There are in the Ottoman Empire various castles, which bear the name of Kara-hissár, the most renowned of which is that before us. The others are Kara-hissár called Afiún (Apamea), Develí Kora-hissár, Adalia Kara-hissárí, and Ván Kara-hissárí. The two first are superior to the others. Shábín Kara-hissár is so called because a mine of alum (Sháb) was found in its mountains; the stones of the castle being black, it is also called Shabín from Shab (night, dark coloured). It was built by the Armenian kings, fell into the power of the Greek Princes of Trebisonde, and then into that of Záhir-ud-dín, the Prince of Erzenján, who conquered it on a dark night, which is another reason given for its being called Shabín. It passed into the power of Uzún Hassan, the Prince of Azerbeiján and was taken from him by Mohammed II. In the time of Sultán Selím I. it was described as a sanjak belonging to the government of Erzerúm. Its khass is thirteen thousand aspers; and there are thirty-six ziámets and nine hundred and forty timárs, which furnish, together with the men belonging to the Beg, two thousand men. The revenue of the Páshá amounts annually to forty purses. It has sometimes been given as a supplementary allowance (Arpalik) to Páshás of three tails. It was so given to Ghází Sefer Páshá, the vezir of Akhiska, in addition to Akhiska. His administrator (Motessellem) was Dervish Aghá, a Georgian and powerful commander. He once sent me on service to the valleys of Mendvál and Túsdereh by which I gained a horse, a sword, two red mules, and a Georgian boy; presented to me by himself. The judge is appointed with an hundred and fifty aspers and may annually make four thousand piastres from the different districts. There is a Muftí, a Nakíb, a Serdár, Kiaya-yerí, Subashí, Mohtessib, a Dizdár and an hundred and fifty men invested with timárs.