There are seventy-seven mihrábs; the oldest is the great mosque inside the gate of Tabríz, with a minareh in the ancient style, built by the Princes of the Akche Koyúnlí, two hundred feet square. The mimber and mihráb are also in the ancient style; it is supported by two hundred columns of fir-tree, and the cupola is also of wood; on one side of the mosque the biscuit for the garrison of Eriván is kept. On the east side of this mosque, close to the wall, is an old college with two minarehs; some say that they were built by the Princes of the Akche Koyúnlí, while others ascribe them to Uzún Hassán; in short, it is an old prayer-place, which has been cruelly damaged in the different sieges of Erzerúm, and never been repaired because it was never endowed. Within the gates of Tabríz are two tall minarehs, the shining porcelain of which dazzles the eyes of beholders; tumblers exhibit their skill on ropes extended between these two high minarehs. Sultán Murad IV. converted the ruined mosque into a cannon foundry. God grant it may be repaired! The mosque of Lále Mustafa Páshá, before the gate of the Seraï on the great road, built by the grand Vezír of Sultán Súleimán. Its cupola is built in the style of those of Constantinople, eighty feet square, and covered with lead. Its mihráb, mimber, and mahfíl are very simple. Outside is a stone bench, but the courtyard is narrow. It is the work of the great architect Sinán. Its sheikh is Wání Efendí, one of the most learned divines, and famed commentators, a second Na’amán, an eloquent man, whose renown is spread all over the empire; its Imám is a high-minded priest, who knows the whole Korán by heart, whose reading plunges those who listen into the depths of meditation. He is a most perfect musician, and is called the Imám of the Janissaries; and if the Muëzzin, a second Belál (the Prophet’s Muëzzin) ascends the minareh, and proclaims with David’s voice Mahommed’s shout, “God is great, God is great,” all hearers begin to tremble, every person leaves his business or repast, and hastens to the mosque. All the inhabitants of Erzerúm are devout, pious men. Ja’afer Efendi’s mosque is a pleasing new built mosque, with a high cupola and gate, a courtyard and a spouting fountain; the windows are guarded with iron gratings. In the inner castle is an old mosque much frequented. Outside of the gate of Erzenján is the Páshá’s mosque, covered with lead, and outside of the gate of Tabríz, on the edge of the ditch, is the mosque of Mohammed Páshá, with one minareh, and with a terrace. Besides these great mosques (Jami’í), there are also seventy-seven mesjíds, one hundred and ten schools for boys, convents, and houses for reading the Korán.
Fountains.
On the market-place, is the Source of Paradise, Jennet-bunár; and outside of the gate of Erzenján is the Camel fountain; on the fountain of Mustafa Páshá on the edge of the ditch, outside the gate of Tabríz is this inscription from the Korán saying:—“there are flowing fountains in it (Paradise).” There are seventy Se-bílkháneh, or places where water is distributed.
Of the Baths, Kháns, Market-places and Markets.
The most elegant bath is that of Ja’afer Efendí, there are seventy kháns, some of them for Caravans (Caravanseraï); some for merchants (Kháns, par excellence); some for unmarried workmen (barracks); of the latter there are ten, where foreign workmen find accommodation. The Bezestán has eight hundred shops, four gates and a stone cupola. The markets of the saddlers, goldsmiths, button-makers and tailors are very elegant. The mint is near the gate of Erzenján.
Of the Inhabitants, Climate, Products, &c.
The inhabitants are all Turkomans and Armenian kurds, of lively complexion, middle size, stout, strong in youth, and vigorous in old age. From ten to twenty-five years of age they are extremely fine, but after that they quickly become hairy men, good natured and brave. The principal men dress in sable furs, the Ulemás in ferrájís of cloth and caftáns of Bogassin; the workmen wear abbas, and sometimes a caftán of Bogassin. During three months the air is mild and pleasant; the water is sweet and extremely wholesome for the women; whoever drinks of the spring called the Source of Paradise in the summer, understands in its full sense, the verse of the Korán, “Water vivifies all things.” Seeds ripen here in sixty days, and bring forth fruit from eighty to one hundred fold; there are seven sorts of corn, one of which is as white as camel’s teeth. The workmanship of the tailors and goldsmiths is very skilful. They make two kinds of pies here, one of chicken and the other of a sort of vegetable called Cheresh; white and excellent pastry (Chorek), white bread called Koláj, and meat roasted on stoves, &c. Their beverages are Sherbet of Ribbes, and excellent Búza.
