Part 18

In the Moghol language it is called Túris; in the Derí dialect, Táríz; in the Dihkání, Tábríz; and in the Farsí, Tabríz: in all these dialects, _tab_ signifies fever, and _ríz_ pouring [dispersing], because the air is so salubrious, and the water of Aján so good, that people who come from regions where fever prevails, completely recover here; the fortress of Cairo is also a place where no fever is to be found. Tabríz was founded by Zobeide, Harún Rashíd’s wife, who, when pregnant with Mamún, built a pleasure-house here on account of the excellent air. Afterwards a large town was built at an immense expense, and of such extent that it took three days to go round it. In the time of Calíf Motevekel, it was ruined by an earthquake which destroyed forty thousand men. Motevekel came himself from Baghdád to rebuild the town at the expense of immense treasure. It rests on one side upon mount Aján, on another side upon mount Sehlán, on a third side upon mount Senján, and on the fourth upon the Maiden’s mount (Kiztágh). The actual circumference of Tabríz, is six thousand paces, there are three hundred towers, three thousand battlements, and six gates, viz., that of Aján, of Berserván, of Serzúd, and of Shámnemázán, each of which is guarded by five hundred watchmen. The third builder of Tabríz was Húlagú, who resided here seven years, and embellished it wonderfully: Mohammed Khodabende Ibzárgún Sháh transferred the whole palace, built by Húlagú, on camels to his new built town. The timber used in the buildings was all cypress and aloe wood, and they have been faced with china ever since. The fourth builder was Mohammed Sháh Ghazán, who extended the boundaries to the mountains of Senján, Aján, and Sehlán, and surrounded it with a wall, which required four days to make a tour of it. The town formerly built by Motevekel became then the inner castle or citadel of the new town. In the year 959, it was taken by Sultán Suleimán, who did not ravage it, but made a present of it to Sháh Elkáss Mirza. In the year 994 (1585), it was taken by the Persians. In the reign of Murad III., Uzdemir-oghlí Murad Páshá undertook the expedition into Persia with an immense army, the van of which was led by Jighála-oghlí Sinám. Osmán Páshá, one of his generals, took the town of Tabríz out of the hands of the Sháh.

To defend this town a strong citadel was then built of twelve thousand seven hundred cubits, which seems as though it had been built by Ferhád, and on the gate of which the name of Uzdemir is inscribed. Uzdemir Páshá, the fifth builder, finished the castle in thirty-six days, and filled it with all necessary stores, and a garrison of forty thousand men. But he was not so happy as to perform the Friday’s prayer, having died before it; the whole army proclaimed Jighála-zadeh Sinám their commander, who was not however confirmed in his place by the Porte, which when made acquainted with the news, named Khándin Ja’affer Páshá, formerly Governor of Tripolis; under whose government the flourishing state of Tabríz excelled even that at the time of Sultán Gházán. According to the description made in his time, Tabríz reckoned eighty thousand houses, and three hundred thousand inhabitants. During the troubles which took place soon afterwards by the rebellion of the troops, it happened, that the Persians became masters of Genje, Shirván, Shamákhí, Eriván, Nakhshiván and Tabríz, until the time of vengeance arrived in the reign of Sultán Murad IV. He conquered the fortress of Eriván in seven days, ransacked the towns of Nakhshiván, Merend and Karabágh, remained a week at Tabríz, levelled the palace of Sháh Abbás, and set fire to all the wooden houses, so that only stone buildings, such as mosques and baths, remained; after which havock he returned to Constantinople. Sháh Abbás returned, conciliated the inhabitants, and began to restore it to its former splendour. It is now the capital of Azerbeiján, and the seat of the Khán its Governor, who commands ten thousand men. Its officers are the Muftí, Nakíb or head of the Seids (Emírs), the Molla (Judge), Kelenter (Lieutenant of police), Múnshí, (Secretary), Darogha (Provost), Kúrújí-báshí (chief of the guards of the woods and heaths), Dízchoken Aghá, (commander of the garrison), Chiyek-yeyen Aghá (another officer of the troops), Yassúl Aghá (Inspector of the sentinels), and Ishek Aghá (Master of the Ceremonies) Mihmándár. These public officers keep good order in the town of Tabríz, so that justice prevails as it did in the time of Núrshírván, and no person can take a grain of mustard-seed from another.

