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
The houses of the town, adorned with Sháhneshíns (projecting windows)
all look towards the kiblah. Its inhabitants are sound and healthy
on account of the prevalence of easterly winds. In the summer the
inhabitants repair to Mount Deshán for summer lodgings (Yaila). These
alps were given of old, when the Dánishmend family came from Mohán in
Khorassán, to the sons of Deshán and are now in possession of one of
their descendants, who receives a duty for the pasture of many hundred
thousand head of cattle. Some hundred rills and rivulets, flowing down
from these heights, water all the fields and gardens of the town. The
nature of the soil is such, that however copiously it may rain, the
fields are not productive unless watered by the rills of Deshán; but
then they become so fertile that the corn returns an hundred fold; for
one kíle at least eighty. These rills are under the inspection of a
particular Aghá, who regulates the distribution of them, for if such a
magistrate were not appointed, the inhabitants of Merzifún would kill
each other for the sake of the water. A part of the rills and sources
of Mount Deshán flow in the direction of Koprí and water its fields and
gardens; another into the district of Kaúza in the valley of Ládík;
and another still to the northward to the valley of Osmánjik. The town
of Merzifún stands on a hilly site backed by Mount Deshán. Amasia is
fifteen hours on the kiblah-side of this town, Ládík twelve, Osmánjik
sixteen, Gumish ten, and Kerkerán eight. On the northern border of
Mount Deshán stands the castle of Koja Kala’assí, looking upon the town
of Koprí. If you march from Merzifún along Mount Deshán for five hours
to the northward you arrive at Koprí, and in three journeys further at
Samssún, which is the harbour of Merzifún, it being nearer to it than
Sinope.
_Products._
Must, pure as that of Aintáb, sweet raisins, and the white bread of
Pírdedeh; six hundred shops almost all occupied by dyers, who dye a
peculiar blue even finer than the Persians. Its cotton stuffs are
exported in great quantities to Crimea and exchanged for prisoners;
the ferrájes and dresses of the inhabitants of Crimea are made of the
stuffs of Merzifún. Its spun cotton, shirts, blankets, cushions and
other printed articles are also in good estimation.
_Pilgrimage to the Saints of Merzifún._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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