Journey from Merzifún to Koprí.
We set out on the 10th Moharrem in a northerly direction along Mount Deshán, passed the village of Begorán and in six hours reached Koja Kala’a a small castle on a rock accessible but by one road and one gate. It was besieged at different times by the rebels Karayázijí, Saíd Arab and Kalender, but never was taken by them. It was however conquered by Bayazíd I., from the Dánishmend family and belongs now to the district of Koprí; the garrison consists of an hundred men, and it has a mosque, cistern, magazine for corn and seven or eight small guns, but no bath, khán or bezestán. The inhabitants make cans of fir-tree, which go by the name of bodúj, they also manufacture musical instruments called chekúr, tanbúr, rádha, karadozen, yúnghár, &c. In six hours more, after passing many villages on the border of Mount Deshán, we arrived at Koprí.
Description of the old town and great bridge of Koprí.
We dismounted at the house of Yússúf Aghá, where we stopped as guests, and delivered our letters to Koprilí Mohammed Páshá and the other principal men, we then collected the Búlúk-bashís and ordered cryers to proclaim that all those who wished to have goods and slaves, and possessed breeches and a horse, were to come to us. After this we went to view the town. Koprí is a fortress in good condition on the border of Mount Deshán, in a tract intersected by hills and valleys at a place watered by two rivers. One of these is called Bogha-koí and flows past the bottom of the town; the other is at an hour’s distance, and is called Astavolúz. The town of Koprí is situated between them. At the time of their overflowing they inundate the whole plain of Koprí; the town derives its name Koprí (bridge) from the great wooden bridge by which the Astavolúz river is crossed. It is a wonderful work constructed of fir-trees. At an early period this town was called Shebender, the name for a bridge in the language of the Amalekites. The stone bridge, which was formerly here, broke down on the night of the birth of the Prophet, and was replaced by this wooden one. The two rivers which flow past the town of Koprí unite below it and fall into the great river Báfra. This town was first built by the Amalekites and was taken by Melek Ghází, the Prince of the Dánishmend family, from the Greek Emperors of Trebisonde. Bayazíd I. took the fortress, the abovesaid castle of Koja Kala’a, by capitulation. It now belongs to the government of Amasia, half of it being a ziámet and the other half a subáshílik subordinate to Tokát; the judge is appointed with three hundred aspers. Its districts contain no less than an hundred and forty villages with gardens, kháns, mosques covered with lead, and from three to four thousand houses all covered with bricks; the great borough Bogház-koí has three thousand houses; the other remarkable places of similar extent are Baghjeh-koí, Doyán-koí, Akdepeh-koí and Akoren-koí. From these hundred and forty villages and boroughs the judge annually collects seven thousand piastres. There is a Muftí, Nakíb, Serdár, Kiayayerí, Mohtessib and Naíb, but as it is an inland castle it has neither commander nor garrison. The rebels Kara Yazijí and Said Arab were natives of this town, but having been defeated at Erla they fled and became rebels. To secure this town against them a second castle of earth was built close to the stone castle, and the two have four gates, but the shops and markets are outside in the suburb.
The town of Koprí consists of six thousand houses covered with bricks of two stories, the lower story being built of stone and the upper of oak whitened with chalk; so that all the houses dazzle the eye by their brilliancy. The winter being severe they are all provided with chimneys, which lift their bonneted heads like white Minárehs. These chimneys looking like tall white columns give a good appearance to the town, which is all covered with red bricks. The principal building of stone in the castle is the Seraï of Elháj Yússúf Aghá built by Koprilí Mohammed Páshá; there are altogether seventy palaces, and twenty mihrábs, in eleven of which the khutbeh is performed. In the stone castle is the mosque of Hájí Yússúf Aghá, with a water basin, a jet d’eau, and a mináreh covered with lead. Of the convents the first is that of the great Sheikh, that of the Káderites, and of the Khalvetí, but there are none of the Mevleví. The people generally are friendly to Dervishes. There are eleven kháns, two imárets, and five colleges, because its lawyers, divines, medical men and students are numerous. The schools for boys are forty-eight, that of Hájí Yússúf is covered with lead and richly endowed. There are various baths, the best of which is the double one of Ahmed Páshá, a thousand shops, and a strong bezestán with four gates. Yússúf Aghá may be called the last builder of this town which he enriched by a great many endowments; the bezestán was also his building. The most elegant market-place is that of the tanners, who illuminate every night their shops with candles; there are also a great many dyers. Its gardens are in full cultivation and produce excellent fruits. The pears, grapes, cotton wares, wove and spun, and the blue linen are as famous as its rosy-cheeked beauties. The harbours of this town on the shores of the Black Sea are Báfra and Sinope, which are but a journey distant. At five hours distance is the strong castle of Ardoghán, which I am now about to describe.
