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 Another Random Document on
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Persians, and is now the seat of a Khán, who commands three
thousand men; it is a day’s journey from mount Seilán, and is
surrounded by high mountains at the same distance; it lies in a
fertile valley close to a lake. It was built by an Armenian King in fear
of Omar’s power, in the same year that Sáriet-ul-jebel was sent to
Nehavend; this is one of the principal reasons why Omar is so much
hated by the Persians, who do not show so much dislike to Abúbekr
and Osmán. This town formerly extended as far as mount Seilán,
from which it is now two farsangs distant; the farsang is equal to
twelve thousand ordinary paces, so that two farsangs are equal to
twenty-four thousand paces. The top of Seilán is always covered
with snow, which shines like silver in the middle of summer, and
furnishes all the water of the town; it is a very digestive water, which
enables the inhabitants to feast like Ma’adikarb. The inhabitants
pretend to be Sháfiítes; they are great liars. The distance between
Tabríz and Erdebíl is twenty-five farsangs, which with a good horse
may be gone over in two days. The climate much resembles that of
Erzerúm; hard winter, and a fruitful soil, the corn multiplying eighty
fold: there are no fruit-trees and vines, but gardens for vegetables
and rosebeds.
The lake near Tabríz on the east side is covered with many hundred
fishing-boats, on the west it is but a farsang’s distance from Rúmie;
between Erdebíl and the lake the country is covered with wood, and
villages are interspersed in the forest; there are seventy sorts of
fish; the boats on the lake also trade to Rúmie, Dúmdúmí and
Dúmbúlí; the circumference of this lake is greater than that of Wán,
a man may go round it in ten days; the water of the lake of Wán is
bitter as poison, but this is sweet as the water of life. Its depth is
seventy cubits. This lake was produced on the birthnight of the
prophet, when the vault of Chosroes, and that of Ayá Sófiyah, and
the idols of Mecca fell down by an earthquake; forty-five large and
small springs flow into it; the river Seilán which affords water to
Erdebíl, the river Kuherán and others fall into this sea. On the banks
of the river Seilán lies a large round mass of iron, three quintals in
weight, extremely well polished, on which ancient philosophers have
written a kind of Hebrew inscription with a figure lifting its two arms
up to Heaven; if rain is wanted this stone is carried in procession
into the town, and it never fails to rain day and night without
ceasing till the stone is replaced. The basis on which this marvellous
stone reposes is a large rock, covered with strange inscriptions; it
also has twelve holes, from which as soon as the iron mass is rolled
away, water begins to rush forth, and ceases not until the stone is
returned to its place. Some persons assert this to be the stone which
Moses struck in the desert, others believe that this miracle is
performed in favour of Sheikh Safí; be it as it may, it is a great
talisman. Erdebíl is famous for its immense number of mice which
are great destroyers of cloth. Cats are, therefore, so dear that they
are sold in cages by public auction; some of Dívrígui fetch the price
of a hundred piastres, but they are short-lived like all cats of Erdebíl.
The cryers at the auction call out; “A good hunting cat, well bred, a
good companion, an enemy to rats, which steals not!”

Places of Pilgrimage at Erdebíl.

The first of all is the tomb of Sheikh Safí, the son of Sheikh Khoja
Alí, the son of Sheikh Sadr-ud-dín Mússa, the son of Sheikh Safr-ud-
dín Abú Ishák of Erdebíl, the founder of the dynasty of the Safís. His
tomb-keepers are some hundred dervishes, a large foundation.
Sheikh Safí governed only in a spiritual sense; his son Hyder was his
successor, and Ibrahím the son of Hyder having dreamt of
concubinage with an ass, his possession of the Empire was foretold
by his grandsire Sheikh Safí; indeed Sheikh Ibrahím was the first
who enjoyed the rights of sovereignty; from Sheikh Safí to Sháh
Abbás are five Sháhs who coined money. We left Erdebíl, marched
nine hours further to the north, and came to Kent Rarám, a kent of
six hundred houses with gardens; eight hours further we came to
the Kent Yár Alí, three hundred houses, a mosque, no khán or bath,
but a large number of shops and a weekly market; six hours further
to the north, the Kent of Merzáde Amád in the district of Dídher,
eight hundred houses. After eight hours, we arrived at Tabríz again,
where I remained some days more, passing from one entertainment
to another. Letters were now written for the kháns and commanders
of the places I was to pass through on my return, and the letter of
the Khán to the Páshá made ready. The presents sent to him
consisted of ten camel loads of rice, dried raisins, dried pears,
pomegranates, and two racehorses of the breed Karajubúk, four
trotting horses, and two boys dressed in precious cloth perfumed
with musk. To me he gave ten tománs Abbássí, a Georgian slave, a
Persian pelisse, a Persian dress, six turbans, and a string of camels,
loaded with rice, a black horse of the race Karajubúk, a trotting one
(Chapár-átí), with Persían bridle and saddle. I took leave of all my
friends, and next day left Tabríz in grand procession with the khán,
accompanied by the Royal music of trumpets and kettle drums. We
halted at the place Ain Alí, where a grand dinner, and five tománs
Abbássí more, were given to me for the expenses of the journey. My
suite received twenty tománs of aspers, a piece of velvet, three of
Alas, and six turbans. The Khán recommended me to the care of a
Yessavúl Aghá, who was to escort me with three hundred men,
embraced me, and returned to Tabríz, while we took the road to
Eriván.
 JOURNEY FROM TABRIZ TO ERIVAN.
In God’s name we set out from Tabríz to the north, and reached the
Kent Hají Harámí, of three hundred houses surrounded with rose
gardens; a foundation of Shám Ghazán, whose tomb may be seen
from hence. The next day the Kelenter took leave, and we continued
our way to Kent Safián, which was formerly a great kent, but has
since been ruined by the Mogols and still more by Sultán Murad IV.,
it is a delightful place on the territory of Tabríz. Some learned men
and writers are buried here, but I don’t know their names; there are
more than twenty cupolas. In the month of Moharrem on the day of
A’ashúra, the feast in commemoration of the murder of Hossein is
celebrated here with great pomp, the people are all Sháfiítes.
Further to the north we reached Mezídkhán on the frontiers of
Tabríz; five hundred houses covered with terraces, two mosques, a
very spacious khán, a bath and royal market-place. Seven hours
more to the northward is the station of Kent Keremish, on the
frontier or Nakhshiván; a thousand houses, seven mosques, a khán
and bath. Our way now led northward through marshy grounds, and
we pitched our tents on the borders of Wishlechaí. This river issues
from the mountains of Nahkshiván and joins the Aras. We suffered
much from dust here, and after two hours travelling reached the
castle of Khúí, a fine town of Azerbeiján, the seat of a Sultán, who
commands a thousand men; the public authorities are a judge,
Muftí, Darogha, Kelenter, Nakíb, Múnshí, Kúrújí and Dízchoken Aghá.
The castle is built in a square form on the plain, its circumference is
seven hundred paces; the ditch is not very deep. Of its two gates
one leads to the south, the other to the west; it contains a hundred
houses and a mosque. Its builder was Ferhád Páshá, but the old
town was built by Sháh Haider, and it has been sacked more than
once since. This suburb or outer town consists of seven thousand
houses with terraces, seventy mosques, eleven of which are Jamis,
two baths, seven kháns, and a thousand shops with gardens. I and
my boys measured the circumference, which is ten thousand paces.
The air is rather warm and favorable therefore to the culture of rice.
The river issues from Mount Selmás, and flows into the Araxes. The
fruits are famous, above all the Prophet-pears, which have no equal
in sweetness and delicious taste. Owing to the mildness of the
climate, the inhabitants are all white, and the women are
innumerable. Some historians call this town Asháristán, Iránistán or
Turkistán. Its districts reckon one hundred and eighty villages, the
inhabitants of which are for the most part Sunnites, Sháfiítes, who
paid a capitation tax to Sháh Ismail for the privilege of letting their
beards grow (Sakál Túlí), but have been exempted since the time of
Sháh Sefí.

