YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY EXCURSIONS THE MEDITERRANEAN. VOL. II. TRAVELS^ IN GREECE AND TURKEY BEING THB SECOND PART OP E :^ C UR SIONS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN. BY MAJOR SIR GRENVILLE TEMPLE, Baet. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON SAUNDERS AND OTLEY, CONDUIT STREET. 1836. LONDON : lUOTSON ANI) PAT.MF.R, I'BIMEHS, SAVOY STUELT, !.THAND. CONTENTS. VOL. II. CHAPTER VI. Purgasa — Lampsacus — Gallipoli — Constantinople — View from the Mezarlek — Visit to the English Am bassador — Turkish Kaeeks — The Bosphorus — The Sultan — His amusements . . Page 1 CHAPTER VII. The Sultan— Pera — Perote Manghals or Brasiers — Constantinople — Tomb of Abd-ul-Hameed — The Vizeer's palace — Mosque of Aia Sofiya — Ancient Hippodrome— Obelisks— The Nizam Jedeed . 32 CHAPTER VIII. The Bazaars — Eating-houses — Wine-shops — The Burnt Pillar and other Columns— Therapia and its VI CONTENTS. vicinity — General Guilleminot — M. Jaubert — Visit to the Sultan . . .58 CHAPTER IX. Remains of Old Byzantium — Ancient Cisterns — Aque duct of Valens — Principal Mosques — The Suley manieh — Tombs of the Suleymans — Benevolent In. stitutions — Universities — Lunatic Asylum . 97 CHAPTER X. The Army — The Nizam Jedeed — Cavalry — Uniform- Manoeuvres — Colonel Calosso — Barracks — Infantry — Artillery — Military Hospitals — Russia and Turkey —The Navy . . . .128 CHAPTER XL Walls and Gates of Constantinople — ^Abattoirs— Church of the Fish— Siege of Constantinople by Muhammed II.— The Seven Towers— Visit to the Efendi's Harem —The Eski Serai— Tekkehs of the Derwishes— Bu rial ground at Scutari . . _ j^g CONTENTS. Vll CHAPTER XII. Departure of the Mekkah Caravan — Iskiudar and its environs — Printing Office at Iskiudar — Leander's Tower — Remains of Justinian's Villa — Daood Pasha — The Sultan's Greyhounds — Tomb of Barbarossa — Curious monogram . . . 190 CHAPTER XIII. A Ball at the Ambassador's —The Seraglio Library — The Baghdah Palace— St. Irene— The Mint— Sar cophagi — Bazaars — Bezesteens — Khans — Slave Market .... 213 CHAPTER XIV. Galata — Pera — Topkhaneh — Over-land passage of the Fleet of Muhammed II.— Gibbon's Doubts— State ments of Saeed-ed-Deen and Evliya Efendi — Praises of Constantinople — Return to Naples . 242 Appendix ... . 259 TURKEY. (conti XUED.) VOL. II. TURKEY. (continued.) CHAPTER VI. Purgasa — Lampsacus — Gallipoli — Constantinople — View from the Mezarlek — Visit to the English Am bassador — Turkish Kaeeks — The Bosphorus — The Sultan — His amusements. After remaining here some days, and de spairing of ever seeing tbe wind turn to a good quarter, we endeavoured to engage some of the saccolevas, or small country sailing- vessels, which were frequently passing up ; for these little craft, besides being famous for beat- B 2 4 PURGASA. ing well to windward, can, by hugging the shore and using their oars, make way against both wind and current. We wished to engage one, either for Constantinople or only as far as Gallipoli, from whence we could have continued our route on horseback. We, however, found them all so full of soldiers and merchandise, as to render this mode of escape from our present position impracticable. A Swedish ship lay alongside of us, having on board a giraffe, the largest I had ever seen, thirty horses, and four magnificent Egyptian asses, intended as a present to the sultan from Muhammed Aly, Pasha of Egypt. Lady Tem ple visited, in the cabin, the harem of the officer I who had the charge of them. The ladies were natives of Egypt and of Habesh. One day we walked to Purgasa, a village about four miles inland, prettily situated on the PURGASA. side of a wooded hill, and surrounded by rich and productive gardens. The bazaar, covered overhead by trellice work supporting luxuriant vines, aud filled with soldiers, caparisoned horses, and peasants, for it was market-day, and the cafe, crowded with fierce-looking Asiatic soldiers and grave elderly Turks, smoking their pipes, formed, on the whole, a very pretty pic ture. Purgasa, I imagine, occupies the site of Percote, a town whose revenues were assigned to Themistocles by Artaxerxes, to enable him to furnish his wardrobe. In my ramble I found only the cover of a sarcophagus, and a few frag ments of marble. Early on the 24th we were roused by the loud but welcome sound of weighing anchor, and were soon sailing rapidly up the Boghazi, passing by Lamsaki, (Lampsacus,) an ex tremely pretty town. The houses were con^ 6 LAMPSACUS. structed in picturesque forms, with projecting latticed balconies, and each house stood in a garden full of rich foliaged trees, intermingled with graceful poplars ; near them dark raasses of cypresses, and white marble monuments peeping through the openings, indicated me- zarleks, or burying-grounds ; whilst in different directions, were seen rising in the air, lofty and slender minarets of dazzling whiteness, sur mounted by the gilt crescents of Islamism, forming altogether groups of great beauty. In ancient times Lampsacus was famous for the dissolute habits of its inhabitants : Qua domus tua Lampsaci est, quaque sUva, Priape, Nam te prcecipu^ in suis urbibus colit ora Hellespontia ; Catullus. and it may, for aught I know to the contrary, still maintain its former character. GALLIPOLI. 