Part 19

_Bad and reprehensible things in Irán._

It is a bad custom in Persia that only twelve classes of the troops and as many of the Ulemás and the other ranks of society are allowed to have regular kitchens in their houses; all the rest eat from the market, therefore, although their dinner is cheap it is very bad. The army has its cooks, who cook in that way at a fixed price, so that they are not allowed to take a grain more or to furnish a grain less than the established quantity. When the army takes the field, the kitchen is established in tents made of felt.

Another bad thing in Persia is that they do not kill or hang their delinquents, but the Darogha and Mohtessíb (two officers of police), bring them to the public place, where the executioners torment them in a most cruel manner; during three days and nights, they inflict on them three hundred and sixty different kinds of torture. They first give them three hundred strokes of the whip and Korbáj, press their knees, introduce reeds under their nails, cauterize the whole body with fire, force them to swallow greasy rags with a rope attached, which if dragged out again brings the stomach and bowels with it; nail their hands and feet down, bore holes in the elbows and knees, and then pour melted lead in the holes so that the lead runs out with the marrow: they tie the four first fingers and toes tight together, suspend the delinquent and perfume him with sulphur and asses’ urine, so that the poor men’s cries pierce the skies; they cut pieces out of the back, and attach burning candles to the shoulders; they squeeze the testicles, tickle the nose with pointed thorns, put iron kettles on the head, and blind the eyes; and inflict even more horrible tortures than those already described. God forgive us our sins! They paralyse thieves by cutting the sinews. They cut off the ears, noses, and hands and feet of false witnesses, and fasten other delinquents to seven different kinds of gibbets and pales, and leave them so exposed during three days and nights. The Khán having one day glorified himself with these cruel tortures, in my presence, I asked him, “What was the object of such manifold cruelties;” he said, “That death being pronounced on these culprits, the tortures were added, in order to terrify others by the example.” I said, “That it was not lawful, because the text of the Korán states no other punishment for thieves but cutting off the hand, and retaliation in cases of murder; and that this was quite sufficient to keep the people in terror and awe.” He was obliged to acknowledge that I was right. These additional tortures have been contrived by them, because their people are all riotous and heretical, that they may be kept in order the easier. So they established it as law.

_Pilgrimages and Visits in the town of Tabríz._

In the cemeteries are many places of pilgrimage of great and holy men. In the cemetery of Súrkháb are the tombs of poets, such as Enwerí, Khakání, Zahír-ud-dín Faryábí, Felekí of Shíráz, and Felekí of Shirván.

Of Saints buried in the neighbouring villages, there are, in the village of Gúchúchán the Saint Khoja Mohammed Gúchúchání; in the village of Sabádabád, no less than seven hundred learned writers. Essáma Ben Sherík, the Prophet’s companion is buried near Tabríz on the martyrs’ mount; and Sárut-ul Jebel, the brother of Hamza, who was carried wounded from the battle of Nehávend to Tabríz, died here. The Sheikh Sejid-ján Memí, a writer deeply versed in ancient and modern sciences and in mystics. On mount Súrkháb, two children of Alí are buried; in the quarter of Serde the place is shown where Efasiáb’s head is buried. Sheikh Nassr-allah, the son of Ak-Shems-ud-dín. It would be too long to describe all the monuments which exist at Tabríz, and we contented ourselves with these.

_Description of the Expedition we undertook with the Khán to Shám Gházán._

We left Tabríz accompanied by one thousand horse, and after a march of five hours through flowery gardens came to Kent Ajisú, half way to Kúmla, two hundred houses with gardens belonging to the Khán’s khass, a mosque and three convents. The waters of this plain are subterraneous, flowing from village to village, and there are some thousand wells on the great roads, this place is called A’jisú (bitter water) because its water is a little brackish. We continued our road next day to the burying-place of Mohammed Shám Gházán; it is called so because this country bears great resemblance to Damascus (Shám). Mohammed Gházán Sháh built this castle, and peopled it with from ten to twelve thousand subjects free from all duties and gifts. He then built this monument, which has no equal either in Arabia or in Persian Irák, it is a tower lifting its head to the skies like that of Galata. When I saw it, it was a little damaged on the side of the gate by an earthquake; it is a monument well worth seeing. I entered it with the Khán, said a Fátíhah, and read the inscription on the marble coffin. More than two hundred Dervishes inhabit the convent; outside of the gate, piles of sheep’s heads are erected, many thousand sheep being immolated here by the inhabitants of Persia, who have great confidence in this place; a well ten yards deep affords refreshing water in summer.

