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
three hundred houses covered with bricks and surrounded with gardens;
nine mosques where the Friday prayer is performed, of which that of
Sultán Murad is the best, it had but one minareh which was throw down
by Ilderím Bayazíd. The mosque of Sultán Ala-ud-dín was repaired under
Sultán Súleimán by the architect Sinán; as it is situated in the
market-place it is much frequented. That of Murad covered with lead is
the finest. The new bath is a foundation belonging to the bath of Alí
Páshá at Tokát; in the palaces are many other baths. Of the colleges,
of which there are seven, that of Murad is the most frequented; there
are eleven schools for boys, seven kháns and eighteen fountains,
the water by which they are supplied was conducted hither by Sultán
Súleimán, in honour of the martyrs of Kerbela (who died of thirst).
The convents of Dervishes are three, but no house for reading the
korán or for tradition exists. The shops are three hundred, in which
all the necessaries of life are to be found, although this is a town
of Turkistán. The temperature of the climate gives red cheeks and good
proportions to the inhabitants, who almost all wear cloth. The fair sex
and the winter are both renowned. The Castle on the kiblah side of the
town has only been built for protection against riots and rebellion.
It has an iron gate, a commander and garrison. God knows! but it seems
to have been built since the Islám, because there is no trace of any
building of the time of the infidels.
On the day we came here the late chief barber of the Sultán arrived in
the quality of Kapijí-báshí accompanied by forty other chamberlains,
saying, that he was the bearer of the diploma of the government of
Diárbekr. The Páshá surrounded himself with all his guards, Sárija,
Segbán, Gonullí (volunteers) three hundred pages and all the Levends.
The forty kapijís entered trembling and the Páshá having asked, where
the diploma was they had boasted of, was assailed all at once by
them, but before they were able to do any harm to him, they were all
disarmed and bound by his guards and soldiers. The Segbán and Sárija
called for the executioners and were going to cut off their heads,
when the principal men of the town kissed the earth before the Páshá,
and begged the lives of these kapijí-báshís, who were, they said,
only servants executing their master’s commands and therefore should
be spared. The Páshá yielding to their prayers set them at liberty,
instead of thrashing them to death as he ought to have done. Being
liberated they went to the Mehkemeh, called the Sanjak Beg, read the
firmán and demanded in consequence that the troops should be driven
out of the town. The inhabitants remonstrated against it, showing that
they might all be in danger of being cut to pieces and their houses
burned down, if they were to undertake the least thing against the
troops. The Páshá being made acquainted in time of what was going on,
sent word to the kapijís immediately to quit the place if they wished
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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