JOURNEY FROM TABRIZ TO ERIVAN.
In God’s name we set out from Tabríz to the north, and reached the Kent Hají Harámí, of three hundred houses surrounded with rose gardens; a foundation of Shám Ghazán, whose tomb may be seen from hence. The next day the Kelenter took leave, and we continued our way to Kent Safián, which was formerly a great kent, but has since been ruined by the Mogols and still more by Sultán Murad IV., it is a delightful place on the territory of Tabríz. Some learned men and writers are buried here, but I don’t know their names; there are more than twenty cupolas. In the month of Moharrem on the day of A’ashúra, the feast in commemoration of the murder of Hossein is celebrated here with great pomp, the people are all Sháfiítes. Further to the north we reached Mezídkhán on the frontiers of Tabríz; five hundred houses covered with terraces, two mosques, a very spacious khán, a bath and royal market-place. Seven hours more to the northward is the station of Kent Keremish, on the frontier or Nakhshiván; a thousand houses, seven mosques, a khán and bath. Our way now led northward through marshy grounds, and we pitched our tents on the borders of Wishlechaí. This river issues from the mountains of Nahkshiván and joins the Aras. We suffered much from dust here, and after two hours travelling reached the castle of Khúí, a fine town of Azerbeiján, the seat of a Sultán, who commands a thousand men; the public authorities are a judge, Muftí, Darogha, Kelenter, Nakíb, Múnshí, Kúrújí and Dízchoken Aghá. The castle is built in a square form on the plain, its circumference is seven hundred paces; the ditch is not very deep. Of its two gates one leads to the south, the other to the west; it contains a hundred houses and a mosque. Its builder was Ferhád Páshá, but the old town was built by Sháh Haider, and it has been sacked more than once since. This suburb or outer town consists of seven thousand houses with terraces, seventy mosques, eleven of which are Jamis, two baths, seven kháns, and a thousand shops with gardens. I and my boys measured the circumference, which is ten thousand paces. The air is rather warm and favorable therefore to the culture of rice. The river issues from Mount Selmás, and flows into the Araxes. The fruits are famous, above all the Prophet-pears, which have no equal in sweetness and delicious taste. Owing to the mildness of the climate, the inhabitants are all white, and the women are innumerable. Some historians call this town Asháristán, Iránistán or Turkistán. Its districts reckon one hundred and eighty villages, the inhabitants of which are for the most part Sunnites, Sháfiítes, who paid a capitation tax to Sháh Ismail for the privilege of letting their beards grow (Sakál Túlí), but have been exempted since the time of Sháh Sefí.
Pilgrimage to the Tomb of Shems Tabrízí.
He died in the year 495 on his way from Antiochia to Isfahán, in this town of Khúí. After a stay of two days, we continued our journey with two hundred armed guards to the north, and arrived at the end of nine hours at the town of Behestán, the seat of a Kelenter. It was anciently a town of the size of Tabríz but was ruined by Húlagú; it is now a small place of a thousand houses, three mosques, a khán, bath and small market, with innumerable gardens. Three hours further northward, we reached the castle of Joris on the frontier of Nakshiván; the seat of a khán, who commands two thousand troops, a judge and twelve public officers in honour of the twelve Imáms. The castle, a pentagon, is situated on a hill, simply walled and therefore not very strong. It was first built by Uzún Hassan the Sháh of Azerbeiján and was ruined by Murád IV. its ruined parts are now chalked off [fenced off?] like a Palanka. Though situated on a hill, yet the hill itself is at the foot of a high mountain. It has a gate looking to the south-east; within the castle there is no remarkable building but the mosque of Rúshen Hassan Páshá. The outer town consists of seven thousand houses, and eleven mosques, of which that of Uzdemír Osmán Páshá and Ferrúkh-zadeh Sháh Ibn Timúr are the best; there are three mosques, seven kháns, and two hundred shops. The young people are extremely pretty, with eyes like the roes of Khoten, sweet-tongued with merry faces, who, if they walk dressed in red embroidered dresses, like peacocks of Paradise, make all their lovers lose their wits, and by half a look make as many Mejnúns of them. We spent three days and nights here with Eyúb Khán the Khán of the town, continually entertained by music. On the fourth day we continued our journey, after having been overwhelmed with presents.