The name of Shám Gházán is a corruption of the Moghol language, in which this Prince is called Shanb, whence Shám originated. The castle which bears his name on Mount Welián is now in ruins. At the foot of it is the Kent-Welián consisting of three hundred houses with a fine mosque, khán and bath, founded by the Vezír Rashíd-ud-dín Dembolí. We reached after five hours from hence, the Castle of Kúmla, built by Koja Ferhád Páshá, the Vezír of Sultán Murad III. in the year 998 (1589), it is a square castle at the foot of Mount Welián. It is eighty paces in circumference, has seven towers, and two gates, one to the east and one to the west; the eastern one is that leading to Tabríz. It was from this place that Ja’afer Páshá, when besieged by the troops in rebellion, made a sally at night, and completely routed the rebels. He afterwards built this gate. Within the castle are seven hundred houses and a mosque; the suburb forms the town of Kúmla, which abounds in gardens; the grapes and pears of Kúmla are much celebrated. There are seventy mosques, eleven of which are Jamiís (wherein Friday prayer is said), the best is that of Ferhád Páshá. It is the seat of a Sultán subordinate to Tabríz. A Kelenter and Darogha keep public order; a Sultán is here the same as in Turkey a Sanjek Beg, and a Begler Beg is called a Khán; a Vezír of three tails is called Itimád-ud-devlet; a Commander-in-chief (Serdár) is here named Sipehsalár; Múnshí answers to the Turkish Reis Efendí; Kelenter is the same as Alaï Beg, that is to say Colonel of the Militia, and Darogha is the same as Súbashí or Lieutenant of police; the head of the Chaúshes or ushers here takes the name of Yessaúl Aghá, and the Aghá of the Dízchoken is the same as an Aghá of the janissaries in Turkey. The names of Kúrúji, chief of the forest guards, and Mihmándár or travelling commissary, are common both to Turkey and Persia. We advanced from hence five hours to the district of Serawerd, a great Kent north-west of Tabríz, with a mosque, khán, and bath. We were entertained here during a whole night by the Kelenter, and continued our journey next day, hunting along the river Serawerd to the Kent-Dúsht, where we dined and halted a little. We proceeded for six hours to the Kent-Jevlán Dorúk in the district of Serawerd on the river of that name, with one thousand houses, a bath and mosque. Further on is the Kent of Kánidlis, three hundred Moslim houses and a mosque; the Armenians have three churches and three thousand houses. Three hours further is the Kent-Lákid, the khass of Rokhsháh’s Lady; the inhabitants are Armenian weavers, there are two thousand houses, a mosque, a khán, and three convents; on the mount of Serawerd stands a ruined castle. The Kent of Kujabád has five hundred houses, a khán, a mosque and a bath. We now went eastward to the district of Rudkát on the north of Tabríz behind mount Sorkháb, a district of a hundred Kents, which we passed in hunting during three days.

_Description of Merágha._

It is the seat of a Sultán commanding a thousand troops, and has a Judge, Kelenter, Darogha and Múnshi; it was built in the earliest time by Húshenk-sháh, and is the first town of Azerbeiján and its ancient capital, surrounded with fruitful gardens, eleven farsangs distant from Tabríz; eleven mosques, forty kháns, sixty mesjíds, forty convents of Dervishes, eleven baths and three thousand shops. The inhabitants are all weavers, who manufacture excellent Bogassin. The beautiful youth of both sexes at Merágha are everywhere renowned. The town has risen from its ruins since the havoc it suffered from the army of Sultán Murad III. Its builder in the time of Islám was Merván Ibn Mohammed Al-Himár, in whose time it extended to Mount Sehend and comprised seventy thousand houses; but since it was destroyed by the Moghols in Húlagú’s time, the buildings are at some distance from Mount Sehend, which as it intercepted the north wind, was the reason that the air of its former situation was so heavy. The water, however, issues from the mountain, and abundantly furnishes the houses and gardens. Its pomegranates and cotton are famous, the inhabitants are white and gazelle-eyed, of sweet words and shining faces; a great part of them secretly follow the orthodox rite of Hánefí. They mostly speak Pehleví; the whole country is divided into eight districts, viz.: Serajún, Penajún, Jerút, Kaodúl, Hestrúd, Behsánd, Engúrán, and Kizilorán; each district containing from eighty to one hundred cultivated kents; altogether five hundred and sixty kents, sixty towns, and seven castles; the description of which, if we could undertake it in detail, would alone fill a volume. We left Meragha and entered the district of Túrnachairí, wherein the town of Aján is situated; the kent of Petiker of one thousand houses is situated in this district.

