The balsam, called Mirún-yághí, is made here, of plants boiled in a kettle upon a carpet, to which fire does no harm; the balsam which is skimmed off from the kettle is put into jars, and used through the whole of Frengistán as a panacea or universal remedy. In the neighbourhood of this castle is an iron bar suspended in a cave without being supported up from above below; the Infidels believe it to have been suspended by a miracle of Simeon the Apostle: if a strong wind blows it vibrates, and it is enclosed by iron rails to prevent it being touched by the profane. The explanation of this matter is, that the architect who made the vault of this cave, placed on the top of it a great magnet, and a similar one on the floor, so that the iron bar is kept in equilibrium between them. This is what I, shortsighted Evliyá, found out by my own weak intellect. If it please God, there is no blunder in our guess. The convent is inhabited by about five hundred monks; almost every night five or six hundred horsemen, either from Persia or Turkey arrive here, and are entertained by the monks with milk, honey and dates. From hence we passed to the east through level fields for nine hours, crossed the great rivers Aras and Zenghí, and arrived for the second time at Eriván, where the Khán had just returned from the wedding of his sister at Bakú, and lodged me at his house. The next day I repaired to the Diván with the Aghás of Karss and Kaghzemán, who complained, in the strongest terms, of their having been unjustly accused of molesting the Persian caravan; a long discussion ensued, at the end of which the Aghás appeared to be innocent, and the men of the caraván to be calumniators. Takkí Alí Khán feasted the Aghás three days, gave me five tománs Abássí, and a horse, and for the Páshá a string of camels, laden with rice, also some letters. Charged with these, I set out to return to Erzerúm.
Journeys on our Return.
We set out from Eriván, with a caraván of seven hundred persons toward the west, and reached after five hours the kent Abdallí, a Persian village of a hundred houses, which at the time of the conquest was fixed to be the frontier of Karss. We advanced to the north four hours to kent Ayárán with five hundred houses; the inhabitants of which are Gokdúlak; from hence through mountains of luxuriant vegetation to kent Sheráb-kháneh, situated on a hill, of three hundred Armenian houses with many gardens, it is a ziámet on the frontier of Karss. We continued our journey to the west, passing over fertile steppes, and seeing many castles, which had been ruined by Sultán Murad IV. After four hours we arrived at kent Begum; the daughter of Uzún Hassan Sháh of that name built it; the Persian Princesses are even now styled Beghum: there are three hundred houses of Armenians and Georgians; it was ruined by Timúr, but seven high arches are still extant among the ruins on the border of Arpachaí, where the Princes of the Ak-koyúnlí, Meimendi Khán, Ashár Khán, Otgabai Khán, Gúndúzbai Khán and other Sháhs are buried, some lying, some seated on their thrones, as if they were in life, with their names, and the chronographs of their deaths. The three sides of this old town are a great Yaila. From hence we went to the west through marshy ground, and some meadows, to the old castle of Shúreger; Hossein Bikara, delighted with its situation on the river Arpachaí, built this town according to the advice of Doctor Shúrgerí; it passed into the hands of Kara Yússúf and was destroyed by Timúr; Lala Kara Mustafa Páshá ruined it again; large vaults and masses are yet conspicuous amongst its ruins. The musical tune Shureh is said to have been invented by Shúreger at the time he was building this town, whose inhabitants all delight in music, and are famous singers. The castle is in ruins, and no more than three hundred houses with terraces are now existing. The half of its districts being situated on the other bank of Arpachaí belong to the government of Eriván; those on this side to Karss. It is a mountainous fertile tract of Georgia which extends northward to the Aras and Zenghí, and along Mount Caucasus to the Caspian Sea; and on the west to Erzerúm. From Shúreger we advanced to the west, crossing five small rivers, some of which come from Georgia, some from the mountains of Azghúr, and flow into the Aras; some of the ground is marshy. We then arrived at the ferry of a river, the name of which I am ignorant of. Sultán Murad crossed this river on his expedition to Eriván, and the spot is yet marked, where his tent was fixed; the inhabitants planted trees round it, and made it a prayer-place. Five hours further to the west through fertile ground is the village of Búlánik, a free ziámet of Sefer Aghá, of three hundred houses. Seven hours further is the castle of Karss; we remained a night as guests with Alí Aghá, and continued our journey next day to the village of Dushen Kia (the falling rock), on the frontier of Karss, with two hundred