At last to th’ endless world (dári bakà) they’re gone.
It is to this day celebrated throughout the world as an extraordinary inscription, and is visited by travellers from Rúm (Greece), ’Arab (Arabia), and ’Ajem (Persia). Some of them, who, in the expectation of finding hidden treasures, began to work at these ancient buildings with pickaxes like Ferhád’s, perished in the attempt, and were also buried there. Some holy men make pilgrimages to this place barefoot on Friday nights, and recite the chapter entitled Tekásur (Korán, chap. 102); for many thousands of illustrious companions (of the Prophet) Mohájirín, (who followed him in his flight), and Ansárs (auxiliaries) are buried in this place. It has been also attested by some thousands of the pious, that this burial ground has been seen some thousands of times covered with lights on the holy night of Alkadr (i.e. sixth of Ramazán).
In short, Seyyid Bábá Ja’fer, Hárúnu-r rashíd’s ambassador, having been enraged, and taking offence at his not having been well received by the king Ghirándó Míhál, reproached him bitterly, and suffered martyrdom by poison in consequence of it. He was buried by Sheïkh Maksúd, who received an order to that effect, in a place within the prison of the infidels, where, to this day, his name is insulted by all the unbelieving malefactors, debtors, murderers, &c. imprisoned there. But when (God be praised!) Islámból was taken, the prison having likewise been captured, the grave of Seyyid Ja’fer Bábá Sultán, in the tower of the prison [the Bagno], became a place of pilgrimage, which is visited by those who have been released from prison, and call down blessings in opposition to the curses of the unbelievers.
The ninth Siege. Three years after that great event related above, Hárúnu-r-rashíd marched from Baghdád with an immense army, to require the blood of the faithful from the infidels of Rúm (Asia Minor and Greece), and having reached Malatiyyah, which was conquered by Ja’fer Ghází, surnamed Seyyid Battál, that hero led the vanguard of the army into Rúm; and Hárún himself brought up the rear with reinforcements. Having taken possession of the straits, they blockaded the city, cut off all its supplies, gave no quarter, slew 300,000 infidels, took 70,000 prisoners, and made an immense booty, which they sent to Haleb (Aleppo) and Iskenderún, and then returned laden with spoils to Baghdád. Yaghfúr (void of light), the king at that time, was taken prisoner and carried before Hárún, who gave him no quarter, but ordered him to be hung in the belfry of Ayá Sófiyyah (Sancta Sophia). Having been from my infancy desirous of seeing the world, and not remaining in ignorance, I learned the Greek and Latin languages of my friend Simyún (Simeon) the goldsmith, to whom I explained the Persian glossary of Sháhidí, and he gave me lessons in the Aleksanderah (Alexandra), i.e. the History of Alexander. He also read to me the history of Yanván, from which these extracts are taken. But after the race of the Cæsars (Kayásirah) became extinct in Kanátúr, Kostantiniyyah fell into the hands of various princes, till the house of ’Osmán arose in A.H. 699 (A.D. 1300), and, at the suggestion of ’Aláu-d-dín the Seljúkí, first turned its attention to the conquest of that city.
SECTION IX.
Concerning the Sieges of Constantinople by the Ottoman Emperors.
The first portion of the descendants of Jafeth which set its foot in the country of Rúm (Asia Minor) was the house of the Seljúkians, who, in alliance with the Dánishmendian Emírs, wrested, in A.H. 476 (A.D. 1083), the provinces of Malatiyyah, Kaïsariyyah, ’Aláiyyah, Karamán, and Kóniyah from the hand of the Greek emperors (Kaïsari Rúm Yúnániyán). They first came from Máveráu-n-nehr (Transoxiana). On the extinction of the Seljúkian dynasty, A.H. 600 (A.D. 1204), Suleïmán-sháh, one of the begs (lords) of the town of Máhán in Túrán, and his son Ertoghrul, came into Rúm, to the court of Sultán ’Aláu-d-dín. The latter having been set on his feet as a man (er-toghrílúb), and made a beg by that prince, made many brilliant conquests, and, at the death of ’Aláu-d-dín, was elected sovereign in his stead, by all the great men (a’yán) of the country. He died at the town of Sukúdjuk, and was succeeded by his son ’Osmán, who was the first emperor (pádisháh) of that race. He resided at ’Osmánjik, from whence the dazzling beams of the Mohammedan faith shed their light over Anátólí, Germiyán, and Karamán. In the time of his son and successor, the victorious Órkhán, seventy-seven heroes, friends of God (evliyáu-llah, i.e. saints) fought under the banners of the Prophet.
