Account of our Inroad into Mingrelia.
Ketgáj Páshá led the van of three hundred men, towards the Kiblah, followed by three thousand men of Georgia and Akhaska, and by Sídí Ahmed Páshá, at the head of nine thousand men. Bákí Páshá commanded the rear of three hundred men; the troops of Erzerúm and Kara Hissár formed the two wings; the sanjak Begs of Khinissin, Tekmán and Melázjerd were deputed to provide the forage. We marched this day ten hours to Zárchairí, a pleasant position between Mingrelia, and the sanjak of Batúm. The next day we passed the Jorúgh, and Sefer Páshá began to pillage the district of Darína; the twenty-two companies of Sárija (irregular levies) of the Páshá, our gracious Lord, two thousand two hundred brave men, pursued the fugitives in the mountains, made seven hundred prisoners, and lost seven men as martyrs. The troops proceeded till they arrived under the walls of castle of Merava, which was taken by assault, with the loss of seventy Moslims, who drank the sherbet of martyrdom; seven hundred men, five hundred women, two hundred girls, and six hundred boys, were made prisoners. The pillage was pushed as far as the districts of Georgia, and we arrived at the end of nine hours, at the field of Boghdú; here a Soffa (or meadow seat) is shown, where Sultán Selím I. was seated when Governor of Trebisonde. Two spies sent by the Prince of Mingrelia, were taken prisoners, and they showed the way (the necessary precautions being taken) to the district of Tamaras Khán, whose son with a thousand horsemen and two thousand infantry, met the Commander-in-chief, and led the Ottoman party of pillage further against the Mingrelians, with whom he was angry.
The pillaged districts were those of Pernák, Selsel, Perkán, Penák, Gúmle, and Samárgha; we halted before the castle of Akhár, a small round castle on a hill, built by Hormúz the son of Núshirván; the inhabitants are not very brave, but great thieves; two hundred and fifty castles and villages were pillaged, and nine thousand prisoners taken. Ketgáj Páshá, the leader of the van, alone took two thousand beautiful girls, whom the commander-in-chief bought for a thousand piastres, and sent them to Sultán Ibrahím with twenty other fine maidens; they were so beautiful that the text of the Korán, “We have created man in the finest shape,” seems to have been revealed only for their praise. The booty was so rich, that a slave was sold for ten piastres, an ox for half a piastre, and a sheep for five aspers. The Beg of Báshajik sent to the Commander-in-chief a present of five boys and five girls, and also gave me a boy and girl. We arrived after eleven hours predatory march at a plain, in the middle of which was a building raised by the Beg of Mingrelia, it was ruined by Uzún Hassan, and is now contiguous to Batúm on the frontier of Mingrelia. We passed the Castles, Nejákh, Merkhor, Akchekala’a, Chepek, Penkerd, Asherd, Kúchúk Akchekala’a, the Begs of which all came with presents, paying obeisance to Sídí Ahmed Páshá. These castles being situated on high mountains, and in woody tracts, were passed by indulgently, but the villages situated in the plain were all ravaged; the district of Yúvána, overrun for the space of seven days, furnished such beautiful boys and girls, that each of them was worth a treasure of Egypt. We halted underneath the castle of Tekrek, the inhabitants of which came with presents, to ward off the danger of the pillage, they were threatened with; six districts more, the names of which I am ignorant of, shared the common fate of havock. The Ottoman victors were now so loaded with spoils and booty, that it became impossible to carry it all away. Many of them returned bringing their booty to the Castle of Gonia, and from thence to Trebisonde.
Of the Language of the Mingrelians.
Georgia is inhabited by seventeen Christian tribes, the principal of which are, the Achikbásh, Dadián, Shúshád, and Gúriel. The Mingrelians are the last and most despised specimen of their language: one, artí; two, sherí; three, shumí; four, ámekh; five, khotí; six, pishkúí; seven, ishkúí; eight, rúo; nine, júghúr; ten, wetí. Bread, gúpál; fire, dájkhir; shield, púr; sheep, ashkhorí; girdle, derkát; head, dúdí; wood, deshke; dog, joghúr; ox, khijú; calf, kissin; salt, ajém; swine, gháj; ass, kirút; bear, nút; cheese, kúl; curds, merjván; come, wai; man, chaí; sit down, dakhúr; girl, tíne; go, halawlí; come mother, waí diás, &c.
