We passed the summer quarters of Ulghár, and arrived at the end of four hours at the castle of Kínava on the frontier of Ardehán; we passed through a mountainous tract and at last arrived at the Castle of Kara Ardehán, which was conquered in the time of Selím I. and made the seat of a Sanjak Beg; the khass is three hundred thousand aspers, eight ziámets, and eighty-seven timárs; an Alaï Beg, (Colonel); Cheribashí, (Captain); Dizdár, (Commander of the castle); are the commanding officers of the garrison, which consists of two hundred men; the whole contingent in war time including the troops of the Beg amounts to one thousand men. The judge is appointed with a hundred and fifty aspers. There is no Nakíb-ul-ishráf (head of the Sheriffs or relations of the prophet) and its Muftí resides at Akhaska. The castle is built on a rock, and is five hundred paces in circumference; it is not commanded by any neighbouring height, it has two hundred and seventy towers, and three gates. A company of armourers (Jebejí) of the Porte, is in garrison here. In the town, the family establishment (Khandán) of Kia Páshá is the most renowned.
Castles in the neighbourhood of Erdehán.
The castle of Wálá, conquered by Lala Páshá 987 (1579); the castle of Kermek, conquered by Lala Páshá in the year 982 (1574); the castle of Akhársin, conquered by Lala Páshá in the year 982 (1574); the castles of Mamerván and Nazarbán, the latter built by Ghází Sefer Páshá in the year 1053 (1643); the castle Kense Dusál in the district of Erdehán on a hill; its water flows to Erdehán. The houses all have terraces; there is no college, but a school for boys. No gardens on account of the temperature, which is rather cold. Its fruits come from the castle of Tortúm and Acháras; the inhabitants are all Sunnís, and live by agriculture. This castle is five journeys to the east of Erzerúm; and Karss is one journey’s distance from Erzerúm by the way of Kargha-bazár. We then passed westward sometimes on a stony and woody ground, sometimes in rich meadows, and arrived at the castle of Gúle. It was built by Levend-Khán, a Georgian Prince, and is the seat of a Sanjak Beg, the khass of which is three hundred thousand aspers; it has a Colonel, Captain, Dizdár and garrison; it is an elegant castle on a chalk hill. Eight hours further to the west, we reached the castle of Penek also named after its Georgian builder, it is the seat of a sanjak Beg subordinate to Chaldir; its khass is four hundred thousand aspers. Its feudatory militia with the troops of the Beg are a thousand men; there is a judge with a hundred and fifty aspers, no market nor garden. The water of the river is very good, its subjects are Armenians, Gokdulak, and Georgians. Seven hours further is the Castle of Uliní, built by a Georgian king, and conquered by Sultán Selím; it is the seat of a Sanjak Beg, whose Khass is two hundred thousand and seventeen aspers. And has a Colonel, a Captain, a Judge with a hundred and fifty aspers, a Dizdár, and garrison; the castle stands on a chalk hill with two gates, one opening to the east, and the other to the west. At the foot of the castle flows the river Oltí, which waters the gardens of the town, and enters the Aras on the Kiblah side. The houses are all inhabited and covered with terraces. There are a number of mosques, a khán, a bath, garden, and school for boys; its beauties are celebrated. The inhabitants are good moslims. From hence we travelled direct north, and came at the end of two hours to the castle of Maverván built by the Georgian Kings, and conquered by Lala Kara Mustafa Páshá; it is the seat of a Sanjak Beg subordinate to Erzerúm, whose khass amounts to two hundred and three thousand aspers; the officers are a Colonel and Captain of the feudal militia. The militia of the Beg amounts to fifteen hundred men; the judge is appointed with a hundred and fifty aspers. The castle is of a square form and gigantic size, standing upon a hill; its gate looks to the Kibláh, there are eight hundred houses, a mosque, a bath, and a khán, the inhabitants are almost all poor people. Three hours further on to the west, is the village Aide Mamerván, a village inhabited by Armenians and Moslims. Further on among bleak mountains is the village Karakunk, it belongs to the district of Erzerúm; we passed the straight of Georgia and arrived at the village of Osmúdúm Sultán, a fine kent of a hundred houses on the border of a high mountain; it is situated at the very source of the Euphrates, which issues from a cavern in the mountain of Dúmlí Sultán, a delightful, refreshing water, which seems to be alluded to in the Korán by the verse: “I gave thee the Keuther.” Trouts of a cubit’s length sport in it; their bodies are ruby-coloured and interspersed with smaragdine spots. Umúdúm Sultán the Saint, who is buried here, protects these fish, so that it is impossible to catch them; but a farsang below they are taken by fishermen, and fill the brains of those who eat them with ambergris; however much a man may eat, he is never incommoded by them. The Pilgrimage to Rúmlí Sultán is much frequented. We marched five hours to the south, on the plain of Erzerúm and entered it, God be thanked! in perfect health. Before I changed my dress, I laid the letters and presents of the khán of Eriván at the feet of my gracious Lord the Páshá, and gave him a detailed account of all the castles, towns, kents and villages, which I had seen on my journey. He gave me a splendid dress and three hundred piastres bath-money, besides two purses, which he assigned to me on the extraordinary revenues of the custom-houses. I had remained scarcely a week, when a message arrived from the Khán of Eriván complaining that some of the soldiers of Karss had molested one of his caravans, and requesting that an Aghá might be sent to convey the caraván safe to Erzerúm. In consequence of this letter I was sent back into Persia on the tenth day.