_Description of the Mosques of Tabríz._

There are altogether three hundred and twenty mihrábs, nineteen of which are Imperial mosques. The first is the old mosque of Zobeide, the cupola and walls of which are all inlaid with china (fayence;) the mortar of the Mihráb having been mixed with musk, exhales the sweetest perfume; its minareh is also entirely inlaid with china. The mosque of Motevekel is a mosque in the old style, with one minareh, which like the former is faced with china. In the course of time the builder’s name has been lost, and it is now called Meshkieh. The mosque of Sultán Mohammed Shám Ghazán, which was formerly a splendid mosque, is now falling into decay in an obscure place; the mosque of Jihán Sháh Emín is a high building with a dome vying with that of Ták Kesra, like the mosque of Táher Bibars, at Cairo; its walls are white polished like Chinese paper, and before the Mihráb is a fine garden, the scent of which perfumes the air. The name of this fine mosque is Dihshetí-Behesht (terror of Paradise). The mosque of Sultán Hassan, the Prince of Azerbeiján, the same who built the fortress of Hassan Kala’a to the east of Erzerúm, and who was defeated by Sultán Mohammed II. in the field of Terján. He is buried at this mosque, the cupolas of which are inlaid with china inside and out; it is quite equal to the mosque of Sultán Hassan at Cairo. The minber, mihráb and mahfil are adorned with such elegant sculptures and carving, that the greatest masters of the present day would not be able to finish it in that style; the windows shine with unparalleled splendour, but the greatest masterpiece is conspicuous in the arabesques and ornaments of the great gate. Above all the gates and windows are inscriptions in the character of Yakút Mostea’assemí. On the side of the altar are two columns of a yellow stone, each of which is worth the revenue of Irán and Turán: these two columns have no equal, either in Egypt, Syria, Arabia, or Persia. The other Imperial mosques are also faced with china, paved with marble and adorned with paintings and suspended ornaments, so that each is quite a Chinese gallery. These five mosques are not however so much frequented as those in Turkey, because prayers are not performed in community, but singly by persons, who enter and leave abruptly. Opposite to the mosque of Uzún Hassan is that of Sháh Ismail, and near it that of Sháh Makssúd, the son of Sultán Hassan; the old mosque of Chármenán, the mosque of Abbás the first, and the great mosque, so large that from the great gate to the mihráb opposite, a man can hardly be distinguished.

_Colleges of Tabríz._

There are forty-seven large Colleges, where lectures are held on all sciences; the first is that of the lady of Sháh Jihán: and twenty rooms for reading the Korán (Dár-ul-kira) but they read it wrong throughout all Persia. There are seven houses for reading tradition (Dár-ul-hadíth), but the doctors of tradition are not much renowned, because they confine themselves to the tradition of Alí and the twelve Imáms, and have some thousand books on the traditions of Alí alone; six hundred schools, where boys are taught to spell and read the Korán, and are clothed once a year; one hundred and sixty convents of dervishes; six fountains, which all issue from mount Semendán. The town is besides furnished with seven canals of water, and there are one thousand and forty Sebíls, or places for distributing water, which are well covered. The town is divided into one thousand and sixty quarters which are called Derveze. The water magazine (serdáb) which was cleaned by Uzdemir Páshá furnishes the water of the canals. One thousand and seventy palaces of great men, two hundred caravánseraïs, seventy kháns for merchants and one hundred and ten for single workmen; seven thousand market streets (Súk) many of which are vaulted like those of Haleb; and a great Bezestán, which is the seat of the richest merchants, with four iron gates.

_Praise of the Air and Climate._

By the mildness of the climate the inhabitants are all healthy and stout, with red cheeks and black beards, merry faces, and lips like rose-buds; the women are pretty, and conscious of the fairness of their skins are extremely proud; those advanced in age are of sweet company, so that the proverb, “the old is sweeter than the young,” may well be applied to them. The inhabitants are all Shiís or Mulhad (impious), a great number are Dumbúlí, Khaljání, Turcomans, and Gokdúlák. There are two thousand Ulemás, amongst whom are excellent doctors, surgeons and oculists. There are more than seven thousand pious Sheiks, who are much esteemed in this town, the inhabitants never do any thing without consulting them, but their sect is not exactly known. Eighty-two most eloquent poets, authors of Diváns. Yárí and Shábí are the Saíb and Unfí of their time. Of the Mujazib or Santons (Saint fools) we saw Sherímí, whom no person ever saw eating, drinking, lying down, sleeping, or performing any of the natural offices of life for seventy years. The Persians are generally called Kizil-básh or red heads, because they wrap red sashes round their heads, though many of them also wear the Mohammedan white turban; but the cap is always pointed, and that of the Ulemás, which is called Táj, or crown, is more than two yards long. The great men wear sable.