The castle of Ardoghán is situated on a high hill, which is ascended by five hundred steps and therefore only accessible to men; it is a single rock like the fortress of Márdín. The highest point is a crooked rock, which seems to threaten ruin every moment. Melek Ghází, the conqueror of Nigissár, also conquered this town; and it was afterwards taken by Bayazíd I. It is commonly called Seddí Turkmán, the dyke of the Turcomans. The castle now contains an hundred and fifty houses, a cistern, mosque, and magazine for corn. Precious articles are kept within this castle and in that of Koja Kala’a on the border of mount Deshán. A Dizdár and forty-eight men do the duty. The castle is rendered safe by a drawbridge against the attacks of rebels. There is no market khán or bath. The district belongs to the jurisdiction of Koprí. Six hours westward is the station of Gol, a village in the district of Zeitún, with a mosque, a khán, and a bath. Six hours further, the village of Súrúk in the jurisdiction of Zeitún; and after a march of six hours along the Yaila of Kondúz we arrived at Zeitún, a large place in the territory of Amasia of two thousand houses with kháns, mosques, baths, schools and numerous gardens. Six hours further is the large place (Kassaba) Karghú, belonging to the sanjak of Kanghrí, of six hundred houses with gardens, a mosque, khán, and bath. Six hours further, the town of Túsia which has already been described. We remained here one day and returned again to Merzifún. The third day I arrived at Koprí, where I found every thing in the greatest confusion and the whole town in an uproar, because Koprilí Mohammed Páshá had received orders from the Porte to march against the rebels. From hence I went in six hours towards the kiblah to the village of Begoran on the border of mount Deshán, which we had passed in coming but did not stop at. In another six hours we again reached Merzifún and met Defterdár-zádeh Mohammed Páshá, my gracious Lord, to whom I brought two hundred men, Sáríja. He was overjoyed at this and instantly formed them into two companies (Bolúk), giving them the names of the company of Evliya Guzerlí and Habíb; and in addition to twenty-four other companies of irregular levies, they made together twenty-six hundred men. I remained ten days longer at Merzifún employing my time in collecting men, and on the 27th of Moharrem left it for the farm of Murteza Páshá, which I reached in six hours.
This is a very productive farm (Chiftlik) situated in the plain of Merzifún. As snow was falling here we suffered much from the cold and in three hours, after many difficulties, reached Kúlák Hájí Koí, a village of two hundred houses with a ruined khán and a mosque. The inhabitants had all fled and there remained not even a cock in the village. The troops were dying of hunger, and during the night so heavy a storm blew that the snow was five spans deep in the morning. When the trumpets of departure sounded we moved on, though every one cursed the march, and struggling with difficulty against the gale and snow reached the straight called Diriklipúl, where the distress was very great owing to the fury of the gale, the quantity of snow, the uncertainty of the road and the want of provisions. The Páshá distributed money and encouraged some of the bravest to go in search of the road, through the midst of the snow, which they passed over in shoes made of horse-hair. This sort of shoe is called Páchila, and is used in Turkistán and Persia when snow has fallen to any depth. It consists of a circle like a sieve, the inside of which is fashioned into a shoe made of horse-hair; this they put on their feet to walk over the snow. The circle round the shoe is to give a greater surface to the foot in order to prevent it from sinking into the snow. Provided with such shoes the troops entered the straight, but were in the greatest distress, for some were lost notwithstanding these Páchila. Mules, camels and horses were stumbling one over the other and cries and lamentations pierced the air. The Sárija and Segbáns, so many Calibáns (Kaltiban) were the first who fled. In short it was impossible to pass the straight of Diriklipúl and therefore we were obliged to repair with the rest of the troops and the heavy baggage of the Pásha to Gumish Kala’a (Silver Castle), which we reached after a six hour’s march. We remained here three days till the falling of the snow had ceased. All those who hastened to the fire lost their sight for some time, and those only who did not approach it, but endured the cold, retained the use of their eyes. Seventeen men lost either a leg or a hand or a foot by the excessive cold, and the leg or hand being cut off, the stumps were dipped into boiling resin, so that their cries pierced the air.