Pilgrimage to the Tomb of Shems Tabrízí.

He died in the year 495 on his way from Antiochia to Isfahán, in this
town of Khúí. After a stay of two days, we continued our journey
with two hundred armed guards to the north, and arrived at the end
of nine hours at the town of Behestán, the seat of a Kelenter. It was
anciently a town of the size of Tabríz but was ruined by Húlagú; it is
now a small place of a thousand houses, three mosques, a khán,
bath and small market, with innumerable gardens. Three hours
further northward, we reached the castle of Joris on the frontier of
Nakshiván; the seat of a khán, who commands two thousand troops,
a judge and twelve public officers in honour of the twelve Imáms.
The castle, a pentagon, is situated on a hill, simply walled and
therefore not very strong. It was first built by Uzún Hassan the Sháh
of Azerbeiján and was ruined by Murád IV. its ruined parts are now
chalked off [fenced off?] like a Palanka. Though situated on a hill,
yet the hill itself is at the foot of a high mountain. It has a gate
looking to the south-east; within the castle there is no remarkable
building but the mosque of Rúshen Hassan Páshá. The outer town
consists of seven thousand houses, and eleven mosques, of which
that of Uzdemír Osmán Páshá and Ferrúkh-zadeh Sháh Ibn Timúr
are the best; there are three mosques, seven kháns, and two
hundred shops. The young people are extremely pretty, with eyes
like the roes of Khoten, sweet-tongued with merry faces, who, if
they walk dressed in red embroidered dresses, like peacocks of
Paradise, make all their lovers lose their wits, and by half a look
make as many Mejnúns of them. We spent three days and nights
here with Eyúb Khán the Khán of the town, continually entertained
by music. On the fourth day we continued our journey, after having
been overwhelmed with presents.
We now passed on towards the east where the river of Karajubúk
issues from the mountains of Joris, and then joins the Araxes; in the
summer months this river may be crossed by sheep and goats. We
advanced to the north amidst Kents for four hours to Kent Hallí, on
the frontier of Eriván; five hundred houses with gardens, a mosque
and a bath, on the banks of the Hallí river, which issues from the
mountains of Sepend and joins the Aras. Passing on to the north
through woods, we came after eight hours march to the pleasant
meadow of Tútolúmí, where there are some hundred shady trees,
but no village. The Daroghas and Kelenters of the neighbouring
kents flocked together to furnish us with necessary provisions. We
passed one night here, and next day continued our journey along
the Aras, crossed it, and came to Kent Kagáj situated on the eastern
bank of the Aras; it has a mosque, a khán, a bath, and three
hundred houses, with a great number of rice fields. We passed
through sandy ground with great dust, nine hours to the north, and
reached Kent Ashárlí in the territory of Eriván, with a thousand
houses, a mosque, a khán, and a bath; its product is rice; it takes its
name from the inhabitants, who belong to the tribe Ashárlí.
Travelling along the Aras through well cultivated fields and gardens,
we reached after seven hours the town of Shúreglí, the seat of a
Sultán, who commands one thousand horsemen; there is a mosque,
a khán and a bath. After ten hours we came to Sheráb Khán with
five hundred houses, a mosque and a khán; then to Kent Seif-ud-dín
on the frontier of Eriván, and on the banks of the Aras, it was built
by Seifkúlí the Khán of Eriván, and belongs to the khass of Eriván,
there are a hundred and eighty houses, a mosque, and some
plantations of rice. Five hours further to the north along the Aras is
the Kent Tílfirák, of a thousand houses, a mosque, a convent, a
khán, a bath, and plantations of rice. At the time of the siege of
Eriván, Murad IV. cut down seventy thousand trees which were used
as bulwarks, but since that time an immense number of trees have
grown again. We sent a message from hence to the Khán of Eriván,
next day crossed a lively river, halted on a meadow, and met a great
procession (Alaï,) which was the Kiaya of the Khán of Eriván who
was sent to meet us (Istikbál); we made our entrance into Eriván
with him, were saluted by twenty guns, and lodged in a palace of
the Khán. Hassan Beg went on from hence with the letters and
presents of the Khán of Tabríz to Erzerúm, and I occupied myself in
delivering those for the Khán of Eriván.

Description of the Town of Eriván (Reván).