JOURNEY TO ERIVAN IN THE YEAR, 1057, (1647).
From Erzerúm twelve hours to the east, is the castle of Hassan Kala’a which has already been described; and further on to the east, through the plain of Pássin, the village Bádil Jovánlí, an Armenian village. We passed it, and reached in nine hours the station of Meidánjik; the inhabitants are all Armenians. Ten hours further is the castle of Mishingerd in the province of Erzerúm, a square castle on a chalk cliff; which has a Dizdár and a hundred and fifty men, two hundred houses, but no market; a mosque of Sultán Súleimán Khán, without a garden. We passed to the east, through the valley of Khándere, by the ruined convent called the seven churches, through a narrow straight, and then to the west by a flowery meadow for six hours to the castle Bardúz, in the territory of Karss, built by Lady Kerím-ud-din, the daughter of King Azz-ud-din of the dynasty of the Auk-koyúnlí. The chronograph is written on the gate; there is a Dizdár and a hundred and fifty men in garrison, a small bath, but no garden. From hence we went southward to the castle of Gejkerán built by Núshirván; this is the old town of Dúdemán Gejkerán which is mentioned in the ancient histories of the wars of Pízen and Efrasiáb. It was ruined by Holagú at the same time as Baghdád, but flourished again under the government of Kara Yússúf Sháh of the family of the Kara Koyúnlí. Timúr again destroyed it. It was conquered by Lala Kara Mustafa Páshá, and now belongs to the government of Karss, it is a square castle. The karss of the Beg amounts to fifteen thousand three hundred and fifty aspers. According to the canon of Sultán Súleimán there are two thousand two hundred men including the troops of the Beg; a Dizdár, an Aghá of the Azábs and Gonullí, with three hundred men in garrison, a judge of a hundred and fifty aspers, twelve hundred houses covered with earth, three small mosques, and from forty to fifty shops. Eight hours further to the east we reached the frontier fortress of the Ottomans, the castle of Karss. There are three towns of that name; one is in Silefka, the Karss of Karatáshlik; the second, the Karss of Mera’ash, and the last that of Dúdemán, which is the present one. In the time of Murad III. it was conquered by Lala Kara Mustafa Páshá. The repairing this town after it was ruined by the Persians, was undertaken by the Ottoman generals, and on this occasion a large square marble stone was found, which they placed on the gate looking to the south-east, and which had the following inscription:—“This Castle was built under Vezír Fírúz Akaí in the time of Sultán Azz-ud-dín; and repaired by his daughter Sultana Karím-ud-dín. May God illuminate her tomb!” Lala Páshá who is the last builder of Karss, placed this stone on the wall, however, out of reverence for its ancient builders. Lala Páshá repaired it in seventy days, within which time he completed its munition. A soldier came to relate to him a dream which he had, and which was as follows. An old man appeared to him, saying, his name was Abúl Hassan Kharkaní, that he was buried here, and that if a well at his feet was to be dug, marvellous things would be seen. Some hundred workmen were instantly set to dig the well, when they found a red granite tomb, on which was written “I am the martyr, Saíd Kharkání.” He was found quite fresh, and the blood yet flowing from his right arm. The tomb was re-covered amidst prayers, and Lala Páshá raised a convent upon it. The government of Karss has been given at different times to Vezírs of three tails as barley-money (Arpalik); the karss is sixty thousand aspers. It belonged formerly to the government of Erzerúm, but is now a distinct province with