We left the town by the gate of Erzenján and halted first in the plain called the circles of Bazár-bashí, where farewell presents were lavished on us by all the Aghás and principal men of Erzerúm, who both by day and night formed their court around the tent of the Páshá. The Kiaya of Sáleh Páshá, the governor of Baghdád, accompanied by an hundred and fifty Aghás, an hundred and seventy Kapijí-bashí, seven hundred men, Sárija, and three hundred Segbán, arrived here with the news of Sáleh Páshá having been killed. The next day a messenger came from Constantinople with a Khattí-sheríf conferring on governor Mohammed Páshá, our gracious Lord, the Governorship of Karss with the obligation to take the field against the Persians by defending the frontier. The Governor, our gracious Lord, said, “Be it now as it may”, and without paying attention to the Khattí-sheríf continued his way to Constantinople. The first station, three hours to the west of Erzerúm, was the village of Kán, an Armenian village in the midst of the plain. Five hours further westward, the village Ilija, possessing a hot spring, covered with high cupolas by the munificence of the Princes of the dynasty of Akche-koyúnlí. The basin is not paved with stones, but only strewed with white sand. The water is of a moderate heat and smells like that of other hot springs, but is more conducive to health than the warm spring of Zia-ud-dín. From hence we advanced five hours to the westward to the village of Khinnis, an Armenian village of two hundred houses, and in five hours more came to the village of Mamakhatún, a mussulman village of two hundred houses. This Lady was a pious Lady of the Akche-Koyúnlí family, and lies buried here with her children beneath a high cupola; there is a mosque, an imáret, and a college. Advancing for five hours over valleys and hills we reached the village of Ketúr on the territory of Erzerúm, where the Euphrates is crossed by a bridge of fir-tree. The Páshá halted here for three days, and sent me on a mission to Mirakhor Aghá, the inspector of the salt of Kumákh.
Our journey to the Castle of Kumákh.
The Castle of Kumákh was built by the Greek Emperors and then came into the hands of the Akche-koyúnlí. When in the possession of Uzún Hassan, the king of Azerbeiján, it was besieged by Timúr for seven months, during which the besieged disdained to fire a single shot or throw a single stone on the besiegers. After the defeat of Uzún Hassan it was also besieged by Mohammed III., during three months without success. Selím I. when governor of Trebisonde, availed himself of a good opportunity and conquered it. He then crossed from Trebisonde with three hundred ships to Caffa and Crimea on the opposite shore with the intention of wresting the sovereign power from the hands of his father, Báyazíd II. assisted by the Tatars of the Crimea. The Father and Son met near Hájí Oghlí-bazárí in the valley of Oghrásh, and Selím being defeated left his son Súleimán, Governor of Trebisonde, and went himself into Persia, where he visited the tombs of great Saints like Imán Mússa and played at chess with the Sháh, who at this time had taken possession of Kumákh. Selím then defeated his father at Chorlí, who exiled to Demitoca died at Hássa. Selím I received at Yení-bághje the obeisance of the inhabitants of Constantinople, and instantly fixed the tails at Scutari as the signal of a Persian expedition. The castle of Kumákh was conquered by Bíklí Mohammed Páshá. It is one of the strongest fortresses of the Ottoman Empire, like those of Diárbekr, Márdín, Ván, Sín Kara-hissár, Afiún Kara-hissár, Megú, Eremnák, Merkáb, Hassan, Karak in Asia, and in Rúm Mengesha, Napoli, Misistra, Rodos, &c. It is loftier than all these and is invisible till noon, from clouds which pour frequent showers upon it. At the time of the description of the country by Sultán Súleimán it was set down as the seat of a Voivode, subordinate to Erzerúm. Three districts belong to it; that of the town, of Gerjánis, and of Kúrúchaí, from which the Judge gathers an annual revenue of three thousand piastres. The Castle has a Dizdár and a garrison of five hundred men, an officer of the Janissaries (Serdár), of the Sipahís (Kiayayerí), and a Nakíb; another officer rules the village of Gomúr on the other side of the Euphrates, which consists of seven hundred houses: this officer is the Inspector of the salt, which is sweeter than the salt of Hají-begtásh.
The inhabitants of Turkistán and Turcomania get all their salt from Kumákh. A linen which is no where else to be found in such perfection, is made here for tents. There is a proverb in praise of the linen of Kúmákh, the sheep of Erzenján and the girls of Baiburd. The river Komúr, which passes through the gardens of the village that bears its name, comes from the mountains of Jerjánish and joins the Euphrates near the convent of Melek Ghází Effendí. Near, and opposite to it, is Mobarek, an armenian village, the khass of the garrison of Erzerúm. The water, which distils in the caverns of the mountain freezes in the summer time and in the winter is as warm as a hot spring. The inhabitants keep in these caverns their cheese called Katik-peinirí. In coming hither from Erzerúm you cross the Euphrates over a large single arched bridge, ascend a height of five hundred paces and pass along the rocky tract called Kebán. There towering rocks are on the right, as you ascend the castle and on the left are deep precipices. The small river Ain Manzar here flows into the Euphrates. This river issues from Mount Manzar, unites with the Sáterdereh, a torrent which supplies water to the gardens of the town and joins the Euphrates below the rocks of Kepán. The water is clear and fresh. Near it is a rock called Alí’s rock, where people believe they are cured of pains in the limbs, because Alí is said to have rested here his weary limbs; it is a stone like a magnet, and the inhabitants call it Kullikia; above is the suburb of the Infidels. The houses, with and without gardens, are all covered with earth. The subjects are all Armenians; there are three hundred shops, but no bezestán of stone, two kháns, two baths, and a great mosque: the bath near it is called Chorbájí-hamám. The suburb has no fortification (Robát) round it, but above it is a great castle.
