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
We passed the summer quarters of Ulghár, and arrived at the end of four
hours at the castle of Kínava on the frontier of Ardehán; we passed
through a mountainous tract and at last arrived at the Castle of Kara
Ardehán, which was conquered in the time of Selím I. and made the seat
of a Sanjak Beg; the khass is three hundred thousand aspers, eight
ziámets, and eighty-seven timárs; an Alaï Beg, (Colonel); Cheribashí,
(Captain); Dizdár, (Commander of the castle); are the commanding
officers of the garrison, which consists of two hundred men; the whole
contingent in war time including the troops of the Beg amounts to one
thousand men. The judge is appointed with a hundred and fifty aspers.
There is no Nakíb-ul-ishráf (head of the Sheriffs or relations of the
prophet) and its Muftí resides at Akhaska. The castle is built on a
rock, and is five hundred paces in circumference; it is not commanded
by any neighbouring height, it has two hundred and seventy towers,
and three gates. A company of armourers (Jebejí) of the Porte, is in
garrison here. In the town, the family establishment (Khandán) of Kia
Páshá is the most renowned.
_Castles in the neighbourhood of Erdehán._
The castle of Wálá, conquered by Lala Páshá 987 (1579); the castle of
Kermek, conquered by Lala Páshá in the year 982 (1574); the castle of
Akhársin, conquered by Lala Páshá in the year 982 (1574); the castles
of Mamerván and Nazarbán, the latter built by Ghází Sefer Páshá in the
year 1053 (1643); the castle Kense Dusál in the district of Erdehán
on a hill; its water flows to Erdehán. The houses all have terraces;
there is no college, but a school for boys. No gardens on account
of the temperature, which is rather cold. Its fruits come from the
castle of Tortúm and Acháras; the inhabitants are all Sunnís, and
live by agriculture. This castle is five journeys to the east of
Erzerúm; and Karss is one journey’s distance from Erzerúm by the way of
Kargha-bazár. We then passed westward sometimes on a stony and woody
ground, sometimes in rich meadows, and arrived at the castle of Gúle.
It was built by Levend-Khán, a Georgian Prince, and is the seat of a
Sanjak Beg, the khass of which is three hundred thousand aspers; it has
a Colonel, Captain, Dizdár and garrison; it is an elegant castle on a
chalk hill. Eight hours further to the west, we reached the castle of
Penek also named after its Georgian builder, it is the seat of a sanjak
Beg subordinate to Chaldir; its khass is four hundred thousand aspers.
Its feudatory militia with the troops of the Beg are a thousand men;
there is a judge with a hundred and fifty aspers, no market nor garden.
The water of the river is very good, its subjects are Armenians,
Gokdulak, and Georgians. Seven hours further is the Castle of Uliní,
built by a Georgian king, and conquered by Sultán Selím; it is the seat
of a Sanjak Beg, whose Khass is two hundred thousand and seventeen
aspers. And has a Colonel, a Captain, a Judge with a hundred and fifty
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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