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
and seventy men, who had lost their hands and feet, remained behind.
The next morning we continued our way amidst snow and storms through
the straight of Kirk Dilim, and arrived after eight hours painful
march at a village, the name of which has escaped my memory, whose
inhabitants had all fled upon the news of our arrival. Men and horses
during the night were nearly dying of hunger, and there was such a
gale and heavy storm of snow that in the morning it was five spans in
depth. On the signal of departure being given the Kullákjí, conductors
(Sarbán), and tent-pitchers (Mehter) assembled before the Páshá’s tent
and declared they were unable to stir. Ten piastres were promised to
the men, but they answered, “Health first, then wealth.” The Páshá
said, “My children, how is it possible to remain in this place, where
there is not a grain of provisions?” In short the Kullákjí (leaders)
could not be induced to move on until they had received a present of
fifteen purses from the Páshá. There was, however, such a storm of
wind, hail and snow that the horses danced like Dervishes Mevleví, and
the camels like Lúlús (Tatar robbers). The unhappy leaders of them
put their hands in their bosoms and uttered a piteous cry. Praise be
to God! we now entered a forest and were a little sheltered against
the wind and snow, and after a march of five hours arrived at the
great village of Bardákjí, in the jurisdiction of Gumish, consisting
of an hundred houses. From hence continuing our march to the south we
arrived in four hours at the station of Kirk Dilim, a place of two
hundred Mussulmen houses in the sanjak of Chorún. Here both men and
horses rested till the following day, when the weather clearing up we
proceeded through cultivated villages to the town of Chorúm, said to
have been built (God knows if truly) by Kilij Arslán, the Prince of
the Seljúk family, who sent his son Yakúb Mirza and some hundred sick
men to this town, where being cured, it received in consequence the
name of Chorúm. From the hands of the Seljúkides it passed into those
of the Dánishmend family from whom it was taken by Ilderím; it is now
the seat of a Sanjak Beg in the government of Sívás. His khass is three
hundred thousand aspers, nineteen ziámets, and thirty-one timárs. There
is a Colonel (Alaí-beg) a Captain (Cherí-báshí) a judge appointed with
an hundred and fifty aspers, and receiving from its districts annually
five purses, a Muftí, Nakíb, Serdár, Kiaya-yerí, Mohtessib, Súbáshí,
Inspector of the hall (Kapán Emíní) and Náíb of the town. The military
officers are in great favour because the troops are numerous and there
are a great number of bad men. Lodgings were positively refused to our
Páshá; but mediators were employed and documents were made out at the
Mehkemeh (Court of Justice), so that they were prevailed upon to give
us lodgings, but only for the space of three days. The town consists
of forty-two quarters in which are forty-two mosques, four thousand
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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