The walks are the place of the Jeríd; at the mills in the meadow; the place of Gumishlí Kunbed (the silver vault), and the Convent of Abd-ur-rahman Ghází.
Genealogies of Erzerúm.
Outside of the gates of the fortress on the east, west and north sides, is the suburb, inhabited by more than thirty thousand Rayas; on the south side, from the gate of Tabríz to that of Erzenján a wall has been begun, had it been finished, it would have made Erzerúm an amazingly strong fortress. Between this wall and the castle is the suburb divided into seven quarters. The suburb of the Tabríz gate extends from the quarters of Dáragách, and that of Dúlúkler to Gumishlí Kunbed. The suburb of the Georgians on the north side, is the quarter of the rich merchants; here is the custom-house where I was employed as clerk: round it are the houses of Persian, Indian, and Chinese merchants, next to the custom-houses of Constantinople and Smyrna, that of Erzerúm is the most busy. The suburb of Erzenján extends, on the eastern side of the castle-gate, from the Camel fountain to the mill of Alí. This suburb being mostly inhabited by Armenians, there are thirteen churches here. The Infidels wear variegated turbans, and blue coats, and the lower classes wear felt, with coarse shoes called Chárk; their women wrap white sheets round their heads, and the Musselmán women wear pointed caps of gold and silver stuff, velvet trowsers and yellow boots: they are extremely pretty, their teeth as well arranged as their words; with their beautiful hair, dragging a thousand lovers after them as slaves. The men are long-lived, in society may be found many men past seventy years of age, with full use of all their faculties. They generally speak a peculiar dialect, but their divines and poets speak with great eloquence, and their story-tellers delight intelligent people by their tales of Hamza, and by Chinese shades. There are also many Santons and holy men, of whom Allahán-dede was famous for his uxoriousness. Though the air of Erzerúm is cold, yet its vegetables are abundant, its soil being extremely fertile, and blessed with productions of all kind, which makes Erzerúm one of the cheapest places in the world. Though Erzerúm has neither gardens nor vineyards, yet it is famed for roses; some winter apples and pears are the only fruits which are found here. Plane-trees and willows are in abundance in all the walks and in the rose-gardens; on account of their long winter and short summer, the sowing and harvest is over in two months. At the time I was at Erzerúm there happened, in the month of July, when the horses were out at grass, such a storm of lightning, thunder, hail and snow, that all the horses broke away and ran half mad to the neighbouring villages. The length and severity of the winter here is explained by the following tale. They asked a Dervish “from whence he came?” he said, “from the snow of Divine Mercy;” they asked, “what was the name of the place;” “Erzerúm,” said the Dervish, which may be spelled Erezolúm (cruel to man); they continued to ask “whether he had seen any summer there.” The Dervish said, “By God, I remained there eleven months and nine and twenty days, the people said that summer was coming, but I did not see it. It happened, however, that a cat, which ran over the roofs of the houses, became froze there while in the act of running, and remained so for the space of nine months, when the spring arriving, the cat began to thaw, cried ‘Miaú!’ and fell down.” This tale has become a common proverb. It is really a fact, that if a man touches a piece of iron with his wet hand during winter, they freeze together, and cannot be separated without tearing off the skin. I have passed forty days in the coldest weather at Assov, and in the desert of Kipchák, but I never felt cold like this; the people are, however, very healthy. The fruits come from Isper, Tortúm, and Erzenján; peaches, apricots, and grapes are sold at the weight of an occa for a para; a waggon-load of melons or water-melons may be had for ten paras. Eatables are found here in great perfection, but there is no wood, the mountains being naked; wood is nevertheless very cheap, as it is brought from mountains at two journey’s distance; a mast of from thirty to forty cubits length is sold for forty aspers. The Páshá’s wood is brought to the town by the camels of the caravans, which arrive at the custom-house. An agha has the inspection of the wood; the poor people burn cow-dung. The Rayas place the stove in the middle of the house, on the sides of which the cattle stand; the house is as warm as a bath, and they cook their bones and offal on the fire.