It is a square castle built of stone, standing on a chalk cliff, with two gates and about a thousand houses without gardens covered with terraces. One of the two gates leads to the east, and the other to the west, there are twenty-eight mosques. The old mosque in the upper castle is covered with earth. There is no Imáret (religious foundation) covered with lead in this fortress. The mosque of Kunbet-oghlí is also covered with earth, and without a minareh. In the lower castle is the mosque of Khalíl Aghá. Besides the five legal prayers a day, there are certain lectures in all these mosques on the Korán and tradition, but there are no private rooms or establishments for these lectures. The Muderris (Professors) hold them in the mosques, the students (Thelebe) are numerous. The suburb outside of the castle is well built, and its baths pleasant, but the bath inside the castle is very small; the best is that outside the eastern gate of the castle, the waiters are fine Georgian boys; there are a great number of kháns; no vineyards (Bágh), but in some places gardens (Bághje); a large number of gardens of fruit trees (Mushebek-bostán) full of valuable trees, well watered by springs. The water of this place comes from the mountains of Uda, waters the fields of the town, goes straight to the castle of Arghán, and falls near the Castle of Kúrehkt into the Araxes. The passage between the castle and the suburb is established by a bridge; the suburb is not surrounded by walls; the market consists of about three hundred shops, but no Bezestán of stone. The temperature of this place being fresh and invigorating its people are strong and brave also; the Páshá Sefer Páshá, by birth a Georgian, is one of the most wise and virtuous Vezírs of the Ottoman Court. Eriván is six journeys from Akhashka to the east, and mid way is the Castle of Karss. From Akhaskha to Tiflís is five journeys towards the north-east, to Genje five journeys direct east, and seven journeys to the north is the castle of Georgia. The fortress of Akhaska is situated between them all in the plain of Chaldir. _Castles of Georgia belonging to the Province of Chaldir._