceed without having been first searched. As night had
commenced when we neared Ashourada, we found that the visit of the
authorities was postponed till an early hour in the morning. We cast
anchor a short distance from land. My friends seemed greatly to regret
their being prevented from waiting upon Khidr Khan, the ill-famed
Maecenas of Dervishes and Hadjis. The circumstance was, however, to me
a cause of unmingled satisfaction; for I could not have remained
behind, and Khidr's experience in European countenances would have
easily detected me; or, at all events, would have left me ill at ease.
I was, however, somewhat disturbed by the reflection that, as an
examination of the vessel must ensue in the morning, my European
features, in strange contrast with those of my companions, and my
complexion not yet brought to an Asiatic hue, might still play me
false, and make the Russians alive to the real facts of the case. Far
from {42} apprehending any inhumane treatment at their hands, my
principal dread was their discovering me, and endeavouring to dissuade
me from persisting in my adventure; and besides I feared still more
that the affair might be noised abroad, and that the Turkomans might
get wind of my incognito. I thought of how much more ransom I should
have to pay than Blôcqueville, to rescue me from such cruel slavery!
These ideas occasioned me the deepest anxiety, and I felt so troubled
that I could not gaze with pleasure upon this last picture reflected
from Western life.
Next morning I awoke in the greatest agitation; the sound of a bell
was heard from Ashourada; my fellow-travellers said that this was
Sunday, the holiday of the Unbelievers. I knew not which Sunday
[Footnote 8] it was. We were close to a ship of war that had all its
colours flying; suddenly we saw sailors in full uniform in a boat
approach the shore with regular measured strokes of their oars; an
officer in full dress then stepped in, and was soon taken on board the
ship of war. Ten minutes had hardly elapsed when they called to us to
approach, and I then saw on their deck near the gangway several
fair-haired officers standing together. My heart began to beat
violently; we approached nearer and nearer; all my effort now was to
maintain such an attitude as might least attract attention, and avoid
as far as possible the dreaded _tête-à-tête_. As fortune willed, our
vessel on approaching the Russians presented to it first that side
upon which I was seated, so that the assembled officers were only able
to see my neck.
[Footnote 8: During my journey I often lost sight of dates, and it
was only later that I learned that this was Easter Sunday (Russian
style).]
{43}
On account of the day, the examination was but slight and formal. The
Dollmetsh exchanged a few words with Yakoub; our mendicant company
fixed the attention of the officers. Amongst other things I heard one
say, 'See how white this Hadji is.' [Footnote 9]
[Footnote 9: 'Smotrite kakoi bieloï etot Hadji.']
This allusion was probably made to me, whose complexion had not yet
assumed the hue of uncivilised life. If so, it was the only
observation they made upon me; for they had soon done with Yakoub, and
in a moment we were far away from the side of the Russian vessel.
I now raised myself from my stooping and half-sleeping position, and
took a long breath, for my anxiety was at an end. Soon afterwards the
wind began to blow strongly from the west. Now was the time to get up
our sails and make all haste for Gömüshtepe, which was but three
leagues off; but Yakoub kept his eye fixed on a white point in the
distance, and held a council with his crew: nor was it until this
dreaded object had entirely vanished, that our large sail was
unfurled, and we darted with the swiftness of an arrow towards the
east.
At about half a league distance from Ashourada, we passed several
sea-marks, consisting of long painted poles. I was told by Yakoub that
they had been placed there by the 'Inghiliz,' to mark the limits of
the Russian waters, the other side belonging to the Turkomans, whom
the 'Inghiliz 'would always protect against the attack of the
Russians. It was always a riddle to me to discover who had instilled
into these wild sons of the desert such far-reaching ideas of policy.
It is not for me to discriminate these {44} sea-marks; still less to
weigh the amount of sympathy felt by England for the Turkomans.
[Arrival at Gömüshtepe and at the Mouth of the Gorghen.]
In less than an hour the Turkoman coast lay well defined before us,
appearing as a long tract of land with elevated ground here and there.
We followed the direction indicated by other craft which were running
in before us: the sails were soon lowered, for we had reached the end
of the navigable waters, and lay off about a mile and a half from the
mouth of the Görghen. On both of its banks we saw the encampment of
Gömüshtepe, in form like a hundred beehives lying close together.
As it had been at Karatepe, so was it also here, on account of the
shallowness: even boats that draw little water cannot approach the
shore, or run into the river Görghen, which is itself tolerably deep
and never wants water. We were therefore obliged to wait at a
considerable distance off shore until Yakoub should have disembarked,
reported his arrival, and sent back to us several Teïmils to aid us in
our disembarkation. After some delay, three of these very original
transports came; they were to perform their little voyages as often as
our numbers rendered it necessary, until all should be landed.
Hadji Bilal and I were the last to land, and I was really delighted
when, on touching shore, I heard that Khandjan, informed of my arrival
by my honest friend Yakoub, had hastened down to receive me. There I
found him on landing, a few paces behind, in the attitude necessitated
by the repetition of the afternoon prayer (Aszr-Namazi).
[Illustration]
Reception by Turkoman Chief on the Caspian Shore.
{45}