We left Tabríz accompanied by one thousand horse, and after a march of five hours through flowery gardens came to Kent Ajisú, half way to Kúmla, two hundred houses with gardens belonging to the Khán’s khass, a mosque and three convents. The waters of this plain are subterraneous, flowing from village to village, and there are some thousand wells on the great roads, this place is called A’jisú (bitter water) because its water is a little brackish. We continued our road next day to the burying-place of Mohammed Shám Gházán; it is called so because this country bears great resemblance to Damascus (Shám). Mohammed Gházán Sháh built this castle, and peopled it with from ten to twelve thousand subjects free from all duties and gifts. He then built this monument, which has no equal either in Arabia or in Persian Irák, it is a tower lifting its head to the skies like that of Galata. When I saw it, it was a little damaged on the side of the gate by an earthquake; it is a monument well worth seeing. I entered it with the Khán, said a Fátíhah, and read the inscription on the marble coffin. More than two hundred Dervishes inhabit the convent; outside of the gate, piles of sheep’s heads are erected, many thousand sheep being immolated here by the inhabitants of Persia, who have great confidence in this place; a well ten yards deep affords refreshing water in summer.
The name of Shám Gházán is a corruption of the Moghol language, in which this Prince is called Shanb, whence Shám originated. The castle which bears his name on Mount Welián is now in ruins. At the foot of it is the Kent-Welián consisting of three hundred houses with a fine mosque, khán and bath, founded by the Vezír Rashíd-ud-dín Dembolí. We reached after five hours from hence, the Castle of Kúmla, built by Koja Ferhád Páshá, the Vezír of Sultán Murad III. in the year 998 (1589), it is a square castle at the foot of Mount Welián. It is eighty paces in circumference, has seven towers, and two gates, one to the east and one to the west; the eastern one is that leading to Tabríz. It was from this place that Ja’afer Páshá, when besieged by the troops in rebellion, made a sally at night, and completely routed the rebels. He afterwards built this gate. Within the castle are seven hundred houses and a mosque; the suburb forms the town of Kúmla, which abounds in gardens; the grapes and pears of Kúmla are much celebrated. There are seventy mosques, eleven of which are Jamiís (wherein Friday prayer is said), the best is that of Ferhád Páshá. It is the seat of a Sultán subordinate to Tabríz. A Kelenter and Darogha keep public order; a Sultán is here the same as in Turkey a Sanjek Beg, and a Begler Beg is called a Khán; a Vezír of three tails is called Itimád-ud-devlet; a Commander-in-chief (Serdár) is here named Sipehsalár; Múnshí answers to the Turkish Reis Efendí; Kelenter is the same as Alaï Beg, that is to say Colonel of the Militia, and Darogha is the same as Súbashí or Lieutenant of police; the head of the Chaúshes or ushers here takes the name of Yessaúl Aghá, and the Aghá of the Dízchoken is the same as an Aghá of the janissaries in Turkey. The names of Kúrúji, chief of the forest guards, and Mihmándár or travelling commissary, are common both to Turkey and Persia. We advanced from hence five hours to the district of Serawerd, a great Kent north-west of Tabríz, with a mosque, khán, and bath. We were entertained here during a whole night by the Kelenter, and continued our journey next day, hunting along the river Serawerd to the Kent-Dúsht, where we dined and halted a little. We proceeded for six hours to the Kent-Jevlán Dorúk in the district of Serawerd on the river of that name, with one thousand houses, a bath and mosque. Further on is the Kent of Kánidlis, three hundred Moslim houses and a mosque; the Armenians have three churches and three thousand houses. Three hours further is the Kent-Lákid, the khass of Rokhsháh’s Lady; the inhabitants are Armenian weavers, there are two thousand houses, a mosque, a khán, and three convents; on the mount of Serawerd stands a ruined castle. The Kent of Kujabád has five hundred houses, a khán, a mosque and a bath. We now went eastward to the district of Rudkát on the north of Tabríz behind mount Sorkháb, a district of a hundred Kents, which we passed in hunting during three days.
Description of Merágha.
