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
know by heart the Mohammedieh, or works on the Mohammedan religion by
Yázijí-zadeh Mohammed Efendí. Some of its inhabitants have the repute
of performing miracles like Abd-ur-rahman Efendí, a pious man, who is
free of four enticements, viz. hair, brows, beard and eye-lashes; he is
descended from Hájí Bairám’s family, who had the same advantage.
_Praises of Hájí Bairám the Saint._
In his youth he was once invited by a cunning woman, who in order
to seduce the Saint, with whom she was in love, began to praise his
hair, beard, brows and eye-lashes. The Saint retired into a corner and
prayed to God that he might be delivered of these four inducements to
lust, and become of an ugly form; he then returned without a hair into
the woman’s presence, who shocked at his ugliness had him turned out
of doors by her maidens. Hence the descendants of the Saint by his
daughter actually wear short beards (Kosseh).
The rich inhabitants of the town wear Ferrájes of sable, those of
the middle class, Serhaddís of cloth and Contoshes, the workmen
Ferrájes of white linen, the Ulemas, of wool, and the women also of
wool of different colours. The climate and temperature being mild the
inhabitants are fair with red faces.
_The Eatables and Products._
The calves’ and sheep’s feet of Angora are the counter part of those of
Kútahia; the salted flesh (Pássdirma) of its goats has an excellent
perfume. These goats called Teftekgechí are of a brilliant whiteness;
of the hair is made the soft (Shalloon) of different, colours which is
worn by Monarchs. If the wool is cut by scissors it becomes coarse, but
if pulled out it is as soft and as fine as the silk of Eyúb (Job). The
poor goats, when the hair is pulled out in that way, raise lamentable
cries; to avoid this some wash them with a mixture of chalk and ashes,
by which they are enabled to pull out the hair without difficulty or
giving pain; thus the poor goats are stripped naked. The hair is then
worked into Shalloons, and both men and women are busy at making or
selling them. The Franks tried to transport the goats of Angora into
their own country, but God be praised! they degenerated into common
goats, and the stuff wove from their hair was no Súf (Shalloon). They
then took the hair of the Angora-goat and tried to work it into Sof,
but were never able to give it the true lustre (Máj). They now make of
it for their monks a kind of black shalloon, which however has neither
colour nor lustre. The inhabitants of Angora say that the exclusive
working of fine shalloon is granted to them by the miracles of Hájí
Bairám, and the water and air. Indeed the sof (Shalloon) of Angora is
the most famous in the world; the chalk also of Angora is renowned.
Its inhabitants make great journies to Frengistán and Egypt to sell
their Shalloons. There are a great number of Jews, but few Greeks and
Copts. The inhabitants are a goodnatured hospitable people. It is an
incomparable town, which may God preserve till the end of time in the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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