Description of the town of Gumish.
It was built by the Byzantine Emperors and was conquered by Melek Ghází of the Dánishmend family. When Bayazíd I. marched to the conquest of Amasia the inhabitants of Gumish met him, and presented him with some silver vases and the keys of the castle. The inhabitants are therefore free of all duties, but it is incumbent upon them to work the silver mines. The inspectorship is held by lease, and furnishes annually to the Porte seventy quintals of pure silver, and one thousand pair of horse-cloths. In the Ottoman Empire there are no less than seventy silver mines, but this affords the purest silver; the goldsmith alloy an hundred drachms of this pure silver with ten of copper, and yet it is a good white silver, which receives the Imperial stamp. There are seven veins underground, which increase from day to day. The inhabitants of the town are all employed in the mines, and their commander is the inspector of the silver mines. The judge, appointed with an hundred and fifty aspers, may collect seven purses a year. The castle of this town situated on a hill is in a ruined state and has no accommodation at all within; being an inland castle it has neither a garrison nor commander. There is a Serdár and a Kiaya-yerí of the Janissaries, and the town consists of a thousand houses covered with planks, eleven mosques, of which that in the market-place is the most frequented, but no hospital, the salubrity of the air rendering one superfluous. Its products are the purest silver and horse-cloths and bags, which the Imperial stables and those of the principal men of Constantinople are furnished with from hence. The gardens produce good grapes. In the town are heaped up mounds of earth taken from the mines. We remained here three days on account of the heavy gales, and then advanced five hours to the south, suffering from the snow, to Dankaza-koí, a village of an hundred houses belonging to the jurisdiction of Gumish in the territory of Amasia. Near the farm of Kosseh Sha’abán Páshá is the Pilgrimage of Bardáklí-bábá and Akche-bábá, who are both buried here. The first gained his living by making cans (Bardák) for which the village is still famous. We visited the tomb of Bardáklí-bábá; after holding a council we approached, amidst a thousand difficulties, the high mountain of Kirk Dilim, which was passed with much suffering and the loss of many stragglers who returned to Dánkaza. Alí Aghá, the Kiaya of the Páshá, encouraged some brave lads, who had not yet lost their hands and feet, to wrap up the feet of the horses and mules by tearing up many carpets and coverlets, and in this way passed them over the snowy mountain of Kirk Dilim; but the heavy baggage, the munition, cellar, kitchen, and artillery were all left in the snow. The Kiaya of the Páshá again distributing money, the bags and casks were dragged up and rolled over the snow. This night was passed in a woody valley without the means of getting on, and seventy men, who had lost their hands and feet, remained behind. The next morning we continued our way amidst snow and storms through the straight of Kirk Dilim, and arrived after eight hours painful march at a village, the name of which has escaped my memory, whose inhabitants had all fled upon the news of our arrival. Men and horses during the night were nearly dying of hunger, and there was such a gale and heavy storm of snow that in the morning it was five spans in depth. On the signal of departure being given the Kullákjí, conductors (Sarbán), and tent-pitchers (Mehter) assembled before the Páshá’s tent and declared they were unable to stir. Ten piastres were promised to the men, but they answered, “Health first, then wealth.” The Páshá said, “My children, how is it possible to remain in this place, where there is not a grain of provisions?” In short the Kullákjí (leaders) could not be induced to move on until they had received a present of fifteen purses from the Páshá. There was, however, such a storm of wind, hail and snow that the horses danced like Dervishes Mevleví, and the camels like Lúlús (Tatar robbers). The unhappy leaders of them put their hands in their bosoms and uttered a piteous cry. Praise be to God! we now entered a forest and were a little sheltered against the wind and snow, and after a march of five hours arrived at the great village of Bardákjí, in the jurisdiction of Gumish, consisting of an hundred houses. From hence continuing our march to the south we arrived in four hours at the station of Kirk Dilim, a place of two hundred Mussulmen houses in the sanjak of Chorún. Here both