the addition of Pássin. There are seven sanjaks, a Kiaya, and Emín of the Defter, a Defterdár of the treasury and of the timárs, but no Kiatib Kiaya and Emín of the Chaúshes, Its sanjaks are; Little Erdehán; Khojúján; Zárshád; Gejewán; Kaghzmán; Werishán, and Karss the seat of the Páshá, there are seven ziámets and a hundred and two timárs, with the Jebellis and troops of the Páshá, three thousand exquisite troops; a Colonel, a Captain, a judge with three hundred aspers, a Dizdár, an Aghá of seven companies of Azábs, and an Aghá of the Janissaries, armourers, and gunners; the Colonels reside for the most part at Erzerúm: the garrison consists of fifteen hundred excellent men; the garrisons of Wán, Karss, and Akhachka are decidedly brave men. Their pay is collected from the produce of the ferry-boats at Bírejik on the Euphrates, and from the villages Súrúj and Bombúj at Haleb, amounting annually to seventy thousand aspers. The government of Karss is divided into ten jurisdictions, and eight districts; there is a Sheikh-ul-Islám (Muftí); Nakíb-ul-ishráf (head of the Emírs), and other distinguished men.
Size of the castle of Karss.
At a gun-shot distance on the north side is a high mountain, at the foot of which this fortress rises on a separate hill; the lower castle is situated in the plain, and has five strong walls. The gate of the outer or lower castle looks to the east, and that of the inner or upper castle to the west. There is only the house of the commander, and barracks for the garrison of two hundred men; no bath, market, or any remarkable building. The lower town or suburb is surrounded by two strong walls, and has three iron gates which are adorned with all kinds of armour. One of these gates on the west is the water-gate, also called the gate of the troops, looking towards Erzerúm; the second or middle gate opens to Kaghzmún; the third to the east is the gate of Behrám-páshá, opening towards Eriván. Watchmen keep watch the whole night, lighting torches and lamps. The lower castle is surrounded by a lake instead of a ditch, which encircles it from the middle gate to the gate of Behrám-páshá, and hence it is impossible to get possession of the fortress. There are two hundred and twenty strong towers, and two thousand and eighty battlements; the circumference of the whole is five thousand seven hundred paces. The buildings consist of three thousand houses, forty-seven mosques, in eight of which prayer is performed on Fridays; the most remarkable is that of Sheikh Hassan Kharkání, built by Lala Páshá; the mosque of Waíz Efendí at the water-gate; the great mosque of Súleimán Efendí, which was formerly a church; the mosque of Hossein Kiaya called the red church; the mosque of Omar Efendí, which was destroyed when the Persians got possession of the castle, solely on account of being named after Omar, and turned into a stable; the mosque of Káltákjí-zadeh, at the gate of Behrám-páshá; the mosque of Beirám Chelebi-zadeh; and on the south side of the town across the bridge, the mosque of Emír Yússúf Páshá, all covered with terraces. There are eighteen schools for boys, but no colleges for lectures on the sciences, which are all held in the mosques. Within the water-gate is the bath of Emír Yússúf Páshá; within the middle gate is the old bath. There are no houses for reading of the Korán or tradition, or for dining the poor, who are, however, well taken care of by private generosity; there is no stone Bezestán, but two hundred shops in which Indian and Persian wares are found. No gardens and vineyards on account of the cold temperature of the climate. The inhabitants are a lively set of people who gain their living by agriculture and commerce.