We now passed on towards the east where the river of Karajubúk issues from the mountains of Joris, and then joins the Araxes; in the summer months this river may be crossed by sheep and goats. We advanced to the north amidst Kents for four hours to Kent Hallí, on the frontier of Eriván; five hundred houses with gardens, a mosque and a bath, on the banks of the Hallí river, which issues from the mountains of Sepend and joins the Aras. Passing on to the north through woods, we came after eight hours march to the pleasant meadow of Tútolúmí, where there are some hundred shady trees, but no village. The Daroghas and Kelenters of the neighbouring kents flocked together to furnish us with necessary provisions. We passed one night here, and next day continued our journey along the Aras, crossed it, and came to Kent Kagáj situated on the eastern bank of the Aras; it has a mosque, a khán, a bath, and three hundred houses, with a great number of rice fields. We passed through sandy ground with great dust, nine hours to the north, and reached Kent Ashárlí in the territory of Eriván, with a thousand houses, a mosque, a khán, and a bath; its product is rice; it takes its name from the inhabitants, who belong to the tribe Ashárlí. Travelling along the Aras through well cultivated fields and gardens, we reached after seven hours the town of Shúreglí, the seat of a Sultán, who commands one thousand horsemen; there is a mosque, a khán and a bath. After ten hours we came to Sheráb Khán with five hundred houses, a mosque and a khán; then to Kent Seif-ud-dín on the frontier of Eriván, and on the banks of the Aras, it was built by Seifkúlí the Khán of Eriván, and belongs to the khass of Eriván, there are a hundred and eighty houses, a mosque, and some plantations of rice. Five hours further to the north along the Aras is the Kent Tílfirák, of a thousand houses, a mosque, a convent, a khán, a bath, and plantations of rice. At the time of the siege of Eriván, Murad IV. cut down seventy thousand trees which were used as bulwarks, but since that time an immense number of trees have grown again. We sent a message from hence to the Khán of Eriván, next day crossed a lively river, halted on a meadow, and met a great procession (Alaï,) which was the Kiaya of the Khán of Eriván who was sent to meet us (Istikbál); we made our entrance into Eriván with him, were saluted by twenty guns, and lodged in a palace of the Khán. Hassan Beg went on from hence with the letters and presents of the Khán of Tabríz to Erzerúm, and I occupied myself in delivering those for the Khán of Eriván.
Description of the Town of Eriván (Reván).
In the year 810 (1407) Khoja Khán Lejchání, a rich merchant of Timúr’s suite settled here with all his family and servants, cultivating plantations of rice, by which means a great Kent was soon formed. Five years later Sháh Ismail gave to Reván Kúl, one of his Kháns, an order to build a castle here, which being finished in seven years, was named after him, Reván or Eriván. It is situated on the eastern bank of the Zenghí river, and is of brick and stone. In the year 995 (1586) Súleimán Khán, having undertaken the expedition against Nakhshiván, pillaged Eriván, and returned to his residence with immense booty. In the reign of Murad III. Ferhád Páshá, his general, pillaged Kenje, Reván, Shamákhí and Nakhshiván, destroyed the palaces of the son of the Sháh, killed a great number of Persians, fixed his camp before the castle, and assembled a council of war to deliberate on the siege, and begun it by digging a ditch on the bank of the Zenghí from south to north. By the exertion of all the siege was finished in forty days. Jigálazadeh Yússúf Páshá, who had been bred in the Turkish Harím, was named the first Commander of Eriván with a garrison of seventy thousand men. Ferhád Páshá, took care of the repair of the castle of Shúreglí and Karss, and filled them with Moslim troops. In the same way the castle of Erdehán and Akhichka were garrisoned, and Ferhád Páshá returned to Constantinople. Under the government of Jigálazadeh Yússúf Páshá, the town of Eriván was even in a more flourishing state than in Súleimán’s time, and the neighbouring villages grew thereby populous. In the year 1011 (1602), the Persians having usurped the possession of the castles of the Genge and Shirván, forced the garrison of