It was in his reign, that the holy (velí) Hájí Begtásh, who had been in Khorasán, one of the followers of our great ancestor, that Túrk of Túrks, Khójah Ahmed Yaseví, came over to his camp with three hundred devout (sáhibi sejjádeh) fakírs carrying drums and standards, and, as soon as they had met Órkhán, Brúsah was taken. From thence he proceeded to the conquest of Constantaniyyeh. His son, Suleïmán Beg, joined by the permission and advice of Begtásh and seventy great saints (evliyà), with forty brave men, such as Karah Mursal, Karah Kójah, Karah Yalavà, Karah Bíghà, Karah Síghlah, in short forty heroes (bahádur) called Karah (black), crossed over the sea on rafts, and set foot on the soil of Rúm, shouting Bismillah, the Mohammedan cry of war. Having laid waste the country on all sides of the city, they conquered, on a Friday, the castle of Ip-salà (it is called Ip-salà by a blunder for Ibtidà salà, i.e. the commencement prayer), and having offered up the Fridays prayer there, they pushed on to the gates of Adrianople, taking Gelíbólí (Galipoli), Tekir-tághí (Rodosto), and Silivrì (Selymbria) in their way, and returned victorious, laden with spoils and captives, after an absence of seven days, to Kapú-tághí on the Asiatic shore, from whence they marched with their booty into Brúsah. The brain of the whole army of Islám being thus filled with sweetness, the shores of Rúm were many times invaded, all the neighbouring country was laid waste, nor were the infidels (káfirs) able to make any resistance; while the Moslim heroes found means of raising a noble progeny by being tied with the knot of matrimony to the beautiful virgins whom they carried off. Sultán Murád I., who succeeded Órkhán, following the advice formerly given by Aláu-d-dín Sultán and Hájí Begtásh, made himself master of the country round Kostantaniyyeh before he attempted the conquest of the city itself. He therefore first took Edreneh (Adrianople), and filled it with followers of Mohammed coming from Anátólí, while the infidels could not advance a step beyond Islámból. However, they contrived to assemble an army of 700,000 men in the plain of Kós-óvà (Cossova), near the castle of Vechteren in Rúm-ílí (Romelia), where, by the decree of the Creator of the world, they were all put to the sword by the victorious Khudávendikár (Murád); but while walking over the dead bodies in the field of battle, praising God, and surveying the corpses of the infidels doomed to hell (dúzakh), he was slain by a knife from the hand of one Velashko, who lay among the slain. The assassin was instantly cut to pieces, and Murád’s son, Yildirim Báyazíd Khán, mounted the throne. In order to avenge his father’s death, he fell like a thunderbolt on Káfiristán (the land of the unbelievers), slew multitudes of them, and began the tenth siege of Kostantaniyyeh.
Yildirim Báyazíd wisely made Edreneh (Adrianople) the second seat of empire, and besieged Islámból during seven months with an army of a hundred thousand men, till the infidels cried out that they were ready to make peace on his own terms, offering to pay a yearly tribute (kharáj) of 200,000 pieces of gold. Dissatisfied with this proposal, he demanded that the Mohammedans (ummeti Mohammed) should occupy, as of old in the days of ’Omar ibn ’Abdu-l-’azíz, and Hárúnu-r-Rashíd, one half of Islámból and Ghalatah, and have the tithe of all the gardens and vineyards outside of the city. The Tekkúr king (i.e. the Emperor) was compelled of necessity to accept these terms, and twenty thousand Musulmáns having been introduced into the town, were established within their former boundaries. The Gul jámi’í, within the Jebálí kapú-sí, was purified with rose-water from all the pollutions of the infidels, whence it received its name of Gul-jámi’í (i.e. Rose mosque). A court of justice was established in the Sirkehjí Tekiyeh in that neighbourhood; Ghalatah was garrisoned with six thousand men, and half of it, as far as the tower, given up to the Mohammedans. Having in this manner conquered one half of Islámból, Báyazíd returned victorious to Edreneh. Soon afterwards Tímúr Leng issuing from the land of Írán with thirty-seven kings at his stirrup, claimed the same submission from Báyazíd, who, with the spirit and courage of an emperor, refused to comply. Tímúr, therefore, advanced and encountered him with a countless army. Twelve thousand men of the Tátár light-horse (eshkinjí), and some thousands of foot soldiers, who, by the bad counsels of the vazír, had received no pay, went over to the