We travelled from Karss twelve hours to the north, passed the village of Arjúk and the valley of Bághirsak, and the summer quarter (Yaila) of Olghár twelve hours long. It is three journies from hence to the castle of Akhiska (otherwise Akhaska, Akhachka). From Karss to Erdehán is one journey by the way of Korgha-bazár. I arrived at last at the object of my journey, the castle of Gúle, and on the same day I entered it, read the letters of our gracious Lord, the Páshá of Erzerúm, to the Aghás of Gúle, who excused themselves, saying: “that they never had disturbed the Persian caraván, and that it was a calumny of the inhabitants of Kaghzemán.” Next day we mounted our horses, proceeded for a whole day to the south, and arrived at the castle of Kaghzemán. The towns and castles on the Kiblah side of the Aras are all reckoned to be on the frontier of Azerbeiján. The river Aras rises on the west from the mountains of Bíngol (thousand lakes) flows to the east, joins the barley river (Arpachayí), and the Zenghí. The castle of Kaghzemán being situated on the Kiblah side of the Aras is reckoned to be on the frontier of Azerbeiján, but belongs to the Ottoman government of Karss. It is named after its builder, one of the daughters of Núshirván. It was taken out of the hands of Uzún Hassan by Sháh Ismail, and then submitted to Sultán Súleimán. It is the seat of a Sanjak Beg whose khass amounts to two hundred thousand aspers, nine ziámets, a hundred and seventy-eight timárs; nine hundred feudal militia, a judge appointed with a hundred and fifty aspers, and a garrison of three hundred men, who are paid by the impost on salt; the salt mines, and a quarry of mill stones, are on the west side of the castle. The mill-stones of Persia and Rúm come from Kaghzemán; the borax of the goldsmiths, barbers, whetting-stones, and the common whetting-stones are extracted from the mines of Kaghzemán; in two places gold and silver are found, but as the product was exceeded by the expenses, they were abandoned; there are altogether eleven mines. The castle is a square strong building standing on a hill on the bank of the Aras, there are seven hundred small houses; it is not a commercial town (Bender), but a frontier town (Serhadd). Mount Aghrí which appears to the west, is one of the most praiseworthy mountains in the world, it is near the town, and is the summer abode (Yaila) of Turcomans. The air is temperate and allows of the cultivation of gardens on some spots; the inhabitants are mild and some of them fair.
The Levend troops (irregular levies) sing Persian songs with harmonious voices. As soon as I entered the town, the Diván assembled, and notwithstanding the repeated oaths of the members of it, that they had not molested the Persian caravan, but only taken their custom duties, I took seven Aghás of them with me to prove the truth of what they said, by their presence at Erzerúm, whereunto I returned. The Beg and eleven Aghás presented me with a purse of money, two horses (Mahmúdí), and two Georgian slaves; and we travelled towards the east for nine hours, to the castle of Moghazberd, it is a district belonging to Karss, built by Mogház a Persian Khán; it passed into the hands of the Ak-koyúnlí of Sháh Ismail, and then into those of Sultán Súleimán; the garrison consists of a hundred and fifty men; the castle is built of stone in a pentagon form on a rock, not commanded by any neighbouring height; it has six hundred houses with gardens and vineyards; a mosque, khán, bath and ten shops; at the foot of this castle flows the river Arpachaí, which comes from the mountains of Georgia, and mingles with the Aras at the Kend of Tekeltí. The castle of Mogházberd is contiguous to the territory of the Persian castle Shúregil, which alone remained in the power of the Persians, meanwhile all the districts of it belong to the government of Karss; the river Arpachaí forms the limits: the eastern tract of this town is Persian, and the western, Ottoman, belonging to Karss. Opposite to Mogházberd, at a journey’s distance, is the castle of Ana on a hill, a square mud castle, built by Núshirván, the inhabitants are Armenians; between Ana and Karss are two mountains; we passed this castle and after nine hours journey we arrived at Zárshid on the utmost frontier, built by the Persian Sháhs, it is the seat of a Sanjak Beg subordinate to Karss; in the time of war, twelve hundred men bear arms, the judge has a hundred and fifty aspers; there is no Muftí nor Nakíb; but a Dizdár (Commander of the castle) and a hundred and fifty men. The castle is situated on a hill in a plain, at a day’s journey from Karss to the east on the road to Eriván, there are three hundred houses with terraces, a mosque, a convent, a bath, and a khan. Nine hours further eastward is the kent Thálish, on the frontier of Eriván; we passed Kara Taib, and arrived after twelve hours march to the east at Three Churches, a great convent built by the Greek Emperors; the convent is divided into three parts, in one are Greek, in the others Armenian nuns; these Three Churches and the Seven Churches on the road to Nakhshiván are the most famous convents of Persia. It is a convent well worth seeing on account of its monuments and strange talismans.