Eriván, which had received no succour from Erzerúm, to surrender to Tokmák Khán, after a siege of seven months; in the year 1037 (1627), the Khán of Eriván, Emírgúneh, having infested the districts of Kághzemán, Karss, Cheldir, Akhichka and Erdehán, and complaints having arrived from the Begs of Georgia and from the Governor of Erzerúm, ambassadors were sent from the Khán of Persia, and at the same time the Imperial tails fixed at Scutari as the signal of Asiatic war. In the following year 1044 (1634) Sultán Murad IV. completed his Imperial camp of Scutarí according to the canons of the Empire, with the greatest splendour and pomp, heaped presents upon his forty thousand janissaries and twenty-two thousand sipáhís, left Bairám Páshá, Kaima Khám at Constantinople, and moved on the 5th of Shewál from Scutari, marching over Konia and Kaissarie to Sivás; at which place he appointed his sword-bearer Mustafa to the office of Second Vezír, and the sword-bearer Mússa Páshá to the post of Quarter-master General. The Nishánjí was made Silihdár, and Melek Ahmed, Chokadár (First Lord in waiting). When he entered Erzerúm report was made to him, that his army then amounted to two hundred thousand men: Jánpúlád-zadeh Mustafa Páshá, the governor of Rúmelí, alone mustered thirty-one thousand men, with seventeen hundred excellent horses; Khalíl Páshá the Governor of Erzerúm fell into disgrace, to the joy of his enemies, the Silihdár Páshá and Murteza Páshá; the government of Erzerúm was conferred on the Governor of Damascus, Kúchúk Ahmed, but the revenues, as barley-money, were given to Silihdár Mustafa Páshá. The army marched in three days to Hassan Kala’assí, and from thence by Karss to Eriván. On the 21st day after having left Erzerúm, the army of two hundred thousand men fixed its camp before Reván. The river Zenghí was crossed in spite of the long guns of the Persians, with which they endeavoured to annoy the Ottoman army. On this occasion it happened that one of the Soláks (bowmen) of the Sultán’s guard, crossing the river on foot by the side of the Sultán’s horse, was carried away by the water, the Sultán having observed it rode after him, caught hold of him by the necklace and dragged him out of the river; this anecdote is much celebrated in Persia. The river being crossed, the trenches were opened, and Jánpúlád-zadeh Páshá entered them with the Rúmelian troops from the side of the gate of Tabríz; on the right Gúnjí Mahomed Páshá with the Asiatic troops entered the trenches, and in the midst of them the grand Vezír Tabání Yassí Mohammed Páshá took his station; the Aghá of the janissaries Kara Mustafa Páshá, with his Kiaya, battered the castle day and night with a battery of twenty guns, and similar batteries were prepared on five sides. One day Sultán Murad himself entered the trenches of the Rúmelian troops, and fired a good shot at the Khán’s palace from the gun called Karabálí. The governor of Erzerúm, Kúchúk Ahmed, battered the castle from the north side, and the Kapúdán Páshá, Delí Hossein, from the hill of Mohana-depeh.
Murteza Páshá, with the Sipáhís, were placed as sentinels on the side of the earth castle, while Mússa and Cana’an Páshá with the Moteferrika kept guard over the Imperial tent. The castle was surrounded by troops in the space of five hours, and every day many thousand Sunnís came to claim mercy. On the ninth day they asked to capitulate, and Emírgúneh brought the keys. The next day the Persian Aghá of the Fusileers, Mír Fettáh, was allowed to kiss the Emperor’s feet, and to return with the garrison to Nakhshiván. Emírgúneh, by birth a Georgian, and Aded Khán kissed the Emperor’s feet, and each received an Imperial tent as a present. The Islamitic prayer was proclaimed, all the banners and standards waving during seven days and nights on the walls; after each prayer the Mohammedan shout (Allah) was repeated three times, and at night a great number of candles and lamps were lighted. The castle was repaired in forty days, and Mustafa Páshá appointed Governor of Eriván, with forty thousand men as garrison. Sultán Murad appointed the Khán Emírgúneh first governor of Haleb, but afterwards removed him and gave the government to Kúchúk Ahmed Páshá. Emírgúneh remained the favourite of Sultán Murad IV. until the death of the Sultán, when he was killed by Kara Mustafa Páshá.
