The descent to Niksar continues for three hours, and in some places is rapid. The road winds through the thickest shrubbery, and at its extremity is a collection of lofty plane-trees, which form a fine shade to recruit the traveller after the tedious length of the hills. About an hour before we reached Niksar we discovered the town, situated in a valley, and, in the back-ground, a plain watered by the Kelki Irmak, the stream which we had followed under another name near Carahissar, and which empties itself into the river of Amasia, and thus is carried into the Black Sea. The approaches to Niksar exceeded, if possible, in beauty and rich vegetation those to Carahissar. The corn here again was quite ripe, and we got cherries and mulberries.
Niksar[44] is a long town crowned by a ruined fort of considerable extent; the walls and towers appear works of the Saracenic age, and at a distance still constitute a picturesque object; though they might now afford but a sorry and impotent defence. A stream from the hills rushes through the valley, and turns the wheels of many mills for cutting the pines into planks. The houses here are no longer terraced; their roofs are mostly of wood, shelving and covered with tiles.
5th. From Niksar to Tocat is nine hours, on a bearing of S. 60 W. a distance which I place at thirty miles. On quitting the town the road continues through a variety of fine landscapes, and then comes to the banks of the Kelki Irmak, which here flows from S. to N. After much delay, and an ineffectual attempt to ford, we passed this river in a boat, which could receive at once only a few of our party, and a small portion of our equipage, and which was still more unequal to the numbers of the peasantry crowding into it, anxious to cross the water, with hoes, sickles and spades to their daily labour on the opposite side.
We then traversed a very rich country, the yellow appearance of which announced the approach of harvest. In the plain were large plantations of rice. We now entered the pass between the mountains which leads to Tocat, and which here bore W. from Niksar. On the right is a small village; the pass then narrows into a road delightfully shaded by a wild profusion of trees, whilst a continual rushing of water over a number of small cascades, refreshes the air, and gives a new charm to the scenery around. At the extremity of this pass are one or two villages; and the road afterwards quits the shade of the trees, and crosses a more open country.
Three hours before we reached Tocat, we came to the bed of a river, flowing in the direction of our road, and enlivening a rich country of corn, which was then all ripe. On the right of the road, about four miles before the end of our journey, is a rock with excavated chambers[45]; one of which has an ornamented front. Soon after we had a view of the great town of Tocat, situated in the hollow of two mountains, in its first appearance considerably diminished below its real size. As we approached, we crossed the river over a large and solid bridge of five arches; and then came to a paved road, shaded here and there by the foliage of immense walnut-trees. The surrounding territory is very rich in corn, besides a number of enclosures abounding in fruit-trees of every description. We eat here, as at Carahissar, the largest and finest cherries that I ever saw.
The Musselim of this place is appointed at Constantinople. The person, who at the time of our arrival filled the office, took no part in the quarrels of the chiefs, who were fighting all around him; and seemed indeed to care little about his own government. When it was announced to him that an Elchee from Persia was about visiting his town on the way to the presence of his sovereign, and required his good offices; he said, that the Elchee if he chose might take up his lodgings in a caravanserai; that he should have as many horses as he might want to convey him away; but as for the rest, he himself could do nothing more for us. We had hitherto experienced, in general, more hospitality, but we now accordingly took up our quarters in a caravanserai on the Maidan, and very conveniently lodged ourselves and cattle.
6th. Tocat is situated on the declivity of three hills, whose bases join. To the Westward it is overlooked by the ruins of a fort, so completely dilapidated, that its remains are scattered unconnectedly over the surface of the rock on which they stand. To the north is a large open spot or Maidan; on one side of which is an excellent caravanserai called the Vaivoda-Khan, and on the other, a very good and well-built mosque. In the centre of the town there is another mosque of equal beauty. The town is said to contain about twenty thousand houses, or one hundred thousand inhabitants. The bazars here are very numerous, and every thing common to Turkey and its wants seemed to be here in plenty. The Armenian merchants complained to us indeed of the great dearth of trade, and particularly of that part of it which is connected with the mines. Those mines, which are at Kebban, eight days journey from Tocat, and nearer to Malatia than to any other great town, produce, (besides silver which is sent to Constantinople,) between one hundred and one hundred and fifty thousand okes of copper annually, which comes unwrought to Tocat, and is there made up in cakes. The works indeed connected with copper, and which occupy about three hundred shops, are the only particular manufactures, for which the town is noted. From these the copper wares are dispersed through all parts of Turkey.