It is the seat of a Sultán commanding a thousand troops, and has a Judge, Kelenter, Darogha and Múnshi; it was built in the earliest time by Húshenk-sháh, and is the first town of Azerbeiján and its ancient capital, surrounded with fruitful gardens, eleven farsangs distant from Tabríz; eleven mosques, forty kháns, sixty mesjíds, forty convents of Dervishes, eleven baths and three thousand shops. The inhabitants are all weavers, who manufacture excellent Bogassin. The beautiful youth of both sexes at Merágha are everywhere renowned. The town has risen from its ruins since the havoc it suffered from the army of Sultán Murad III. Its builder in the time of Islám was Merván Ibn Mohammed Al-Himár, in whose time it extended to Mount Sehend and comprised seventy thousand houses; but since it was destroyed by the Moghols in Húlagú’s time, the buildings are at some distance from Mount Sehend, which as it intercepted the north wind, was the reason that the air of its former situation was so heavy. The water, however, issues from the mountain, and abundantly furnishes the houses and gardens. Its pomegranates and cotton are famous, the inhabitants are white and gazelle-eyed, of sweet words and shining faces; a great part of them secretly follow the orthodox rite of Hánefí. They mostly speak Pehleví; the whole country is divided into eight districts, viz.: Serajún, Penajún, Jerút, Kaodúl, Hestrúd, Behsánd, Engúrán, and Kizilorán; each district containing from eighty to one hundred cultivated kents; altogether five hundred and sixty kents, sixty towns, and seven castles; the description of which, if we could undertake it in detail, would alone fill a volume. We left Meragha and entered the district of Túrnachairí, wherein the town of Aján is situated; the kent of Petiker of one thousand houses is situated in this district.
Description of Aján.
On the east side of mount Aján a large town was built by Peshen the son of Keiúmerth, and, being ransacked by Húlagú, fell into decay, so that all its inhabitants were transferred to Tabríz; it was rebuilt by Gházán, who also built a castle of two thousand paces in circumference on the edge of the mountain, with an iron gate opening to the east; within it are one hundred houses, but no garrison, outside there are three thousand houses, seven mosques, three baths, seven kháns, and six hundred shops. The water comes from mount Aján; the inhabitants are Sháfiítes, but keep their doctrine secret, they are merry fellows (Ehl meshreb), and no rigourists (Ehl mezheb). The Armenians have two convents. After having seen the town we continued our journey, hunting, to the district of Mehránberúd, five farsangs to the east of Tabríz, of sixty great kents. We passed those of Werd, Isfej and Saídabád, built by a Vezír of that name in the time of Sultán Tahmurass, a large kent of two thousand houses, seven mosques, a khán and bath, which was ransacked by Sultán Súleimán in his way to Baghdád, but escaped the havoc of Sultán Murad. We remained one night here and next day proceeded seven hours towards the south-east to the Kent of Mán, built by Máhkúr the daughter of Khodabende; nine hours further we arrived at the castle of Kehreván built by Sháh Tahmáss, out of fear of Sultán Súleimán. At the time of the expedition of Kojá Ferhád Páshá, as soon as he arrived at Baghdád, he sent the General Solák Ferhád Páshá against this place, who besieged the castle in vain during seventeen days. This Khán Meimendí made continual inroads, till at Tabríz he was completely routed by Ja’afer Páshá of Tabríz, who took seven thousand heads and five thousand prisoners from him. The next day Ja’afer set out with seventy thousand men for the siege of Kehreván, which was taken on the third day. Meimendí being brought into the presence of Ja’afer Páshá, his ear was cut off, his property confiscated and himself hanged at the gate of the castle, the keys of which were sent to Sultán Murad; there is even now a mosque named after Sultán Murad: it remained eleven years in the hands of the Ottomans. It is situated on a hill on the road to Baghdád; it is six thousand paces in circumference, and has two gates, one to the south, and one to the north; its Sultán commands one thousand men. The suburb consists of seven thousand well-terraced houses, and sixty mosques, in eleven of which public prayer is performed on Friday, seven baths, eleven kháns, and eight hundred shops; the sheets and blankets manufactured here are celebrated. We advanced seven hours further eastward, to a large kent embellished by a mosque of Jíghála’s son; and nine hours further on we arrived at the large town of Erdebíl, the first residence of the Persian Sháhs of the Safí dynasty. It has been taken and retaken several times by both Ottomans and Persians, and is now the seat of a Khán, who commands three thousand men; it is a day’s journey from mount Seilán, and is surrounded by high mountains at the same distance; it lies in a fertile valley close to a lake. It was built by an Armenian King in fear of Omar’s power, in the same year that Sáriet-ul-jebel was sent to Nehavend; this is one of the principal reasons why Omar is so much hated by the Persians, who do not show so much dislike to Abúbekr and Osmán. This town formerly extended as far as mount Seilán, from which it is now two farsangs distant; the farsang is equal to twelve thousand ordinary paces, so that two farsangs are equal to twenty-four thousand paces. The top of Seilán is always covered with snow, which shines like silver in the middle of summer, and furnishes all the water of the town; it is a very digestive water, which enables the inhabitants to feast like Ma’adikarb. The inhabitants pretend to be Sháfiítes; they are great liars. The distance between Tabríz and Erdebíl is twenty-five farsangs, which with a good horse may be gone over in two days. The climate much resembles that of Erzerúm; hard winter, and a fruitful soil, the corn multiplying eighty fold: there are no fruit-trees and vines, but gardens for vegetables and rosebeds.