houses; then five hours, ascending and descending through high fir-woods and meadows to Wernishán on the frontier of Karss, formerly a sanjak. The opposite shore of the Aras belongs to the castle of Bayazíd, and the Alaï Beg of Wernishán resides here; it is an Armenian village of three hundred houses. Akhiska is two journeys from hence to the north; six hours further to the west through fields to Zeinkhán on the territory of Karss, of two hundred houses, a Dizdár, a garrison, a khán, a mosque, a bath, and forty shops; it is the seat of a Súbáshí subordinate to Karss; the castle is square and built of stone, the inhabitants are an obstinate people. We continued our journey through fir woods for seven hours to Soghánlí Belí, a strait famous all over Persia and Turkey for the difficulty in crossing it; three hours beyond this straight we reached the kent Kúmadámí, of a hundred and fifty houses, on the frontier of sanjak Pássín, an Armenian village on the banks of the Aras. Eight hours further is the village of Pássín, of three hundred Armenian houses, in a plain, it is the ziámet of Ja’afer Efendí the land registrar (Moharerí Wiláyet) at Erzerúm; five hours further along the Aras is the station of Goz; we passed in sight of the bridge of Chobán, built by the dynasty of that name, through level fields, and arrived at Hassan Kala’a, which has been already described. Four hours from hence we arrived safe at Erzerúm, where we found our gracious Lord the Páshá, on the walk of Abd-ur-rahman Ghází; I presented the camels, letters and caraván of the khán of Eriván, and reassumed my functions as Clerk of the Custom-house, assisting every night at the assemblies of the Páshá. At this time the Capijí Alí Aghá arrived from Constantinople, with a Khattí-sheríf of Sultán Ibrahím, by which the Páshá received the Imperial command to repair with all the troops of his government to Karss, to be ready for the war against the Infidel Persians. The Páshá paid obeisance to the noble túghra and instantly dispatched commissaries to Erzerúm, Mera’ash and Sívás, in order to raise and collect troops. I, poor Evliyá, received a commission to go to Sídí Ahmed Páshá, the governor of the sanjaks of Sánja and Tortúm.
[JOURNEY TO BAIBURD, JANJA, ISPER, TORTUM AND AKCHEKALA’A.]
I left Erzerúm with nine servants, proceeding to the north in the plain of Erzerum, two hours to the village of Kán, of two hundred Armenian houses; five hours more to the north we came to the village of Sheikh Umúdúm, which has been described in our journey to Georgia. Six hours further to the north, through vallies and hills, to the bridge of the Georgian straight, a bridge built over the Euphrates by Shah Uzún Hassan. It is on this spot that the rebel Abáza Páshá cut to pieces forty regiments of janissaries sent against him; their bones are piled up near the bridge: the village of Gúrgí-boghází (Georgian straight), has two hundred houses, in the district of Erzerúm. We passed to the north over flowery meadows nine hours to Rúmlí Sultán, a great saint buried underneath a cupola. Here is the cave whence springs the Euphrates, which is above all praise, since it is mentioned with praise in the Korán. At Keifí, one of the sanjaks of Erzerúm, are the iron mines, where iron shot are cast; several hundred little rivulets run from these iron mines into the Euphrates, and somewhat spoil the sweetness of the water; but from its source in the rock of Rumlí Sultán unto Keifí it is the most delicious and most healthy water in the world. Rumlí Sultán was a Saint, who appreciating the good qualities of this river, took up his residence at its source; it is a village of two hundred houses. We advanced three hours to the north to Akchekala’a in the territory of the sanjak of Tortúm, built by Ulama Páshá in order to control Georgia; in course of time the castle has been dismantled of its walls and garrison. It lies north of Tortúm, and has six hundred houses, a khán, and a mosque; it was destroyed by Bayazíd II. when governor of Trebisonde in his youth. We proceeded six hours to the west, to the village of Saúlú of a hundred houses in the territory of Jánja, on the top of a high mountain without gardens; and seven hours further to the west, to the castle of Jánja, otherwise Gumish Kháneh (silver house). I went straight to the Court of Justice, and read the firman, which all the inhabitants were ready to obey. I remained as guest in the house of the inspector of the silver mines and began to visit the town. It was built by Alexander, one of whose philosophers discovered the silver mines. Mohammed II. conquered it by the sword after the defeat of Uzún Hassan in the field of Terján. Silver is here found in such abundance, that every child has a silver plate. The inspectorship is let for seven million aspers; the inhabitants are exempted from all taxes, because they are obliged to labour in the silver mines, seventy of which are worked. These are the richest silver mines in