men and horses rested till the following day, when the weather clearing up we proceeded through cultivated villages to the town of Chorúm, said to have been built (God knows if truly) by Kilij Arslán, the Prince of the Seljúk family, who sent his son Yakúb Mirza and some hundred sick men to this town, where being cured, it received in consequence the name of Chorúm. From the hands of the Seljúkides it passed into those of the Dánishmend family from whom it was taken by Ilderím; it is now the seat of a Sanjak Beg in the government of Sívás. His khass is three hundred thousand aspers, nineteen ziámets, and thirty-one timárs. There is a Colonel (Alaí-beg) a Captain (Cherí-báshí) a judge appointed with an hundred and fifty aspers, and receiving from its districts annually five purses, a Muftí, Nakíb, Serdár, Kiaya-yerí, Mohtessib, Súbáshí, Inspector of the hall (Kapán Emíní) and Náíb of the town. The military officers are in great favour because the troops are numerous and there are a great number of bad men. Lodgings were positively refused to our Páshá; but mediators were employed and documents were made out at the Mehkemeh (Court of Justice), so that they were prevailed upon to give us lodgings, but only for the space of three days. The town consists of forty-two quarters in which are forty-two mosques, four thousand three hundred houses covered with bricks and surrounded with gardens; nine mosques where the Friday prayer is performed, of which that of Sultán Murad is the best, it had but one minareh which was throw down by Ilderím Bayazíd. The mosque of Sultán Ala-ud-dín was repaired under Sultán Súleimán by the architect Sinán; as it is situated in the market-place it is much frequented. That of Murad covered with lead is the finest. The new bath is a foundation belonging to the bath of Alí Páshá at Tokát; in the palaces are many other baths. Of the colleges, of which there are seven, that of Murad is the most frequented; there are eleven schools for boys, seven kháns and eighteen fountains, the water by which they are supplied was conducted hither by Sultán Súleimán, in honour of the martyrs of Kerbela (who died of thirst). The convents of Dervishes are three, but no house for reading the korán or for tradition exists. The shops are three hundred, in which all the necessaries of life are to be found, although this is a town of Turkistán. The temperature of the climate gives red cheeks and good proportions to the inhabitants, who almost all wear cloth. The fair sex and the winter are both renowned. The Castle on the kiblah side of the town has only been built for protection against riots and rebellion. It has an iron gate, a commander and garrison. God knows! but it seems to have been built since the Islám, because there is no trace of any building of the time of the infidels.
On the day we came here the late chief barber of the Sultán arrived in the quality of Kapijí-báshí accompanied by forty other chamberlains, saying, that he was the bearer of the diploma of the government of Diárbekr. The Páshá surrounded himself with all his guards, Sárija, Segbán, Gonullí (volunteers) three hundred pages and all the Levends. The forty kapijís entered trembling and the Páshá having asked, where the diploma was they had boasted of, was assailed all at once by them, but before they were able to do any harm to him, they were all disarmed and bound by his guards and soldiers. The Segbán and Sárija called for the executioners and were going to cut off their heads, when the principal men of the town kissed the earth before the Páshá, and begged the lives of these kapijí-báshís, who were, they said, only servants executing their master’s commands and therefore should be spared. The Páshá yielding to their prayers set them at liberty, instead of thrashing them to death as he ought to have done. Being liberated they went to the Mehkemeh, called the Sanjak Beg, read the firmán and demanded in consequence that the troops should be driven out of the town. The inhabitants remonstrated against it, showing that they might all be in danger of being cut to pieces and their houses burned down, if they were to undertake the least thing against the troops. The Páshá being made acquainted in time of what was going on, sent word to the kapijís immediately to quit the place if they wished to escape in safety. Thus they were all driven out of the town. The next day a messenger was despatched to Várvár Alí Páshá to acquaint him with what had happened. The inhabitants finding that our Páshá was a goodnatured and righteous Vezír gave him the salutary advice not to