In the year 810 (1407) Khoja Khán Lejchání, a rich merchant of

Timúr’s suite settled here with all his family and servants, cultivating
plantations of rice, by which means a great Kent was soon formed.
Five years later Sháh Ismail gave to Reván Kúl, one of his Kháns, an
order to build a castle here, which being finished in seven years, was
named after him, Reván or Eriván. It is situated on the eastern bank
of the Zenghí river, and is of brick and stone. In the year 995 (1586)
Súleimán Khán, having undertaken the expedition against
Nakhshiván, pillaged Eriván, and returned to his residence with
immense booty. In the reign of Murad III. Ferhád Páshá, his general,
pillaged Kenje, Reván, Shamákhí and Nakhshiván, destroyed the
palaces of the son of the Sháh, killed a great number of Persians,
fixed his camp before the castle, and assembled a council of war to
deliberate on the siege, and begun it by digging a ditch on the bank
of the Zenghí from south to north. By the exertion of all the siege
was finished in forty days. Jigálazadeh Yússúf Páshá, who had been
bred in the Turkish Harím, was named the first Commander of Eriván
with a garrison of seventy thousand men. Ferhád Páshá, took care of
the repair of the castle of Shúreglí and Karss, and filled them with
Moslim troops. In the same way the castle of Erdehán and Akhichka
were garrisoned, and Ferhád Páshá returned to Constantinople.
Under the government of Jigálazadeh Yússúf Páshá, the town of
Eriván was even in a more flourishing state than in Súleimán’s time,
and the neighbouring villages grew thereby populous. In the year
1011 (1602), the Persians having usurped the possession of the
castles of the Genge and Shirván, forced the garrison of Eriván,
which had received no succour from Erzerúm, to surrender to
Tokmák Khán, after a siege of seven months; in the year 1037
(1627), the Khán of Eriván, Emírgúneh, having infested the districts
of Kághzemán, Karss, Cheldir, Akhichka and Erdehán, and complaints
having arrived from the Begs of Georgia and from the Governor of
Erzerúm, ambassadors were sent from the Khán of Persia, and at
the same time the Imperial tails fixed at Scutari as the signal of
Asiatic war. In the following year 1044 (1634) Sultán Murad IV.
completed his Imperial camp of Scutarí according to the canons of
the Empire, with the greatest splendour and pomp, heaped presents
upon his forty thousand janissaries and twenty-two thousand
sipáhís, left Bairám Páshá, Kaima Khám at Constantinople, and
moved on the 5th of Shewál from Scutari, marching over Konia and
Kaissarie to Sivás; at which place he appointed his sword-bearer
Mustafa to the office of Second Vezír, and the sword-bearer Mússa
Páshá to the post of Quarter-master General. The Nishánjí was made
Silihdár, and Melek Ahmed, Chokadár (First Lord in waiting). When
he entered Erzerúm report was made to him, that his army then
amounted to two hundred thousand men: Jánpúlád-zadeh Mustafa
Páshá, the governor of Rúmelí, alone mustered thirty-one thousand
men, with seventeen hundred excellent horses; Khalíl Páshá the
Governor of Erzerúm fell into disgrace, to the joy of his enemies, the
Silihdár Páshá and Murteza Páshá; the government of Erzerúm was
conferred on the Governor of Damascus, Kúchúk Ahmed, but the
revenues, as barley-money, were given to Silihdár Mustafa Páshá.
The army marched in three days to Hassan Kala’assí, and from
thence by Karss to Eriván. On the 21st day after having left Erzerúm,
the army of two hundred thousand men fixed its camp before Reván.
The river Zenghí was crossed in spite of the long guns of the
Persians, with which they endeavoured to annoy the Ottoman army.
On this occasion it happened that one of the Soláks (bowmen) of the
Sultán’s guard, crossing the river on foot by the side of the Sultán’s
horse, was carried away by the water, the Sultán having observed it
rode after him, caught hold of him by the necklace and dragged him
out of the river; this anecdote is much celebrated in Persia. The river
being crossed, the trenches were opened, and Jánpúlád-zadeh
Páshá entered them with the Rúmelian troops from the side of the
gate of Tabríz; on the right Gúnjí Mahomed Páshá with the Asiatic
troops entered the trenches, and in the midst of them the grand
Vezír Tabání Yassí Mohammed Páshá took his station; the Aghá of
the janissaries Kara Mustafa Páshá, with his Kiaya, battered the
castle day and night with a battery of twenty guns, and similar
batteries were prepared on five sides. One day Sultán Murad himself
entered the trenches of the Rúmelian troops, and fired a good shot
at the Khán’s palace from the gun called Karabálí. The governor of
Erzerúm, Kúchúk Ahmed, battered the castle from the north side,
and the Kapúdán Páshá, Delí Hossein, from the hill of Mohana-
depeh.
Murteza Páshá, with the Sipáhís, were placed as sentinels on the
side of the earth castle, while Mússa and Cana’an Páshá with the
Moteferrika kept guard over the Imperial tent. The castle was
surrounded by troops in the space of five hours, and every day many
thousand Sunnís came to claim mercy. On the ninth day they asked
to capitulate, and Emírgúneh brought the keys. The next day the
Persian Aghá of the Fusileers, Mír Fettáh, was allowed to kiss the
Emperor’s feet, and to return with the garrison to Nakhshiván.
Emírgúneh, by birth a Georgian, and Aded Khán kissed the
Emperor’s feet, and each received an Imperial tent as a present. The
Islamitic prayer was proclaimed, all the banners and standards
waving during seven days and nights on the walls; after each prayer
the Mohammedan shout (Allah) was repeated three times, and at
night a great number of candles and lamps were lighted. The castle
was repaired in forty days, and Mustafa Páshá appointed Governor
of Eriván, with forty thousand men as garrison. Sultán Murad
appointed the Khán Emírgúneh first governor of Haleb, but
afterwards removed him and gave the government to Kúchúk
Ahmed Páshá. Emírgúneh remained the favourite of Sultán Murad IV.
until the death of the Sultán, when he was killed by Kara Mustafa
Páshá.
The towns of Shureglí, Joris, Behestán, Khúí, Ordúbárí and Tabríz
were pillaged during seven days and nights, together with the
castles of Bágjenán, Aján, Kuherán, Kúmla, Merend, and Selmás,
after which havoc he returned by Betlis, and Diarbekr to
Constantinople. The Sháh then laid siege to Eriván for the space of
seven months, which received no relief on account of the enmity
existing between the Grand Vezír Tabání Yassí and Murteza Páshá,
who was shut up in Eriván. The latter having no subsistence left,
killed himself by swallowing his diamond ring, and the next day the
whole garrison, half naked and starved, threw themselves on the
mercy of the Persians and were killed by them, a great number
being driven into the Aras, of whom a few being saved by charitable
Sunnís fled to Karss and Bayazíd. Sultán Murad IV. hearing this sad
account, girt himself on two sides with the sword of religious zeal
and high enterprise, with the intention to conquer Baghdád, and to
deliver the tomb of the great Imám Na’amán Ben Thábet out of the
hands of the Infidels.
Eriván meanwhile remained in the hands of the Persians, who
increased its flourishing state; it could not however resist an assault
of the Ottoman army for seven days, because it is only surrounded
by a simple wall. It is situated on the bank of the Zenghí, extending
from the south to the north, having so little breadth, that the balls
fired on it by Sultán Murad bounded from one extremity of the town
to the other; many of these balls are even now seen fixed in the
towers. The walls built by Ferhád Páshá are forty royal cubits high;
those built by Tokmák Khán, fifty cubits high and twenty broad; it
has no ditch on the side of the Zenghí, but it has a wall on the
south, north and east sides, which however is not deep, being a
marshy ground. It has three iron gates; to the south, the gate of
Tabríz; to the north, the gate of the Meidán called Yaila Kapússí, on
this spot they play Maïl; to the west, the gate of the bridge; there
are seven hundred cannons large and small, which remained from
the time of the Ottomans, and an immense number of other stores,
because it is the frontier of Azerbeiján. It is garrisoned by three
thousand men of the fortress, three thousand men of the Khán, and
seven thousand men of the province. Sometimes its Khán enjoyed
the title of Khán of Kháns. A judge, Nakíb, Kelenter, Darogha,
Múnshí, Yessaúl-aghá, Kúrújí, Ishek Aghá, Dízchoken Aghá, seven
Mihmandárs and Sháhbenders, keep public order. The town consists
of one thousand and sixty elegant houses covered with earth, the
best is the palace of the Khán much embellished by Emírgúneh. Near
it is the mint where large and small silver coins (Abbássí and Bestí)
are coined. The suburb outside of Yaila Kapússí is called the old
town; at the head of the bridge is the Khán’s garden, and a suburb
with mosque and bath. In the year 1045 (1635), when the Persians
conquered this fortress, they also built a castle on the east side, with
walls of clay and straw, which is even more solid than stone. At the
time I was looking at all the curiosities of Eriván, I received an
invitation from the Khán to assist at the ceremony of the
circumcision of his sons. His Kiaya gave me ten tománs of Abbássí,
for the expenses of the journey, and I began my journey from Eriván
to Shirván, by Shamákhí, Tiflís, Termís, Aras and Bakú. We first
travelled to the north through cultivated fields of rice, along the river
Zenghí to Kent Khoja, the khass of the Khán of Eriván, with five
hundred houses, a mosque and a bath; then fourteen hours further
to Kent Demijí Hassan, which was anciently a town of the
Turcomans, and is even now inhabited by a Turcoman tribe. It was
destroyed by Murád IV. We arrived at last at Genje.

Description of the important town of Genje.

It was wrested from the hands of Sháh Tahmás, in the year 1014
(1065), by Kojá Ferhád Páshá. At the time when Mohammed Páshá
the Kiaya of Sárí Ahmed Páshá, was governor of Genje, the Sháh
besieged it for seven months, and killed the whole garrison. Since
that time it remained in the possession of the Persians, a large town,
but the Sháh destroyed its castle; it is now an elegant town of six
thousand houses with gardens and vineyards, a khán, a bath, and
imáret, situated in a large plain. Its gardens are watered by the
Kúrek, which joins the Kúr; the Kiblah side of the town is a
mountainous tract, and the foot of the mountains is cultivated in
gardens and vineyards; the silk of Genje is famous. On the plain
round Genje are seven districts of Infidel villages, where cotton, silk
and rice are cultivated; here are rich Moghs (ancient Persians,
worshippers of fire) and beautiful youth of both sexes; the horse-
shoes of Genje are not less famous than the silk. The town is
governed by a Khán, who commands three thousand men. The
public officers (the Khán included) are twelve in number, in honour
of the twelve Imáms. Its first Ottoman governor was Khádim
Hassan, who conquered Berda’a.

