JOURNEY TO ERIVAN IN THE YEAR, 1057, (1647). From Erzerúm twelve hours to the east, is the castle of Hassan Kala’a which has already been described; and further on to the east, through the plain of Pássin, the village Bádil Jovánlí, an Armenian village. We passed it, and reached in nine hours the station of Meidánjik; the inhabitants are all Armenians. Ten hours further is the castle of Mishingerd in the province of Erzerúm, a square castle on a chalk cliff; which has a Dizdár and a hundred and fifty men, two hundred houses, but no market; a mosque of Sultán Súleimán Khán, without a garden. We passed to the east, through the valley of Khándere, by the ruined convent called the seven churches, through a narrow straight, and then to the west by a flowery meadow for six hours to the castle Bardúz, in the territory of Karss, built by Lady Kerím-ud-din, the daughter of King Azz-ud-din of the dynasty of the Auk-koyúnlí. The chronograph is written on the gate; there is a Dizdár and a hundred and fifty men in garrison, a small bath, but no garden. From hence we went southward to the castle of Gejkerán built by Núshirván; this is the old town of Dúdemán Gejkerán which is mentioned in the ancient histories of the wars of Pízen and Efrasiáb. It was ruined by Holagú at the same time as Baghdád, but flourished again under the government of Kara Yússúf Sháh of the family of the Kara Koyúnlí. Timúr again destroyed it. It was conquered by Lala Kara Mustafa Páshá, and now belongs to the government of Karss, it is a square castle. The karss of the Beg amounts to fifteen thousand three hundred and fifty aspers. According to the canon of Sultán Súleimán there are two thousand two hundred men including the troops of the Beg; a Dizdár, an Aghá of the Azábs and Gonullí, with three hundred men in garrison, a judge of a hundred and fifty aspers, twelve hundred houses covered with earth, three small mosques, and from forty to fifty shops. Eight hours further to the east we reached the frontier fortress of the Ottomans, the castle of Karss. There are three towns of that name; one is in Silefka, the Karss of Karatáshlik; the second, the Karss of Mera’ash, and the last that of Dúdemán, which is the present one. In the time of Murad III. it was conquered by Lala Kara Mustafa Páshá. The repairing this town after it was ruined by the Persians, was undertaken by the Ottoman generals, and on this occasion a large square marble stone was found, which they placed on the gate looking to the south-east, and which had the following inscription:—“This Castle was built under Vezír Fírúz Akaí in the time of Sultán Azz-ud-dín; and repaired by his daughter Sultana Karím-ud-dín. May God illuminate her tomb!” Lala Páshá who is the last builder of Karss, placed this stone on the wall, however, out of reverence for its ancient builders. Lala Páshá repaired it in seventy days, within which time he completed its munition. A soldier