_Description of Aján._

On the east side of mount Aján a large town was built by Peshen the son of Keiúmerth, and, being ransacked by Húlagú, fell into decay, so that all its inhabitants were transferred to Tabríz; it was rebuilt by Gházán, who also built a castle of two thousand paces in circumference on the edge of the mountain, with an iron gate opening to the east; within it are one hundred houses, but no garrison, outside there are three thousand houses, seven mosques, three baths, seven kháns, and six hundred shops. The water comes from mount Aján; the inhabitants are Sháfiítes, but keep their doctrine secret, they are merry fellows (Ehl meshreb), and no rigourists (Ehl mezheb). The Armenians have two convents. After having seen the town we continued our journey, hunting, to the district of Mehránberúd, five farsangs to the east of Tabríz, of sixty great kents. We passed those of Werd, Isfej and Saídabád, built by a Vezír of that name in the time of Sultán Tahmurass, a large kent of two thousand houses, seven mosques, a khán and bath, which was ransacked by Sultán Súleimán in his way to Baghdád, but escaped the havoc of Sultán Murad. We remained one night here and next day proceeded seven hours towards the south-east to the Kent of Mán, built by Máhkúr the daughter of Khodabende; nine hours further we arrived at the castle of Kehreván built by Sháh Tahmáss, out of fear of Sultán Súleimán. At the time of the expedition of Kojá Ferhád Páshá, as soon as he arrived at Baghdád, he sent the General Solák Ferhád Páshá against this place, who besieged the castle in vain during seventeen days. This Khán Meimendí made continual inroads, till at Tabríz he was completely routed by Ja’afer Páshá of Tabríz, who took seven thousand heads and five thousand prisoners from him. The next day Ja’afer set out with seventy thousand men for the siege of Kehreván, which was taken on the third day. Meimendí being brought into the presence of Ja’afer Páshá, his ear was cut off, his property confiscated and himself hanged at the gate of the castle, the keys of which were sent to Sultán Murad; there is even now a mosque named after Sultán Murad: it remained eleven years in the hands of the Ottomans. It is situated on a hill on the road to Baghdád; it is six thousand paces in circumference, and has two gates, one to the south, and one to the north; its Sultán commands one thousand men. The suburb consists of seven thousand well-terraced houses, and sixty mosques, in eleven of which public prayer is performed on Friday, seven baths, eleven kháns, and eight hundred shops; the sheets and blankets manufactured here are celebrated. We advanced seven hours further eastward, to a large kent embellished by a mosque of Jíghála’s son; and nine hours further on we arrived at the large town of Erdebíl, the first residence of the Persian Sháhs of the Safí dynasty. It has been taken and retaken several times by both Ottomans and Persians, and is now the seat of a Khán, who commands three thousand men; it is a day’s journey from mount Seilán, and is surrounded by high mountains at the same distance; it lies in a fertile valley close to a lake. It was built by an Armenian King in fear of Omar’s power, in the same year that Sáriet-ul-jebel was sent to Nehavend; this is one of the principal reasons why Omar is so much hated by the Persians, who do not show so much dislike to Abúbekr and Osmán. This town formerly extended as far as mount Seilán, from which it is now two farsangs distant; the farsang is equal to twelve thousand ordinary paces, so that two farsangs are equal to twenty-four thousand paces. The top of Seilán is always covered with snow, which shines like silver in the middle of summer, and furnishes all the water of the town; it is a very digestive water, which enables the inhabitants to feast like Ma’adikarb. The inhabitants pretend to be Sháfiítes; they are great liars. The distance between Tabríz and Erdebíl is twenty-five farsangs, which with a good horse may be gone over in two days. The climate much resembles that of Erzerúm; hard winter, and a fruitful soil, the corn multiplying eighty fold: there are no fruit-trees and vines, but gardens for vegetables and rosebeds.