Pilgrimages (or Tombs) of Martyrs.

Twelve thousand Moslims, who had surrendered the castle by

capitulation to the Sháh, were unmercifully killed, and are now
buried outside the town in a place called Shohedaí Ervám (martyrs
of Rúm). We remained three days as guests in the khán of the town,
and continued our journey with about fifty companions to the north;
on our right was the Khánlik of Loristán. After seven hours march we
arrived at Gilkzár Ahmedí, formerly a town, but now a kent of seven
hundred houses, the khass of the Khán of Genje, with a mosque, a
khán, and a bath; fine silk is manufactured here. Nine hours further,
is the Kent of Megúchúr of seven hundred houses, with a mosque,
and a fine garden. On the opposite shore of the Kúr is a great kent
called Kendere; we passed in boats to Megúchúr, the frontier of
Genje, and after eight hours we reached the great town of Aras.
The town of Aras was built by Keyúmerth, and conquered in the year
985 (1577), by Kara Mustafa Páshá, the Vezír of Murad III. Emír
Khán arrived with forty thousand men to succour the town, and
finding it taken he fought a battle, which terminated in his being
made prisoner, and all his troops consisting of Turcomans, Koks,
Doláks, and Georgians were dispersed. They were routed for the
second time by the Kiaya of Uzdemir-oghlí on the banks of the Kúr
river which swallowed up a great number of them, the bridge having
broken down under the weight of the fugitives; their bones are yet
seen in heaps, and the bridge still lies in ruins. The Turkish general
having convinced himself of the importance of the town of Aras,
situated between Genje and Shirván, collected masons and
workmen, and enclosed the town with a wall, including the garden
Sháh Khiabán, which was outside of the town; three gates led
through this wall of clay, the circumference of which is nine
thousand six hundred paces. It was finished in forty days, and the
governorship, with the rank of a Begler Beg, conferred on Kaitáss-
Beg, who had been brought up in the Harím of Sultán Murad. From
its situation at the foot of a mountain, the town resembles that of
Brússa, surrounded with gardens of fruits and flowers, vineyards and
rosebeds. It consists of ten thousand houses with terraces, and forty
mosques; in the castle are those of Murad III., of Ferhád Páshá, and
of Kara Sinán. The Turkomans and Komúks of Dághistán, pronounce
the name of this town Arash. In the beginning of the reign of Sultán
Mustafa, this town like that of Merend fell into the hands of the
Persians. Forty quarters may now be reckoned, and as many
mosques, sixteen baths, eight hundred shops, and seven coffee-
houses. The youth are gazelle-eyed, with faces shining like the sun,
because their women are Georgians, Dadiáns, Achikbásh, and
Shúshád. The air is mild and the water of the royal mountain
(Sháhkúh) most excellent. Around it are seven great districts each of
which reckons one hundred populous kents, the most populous is
that of Levend Khán near Aras. On crossing the bridge of Uzdemir-
oghlí Osmán Páshá, the traveller arrives at the district of Palvanaí,
and the district of Shair Abadán, where a castle is seen on a rock,
the name of which I do not remember.
The royal mount, opposite the town, is the summer abode of the
Turcomans. Amidst the districts of Aras is also that of Shekí, which is
now governed by the governor of Aras, though it was sometimes
ruled by the power of the Princes of Dághistán. The Khán of Aras
leads twenty-three thousand men into the field. Twelve public
officers keep order in the town. After a stay of three days in this
town, we advanced to the north, and after two stations reached the
castle of Shekí.

Description of the Castle of Shekí.

It was built by Alexander a Prince of the Shúshads, from whose

hands it passed into those of the Prince of Dághistán, and then into
those of the Persians. Lala Kara Mustafa Páshá, the Vezír of Murad
III. conquered it, and it was conferred on Erkelád Beg, the son of
Levend Khán. In the beginning of the reign of Sultán Mustafa it
returned into the possession of the Persians, and is now the seat of
a Sultán, who commands one thousand men. It is a nice castle built
on a rock, its circuit three thousand paces, a ditch is not required; its
two gates are that of Genje and that of Shirván; though situated on
the frontier of Dághistán it is reckoned to belong to Georgia, the
more so as its builder was a Georgian; there are three thousand
houses, and seven mihrabs; in the market is the mosque of Mirza Alí
Beg, in the castle that of Lagúsh-oghlí Ahmed Beg; that of Murad
III. is falling into decay. In the gardens great quantities of silk are
produced. At a journey’s distance east of this castle passes the river
Kanúk, flowing into the Zenghí. Advancing to the north, we crossed
the river of Uzdemir-oghlí Osmán Páshá and arrived at the place
Koyún-gechid, where we saw piles of human bones; our companion
Yasser Alí Aghá told us, that it was on this spot that Mustafa Páshá,
the general of Murad III., was attacked by the Kháns of Tabríz, Lor,
Nakhshiván, and Karabágh, who with more than two hundred
thousand men surrounded him. Koja Lala Mustafa Páshá ordered a
general attack, which was instantly made on one side by Uzdemir-
oghlí, on the second by Mohammed, the governor of Haleb, and on
the third by Mustafa, the governor of Mera’ash, who cut to pieces
more than a thousand men, and drove the rest like sheep to the
ferry of Koyún-gechid, where a great many of them were drowned,
some in the river Kanúk and some in the Kapúr. In short there
remained altogether more than forty thousand men on the field of
battle, whose bones are piled up as an everlasting monument; I said
a Fátihah for their souls, and crossed the sheep’s ferry. Further on to
the north we passed the white river (Aksú), which is called by the
Persians the river of Gilán. It comes from the mountains of Aras, and
flows into the Kúr. At the end of three hours we entered the district
of Mahmúdabád consisting of two hundred highly cultivated kents,
which produce a thousand Yúks of silk, each kent resembling a large
town. The inhabitants are Turkománs, Kok, Dulák, Moghols, and
Ettels.

Account of the Tribe of Ettels.

