Narrative of Travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa, in the Seventeenth Century, Vol. IIEvliya Çelebi
History
Narrative of Travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa, in the Seventeenth Century, Vol. II
Evliya Çelebi
Caucasus, South -- Description and travel; Istanbul (Turkey) -- Description and travel; Turkey -- History
The interior of the fortress contains two thousand houses, and many
high palaces, but no gardens, there are seven quarters and as many
mosques, one bath and twenty shops. The mosque of Sultán Orkhán is
one hundred and ten feet square, with a mináreh of one story. Sultán
Orkhán lies buried here, and the large drum called Orkhán’s drum is
suspended in this mosque; it was used during Sultán Orkhán’s reign. The
palace in the castle was the residence of the early Ottoman Emperors
to the time of Mohammed II., who removed to Constantinople; Sultán
Murád I. having previously resided at Adrianople. Since Brússa has had
its own Bóstánjí-bashí (like Constantinople) the streets of the castle
are paved with large stones, and in some places stones are found with
inscriptions of the time of the Infidels, by which may be ascertained
how long the houses have been built; they are all built of stone,
faced with brick, and have a kind of sexangular chimneys to let out
the smoke, which look very well. In some places also grow cypress-nut
trees and vines, and from the elevation of the ground, the air is very
wholesome.
_The public Officers of Brússa._
The first is the Páshá of the Sanják, Khodavendkiár, appointed with
a revenue of 618,079 aspers kháss. There are four hundred and twenty
fiefs called ziámet and one thousand and five tímárs. The feudal
militia is commanded by an Aláï-beg, Cherí-báshí and Júz-báshí, and
assemble at the Páshá’s command in time of war. The Páshá leads five
hundred men of his own. The judge (Mollá) is appointed with 500
aspers, and is promoted from hence to the posts of Adrianople and
Constantinople, it is a high office, valued annually at forty thousand
piastres. Seven Náíbs (deputies) in the town are subordinate to the
Mollá. The five other districts are those of Kíná, Fileh, Abolonia,
Castel, and Chokúrjeh. The civil officers are, a Chokádár of the
janissaries, a chamberlain (Kápújí-báshí); the commanding officer of
the janissaries, the colonel of the armourers (Jebejí), the officer
of the Sípáhís (Kiayá-yerí); the Muftí, the head of the Sherífs, the
inspector of the silk, of the custom-house, the Voivode of the town and
the provost, who all have power of life and death.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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