Mingrelia is inhabited by a great number of different tribes, who speak different dialects; there are seventy different products; its sheep, goats, swine and fine breed of horses (Kohailán) are renowned; there are neither mules nor asses in the whole of Georgia and Mingrelia, but a great number of foxes, wild cats, and martens; corn and wheat are scarce as hardly any thing but millet and Lazúd (?) is sown; on the high mountains are many nut and fir-trees, box-trees and cedars. The inhabitants, like those of Mingrelia, Abaza, and Circassia, are settled in the mountains; they have castles with gardens and churches. In short, during seventy-seven days, we made the tour of Mingrelia and Georgia, after which time the Ottoman troops took the direction of Erzerúm; on the third day we came to the district of Darátlí, which is contiguous to the sanjak of Tortúm. Perfect security being restored, the troops were licensed to break up by the Vezír of Akhiska, Sídí Ahmed Páshá, and we then went with the Georgian Begs towards Chaldir. After fourteen hours we reached the valley of Yúvána, where the inhabitants of Isper and Tortúm met us with presents. At the public entrance into Tortúm, the Cossack and Mingrelian prisoners were dragged along in chains; the inhabitants of Tortúm all assembled to form the Istikbál (solemn meeting. See Morier’s travels). Sídí Páshá himself wore the plumes of honour (Jíghatelí) which the Governor of Erzerúm had sent to him, put on his well caparisoned state horse, trappings of six pieces of steel of Nakshiván, wrapped round his head a red sash in the Mohammedan fashion, clad himself in blue steel with armour on his thighs, and, looking of stupendous size, like a seven-headed dragon he passed through the crowd who received his salute crying, “Aleik awnallah eí ghází seifollah!” “God’s assistance be upon thee, O victor, sword of God!” The guns of the castle of Tortúm saluted and the mountains re-echoed the thundering noise. Sídí Páshá repaired to his palace, and Ketgáj Páshá, Bákí Páshá and eight Sanjak Begs encamped before the town for three days, and on the fourth the whole of the troops moved towards Erzerúm, the territory of which we reached on Kássim (St. Demetrius’ day) and passed the straight of Ghází-boghází. The governor expecting the troops, was in his tent at Gumishlí Kunbed (silver vault) where Sídí Ahmed, Ketgáj, and Bákí Páshá were received with the greatest distinction, treated with a splendid repast and invested with pelisses of honour. Here the Páshá and Sanjak Begs laid with great pomp their presents before the governor. The season being now too far advanced to think of the expedition against Eriván, we remained in this place spending our days in pleasure. The Governor, my gracious Lord, being a little angry with me on account of my having accompanied the expedition without leave, Sídi Ahmed Páshá interceded in my favour, saying, “If it is a fault that I took Evliyá with me to the siege of Gonia, it is he that proclaimed first the Mohammedan prayer on its walls; he is a traveller of the world, a good companion of mankind, a Háfiz (who knows the Korán by heart) and a warrior in the ways of God.” Having asked pardon for me in this gentle manner, the Páshá said, “His duty was to collect troops and not to assist at the siege of Gonia, I will not pardon this fault unless he finishes in eight hours the recital of the Korán (Khatem sheríf).” I began with the Bismillah and finished in somewhat more than nine hours, after which I kissed the earth before my gracious Lord, and received from him a sable pelisse, a thorough bred horse, two fine boys, and a sinecure; so that I now spent all my time both day and night in pleasure.
Moral Reflections.
The end of all joy is disappointment, and the end of every day is bitter. There is no doubt about this. So at the end of this 1075th year we received the news by a swift messenger despatched from Constantinople, that Sultán Ibrahím had killed without reason the Grand Vezír Sáleh Páshá, and had appointed in his place Tezkereji Ahmed Páshá. Though this news greatly afflicted the Páshá yet he kept it secret not to spoil the pleasure of the company, and transacted the rest of his business at Erzerúm. Sáleh Páshá, who had been one of the favorite slaves of the father of our Governor, had for this reason given him the government of Erzerúm; but the present Grand Vezír, ever since he had been the Tezkerejí of Kara Mustafa Páshá, had become his mortal enemy. He kept however this secret to himself and continued to feast in his tent with his guests, Sídí, Ketgáj, Bákí and Dilaver Páshá.
(Here follows the separate history of these four Páshás and of the Governor, which we omit. In the chapter of Sídí Páshá it is mentioned that playing at jeríd one day with Evliyá he broke four of his teeth.)