Ettel signifies in the Mogolic language, tongue of dogs; they take

this name from their war-cry, which is a kind of howling. Near
Márdín, in the sanjak of the mountains, which I entered with Melek
Ahmed Páshá, the Ettels are a tribe like that of the hairy Kurds,
impure, impious, irreligious robbers, who pretend to be of Hamza’s
sect, keep neither prayer-hours nor fasts, are ignorant of moral
duties and of God. Seven or eight of them share a woman amongst
them; if she gets with child, her seven or eight keepers after some
time assemble, and the woman gives an apple into the child’s hand,
the man to whom the child gives it is reckoned to be the father, and
henceforth the woman belongs exclusively to him, without any man
being allowed to raise pretensions to her. The famous sect of the
candle-extinguishers (Múm sonduren), must be a branch of them,
because I saw or heard nothing of them any where else. It is a
certain fact that they drink out of the shoes of their Sháhs, to whom
they are most obedient.
The Kaitáks are about twenty thousand men on the frontiers of
Dághistán, who sometimes come to the towns of Aras and Shekí; a
strange race of men like the beast of the day of judgement, with
heads in the form of kettles, brows two fingers broad, shoulders so
square that a man may easily stand upon them, thin limbs, round
eyes, large heels, and red faces. They pretend to be Sháfítes; if they
come to the market of Aras and Shekí, they come on waggons, or
ride on buffaloes, because horses and asses could not carry their
weight: as they pass with their turbans of the size of a cupola,
saluting on both sides with great dignity, they seem to be of the race
of Dejál (the Antichrist) true Oghúzians. These Kaitáks come
originally from the province of Mahán, are Mogholian Turks, and
therefore speak the Mogolic language, of which I could only collect a
few words, as I remained but two days among them. I saw these
people in the district of Mahmúdabád, and after having travelled
further to the north, reached the kent Chailán on the frontier of
Shirván on the banks of the river of Guílán, with six hundred houses
of Turcomans and Oghúzians. Further on is the town Niázabád on
the frontier of Shirván built by Yezdejerd-sháh, great ruins of its
ancient magnificence are yet extant, it was ruined by the Moghols,
who united with the Komúks and Kaitáks of Dághistán. In the reign
of Murad III., Ferhád Páshá fixed his winter quarters here, and
levelled the castle, when he left it in the spring. It is now the frontier
between Dághistán and Persia, with forty quarters and as many
mosques, a khán, bath and market-place, the seat of a Sultán who
commands a thousand men. There are twelve magistrates;
according to the statement of the Kelenter, there are more than six
thousand houses surrounded by gardens. It is a pity that its strong
castle lies in ruins; if God should again grant that it be restored to
the Ottoman power, it might be easily repaired, and become a very
strong castle. This town is surrounded by an endless plain on all four
sides.

Pilgrimage of Ashár-Baba.

Ashár-Baba was one of the disciples of our great ancestor the Turk
of Turks, Khoja Ahmed Yessúí; as the rites of Yessúí are liked in
Persia the convent at this place is inhabited by more than a hundred
Dervishes. It is a general pilgrimage, the inhabitants profess to be of
the sect of Hanefí. We here took some companions and advanced to
the north to the kent Ferrakhzád on the frontier of Shamákhi, and on
the bank of the white river (Aksú) with five hundred houses, a
mosque, a khán, a bath and a small market. The mihmándár of this
place paid me many attentions. We advanced to the north amongst
shady groves, dined at a hunting place of Sháh Khoda-bende, and
arrived at Nílchaí, the same as blue river (Goksú), which coming
from Dághistán joins the Kúr at this place.

Praise of Mount Caucasus.

The rivers which come from Mount Caucasus, on the south, flow into
the Kúr, and those towards the north, straight into the Caspian Sea.
Again there are rivers on the south side, which fall into the Black
Sea, and on the north side into the Kúbán. Mount Caucasus is the
greatest mountain in the world, its tracts are ruled by five different
monarchs, and to the south the Abáza tribes are settled to the
extent of eighty journies. On the east side on the border of the
mountain are the Mingrelians, Georgians, Ajíkbásh, Shúshád, Kúrdíl,
and Dadián to the extent of forty journies. Again there is the
province of Tiflís on the Persian frontier, and the throne of the Alans
(Serer-ul-allán) on the border of Mount Caucasus nineteen journies
long; Dághistán, within Mount Caucasus, twenty journies long to the
north. Inside of Mount Caucasus is also Circassia inhabited by the
tribes Kabartaí, Bestí, Púltakaí, Khatúkaí, Memsúkh, Bozadúk,
Takakú, Zana, Shefáke and other Circassian tribes, eighty-one
journies. According to this reckoning the extent of all the tracts of
Mount Caucasus is two hundred and forty journies. It is so high that
it is seen at ten days distance. God has created on the surface of the
earth one hundred and forty-eight mountains, twelve of the highest
par excellence, are, Mount Caucasus, Mount Bingol, Mount
Demavend, Mount Siján, Mount Kamar, the mountains in Germany at
the source of the Danube; the mount Samúr, where the Zeiro and
the Dniester take their origin. No man has ever reached half the
height of Mount Caucasus: passing on our way through the districts
of Dághistán we saw its top wrapped in clouds. But we shall now
return to the description of our journey.
The kent of Kokchaí (the blue river) is a great place with a Kelenter
and Mihmándár, seven hundred houses with gardens. The
inhabitants are Sunnís, who pay tribute to Sháh Ismail for
permission to wear beards. We continued our journey through fields
to the north, for seven hours, and reached the kent Aksú, on the
territory of Shamákhí, of one thousand houses, a mosque, khán and
bath. The White River passes through the place and flows into the
Kúr, it comes from the mountains of Shirván, waters the fields of
Shamákhí and falls into the Kúr.

Description of the Town of Shamákhí.