Description of the Castle of Kumákh.
This castle is a pentagon of stone situate on a chalk cliff; it may be compared to the castle of Sín-hissár on the frontiers of Erzerúm. On the opposite side of the Euphrates is a height by which it is commanded, but the distance is too great to make it of consequence. It has three strong gates one behind the other; on the right and left of the first gate are two brass guns, well worthy to be seen, of such dimensions that a cobbler might very well work in them without complaining of the narrowness of the place. They are of the time of Sultán Súleimán; their length twenty-seven spans and their balls of three quintals weight. The greatest wonder is how they succeeded in bringing such large guns to so high a place. At the innermost or third gate is suspended the mace of a Pehliván, and a bow of Alí. The number of the houses great and small is six hundred, but they want gardens and water. Five magazines have been filled with rice and millet ever since the time of Sultán Selím I., which seem as though they had been laid up but to-day. There are eleven mosques; the Beg’s is a large mosque with a minareh of stone; though this castle is built on a rock, yet the houses are paved with flat stones. On the tower called the Martyrs towards the north are thirty-two large and small guns; from the gate of the Martyrs, a water-way cut in the rock leads down to the foot of it, by which they fetch the water at the time of a siege. There are three cisterns here near one another, the first is full of good water, the second smells of saltpetre and the third is very salt. Though this town is a town of Turkistán, situated on the territory of Erzerúm, yet its inhabitants are goodnatured, sound people. The linen for tents, the white salt and the cheese called Katik-peinirí, which is better and sweeter than that of Mytilene and of Koreisha at Damascus, are famous all over Asia. The quails, which in summer come in great numbers, the inhabitants preserve in vinegar for the winter.
Near the magazines are the pilgrimage of Kend Effendí and at the head of the bridge, that of Melek Ghazí. As this town is not situated on the great road, caraváns do not pass here. The Euphrates on the east comes from the mountains of Rúmlí Sultán and flows round the rock towards the west to the Izúlí Kurds. From the Alps of a thousand lakes (Bíngol) comes the Murad river, which joins the Euphrates. Whoever travels from Malatia, Kharpút, Ekín, Pálava, or Diárbekr can only cross it in a boat. I viewed this town for three whole days, collected what was due by the Voivode to the Páshá, and received from him an hundred piastres as a present of arrival (Kúdúmie). I returned in five days to Kumákh and set out next day northward along the Euphrates to Shúrím, which has two hundred houses; ten hours further, to the station of Jebjeh-khání; then leaving the Euphrates to the right, to the village of Jemen, an Armenian village on the plain of Erzenján; from whence we arrived at Erzenján.
Description of the Castle of Erzenján.
This castle belongs to Erzerúm and not to Azerbeiján. There are four towns, which bear the name of Erzen, viz: Erzen in Mesopotamia (Jezíre), Erzen Akhlát, Erzenrúm commonly called Erzerúm, and Erzenján. It is a delightful spot, the possession of which occasioned many wars, till in the year 855 Sultán Bayazíd I. received it from its prince, Záhir-ud-dín, who, the very same day he heard of the conquest of Amasia, repaired to this town and delivered to Sultán Bayazíd the keys. Bayazíd out of generosity returned the keys to Záhir-ud-dín on condition that Khutbeh be performed, and the coinage struck in his name. Záhir-ud-dín died three years afterwards and the town was taken possession of by Kara Yússúf, the Prince of the dynasty of Kara-koyúnlí, who held it for seven years, until Timúr overrun Asia. Kara Yússúf fled from his residence and sought shelter at the throne of Sultán Bayazíd, together with Ahmed Jelair, the Commander of Baghdád. Timúr required Bayazíd to deliver them up to him, but Bayazíd refused, and this refusal was the chief cause of the war between them. Kara Yússúf and Jelair afterwards fled into Egypt to Sultán Berkúk. Erzenján fell into the hands of Uzún Hassan, who being already Prince of Azerbeiján became also Prince of Erzenján. His mint is still extant near the convent of the Mevlevís. After the defeat and death of Bayazíd, the Empire was disputed by the Princes Issa, Mússa, Súleimán and Mohammed, the latter obtained it and became absolute Lord, but was unable to conquer Erzenján, which remained in the hands of Uzún Hassan until the time of Mohammed II., who took possession of it after the defeat of Uzún Hassan on the plain of Terján. He repaired the castle of Sultán Záhir-ud-dín and garrisoned it with Ottoman troops. In the reign of Bayazíd II., when Sultán Selím was governor of Trebisonde, Sháh Ismail took possession of Azerbeijan, which returned to its first Lord after the battle of Chaldirán in the year 921 (1515); Erzenján was then made a part of the revenues of the Páshá of Erzerúm. Its magistrates are a Súbashi and a judge with one hundred and fifty aspers, who may collect annually six purses. The other officers are the Muftí, Nakíb, Serdár, Kiayayerí, a Mohtessib (judge of the market) and a Shehr-naibí (inspector of the town.)
The castle is situated in a delightful plain in the midst of woods, its gates and walls are very low and its fortifications very old. At the time of the rebellion of Abaza at Erzerúm, the ditch was cleared and the walls repaired, but Abaza Páshá became nevertheless master of it. It has an iron gate, and the communication from the fortress to the suburb is by a bridge; in the castle are three hundred houses with and without gardens, a mosque, a khán and a bath.