7 Alexander the Great (to tell a well-known tale) having marched against it to punish it for some offence, Anaximenes, a native of the town, and who had formerly been the king's tutor, was sent by his countrymen to deprecate his anger. Alexander immediately suspecting the object of this mission, swore he would not grant the favour about to be asked. On this, Anaximenes entreated his pupil to destroy the town, and enslave the inhabitants, and thus saved Lampsacus. Beyond, on the left, is Gallipoli, called by the natives Keleeboly, ^^yi^}Si a large town, above which are the promontories of th^ Old and New Fanars ; here the channel is very narrow. The difference between the two coasts now became very marked ; whilst the Asiatic side was bold, varied, and wooded, the Euro pean was without trees, apparently barren and 8 PASSAGE OF low, SO low indeed, that we saw over the Thracian Chersonesus, and beheld the hills on the oppo site side of the Gulf of Saros. On the isthmus we observed a great number of tumuli, either tombs or sanjak-depehs. We had now left behind us the channel of the Dardanelles, on different parts of whose length axe many strong batteries, mounting all together seven hundred and fifty-one pieces of cannon, namely, four hundred and twenty-eight on the Asiatic, and three hundred and twenty-three on the European shores — without including those about to be placed on a lately erected battery, which, I believe, was to carry thirty-two. It is not my intention to discuss at length the often agitated question respecting the practicabi lity of forcing this passage with a fleet. We have certainly succeeded once in accomplishing this feat, but many lucky and combining circum- THE DARDANELLES. 9 stances are required to render such an under taking advisable; so that I think we may safely say that without them it is not practicable with a fleet alone, especially if the forts and bat teries are manned with a sufficient number of well-disciplined artillerymen, and the men stand by their guns. This, however, was far, in either respect, from having been the case with the raw levies, who were hurriedly sent down to contend against the English. With a co operating land force the enterprise might prove of easy accomplishment, as, from their situa tion, all the works could easily be taken by land. A force might also be disembarked on the shores of the Gulf of Saros above Gallipoli, where the Chersonesus is only from four to five miles in breadth, and across vvhich runs a chain of heights which would form an excellent position, and prevent the arrival of any reinforcements B 5 10 MARMARA. and supplies from the capital. On the Asiatic side the ground, which is hilly and broken, does not afford the same facilities. At night we were alongside of the island of Marmara, ( Prceconnesus,) and iu the morning close to the island of Papa, or Kalolinano, (Bes- bicus ins.) when we tacked and got back under ^rkli, (Heraclea;) we then stood on, close in shore, passing by Silivri and Biuyuk Chek- mejjeh, a long bridge, or rather four different but connected ones, having twenty-six arches. It was built by Suleyman the Magnificent, over the ancient Athyras. Some distance above it is a lake, and near it is a palace, to which the sultan resorts during the shooting season. Some way beyond is another bridge over the Bathynias, called Kuchuk Chekmejjeh. We anchored off the point of St. Stefano, on which stands very conspicuously another of APPROACH TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 11 the imperial palaces. The village itself is much resorted to in summer and during the plague, by the Christians. Next morning we again proceeded, though very slowly, but every advance presented some new object of beauty or of interest, as the Great Imperial City, once the mistress of the world, gradually appeared. The European with the Asian shore. Sprinkled with palaces ; the ocean stream. Here and there studded with a seventy-four ; Sophia's Cupola with golden gleara ; The cypress groves ; Olympus high and hoar ; The twelve isles, and the more than I could dream. Far less describe. It was, certainly, one of the most enchanting and magnificent views it is possible for the ima gination to conceive, and left far, far behind, all tbe rapturous accounts I had ever heard of it. 12 CONSTANTINOPLE. Passing close on our left the famous and dreaded old fortress of Yedi KouUehler, (the Seven Towers,) which forms one of the three angles of Constantinople, and passing along the old walls which still border the edge of the sea, the brig anchored opposite the new Armenian quarter; and we, getting into a boat, pursued our way, doubling the Seraglio point, and entering the harbour of the Golden Horn. Having landed at the custom-house of Galata, called by the Turks Othmanlu Kancheleria, we soon found we were no longer in a Christian country ; no obstacles were thrown in our way, no search took place, and no questions were asked, so that having procured a guide, we walked quietly and unmolested through the narrow and irregular streets of Galata, ascended the "infidel hill" of Pera, and soon after were comfortably seated at supper in the Locanda d'Europa. COMFORTS AND ANNOYANCES. 