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
When Sultán Murad IV., on his expedition to the conquest of Eriván,
came to this country, he again pillaged the town, which is just now
rising from its ruins. It is the seat of a Sultán, who commands one
thousand men. Its officers are a Kelenter, Darogha, Múnshí, Bínbáshí,
and Dizchoken-agassí. The town is situated on a beautiful wide plain,
and consists of three thousand houses, seven mosques, seven baths,
three kháns, and six hundred shops. The youth of both sexes are
pretty; the products good and plentiful; the air salubrious and the
water excellent; it is adorned and surrounded with gardens. Among the
fruits deserve to be mentioned twelve different sorts of ruby-coloured
grapes, and eighteen sorts of cherries; some of its quinces are of the
size of a man’s head. Its waters are carried in some places through
subterraneous conduits, and are most refreshing in summer time. The
cupolas of the mosques are built in the old style of architecture, that
is to say, pointed, and are covered with china of different colours;
eleven minarehs are conspicuous, but there are altogether seventy
mihrábs. The inhabitants have been exempted from the payment of all
gifts and duties, on condition that they would rebuild the town; they
only contribute annually to the Sháh of Irán an hundred camel-loads
of dried fruits. In short, there are three towns in Azerbeiján called
Karabágh, each of which is a garden resembling Paradise. We went from
hence turning towards the Kiblah, and arrived at the place where
the river Irs joins that of Shán. We crossed it amidst a thousand
difficulties; it collects its waters from the mountains of Punyánshí
(Bínpánshí?) Bíredos, and Bághassí. Three stations below the plain of
Nakhshiván the Irs runs into the Zenghí, the Zenghí into the Aras,
the Aras into the Kúr, the Kúr into the Terek, (?) and the Terek into
the Caspian Sea. After having crossed the river we came in six hours
to Kent Kerken, which is situated in the province of Tabríz on the
frontier of Merend, consisting of three hundred houses, a mosque, a
khán, and a bath; but the inhabitants are extremely uncivil Persians;
they are all cotton weavers, of which their plain produces a large
quantity; bogassins of various colours are manufactured here.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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