_Account of the Persian Crown (Táj)._

The shape is founded on a dream of Ibrahím, the founder of the dynasty of Sefí; he dreamt that he bore a child to an ass, that had seventy fingers. This dream having been interpreted as foreshadowing the Empire, he swore, that if it should be fulfilled, he would commemorate the circumstance, by wearing an asinine phallus in his turban, and by imitating the cries of the animal in music. This is the reason why the Persian crown and head-dress have the present shape, and why their music resembles the braying of an ass.

The purity of the air drives away all fevers, and prolongs life to the age of one hundred and seventy years. The water issues from mount Semenden, and is distributed into more than nine hundred conduits and pipes, which furnish the town with water. The water aids digestion, and like the air is rather cold. There is also good water in wells, but the water of the canals is better; some of the wells are from forty to fifty cubits deep, in the summer their water is cold, and in the winter it is warm. Astrologers say that Tabríz was built by Zobeide, under the influence of the sign of the scorpion when ruled by Mars, and that for this reason, it has been so many times disturbed and ruined by rebels and by conquerors, such as Timúr, Gengíz, Húlagú, and Murad IV.

There are twenty-one pleasant baths each with one or two basins, a half soffa, and fountains (jets d’eaux). The attendants are fine youths, the water and air are excellent. Besides the public baths there are seven hundred private ones, where the silver-bodied youth swim like angels of the sea. On the china or fayence of these baths, is written the famous poem of Fozúlí, called the poem of the bath (Kassideí Hamám). There are seven sorts of corn growing at Tabríz, besides an abundance of barley. There are also seven sorts of cotton.

_Arts and Handicrafts, Provisions, Fruits, Beverages, Gardens, &c._

Painters, architects, goldsmiths, and tailors are nowhere to be found so perfect as here. Precious stuffs manufactured here go all over the world; the velvet is much renowned. The provisions consist of the white bread called Kerde, and Súmún, cracknels, pastry, roasts, chicken pies, forty different kinds of pilaw with spices, the Herisse and sweetmeat, Palúde. Among the abundance of delicious fruits are particularly the pears and exquisite apricots, they are not found in such perfection even at Constantinople. The beverages consist of seven sorts of Muscat wine, the common wine of the Royal grape, the pomegranate, the cherry wine, and oxymel; and for the common people búza of millet and rice.

There are some dining establishments for the poor, such as the Imáret of Sháh Yakúb, of Sultán Motevekel, of Lady Zobeide, and of Sultán Hassan, large buildings with kitchens worthy that of Keikavús, but in the hands of the Persians they have all decayed.

The principal walk is the mount Surkháb (Red-water) near Tabríz; at noon the sea of Rúmie may be distinguished from the top of it; it is at a farsang distance from Tabríz.

