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
to the siege of Gonia, it is he that proclaimed first the Mohammedan
prayer on its walls; he is a traveller of the world, a good companion
of mankind, a Háfiz (who knows the Korán by heart) and a warrior in
the ways of God.” Having asked pardon for me in this gentle manner,
the Páshá said, “His duty was to collect troops and not to assist at
the siege of Gonia, I will not pardon this fault unless he finishes in
eight hours the recital of the Korán (Khatem sheríf).” I began with the
Bismillah and finished in somewhat more than nine hours, after which I
kissed the earth before my gracious Lord, and received from him a sable
pelisse, a thorough bred horse, two fine boys, and a sinecure; so that
I now spent all my time both day and night in pleasure.
_Moral Reflections._
The end of all joy is disappointment, and the end of every day is
bitter. There is no doubt about this. So at the end of this 1075th
year we received the news by a swift messenger despatched from
Constantinople, that Sultán Ibrahím had killed without reason the Grand
Vezír Sáleh Páshá, and had appointed in his place Tezkereji Ahmed
Páshá. Though this news greatly afflicted the Páshá yet he kept it
secret not to spoil the pleasure of the company, and transacted the
rest of his business at Erzerúm. Sáleh Páshá, who had been one of the
favorite slaves of the father of our Governor, had for this reason
given him the government of Erzerúm; but the present Grand Vezír, ever
since he had been the Tezkerejí of Kara Mustafa Páshá, had become his
mortal enemy. He kept however this secret to himself and continued to
feast in his tent with his guests, Sídí, Ketgáj, Bákí and Dilaver Páshá.
(_Here follows the separate history of these four Páshás and of the
Governor, which we omit. In the chapter of Sídí Páshá it is mentioned
that playing at jeríd one day with Evliyá he broke four of his teeth._)
_Account of our return from Erzerúm to Constantinople in the month of
Zílka’deh 1057 (1647)._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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