The lake near Tabríz on the east side is covered with many hundred fishing-boats, on the west it is but a farsang’s distance from Rúmie; between Erdebíl and the lake the country is covered with wood, and villages are interspersed in the forest; there are seventy sorts of fish; the boats on the lake also trade to Rúmie, Dúmdúmí and Dúmbúlí; the circumference of this lake is greater than that of Wán, a man may go round it in ten days; the water of the lake of Wán is bitter as poison, but this is sweet as the water of life. Its depth is seventy cubits. This lake was produced on the birthnight of the prophet, when the vault of Chosroes, and that of Ayá Sófiyah, and the idols of Mecca fell down by an earthquake; forty-five large and small springs flow into it; the river Seilán which affords water to Erdebíl, the river Kuherán and others fall into this sea. On the banks of the river Seilán lies a large round mass of iron, three quintals in weight, extremely well polished, on which ancient philosophers have written a kind of Hebrew inscription with a figure lifting its two arms up to Heaven; if rain is wanted this stone is carried in procession into the town, and it never fails to rain day and night without ceasing till the stone is replaced. The basis on which this marvellous stone reposes is a large rock, covered with strange inscriptions; it also has twelve holes, from which as soon as the iron mass is rolled away, water begins to rush forth, and ceases not until the stone is returned to its place. Some persons assert this to be the stone which Moses struck in the desert, others believe that this miracle is performed in favour of Sheikh Safí; be it as it may, it is a great talisman. Erdebíl is famous for its immense number of mice which are great destroyers of cloth. Cats are, therefore, so dear that they are sold in cages by public auction; some of Dívrígui fetch the price of a hundred piastres, but they are short-lived like all cats of Erdebíl. The cryers at the auction call out; “A good hunting cat, well bred, a good companion, an enemy to rats, which steals not!”

_Places of Pilgrimage at Erdebíl._

The first of all is the tomb of Sheikh Safí, the son of Sheikh Khoja Alí, the son of Sheikh Sadr-ud-dín Mússa, the son of Sheikh Safr-ud-dín Abú Ishák of Erdebíl, the founder of the dynasty of the Safís. His tomb-keepers are some hundred dervishes, a large foundation. Sheikh Safí governed only in a spiritual sense; his son Hyder was his successor, and Ibrahím the son of Hyder having dreamt of concubinage with an ass, his possession of the Empire was foretold by his grandsire Sheikh Safí; indeed Sheikh Ibrahím was the first who enjoyed the rights of sovereignty; from Sheikh Safí to Sháh Abbás are five Sháhs who coined money. We left Erdebíl, marched nine hours further to the north, and came to Kent Rarám, a kent of six hundred houses with gardens; eight hours further we came to the Kent Yár Alí, three hundred houses, a mosque, no khán or bath, but a large number of shops and a weekly market; six hours further to the north, the Kent of Merzáde Amád in the district of Dídher, eight hundred houses. After eight hours, we arrived at Tabríz again, where I remained some days more, passing from one entertainment to another. Letters were now written for the kháns and commanders of the places I was to pass through on my return, and the letter of the Khán to the Páshá made ready. The presents sent to him consisted of ten camel loads of rice, dried raisins, dried pears, pomegranates, and two racehorses of the breed Karajubúk, four trotting horses, and two boys dressed in precious cloth perfumed with musk. To me he gave ten tománs Abbássí, a Georgian slave, a Persian pelisse, a Persian dress, six turbans, and a string of camels, loaded with rice, a black horse of the race Karajubúk, a trotting one (Chapár-átí), with Persían bridle and saddle. I took leave of all my friends, and next day left Tabríz in grand procession with the khán, accompanied by the Royal music of trumpets and kettle drums. We halted at the place Ain Alí, where a grand dinner, and five tománs Abbássí more, were given to me for the expenses of the journey. My suite received twenty tománs of aspers, a piece of velvet, three of Alas, and six turbans. The Khán recommended me to the care of a Yessavúl Aghá, who was to escort me with three hundred men, embraced me, and returned to Tabríz, while we took the road to Eriván.