The lake near Tabríz on the east side is covered with many hundred fishing-boats, on the west it is but a farsang’s distance from Rúmie; between Erdebíl and the lake the country is covered with wood, and villages are interspersed in the forest; there are seventy sorts of fish; the boats on the lake also trade to Rúmie, Dúmdúmí and Dúmbúlí; the circumference of this lake is greater than that of Wán, a man may go round it in ten days; the water of the lake of Wán is bitter as poison, but this is sweet as the water of life. Its depth is seventy cubits. This lake was produced on the birthnight of the prophet, when the vault of Chosroes, and that of Ayá Sófiyah, and the idols of Mecca fell down by an earthquake; forty-five large and small springs flow into it; the river Seilán which affords water to Erdebíl, the river Kuherán and others fall into this sea. On the banks of the river Seilán lies a large round mass of iron, three quintals in weight, extremely well polished, on which ancient philosophers have written a kind of Hebrew inscription with a figure lifting its two arms up to Heaven; if rain is wanted this stone is carried in procession into the town, and it never fails to rain day and night without ceasing till the stone is replaced. The basis on which this marvellous stone reposes is a large rock, covered with strange inscriptions; it also has twelve holes, from which as soon as the iron mass is rolled away, water begins to rush forth, and ceases not until the stone is returned to its place. Some persons assert this to be the stone which Moses struck in the desert, others believe that this miracle is performed in favour of Sheikh Safí; be it as it may, it is a great talisman. Erdebíl is famous for its immense number of mice which are great destroyers of cloth. Cats are, therefore, so dear that they are sold in cages by public auction; some of Dívrígui fetch the price of a hundred piastres, but they are short-lived like all cats of Erdebíl. The cryers at the auction call out; “A good hunting cat, well bred, a good companion, an enemy to rats, which steals not!”
Places of Pilgrimage at Erdebíl.
The first of all is the tomb of Sheikh Safí, the son of Sheikh Khoja Alí, the son of Sheikh Sadr-ud-dín Mússa, the son of Sheikh Safr-ud-dín Abú Ishák of Erdebíl, the founder of the dynasty of the Safís. His tomb-keepers are some hundred dervishes, a large foundation. Sheikh Safí governed only in a spiritual sense; his son Hyder was his successor, and Ibrahím the son of Hyder having dreamt of concubinage with an ass, his possession of the Empire was foretold by his grandsire Sheikh Safí; indeed Sheikh Ibrahím was the first who enjoyed the rights of sovereignty; from Sheikh Safí to Sháh Abbás are five Sháhs who coined money. We left Erdebíl, marched nine hours further to the north, and came to Kent Rarám, a kent of six hundred houses with gardens; eight hours further we came to the Kent Yár Alí, three hundred houses, a mosque, no khán or bath, but a large number of shops and a weekly market; six hours further to the north, the Kent of Merzáde Amád in the district of Dídher, eight hundred houses. After eight hours, we arrived at Tabríz again, where I remained some days more, passing from one entertainment to another. Letters were now written for the kháns and commanders of the places I was to pass through on my return, and the letter of the Khán to the Páshá made ready. The presents sent to him consisted of ten camel loads of rice, dried raisins, dried pears, pomegranates, and two racehorses of the breed Karajubúk, four trotting horses, and two boys dressed in precious cloth perfumed with musk. To me he gave ten tománs Abbássí, a Georgian slave, a Persian pelisse, a Persian dress, six turbans, and a string of camels, loaded with rice, a black horse of the race Karajubúk, a trotting one (Chapár-átí), with Persían bridle and saddle. I took leave of all my friends, and next day left Tabríz in grand procession with the khán, accompanied by the Royal music of trumpets and kettle drums. We halted at the place Ain Alí, where a grand dinner, and five tománs Abbássí more, were given to me for the expenses of the journey. My suite received twenty tománs of aspers, a piece of velvet, three of Alas, and six turbans. The Khán recommended me to the care of a Yessavúl Aghá, who was to escort me with three hundred men, embraced me, and returned to Tabríz, while we took the road to Eriván.