march to Constantinople, but always to remain at one or two journeys distance from Várvár Alí Páshá, and to take his station, until the snow should melt and the weather clear up, at Tokát or Kázova. The Páshá approving of their advice, visited the tomb of Sheikh Olván Chelebí, the son of Ashik Páshá, and proceeded to Tokát. In this plain we remained ten days, during which the Páshá received letters from Várvár Alí Páshá, exhorting him to be on his guard, and, as the spring was now approaching and the weather clearing up, to collect as many troops as he could for the march to Constantinople. The Páshá made as though he were going to Angora, and on the eleventh day we arrived in the plain of Chorúm at the convent of Sídim Sultán, a convent of bareheaded and barefooted Begtáshí, where the Páshá was lodged and splendidly feasted. The village of Kara Kechelí of two hundred houses in the territory of Chorúm is an hour’s distance from the red river. Here the snow beginning to fall and the wind to blow, the Sárija and Segbán drove the families out of their houses, threw the cradles with the children in them on to the snow, dug out the gates and thresholds to bring their horses into the rooms to the fire, and committed the same excesses, that they did at Gumish and Dánkaza, and which exceeded even the tyranny of Yessúf Hejáj. The next day we left Kara Kechelí and instead of passing over the bridge of Cháshnegír on the red river, proceeded to the passage of Kara Yechíd; which was indeed a bad measure, because the passage is a cruel one. It had ceased snowing but was so piercingly cold that the men and horses trembled like leaves; nevertheless the orders for the passage were given. It commenced with the tent-camels, the kitchen, stable and other heavy baggage of the Páshá’s led by twenty able pilots. Two hundred strings of camels and one hundred of mules belonging to the Páshá, as well as mine and the Kiaya’s passed over, and, went with all this heavy luggage to Kúrdseraí, but myself and the Kiaya remained on this side of the river waiting to see the passage of the baggage of all the Aghás. In the morning their heavy things arrived along with the treasure-camels of the Páshá, but at the moment the pilots had entered the river with them, there arose such a storm of hail and snow, of thunder and of lightning, that the strings of mules and camels were broken, numbers of them upset in the middle of the river, and a great many lost. Great masses of ice, the shape of mill-wheels, now began to float down the river and blocked the shores at the bridge of Cháshnegír. In the midst of the confusion which took place on both shores of the river, the Páshá arrived with his music sounding. He distributed large sums of money amongst the inhabitants of Kúrdseraí, who rescued the men and animals, while the troops on both sides of the river were running about crying and lamenting. Some brave fellows swam amongst the drifting shoals, but others were submerged, and camels, mules, horses and men, were floating about in confusion and dismay; some of whom were drowned and some saved. Some Kurds and Turcomans swam into the midst of the ice and rescued many camels, mules and horses, but as those who had crossed had left their clothes on this side the river, it so happened that a great number perished from cold. Of all the baggage, only that which had passed over before the ice began to drift was saved, the rest was lost. An hundred and sixty men, more than a thousand horses and mules were drowned, but only a small number of camels. The drowned men were for the most part Kulenkjí, Sárija and Segbán; some going to paradise and others to hell: the latter were at least delivered from the hell of winter. This horrible discomfiture lasted only from the morning till afternoon, when the drifting of the ice and the storm suddenly ceased, so that the Tatars, Delís, and Gonillás, who had waited till then, crossed over without the least difficulty. Witnessing these misfortunes I reflected on the cruel conduct of those troops, who had behaved in so barbarous a manner in the passage at Chardáklí-púlí, and now at Kúrd-dereh: burning down the houses, throwing infants on the snow and wounding men and women with battle-axes. The inhabitants of the villages came crying and lamenting to the Páshá,; but what was to be done with this crowd of Sárija and Segbán, of whom the Páshá stood in need and whose excesses therefore he was obliged to tolerate. I, poor Evliya, whilst witnessing those scenes, shivered at the thought of the vengeance which God would send one day on those cruel troops.