JOURNEY FROM TABRIZ TO ERIVAN.

In God’s name we set out from Tabríz to the north, and reached the Kent Hají Harámí, of three hundred houses surrounded with rose gardens; a foundation of Shám Ghazán, whose tomb may be seen from hence. The next day the Kelenter took leave, and we continued our way to Kent Safián, which was formerly a great kent, but has since been ruined by the Mogols and still more by Sultán Murad IV., it is a delightful place on the territory of Tabríz. Some learned men and writers are buried here, but I don’t know their names; there are more than twenty cupolas. In the month of Moharrem on the day of A’ashúra, the feast in commemoration of the murder of Hossein is celebrated here with great pomp, the people are all Sháfiítes. Further to the north we reached Mezídkhán on the frontiers of Tabríz; five hundred houses covered with terraces, two mosques, a very spacious khán, a bath and royal market-place. Seven hours more to the northward is the station of Kent Keremish, on the frontier or Nakhshiván; a thousand houses, seven mosques, a khán and bath. Our way now led northward through marshy grounds, and we pitched our tents on the borders of Wishlechaí. This river issues from the mountains of Nahkshiván and joins the Aras. We suffered much from dust here, and after two hours travelling reached the castle of Khúí, a fine town of Azerbeiján, the seat of a Sultán, who commands a thousand men; the public authorities are a judge, Muftí, Darogha, Kelenter, Nakíb, Múnshí, Kúrújí and Dízchoken Aghá. The castle is built in a square form on the plain, its circumference is seven hundred paces; the ditch is not very deep. Of its two gates one leads to the south, the other to the west; it contains a hundred houses and a mosque. Its builder was Ferhád Páshá, but the old town was built by Sháh Haider, and it has been sacked more than once since. This suburb or outer town consists of seven thousand houses with terraces, seventy mosques, eleven of which are Jamis, two baths, seven kháns, and a thousand shops with gardens. I and my boys measured the circumference, which is ten thousand paces. The air is rather warm and favorable therefore to the culture of rice. The river issues from Mount Selmás, and flows into the Araxes. The fruits are famous, above all the Prophet-pears, which have no equal in sweetness and delicious taste. Owing to the mildness of the climate, the inhabitants are all white, and the women are innumerable. Some historians call this town Asháristán, Iránistán or Turkistán. Its districts reckon one hundred and eighty villages, the inhabitants of which are for the most part Sunnites, Sháfiítes, who paid a capitation tax to Sháh Ismail for the privilege of letting their beards grow (Sakál Túlí), but have been exempted since the time of Sháh Sefí.

_Pilgrimage to the Tomb of Shems Tabrízí._

He died in the year 495 on his way from Antiochia to Isfahán, in this town of Khúí. After a stay of two days, we continued our journey with two hundred armed guards to the north, and arrived at the end of nine hours at the town of Behestán, the seat of a Kelenter. It was anciently a town of the size of Tabríz but was ruined by Húlagú; it is now a small place of a thousand houses, three mosques, a khán, bath and small market, with innumerable gardens. Three hours further northward, we reached the castle of Joris on the frontier of Nakshiván; the seat of a khán, who commands two thousand troops, a judge and twelve public officers in honour of the twelve Imáms. The castle, a pentagon, is situated on a hill, simply walled and therefore not very strong. It was first built by Uzún Hassan the Sháh of Azerbeiján and was ruined by Murád IV. its ruined parts are now chalked off [fenced off?] like a Palanka. Though situated on a hill, yet the hill itself is at the foot of a high mountain. It has a gate looking to the south-east; within the castle there is no remarkable building but the mosque of Rúshen Hassan Páshá. The outer town consists of seven thousand houses, and eleven mosques, of which that of Uzdemír Osmán Páshá and Ferrúkh-zadeh Sháh Ibn Timúr are the best; there are three mosques, seven kháns, and two hundred shops. The young people are extremely pretty, with eyes like the roes of Khoten, sweet-tongued with merry faces, who, if they walk dressed in red embroidered dresses, like peacocks of Paradise, make all their lovers lose their wits, and by half a look make as many Mejnúns of them. We spent three days and nights here with Eyúb Khán the Khán of the town, continually entertained by music. On the fourth day we continued our journey, after having been overwhelmed with presents.