enemy; notwithstanding which Báyazíd, urged on by his zeal, pressed forwards with his small force, mounted on a sorry colt, and having entered the throng of Tímúr’s army, laid about him with his sword on all sides, so as to pile the Tátárs in heaps all around him. At last, by God’s will, his horse that had never seen any action fell under him, and he, not being able to rise again before the Tátárs rushed upon him, was taken prisoner, and carried into Tímúr’s presence. Tímúr arose when he was brought in, and treated him with great respect. They then sat down together on the same carpet (sejjádeh) to eat honey and yóghúrt (clotted cream). While thus conversing together, “I thank God,” said Tímúr, “for having delivered thee into my hand, and enabled me to eat and discourse with thee on the same table; but if I had fallen into thy hands, what wouldst thou have done?” Yildirim, from the openness of his heart, came to the point at once, and said, “By heaven! if thou hadst fallen into my hand, I would have shut thee up in an iron cage, and would never have taken thee out of it till the day of thy death!” “What thou lovest in thy heart, I love in mine,” replied Tímúr, and ordering an iron cage to be brought forthwith, shut Báyazíd up in it, according to the wish he had himself expressed. Tímúr then set out on his return, and left the field open for Chelebí Sultán Mohammed to succeed his father Yildirim. He immediately pursued the conqueror with 70,000 men, and overtaking him at Tashák-óvá-sí, smote his army with such a Mohammedan cleaver, that his own men sheltered themselves from the heat of the sun under awnings made of the hides of the slain, whence that plain received the ludicrous name by which it is still known. But, by God’s will, Yildirim died that very night of a burning fever, in the cage in which he was confined. His son Mohammed Chelebí, eager to avenge his father, continued to drive Tímúr forwards, till he reached the castle of Tókát, where he left him closely besieged. He then returned victorious, carrying the illustrious corpse of his father to Brúsah, where it was buried in an oratory in the court before his own mosque. His brothers ’Ísá and Músá disputed his right to the empire; but Mohammed, supported by the people of Rúm, was proclaimed khalífah at Edreneh (Adrianople), where he remained and finished the mosque begun by his father. On hearing of these contentions for the empire, the king (tekkúr) of Islámból danced for joy. He sent round cryers to make proclamation that, on pain of death, not a Muselmán should remain in the city of Kostantín, allowing only a single day for their removal: and he destroyed a great number of them in their flight to Tekirtágh (Rodostó) and Edreneh (Adrianople). The empire, after the demise of Chelebí Mohammed, was held first by Murád II., and then by Mohammed (II.) the conqueror, who during his father’s lifetime was governor (hákim) of Maghnísá (Magnesia), and spent his time there in studying history, and in conversing with those excellent men ’Ak-Shemsu-d-dín, Karah-Shemsu-d-dín, and Sívásí, from whom he acquired a perfect knowledge of the commentaries on the Korán and the sacred traditions (hadís). While he was at Maghnísá, having heard that the infidels from Fránsah (France) had landed at ’Akkah (Acri), the port of Jerusalem, on the shore of the White Sea, and in the dominions of Keláún, Sultán of Egypt, and taken possession of ’Askelán and other towns, from which they had carried off much plunder and many prisoners to their own country, he was so much grieved at the thoughts of thousands of Muselmáns being carried into captivity, that he shed tears. “Weep not, my Emperor,” said Ak-shemsu-d-dín, “for on the day that thou shalt conquer Islámból, thou shalt eat of the spoils and sweetmeats taken by the unbelievers from the castle of ’Akkah: but remember on that day to be to the faithful an acceptable judge as well as victor (kúzí ve-ghází rází), doing justice to all the victorious Moslims.” At the same time taking off the shawl twisted round his Turban, he placed it on Mohammed’s head, and announced the glad tidings of his being the future conqueror of Islámból. They then read the noble traditions (hadís) of what the Prophet foretold relative to Islámból, and observed that he was the person to whom these traditions applied. Mohammed on this, covering his head with Ak-Shemsu-d-din’s turban (’urf), said: “Affairs are retrieved in their season!” and, recommending all his affairs to the bounty of the Creator, returned to his studies.