It was first built by Yezdejerd Sháh the Persian Monarch; it is the

centre of seven Khánliks, some spell it Shám Akhí (the brother of
Damascus), and some Shám Ahí (the sigh of Damascus), because its
first inhabitants were a colony from Damascus; forty Sultáns and
forty judges are attached to it, seventy castles and thirteen hundred
kents like large towns: Ulama Páshá and Pírí Páshá, two Vezírs of
Sultán Súleimán took possession of it in their Emperor’s name, and
Ulama Páshá was named governor of Shirván; Sháh Tahmás then
besieged the town during three months, conquered it, and gave the
government to his younger brother, Elkáss Mirza, who remained
three years at his post, but then, being afraid of his brother, took
flight with all his valuable things, came through the steppes in forty
days to Kafa, embarked himself and paid his homage to Sultán
Súleimán at Constantinople. In the year 954 (1547), Elkáss Mirza
undertook with Lala Mustafa an expedition to Persia, and then took
up his abode in the palace of Pertev Páshá at Constantinople. Having
witnessed the pomp of Sultán Súleimán’s solemn entrance, he said,
“How it is possible that with such power your Emperor of the
Ottomans should not be at the same time the monarch of Iran?”
Súleimán carried Elkáss along with him on the expedition to Wán
and Azerbeiján. Lala Mustafa Páshá was named governor of Shirván,
and Elkáss Mirza, his predecessor in this government, ravaged the
provinces of Nakhshiván, Eriván, Genje, and Shirván. Sháh Tahmas
having died, the castle of Shamákhí was taken after a siege of seven
days from his son; Lala Páshá was named governor of Shamákhí,
and Elkáss Mirza Khán of Mahmúdabád. He ravaged Persia as far as
Isfahán in order to quench his thirst for vengeance. Shamákhí was
then contested for by both powers, till in the reign of Murad III. it
was conquered, and then repaired by Uzdemír-oghlí Páshá. The
Persians reconquered it and lost it again to Ferhád Páshá. It
remained in the hands of the Ottománs till the time of Sultán Murad
IV. when the Persians took Derbend and Shamákhí by usurpation,
and sent the garrison prisoners to Constantinople. It has ever since
remained in the power of the Persians, and is now the seat of a
Khán. The castle is on a hill on the bank of the river, the interior one
is very strong, but the exterior is in decay. The town consists of
about seven thousand well built houses, stone walls, and terraces,
each house provided with water; there is an infinite number of
gardens, and twenty-six quarters; the quarters called Meidán and
Shabúrán being in the inner castle are the most elegant; there are
seventy mosques, the oldest is that of Div Alí, who was one of the
Kháns of Shah Tahmáss, but a Sunní; in the suburb is the great
mosque of Sháh Safí, which rivals the vault of the palace of
Chosroes. In the court-yard is a basin, and round it cells for
students; the gates of the mosque of Ferhád Páshá are closed,
because it has no endowment; the mosque of Uzdemír Osmán Páshá
is a college, where the Muftí holds lectures: there is a dining
establishment of Sultán Khodabende’s foundation, forty schools for
boys, seven pleasant baths, the best of which is that of Shabúr, with
numerous private rooms and a basin, its waiters are fine youths.
Besides the public baths, there are private ones in every garden.
There are forty caravánseraïs, in each of which many thousand
tománs of wares are deposited. The public security is so great, that
every man leaves his shop open, without the least danger, when he
goes away on business; there are altogether twelve hundred shops.
There is no Bezestán of stone, but nevertheless a great number of
valuable articles; the coffee-houses are meeting-places for wits and
learned men; the air is mild and the land fertile; rice, cotton, seven
sorts of grapes, pears, and water-melons are in great perfection.
The greatest part of the inhabitants are Sunnís of the Hanefirites,
who perform their prayers secretly. I remained during seven days a
guest of the Khán of Shamákhí, Takí Khán, a generous, liberal man,
who liked society and good company. He presented us with many
pieces of silk stuffs, ten tománs of Abássí, and a horse (Karajubúk).
Being himself invited to the entertainment of the Khán of Eriván, he
set out from Shamákhí with one thousand men. Marching to the
north we came to the pilgrimage of Pírderkúh (the old man of the
mountain) a great saint, a fine walking-place the view from which
embraces all the buildings of Shamákhí; the inhabitants of three
hundred adjacent villages are for the most part Dervishes of the
order of Begtásh, belonging to the Convent of this Saint. We
advanced from hence six hours to the north through a cultivated
country, and reached the station of Pír Merízát, where we were
treated as guests by the Kelenter. The convent of this place is called
Pír Mirza by some, and Pír Mirka by others, but the proper mode of
spelling the word is Merizát, which signifies incurvated, because his
body is seated in one of the corners of the convent in an incurvated
position, his face turned towards the Kiblah, his head recumbent on
a rock. His body is light and white like cotton, without corruption at
all. The Dervishes who are busy all day long in cleaning and
sweeping the convent, put every night a basin of clear water at the
feet of the Saint, and find it empty in the morning; his dress is thus
always washed white without the least dust upon it. The brains of
those who visit this place are perfumed by the scent of ambergris.
Sheikh Sefí who came from Erdebíl to visit this Saint spent treasures
in building this convent of Dervishes Begtáshí, which has its equal
perhaps only in the town of Meshhed Mússa Riza. Its entrance fills
all who visit it with a sacred awe, like culprits appearing before a
great monarch as their judge. I visited it, read the Súra Yass in
honour of the Saint, and made spiritual acquaintance with him. I am
unable to quote the date of his death, as there is no chronostick on
the gate; but one of the Dervishes told me that he was the Múëzzin
of Sheikh Ibrahím Shirvání, who had arrived at such a degree of
sanctity, that when he proclaimed prayers at the five hours, the skies
all moved in uproar. Sheikh Ibrahím touched his back bone, which is
the cause of his incurvated position and good preservation. Whoever
says at his tomb the seven verses of a Fátihah may be sure to have
for seven days the object of his wishes. Passing about a mile to the
north of the convent, through gardens, we came to the Kent of
Kharjdeh, another place of pilgrimage, which was covered with a
cupola by Khodabende Sháh; in seven hours more, to the
caravánseraï of Kúzlí, a great Khán, the foundation of Sháh Ismaíl;
further on, to the station of six trees, a great caravánseraï with a
ruined Kent, on the frontier of Derbend; and then to the pilgrimage
of Khizrzende, who lies beneath a cupola in good preservation.
Uzdemir-oghlí Pásha who came here hunting, built this cupola
because he had great faith in the Saint. Still further northward in the
district of Musekker, on the frontier of Shaburán, is the place Regál.
There is a Regál, a small Kent, near Shamákhí, but this has a
mosque, a khán, a bath with gardens, and three thousand houses
with terraces; it belonged formerly to Derbend and is now a
dependence of Bakú, the inhabitants are for the most parts
Turcomans, Kaitáks and natives of the towns of Dághistán, Enderí,
Tarkhú, Koúk, and Thálibserán; they are not duellists, though many
exist in these parts. We halted on the border of the river Regál, and
afterwards continued our journey through the fields; all at once we
saw a great troop coming from the Black Sea, which as we
approached proved to be the troops of seven great Persian Kháns,
viz. Eriván, Genje, Lor, Bakú, Kílán, Moghán, and many Sultáns, all in
state dresses, with more than ten thousand men of Turcomans,
Moghols, Kalmúks, Kodeks, Valács, and Cossacks, with a variety of
dresses and arms, sounding trumpets of Efrasiáb, beating drums and
kettle drums, and playing Persian tunes in a style beyond all
description. The Khán of Eriván leaving the troops and advancing to
meet us, the Khán of Shamákhí acquainted me with it. He saluted
me first, and then the Kháns of Kílán and Bakú, and we continued
improving our acquaintance till we arrived at the town of Bakú. So
many salutes were fired from the walls and towers of Bakú that it
seemed like a salamander in the fire of Nimrod’s pile. We met with
Envoys who had arrived from the Russian towns of Astrakan,
Heshdek and Terek, to compliment the Khán with presents on his
feast; thus we entered the Castle of Bakú on Friday the first
Moharrem of the year 1057 (1647).

Description of the fortress of Bakú.

After a grand repast we delivered the letter of Defterdár-zádeh

Mohammed Páshá the governor of Erzerúm, our gracious Lord, with
the presents consisting of beads of pearls, Irák stuffs, and a fine
sword. I also delivered the letters of the Kháns of Tabríz and
Nakhshiván, complimenting him on the feast of his wedding; the
Khán entertained me as a guest in his sister’s palace, the festival
lasted ten days and nights, during which he praised the presents he
had received through me, in the presence of all the Kháns and
Sultáns; he then presented me with a Persian dress, ten tománs of
Abbássí, and ten tománs of Bisití; after which, with my companions,
I went to view the town.
The castle of Bakú is built on a hill and is of a square form; the gate
looking to the west is of iron from Nakhshiván, the circumference is
seven hundred paces, it has seventy towers, and six hundred
battlements, the height of the wall is forty royal cubits; being
situated on a rock, there is no necessity for a ditch. Within the castle
are seventy houses with terraces, a mosque of Hyder Sháh, but
without a minareh. In the castle is no khán, bath or market, but on
the shore of the Caspian Sea the suburb (Robát) consists of a
thousand houses with gardens, mosques and kháns, surrounded
with walls on three sides; there are three gates, the gate of Guílán
to the north; the gate of Derbend to the south; and westward
towards the sea-shore is the harbour-gate. Seven minarehs of as
many mosques are to be seen, the names of which I am ignorant of,
and three baths, the most brilliant of which is that of Mirza Khán.
This place being a frontier fortress opposed to Russia is garrisoned
with excellent troops called Sháhseven and Dizchoken (who love the
Sháh and bend their knees before him.) It is the seat of a Khán in
the province of Shirván, ruled by twelve magistrates. The Russian
Cossacks have several times pillaged the town of Bakú, and the
province of Guílán; they besieged it at the instigation of the Persians
soon after its conquest by Uzdemír-oghlí Osmán Páshá, when Kobád
Páshá was governor, but were all cut down, and their bones are yet
piled up on the shore. The climate is mild and favourable to the
cultivation of rice and cotton; the water all smells of Naphtha which
is found in seven mines near the town, of different colours, yellow,
red and black. The inhabitants of the districts of Musekker, Sedán,
and Ríneb do not use oil or grease, but all burn black Naphtha. The
people are sound and stout, and some of them fine figures; they are
for the most part Sunnís. The distance between this town and
Derbend is four days journey, peopled by wandering Turcomans.
Three journies east of Bakú is the town of Shabúrán, and Shamákhí
is five journies to the east; the port of Shamákhí is much frequented
by Chinese, and Tartars, Kalmúks and Russians, who bring different
wares, in exchange for which they take salt, naphtha, safian, and
silk. Round the town are many places, where if a portion of earth is
dug up fire bursts forth, which is used by the Caraváns in cooking
their victuals. Near the town to the north flows the Kúr, which is
sometimes navigated by Cossack and Russian pirates, who ravage
the Persian provinces, and sell their prisoners privately in the
markets of Guílán. It is a great river like the Danube, broad but not
deep. I remained some days at Bakú to witness the festival at the
wedding of the sister of the Khán of Eriván, who was married to the
Khán of Bakú. If I were to describe minutely all that took place at
this festival it would more than fill a large book. During a fortnight’s
stay I received many valuable presents, from the Khán and others,
viz. rich cloth, seven horses, three Georgian slaves, a Persian sable
pelisse, two camels, ambergris, &c. ten tománs of Abbássí for the
expenses of the journey, and as much to be distributed amongst my
servants. We took leave of our friends, and the Khán himself, out of
friendship, accompanied us when we left the town.
 Description of our journey from Bakú through Georgia.