In the evening of the 7th we continued our journey. We left the city on the same road by which we had entered; and, crossing the bridge, traversed a plain about five miles broad and fifteen long, where the harvest was fully ripe, over one of the richest corn countries that can be imagined. The distance of our stage to Turkhal was about twenty-five miles, on a general bearing of W. This large village comes abruptly to the view, and is remarkable principally as being built about a high rock, which stands isolated from the surrounding mountains, and on the extreme summit of which is the ruin of a fort. The village itself extends round the rock to the Westward. The Tozzan Irmak that flows from Tocat, passes close to the place from S. to N. At Turkhal, though we were housed in a caravanserai (there called khan), our expences were defrayed by the Cazi of the place. He had been informed of the treatment which we had received from the Musselim of Tocat, and told us that he would spend his hundred purses rather than we should experience a similar reception from his hands. Finding ourselves however uncomfortably situated in the caravanserai, (where, besides our baggage and servants, were our horses) we sought refuge in the garden of a hospitable Turk, who permitted us to spread our carpets on a raised platform under a tree, and helped us without limit to the mulberries and apricots which grew around. But we had not sat there long, before we were surprised by a heavy shower of rain and hail, which obliged us once more to retire to our heated caravanserai. There are very large water wheels here, which are used for irrigating the gardens and fields of the place, and which are turned by the fine river that runs through the village. Close to the mosque is a large corn mill, which also is worked by two large wheels.
We proceeded from Turkhal in the evening, and travelled for the distance of six hours. On passing through two masses of rock, which in the obscurity of the night were extremely grand, we espied a strong light, illuminating a hut and two or three lofty pine-trees. This was one of the guard-houses, called durand, which are stationed at the interval of about four hours, and are common to the territory of Chappan Oglu. They are at once places of security and rest. There is generally a party of eight or ten men kept in them to watch over the safety of the roads. This one, which we were approaching, was peculiarly picturesque. The Tatars, the Mirza, and I, dismounted from our horses; whilst we permitted the rest of our caravan to proceed. We entered an enclosure of stone-walls, built at the foot of a high pine-tree. In one corner blazed an immense fire. An old Turk, who received us, immediately spread goat’s-skins for our seats; whilst a young man prepared to give us coffee. He first placed the water to boil on the outer-embers of the fire, and then begun to pound the coffee in a wooden vase, which he continued with much activity to a sort of musical stroke, until the whole was beat into an impalpable powder. He then put the pounded coffee into the water, and boiled it up three or four times; when he poured it into his coffee cup, kept neatly bright, on a circular platter. We then resumed our march, and in six hours from Turkhal made a halt at a large caravanserai where we slept in the open air until the morning. The caravanserai was an extensive building, of strong materials and in good repair. Besides ourselves there were many peasants with their carts drawn by buffaloes, who were waiting the dawn of day to proceed on their journey. Our route led over a mountainous country, till we descended towards Amasia, through a narrow pass bordered on each side by rocks of a surprising size. The opening was not seen, until we were close upon it, when it formed a beautiful and curious picture. The approaches to Amasia from this side are very striking. On the right is a long chain of heights, which appear in many places to have been worked by the hand of man. Close to the road, and at the foot of these mountains, is a deep channel cut into the rock, which extends at least two miles, and is traced up to the river. It is unquestionably the bed of an aqueduct, and has been the work of immense labour, for the masses, through which in some places it is carried, are of a prodigious thickness.
On the left in the valley below, are detached houses, embosomed in gardens and orchards. These are planted with fruit-trees of every kind, and when we passed, were in full perfection. In this direction the city of Amasia is hardly seen until almost its very entrance. The approach is extremely grand; and every step prepares the stranger for a view which his imagination has already pictured as sublime; and which realizes every expectation.