Turkey, the others are those of Kághzemán, Hakkárí, Bingol, Sanjar, Akár, Aswán, Libanon, and Merzifún. These are the Asiatic and African silver mines of the Ottoman Empire; the European ones are the following: on the frontier of Bosnia, Sira, Berinjesse near Uskúb at Karatova, Novaborda near Pereshtina, Sidr Kaissi near Salonia; but their veins are thin; those of Jánja are as big as an arm, perfectly pure silver: There was also a mint here, but it is now abandoned, I however, got some aspers with the inscription, coined at Jánja. After taking a good view of the town I was presented by the principal men with three hundred piastres, a vase for rosewater (gulábdán), and a censer (bokhúrdán) of silver, and after two days march through mountains and straights I arrived at the old fortress of Baibúrd. The Princes of the family of Akkoyúnlí, who came with the Dánishmend family, and with the ancestors of the Ottomans from Mahán to Rúm, first settled here, and having found a rich treasure of silver in the mines, by which they became rich (Bai), the place was called Baiyúrd, which was changed into Baibúrd. Mahmúd Pasha the Vezír of Mohammed II. conquered it from Uzún Hassan. According to the description of Sultán Súleímán, it is the seat of a Súbashí separated from the khass of the Vezír of Erzerúm, a jurisdiction of a hundred and fifty aspers, the revenues of the judge amount annually to six purses. There is a Muftí, a Nakíb, Sipáh-kiayayerí, and Yenicherí-serdárí.
Form and size of the Castle.
It is a pentagon, and stands on a high hill, the height of the wall is forty royal cubits, it has no ditch, on account of its position; there are three hundred old houses, but no market, khán, or bath; two gates, one to the east, opening towards the gardens, and one to the west, by which you descend to the lower town, consisting of more than a thousand houses with terraces; there are nineteen quarters of Moslims, and nine of Armenians; no Jews nor gipsies, but a great number of Greeks, because it is not far from the seashore. A great number of its inhabitants are Turks and Turcomans. Mohammed II. transplanted hither a colony of three thousand men of the inhabitants of Tíre, whose descendants are very orderly, good men. Its mosques are pleasant, the most frequented of them is that of the conqueror, in the Castle; in the market that of Záhid Efendí, a mosque covered with a terrace in the olden style; its minareh is a slender building of bricks; at its left are the Court of Justice, the Imperial dyeing-house and the Flour-hall. Near to the women’s bath is the mosque of Kázizádeh Mohammed Chelebi, an old but sweet mosque; near the river Jorúgh, is the mosque of Shengel-baí; the part of the town beyond the river Jorúgh is called Yoris Mahallessí; there is a dining establishment and college, with three baths, the first is the bath at the bridge; the second, that of Alí Shengáh; the third, the red bath; the temperature of these baths is most excellent: there are three convents of Dervishes, and a great khán close to the mosque of Kázizádeh; before this khán there is a market every Sunday attended by from five hundred to a thousand persons; three hundred shops, an elegant Bezestán, and some coffee-houses. Of its provisions, fresh butter, white pies, and a kind of wheat called camel’s teeth are much renowned; so are also the carpets and felts of Baibúrd, light, well-coloured, fanciful carpets, which are exported into all countries. The air being rather cold, it is not very favourable to flowers and fruits, but it is amply provided with fruit from the neighbouring places. There are some pretty faces, and seventy schools for boys, who are quick and clever; the old men live to the age of a hundred and fifty, who losing their teeth pronounce with difficulty the letter S, but the women are very eloquent. Erzerúm is two journeys direct north from hence. A man may go from here to Erzerúm, by footpaths, in two days, and on horseback in four days.
Description of the River Jorúgh.
It rises in the mountains of Erzerúm, supplies water to a great number of fields, and flows straight to the lower town of Baibúrd; the two banks are adorned with many elegant palaces and koshks and gardens, where the inhabitants delight to fish; its name is corrupted from Júírúh (river of spirit) a name it well deserves by its most excellent qualities. The inhabitants of the town cut their wood on the mountain, and putting on it a private mark throw it into the river, which it floats down until it is stopped in the middle of the town by a great rake, where each person comes to fetch out his wood. This river comes to Baibúrd from the east, washes the rocks of the castle, passes through many well-cultivated villages, and flows at the bottom of the Castle of Conia, a large river, into the Black Sea. Some hundred boats of the Lázes, which are called Sarpúna and Mengesila, navigate this river to Georgia and Mingrelia, and exchange their merchandize for slaves.