We passed to the south over a dreary tract along the sea, where we
saw mines of Naphtha in seven places; it boils up from the earth on
the seashore, and in the district of Musekker in hot springs, on the
surface of which it collects. It is a Royal lease, let for seven thousand
tománs of aspers per year. The men belonging to the inspector of
the Naphtha collect it from the surface of the springs and small
lakes, fill jacks of goatskin with it and sell it to the merchants; the
yellow is the most esteemed; the black Naphtha is carried as a Royal
revenue to the fortresses, and used to light the walls on dark nights,
and to be thrown on the besiegers. It is also used by the
Mihmándárs for torches; all the torches at the Court of the Sháh and
at their great houses are made of Naphtha of Bakú; if it catches fire
it burns to the last drop; to prevent, therefore, the destruction of the
mines, heaps of earth are piled up near them, and if one of them
should be ignited by a spark, all the people flock together and throw
earth upon it to quench the fire. There are also mines of Naphtha in
other places, which, however, I did not see. We advanced to the
south, and halted in the district of Musker, beneath tents of felt
belonging to Turcomans, who with Moghols and Kúmúks pass the
winter here; it is a fertile tract of country.

Description of a Whale with ears like an Elephant.

A whale had been driven on shore, one hundred yards long, with
two heads, one at the tail end, the other of the size of a cupola. In
the upper jaw it had one hundred and fifty teeth, each a yard long,
ears like an elephant, and eyes of the size of a round table, and
covered with beaver’s hair. The inhabitants of Bakú, Derbend and
Shamákhí flocked together to see it. Khoja Sarúkhán, a voyager in
the Caspian Sea, told me that this kind of whale was common in that
sea; there are certainly many strange creatures and animals in that
sea which are not to be found elsewhere; the shore is covered with
bones and carcasses of strange kinds with square and pentagon
heads, and an immense number of extraordinary fish. According to
the reports of sailors, the circumference of the Caspian Sea is
twenty-four thousand miles; it has no islands like the Black Sea and
White Sea, wherein two thousand and forty islands are reckoned,
forty of which are great ones, like Cyprus, Creta, Rodos, &c. with
large towns and rivers. The conflict of the waves of the Caspian Sea
is stronger than those of the Black Sea; it is bounded on the west by
the Russian provinces; and on the east by the country of the
Uzbegs, Kalmúks, and Cossacks. In winter-time the Kalmúk Tátárs
pass over the ice of lakes and rivers which are frozen for the space
of seven months, committing depredations in the Russian provinces,
and carrying a great number of prisoners away. On the western side
its extremity is at Derbend, and south to it, in the district of the
Avárs, which is comprehended by a gulf on the frontier of Dághistán,
is the castle of Terek on the river of the same name. Its length from
north to south is four thousand miles, and its depth three hundred
cubits; thousands of boats and vessels carry on trade, but they are
all afraid of Russian Chaiks, with whom they fight; the vessels are
not large ships like those of the White, Black and Red Sea, but small
boats of reeds with small guns; there are no men of war or great
Caravellas like those of the White Sea, which are necessary to meet
the vessels of the Franks in the Archipelago and Mediterranean; such
great means of defence are not required on the Caspian, as there
are only Cossack boats to be met with.
We continued our journey eastwards through plain fields, and
arrived at the great town of Shabúrán, an elegant yet ancient town,
which was first built by Isfendiár, and ruined by Húlagú. Uzdemír-
oghli Osmán Páshá, the Vezír of Murad III., took possession of this
town after the conquest of Derbend, and it became the seat of a
sanjak Beg. In the beginning of the reign of Sultán Murad IV. the
Persians became masters of it again, and it is now the seat of a
Sultán which is the same as a sanjak Beg in Turkey, it is a well
inhabited town, with seventy mosques, the largest of which are the
mosques of Uzún Hassan, of Tokmák Khán and of Ashár Khán. The
fountains and china work, with which the mosque of Uzún Hassan is
inlaid, are no where found in such profusion. Uzdemir-oghlí used to
come every Friday with a great train from Derbend, in order to
perform his prayers here; it is adorned with so many arabesques and
carvings in marble, that the greatest architects are astonished on
beholding it. The town is situated in a valley rich in bowers, roses,
flowers and fruits. Its districts are seven, named after the seven
planets. We continued our journey to the south in the district of
Musker, and reached the station of Kent Charkhí on a wide plain at a
great distance from the Sea. It is the khass of Shah Mikhál, the
Prince of Dághistán, with five hundred houses, a mosque, a bath, a
caravánseraï, and a market-place. The inhabitants are for the most
part Kúmúks of Dághistán. We travelled further on to the south,
leaving Regál on our left, and arrived at last in the district of Musker
at the capital of it, the pass of Alexander, the strong fortress of
Derbend.

Description of Derbend the Gate of Gates.

It is generally known that Alexander having designed to build the

dike of Gog and Magog, when he arrived at this place, thought of
executing a project for uniting the Caspian with the Black Sea, by
means of a canal which was to join the Caspian Sea with the
Phasus; but being advised by his Vezírs of the danger of this union,
as the Black Sea was a great deal lower than the Caspian, he left it
unexecuted, and built three immense walls with three ditches as a
stronghold between the Black and Caspian Seas, and as a line of
defence against the Bení Assfar Sala’at, Rús, and the people of
Crimea and Kipchák. These triple walls, on Mount Caucasus in the
mountains of Irák Dadián, with triple ditches, I, poor Evliyá, saw,
and which all those who travel from Crimea into the country of the
Kúmúks also see; by the lapse of time some of the towers are in
ruins and the ditches choked up with earth. The author of the
History of Tophet pretends that the Caspian Sea issues by
subterraneous canals cut by Alexander into the Phasus, but this is an
evident blunder, as I can most positively assert, because when I saw
the Phasus on my journey to the siege of Assov, I found its water
clear and fresh, while that of the Caspian Sea is so salt and bitter,
that it burns a man’s skin if used for purification. This is a case for
applying the Persian proverb; “Where is hearing, and where is
seeing?”
We have already mentioned in our journey to Trebisonde, that
Alexander built a strong castle on the shores of the Black Sea at the
mouth of the Phasus, and on the shores of the Caspian he built this
gate of gates or iron gate.

