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Narrative of Travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa, in the Seventeenth Century, Vol. I — John Shaqi

Narrative of Travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa, in the Seventeenth Century, Vol. IEvliya Çelebi

History

Narrative of Travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa, in the Seventeenth Century, Vol. I

Name: Narrative of Travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa, in the Seventeenth Century, Vol. I
Author: Evliya Çelebi

Evliya Çelebi

Caucasus, South -- Description and travel; Istanbul (Turkey) -- Description and travel; Turkey -- History

These six gates are all on the west side of the city, looking towards
Adrianople.

  From thence to the Iyyúb Ensárí-gate                      1,000 paces.

  To the Balát kapú-sí (the gate of the Palatium)             700

  Fánús-kapú-sí (Fanal-gate)                                  900

  To the Petrah-kapú                                          600

  To the Yení-kapú (New-gate)                                 100

  To the Ayà-kapú                                             300

  To the Jubálí-kapú                                          400

  To the Un-kapání-kapú (Flour-market-gate)                   400

  The Ayázmah-kapú (Fountain-gate)                            400

  To the Odún-kapú (Timber-gate)                              400

  To the Zindán-kapú-sí (Prison-gate)                         300

  To the Báluk-bázárí-kapú (Fish-market-gate)                 400

  To the Yení jáma’-kapú-sí (New Mosque-gate)                 300

This, which is also called the Válideh kapú-sí (Queen Mothers-gate),
was erected in order to give access to the new mosque built by that
princess.

  From thence to Shehíd kapú-sí (Martyr’s-gate)               300 paces.

These fourteen gates, from Iyyúb-kapú-sí to Shehíd-kapú-sí, all open
to the sea-shore, and face the north. The gates in the circuit of
the imperial palace (_seráï humáyún_) are all private, and are, 1.
the Kirech-jí (lime-burners); 2. the Oghrún, from which the corpses
of criminals executed in the seraglio are thrown into the sea; 3.
the Bálukchí (fishmongers); 4. the Ich ákhór (privy stable gate),
looking southward; and 5. the gate of Báyazíd khán, which also faces
the south, but is not always open. 6. The imperial (Bábi humáyún) or
gate of felicity (Bábi Sa’ádet), also open to the south, and within
it there are three gates in the same line: one of them is the (7.)
Serví-kapú-sí (the cypress gate), by which the Sultán issues when he
visits Sancta Sophia, or takes his rounds through the city in disguise;
another is (8.) Sultán Ibráhím’s gate, also opening to the south,
near the cold spring (_sóúk cheshmeh_); a third is (9.) the Sókóllí
Mohammed Páshá kapú-sí, a small gate near the Aláï-kóshk, looking
to the west; a fourth, also facing westward, is (10.) Suleïmán Khán
kapú-sí, a small gate now always shut. (11.) The iron gate (Demir kapú)
is a large portal facing the west, and appropriated to the use of the
Bóstánjís and imperial favourites (Musáhibler, _i.e._ Ἑταίροι). The
above-mentioned eight private gates, from the Akhór kapú to the Demir
kapú, all open into the city; but there are nine other private gates
opening to the sea on the Seraglio-Point, and facing the north.

  The whole circuit of the Seraglio measures                6,500 paces.

  From the Privy Stable to the Public Stable-gate
  (kháss-ú-’ám ákhór kapú-sí), there are                      200

  From thence to the Chátládí (Broken-gate)                 1,300

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Narrative of Travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa, in the Seventeenth Century, Vol. I

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