The towns of Shureglí, Joris, Behestán, Khúí, Ordúbárí and Tabríz were pillaged during seven days and nights, together with the castles of Bágjenán, Aján, Kuherán, Kúmla, Merend, and Selmás, after which havoc he returned by Betlis, and Diarbekr to Constantinople. The Sháh then laid siege to Eriván for the space of seven months, which received no relief on account of the enmity existing between the Grand Vezír Tabání Yassí and Murteza Páshá, who was shut up in Eriván. The latter having no subsistence left, killed himself by swallowing his diamond ring, and the next day the whole garrison, half naked and starved, threw themselves on the mercy of the Persians and were killed by them, a great number being driven into the Aras, of whom a few being saved by charitable Sunnís fled to Karss and Bayazíd. Sultán Murad IV. hearing this sad account, girt himself on two sides with the sword of religious zeal and high enterprise, with the intention to conquer Baghdád, and to deliver the tomb of the great Imám Na’amán Ben Thábet out of the hands of the Infidels.
Eriván meanwhile remained in the hands of the Persians, who increased its flourishing state; it could not however resist an assault of the Ottoman army for seven days, because it is only surrounded by a simple wall. It is situated on the bank of the Zenghí, extending from the south to the north, having so little breadth, that the balls fired on it by Sultán Murad bounded from one extremity of the town to the other; many of these balls are even now seen fixed in the towers. The walls built by Ferhád Páshá are forty royal cubits high; those built by Tokmák Khán, fifty cubits high and twenty broad; it has no ditch on the side of the Zenghí, but it has a wall on the south, north and east sides, which however is not deep, being a marshy ground. It has three iron gates; to the south, the gate of Tabríz; to the north, the gate of the Meidán called Yaila Kapússí, on this spot they play Maïl; to the west, the gate of the bridge; there are seven hundred cannons large and small, which remained from the time of the Ottomans, and an immense number of other stores, because it is the frontier of Azerbeiján. It is garrisoned by three thousand men of the fortress, three thousand men of the Khán, and seven thousand men of the province. Sometimes its Khán enjoyed the title of Khán of Kháns. A judge, Nakíb, Kelenter, Darogha, Múnshí, Yessaúl-aghá, Kúrújí, Ishek Aghá, Dízchoken Aghá, seven Mihmandárs and Sháhbenders, keep public order. The town consists of one thousand and sixty elegant houses covered with earth, the best is the palace of the Khán much embellished by Emírgúneh. Near it is the mint where large and small silver coins (Abbássí and Bestí) are coined. The suburb outside of Yaila Kapússí is called the old town; at the head of the bridge is the Khán’s garden, and a suburb with mosque and bath. In the year 1045 (1635), when the Persians conquered this fortress, they also built a castle on the east side, with walls of clay and straw, which is even more solid than stone. At the time I was looking at all the curiosities of Eriván, I received an invitation from the Khán to assist at the ceremony of the circumcision of his sons. His Kiaya gave me ten tománs of Abbássí, for the expenses of the journey, and I began my journey from Eriván to Shirván, by Shamákhí, Tiflís, Termís, Aras and Bakú. We first travelled to the north through cultivated fields of rice, along the river Zenghí to Kent Khoja, the khass of the Khán of Eriván, with five hundred houses, a mosque and a bath; then fourteen hours further to Kent Demijí Hassan, which was anciently a town of the Turcomans, and is even now inhabited by a Turcoman tribe. It was destroyed by Murád IV. We arrived at last at Genje.