Size and figure of the Castle.

Yezíb Ben Abd-ul-Melek, the son of Atika, the daughter of Moavia,

took this place from the Khavarej, and the whole district of
Dághistán was then ennobled with the glory of Islám. In the year
986 (1578) Uzdemir-oghlí the Vezír of Sultán Murad III. appearing
with a great army before its walls, the Sunnís who were inside
bound Jírágh Khalífeh, the Sháh’s commander, cut off his head, and
surrendered the fortress to the Ottoman general, who was appointed
by the Porte, Governor General of Shirván. He repaired the castle
and made subject to it seventy surrounding villages. One thousand
janissaries, four regiments of Sipahís, ten of armourers, ten of
gunners, sixty cannons, five hundred boxes of ammunition and
fifteen hundred militia of Eriván completed its means of defence.
Communications were opened with the Tátárs of Crimea and
Kipchák, with the garrisons of Akhichka, Genje, Tiflís, and Shamákhí,
and the town was in a highly flourishing state, till in the beginning of
the reign of Sultán Murad IV. the troops rebelled and surrendered
the fortress to the Sháh of Persia, in whose hands at the present
time it is in a most prosperous condition. It is the seat of a khán and
judge and twelve public officers, garrisoned by nineteen hundred
good troops. I occupied a place here on the bulwark of Kainák khán,
and was extremely well treated by the khán who gave me five
tománs for the expenses of my journey.

Description of the Iron Gate.

Alexander closed this passage with an iron gate, which remained up
to the time of Núshirván by whom it was renewed. Jezdejerd Sháh,
Ismail Sháh and Uzdemír Páshá repaired the castle situated at the
foot of mount Arghan and Deneb. The foundations of the western
walls are washed by the Caspian Sea. The walls were built by
Herzsháh, as is recorded by the Persian chronostick on the gate of
the harbour. The remains of the wall of Alexander also, which was a
broad thick wall, are still to be seen projecting from the Sea. If the
government would undertake it, it would be easy to extend the
harbour from these walls up to the fortress. The length of the wall
from the sea to the high mountain is an arrow’s shot, and the
breadth of the castle itself is the same. It is built in a pentagon form
on a high hill, the strongest I ever saw during my travels; the
intelligent architect distributed it into three parts, one of which looks
eastward to mount Safah; the second gate is the entrance to the
town. In the wall which looks to Mount Arghan are also two gates,
and two others leading to the lower town; the first is called Meskúr
because it opens towards the district of that name, persons leaving
this gate in waggons, may arrive at Shamákhí in three days. Another
gate leads towards Kipchák, Crimea and Circassia. In Dághistán,
waggons with horses cannot travel, but the roads to Terek, Kazán
and Desht Kipchák are all practicable for those vehicles. The third
division of the fortress looks towards the sea; it is not so well
inhabited as the other two, as the barracks for the garrison are the
only buildings. The waggons of the merchants who come from Kílán
and Bakú with goods are all put in array in this castle; the circuit of
the whole fortress is eleven thousand paces, it has seventy towers,
at each of which is a college and a mosque. The students are
allowed Naphtha instead of candles, and are fed twice a day. In this
way they have contrived to interest the Ulemás in watching the
castle; there are besides these seventy towers, seven thousand and
sixty battlements round the fortress; on dark nights the whole
fortress is illuminated with Naphtha, which is a most necessary
precaution, as the castle is continually threatened by no less than
thirteen mortal enemies, the worst of whom are the Cossacks, who
come in boats and ravage all these districts; they cannot, however,
come near the border of the castle on account of seventy large
cannons, which defend the avenue, and whose brilliancy dazzles the
eyes of all the beholders. The other powerful enemies are the
Tátárs, Kalmúks and the Ottománs on the west side; the Circassians
on the south side; and the worst of all enemies, the Kúmúks of
Dághistán on the south-east or Kiblah side; to the east is the inimical
district of Georgia belonging to Tamaras khán: for this reason the
men of the garrison pass the whole night on the walls crying Khoda
Khob (all’s well!) There is also a post of fifty watchmen (Túlúngí)
stationed on mount Deneb at a great distance from the town; if an
enemy appears anywhere his arrival is made known to the town by
fires lighted on the top of this mountain.

Buildings within the Castle.

The stones of the wall are each of the size of an elephant, but cut
square, and are so large that fifty men at the present day, could not
lift one of them. In the castle are two hundred well terraced houses;
close to the southern wall is a large palace, the architectural
ornaments of which are not to be found in any other palace in
Persia; near to it is a great mosque with a ruined minareh, and a
bath built in the Ottoman style, and a fountain. Near the gate of
boats opening to the east, is the mosque of Uzdemir-zadeh Osmán
Páshá, with some kháns and shops. The suburb outside the castle
consists of about a thousand houses, with no imáret, but kháns,
mosques and baths. The people get their living by cultivating silk,
they are Sunnís and Shafiís, rich men, and fine youths. On the
opposite side of the Caspian Sea are the Russian provinces of
Heshdek and Kazán; and further on Kipchák and Heihát, where
twenty years ago Taissi Sháh, Moyunják Khán, and Kúba Kalmákh
Khán with fifty or sixty thousand men wandering about in the
steppes, pushed their inroads up to the bank of the Kemúklí river
and there killed Gúrgí Mustafa Páshá; these Kalmúks are all Infidels,
who have no idea of religion and faith, but are a careless slavish set
of people, some of whom now begin to come with Russian
merchants to the harbour of Derbend, which is frequented by
Chinese, Tátárs, and Russians in great numbers.
When it was governed by the Ottomans its annual revenue was two
hundred and forty-seven thousand aspers, besides the revenues of
the seven Sultáns or sanjak Begs, and the annual sums given to the
Prince of Dághistán for the preservation of peace. This is according
to the description of Zál Mohammed, made after the conquest of
Uzdemir-oghlí Osmán Páshá. The province of Shirván at present
consists of seventy jurisdictions, seven khánliks, and twelve
Sultánliks. May God bring it back to the possession of the Ottomans!

Pilgrimages.

Yezíd Ben Abd-ul-Melek, son of Atika the daughter of Moavia, came

from Damascus with a great army to make war against the heretic
rebels (Khavarej); seven hundred moslim martyrs, who were killed
on that occasion, are buried outside the western wall at a mile’s
distance. Another army came in the time of Heshám Ben Abd-ul-
Melek, which conquered the provinces of Dághistán, Kúmúk,
Thábserán, Kaiták, and Derbend. The martyrs who fell on this
occasion were also buried in this cemetery; their names are written
on the tombs in Cufic characters and in Thúlúth writing; the
inhabitants of Derbend boast that amongst this crowd of martyrs
seventy-five doctors of true tradition are buried. Amongst these
tombs some are to be seen with inscriptions in Jellí (great Neskhí) of
Ottomans, giving an account of their lives and deaths.

The Pilgrimage of the Forty.

There are forty tombs much frequented by visitors. The tomb of

Derekhorkhot, a great Saint, in whom the people of Shirván had
great faith. Several thousand great Saints are buried here, but I
visited and made myself acquainted with those only that I have
mentioned. God’s mercy upon them all! After having seen all the
curiosities of this town I received from the Khán a horse of the race
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