The number of gardens amounts to forty-seven thousand, the finest is that of Sháh Yakúb, where the Khán gave me a splendid entertainment. Eleven times in the day, seventy dancers and singers exerted themselves in the practice of their art, so that it resembled an evening party of Hossein Bikara. This garden owes its origin to Koja Ferhád Páshá, Governor of Tabríz under Sultán Murad III., who adorned it with numerous koshks, bowers and pleasure-houses; and at the time of the pillage of the town by Murad IV., this garden was preserved by the care of Osmán Aghá. The Chronostic of the koshk where we dined, alluding to the name of the builder, says that, Ferhád built this sweet (Shirín) palace. The walk of Sháh Sefí cannot be praised enough. It is the place of the Maïl; in the centre of it two immense columns lift their tops up to Heaven; on one of them every Friday a silver plate is put, which is aimed at by all the bowmen, who shoot at it, encouraged by the presence of the Khán. On New Year’s day (Nevrúz) or the beginning of spring, battles are fought in this place by horses trained in the dark during forty or fifty days, by camels, buffaloes, sheep, asses, dogs, and cocks. These fights are peculiar to Persia. Every year on the tenth of the month Moharrem, being the feast of A’ashúra, all the population of the town assemble under tents in this large place, and during three days and nights cook many thousand dishes of A’ashúra (a kind of hotch-potch), in remembrance of the martyrs of Kerbela; these dishes are distributed with an abundance of sugar-sherbet, which is carried round in crystal vases, and cups of cornelian and turquoise: at the same time singing certain verses, such as “Their Lord gave them of the purest beverage.” Some of the great men on this day carry cans and tankards round their necks, and go about distributing water like common porters. But the finest show is in the variegated tent of the Khán, where all the great men of Tabríz are assembled, and where a Hymn on the death of Hossein is recited, in the same manner as the Hymn on the Prophet’s birthday is in the Turkish mosques. The hearers listen, sighing and lamenting, but when the reciter arrives at the passage where Hossein is killed by accursed Shabr, a curtain opens behind him, and a severed head and trunk of a body, representing that of the Imám when dead, is thrown on the ground, when there rises such an uproar of cries and lamentations that everybody loses his wits. At this moment some hundred men mingle in the crowd with razors, with which they cut the arms and breasts of all loving believers, who desire to shed their blood on this day in remembrance of the blood shed by the Imám; they make such deep incisions and scars, that the ground appears as if it was blooming with tulips. Some thousands brand the marks and names of Hassan and Hossein on their heads, arms, and breasts. They then carry Hossein’s body away from the ground with much pomp, and finish the ceremony with great howlings.

The town has numerous fine walks and pleasure grounds, each of which may be compared to the gardens of Ispúze and Merám. The beautiful koshks worthy to be the seats of Sherín and Ferhád, of Wámik and Azra, are every where renowned; but I must refrain from their praise and description, as I have yet so many other things to mention. God be thanked! I remained here two months, which I spent in full pleasure and delight, and I shall now give the description of the districts and castles, which I visited in the Khán’s company. Round Tabríz are seven districts, which furnish military men, whose office is to train birds and dogs for hunting.

The first is the district of Mehránrúd, five farsangs to the east of Tabríz, the three places Koraúkendrút, Isfenj-kent, and Sa’ád-abád are like large towns, with numerous mosques, kháns and baths. The second district is that of Sera-vurúd on the west side of Tabríz; containing eighty well cultivated villages. The third district is that of Dídeher, four farsangs south-west of Tabríz, twenty-four kents with mosques, kháns, baths and gardens. The fourth district is that of Ardenik, on the west side of Tabríz at only a farsang’s distance; thirty well cultivated villages. The fifth district is that of Rúdkát behind mount Sorkháb, and north of Tabríz, at a farsang’s distance from it; a hundred great kents with gardens, mosques, markets, &c. The sixth district, that of Khánumrúd; twenty elegant villages. The seventh, that of Bedostán behind Rúdkát; seventy villages. If I were to describe minutely all the hunting and pleasure parties on which I accompanied the Sháh for the space of twenty days, it would alone fill a book, because Tabríz is like Isfahán, one of the finest towns in the world. God grant its possession to the Ottomans, and keep it from ruin!

_Account of a curious Conversation._

One day being in company with the Sháh he presented me with the purest wine. I said, “By God! with God! through God! and by Ali’s purest spirit, since I was born I never drank wine or any other spirituous liquor, and since our great ancestor Khoja Ahmed Yessúí, none of our family have ate or drank any thing of an intoxicating quality. I beg, therefore, to be excused by you.” The Khán said, “My beloved and darling brother, what are you afraid of; if it is of your Emperor, he is five months journey from you; if it is of your Khán (the Páshá), it is forty days distance from Erzerúm to Tabríz. The Khán of the Sháh of Irán and the dog of Alí, my Sháh, has expressly forbidden me to drink a drop of wine; what do I care for that, I drink it secretly and delight in it; follow my example.” I said, “Very well, my Khán, if your Sháh has prohibited it to you, it is prohibited to me by the express command of the Sháh of Sháhs, the Lord of Lords, who says in the Korán, ‘wine, gaming and fortune-telling are Satan’s work:’ it is of this Lord, that I am afraid.” “You are,” said the Khán, “a rigorous Methodist (Mutea-assib).” “By God!” replied I, “I am no Methodist but only a true follower of the orthodox sect of Na’amán Ben Thábet, and a true lover of the Prophet’s family.” At this reply the whole company became silent, the Khán rose up with all his youthful attendants, and sitting down close to me, he said, “My dear Evliyá Aghá, which of these my favourite servants would you like to have, I will make you a present of him if you drink a cup of wine out of his hand. Come drink a glass, if you love red Alí and the twelve Imáms; let us be warm of head and tender of heart, let us enjoy a moment of delight in this perishable world.” So saying, all the youths came to salute me, and I returned their salutes; yet did I implore at the same time Heaven’s assistance, and then said, in answer to his further pressing requests; “You drink wine to get into good humour, but the first thing is to be good-humoured in God; I beg you will let me have a half-drum to accompany my own song, in order to show you how people get good-humoured in God.” “Be it so,” said he, “for Alí’s sake bring a half-drum to Evliyá, my brother;” I took it, and sang three tetrastichs on Divine Love, in the tune Sigáh, which made all the hearers appear as though they were drunk. The Khán, being extremely pleased, invested me with his own sable pelisse, gave me a thousand praises, and a Georgian slave as a present, ten tománs of Abbássí, and a racehorse (Karajubúk). “Now,” said he, “I will not plague you any more with a request to drink wine,” and I continued to enjoy his conversation undisturbed during a whole month, feasting every night. I spent this time observing all that was worth seeing at Tabríz, the good order and government of which is worthy of all possible recommendation. The inhabitants are merry, but orderly people, and I never saw a drunkard in the streets. It is in their praise that the verse was composed, which says, “The people of Tabríz, though given to pleasure, are as pure as the glass of a mirror; and if you say they are not true to friends, you must know that the mirror only reflects the object before it as it really appears.”

_General Praise of Tabríz._

The first and most agreeable properties of Tabríz is the abundance of water, by which means the streets are washed and cleansed from all dust, as though it was continually New Year’s day. The second praiseworthy circumstance is, that the Sherífs or descendants of Mohammed do not give their daughters indiscriminately to servants, but only to their equals. They proposed the following nice point to me, saying:—“You take Infidel girls as women, because you say that the man plants the seed, and that is very well; but you also give your own daughters to Moslíms, who were first Infidels and afterwards converted; now if this new Moslím relapses into his former error, what then becomes of the children, who though their mother be a true descendant of the Prophet, may become apostates and fly into the land of the Infidels?” I answered, with the tradition of the Prophet, which says, “that even the children of Christians and Jews are born true Moslims, but that they are afterwards seduced into error by their parents.” There was no reply to that. The third good thing is that all sales are transacted with Persian money coined in the country, and that no foreign coin is received. Money is coined in seven towns, viz. at Erdebíl, Hamadán, Baghdád, Isfahán, Tiflís, Nehávend, and Tabríz. The inscription on one side is, “There is no God, but God, and Mohammed is the Prophet, and Alí the friend of God;” on the reverse is the name of the Sháh, with the epithet of Alí’s dog: their small coins or pennies are called Kázikí, they bear only the place of the coinage on one side, and the date of the year on the other: on their measures and weights are also written the words, “There is no God but God,” and who dares to cheat in the name of God is blinded by a heated stone drawn over his eyes. Before their shops and markets, scales of yellow brass are suspended, which are never taken away, but always remain, and all eatables and drinkables are sold by weight according to the fixed market prices; even corn and wheat are sold by weight. The fourth good things are the cookshops, fitted-up with china and furnished with plates of the same material; they are opened with prayer as usual in the morning, and then filled with all kinds of pilaws, and stewed meat (Herisse), which are also sold by weight. The waiters, clean and smart, stand with pewter dishes under their arms, on which are inscriptions like the following: “No nobility above the Islám;” “The nobility of the place depends upon who occupies it;” “The nobility of the house depends upon its inhabitants; and the nobility of the inhabitants upon their generosity.” After dinner these waiters bring clean basins and cans for washing, but vulgar people (Tolúnkí and Tokir) wipe their right hand under their left shoulder, and their left hand under the right.