13 During the dessert, a Turkish officer attended by his orderly came to pay us a visit ; they both sat down and seemed on very familiar terms with each other. Wine was offered to them which they refused, but drank with con siderable apparent satisfaction a tumbler of cognac. We were kept awake nearly the whole night by myriads of fleas, together with the noise of the watchmen striking the pavement with their iron- shod poles, and the incessant recitation of Arabic prayers or poetry, immediately under our win dows by some sleepless lover or devotee. I en deavoured to free myself from this latter gen tleman by pouring the contents of the water- jirg on his head, but unfortunately for me he was either too entirely wrapt up in his occupa tion to be aware of what had happened to him, or, knowing it, was too great a philosopher to 14 VIEW FROM THE MEZ.ARLEK. mind it. At all events, he still went on re citing. On the following morning, (27th October,) we strolled about in different directions for the purpose of obtaining a general idea of the sur rounding localities. From the Mezarlek, called by the Franks, le petit champ des morts, which occupies the face of the hill rising behind the Ters-khaneh, or arsenal, and crowned by the palace of England, the view embraces the har bour, with the city of Stambool beyond. From the grand champ des morts, the prospect is in describably beautiful and extensive, command ing a long range of the Bosphorus, covered, as it always is, with numerous vessels of all na tions and of all forms, besides actual swarms of small, light kaeeks rapidly skimming, like swallows, the surface of the water in all direc tions, — together with Kandilli, Beklerbek, Seu- VIEW FROM THE MEZARLEK. 15 tari, Lseander's Tower, the sea of Marmara, the Prince's Islands, and other places. Below is seen the palace of Beshiktash, the village and palace of Dolmabagbcheh, and the adjoining cavalry barracks ; immediately to the right is the great Turkish burial-ground, beautiful and imposing from its sombre masses of venerable cypresses, and, on the left, the Armenian cime- tiere with its smaller and lighter species of trees. In the distance, on the right, rose Mount Olympus, and on the left, the Giant's Mountain, and the other hills which overlook the Black Sea. Mr. Seymour, secretary to the embassy, Mr. Cartwright, consul-general, and Mr. Buchanan, attache to the embassy, were kind enough to call on us; and, the,follo wing day, Mr. Villiers, another attache, also called, bringing a kind invitation from Sir Robert Gordon, the ambas- 16 VISIT TO THE ENGLISH AMBASSADOR. sador of England, to pass some days with him at his summer palace of Therapia, to convey us to which his kaeek was to be sent the next morning; at the appointed time a Ghawas, (_/j'^, made his appearance, and told us all was ready.* Following him, we descended to Top-khaneh, where we embarked in the kaeek. Nothing can exceed, or even equal, the elegance of these kaeeks, or the extraordi nary rapidity with which they are propelled; they draw so little water that they actually seem to skim the surface, and only, par pure complaisance, to touch the water in * These Ghawases form the Serasker's body-guard j and a certain number of them are attached to the household of the several foreign ambassadors and mi nisters, and replace, in these functions, the old Janiza ries. TURKISH KAEEKS. 17 their course. After having for a short time been accustomed to view these graceful ob jects, even tbe neatest and lightest man-of-war's boat seems dreadfully ugly and heavy, as it awkwardly and laboriously forces its noisy way. The kaeeks are excessively long, with a sharp, elongated, and overhanging prow, finishing in an iron point, and in shape resem bling the horizontal section of a dolphin, the tail-end forming the prow ; the interior is lined with walnut wood richly carved in relief, and in parts gilt. At the bottom are cushions or carpets, on which to sit with the legs crossed a la Turque, the back being supported by pillows of red leather : but the after part being however raised, Franks are enabled to sit after the manner of their country. The kaeek we were in was pulled by three men, each having a pair of oars or skulls : that 18 TURKISH KAEEKS. part of the oars which is inside the boat swells to a large circumference, producing a weight near the hands which greatly facilitates the labour of pulling. The men were very hand somely dressed in crimson cloth open waist coats richly embroidered with gold, a white shirt with loose sleeves, and trousers of snowy whiteness and most ample dimensions, which, reaching only to the knee, left the leg bare : the head, which is closely shaved, is sur mounted by a very small, red scull-cap with a blue silk tassel. We flew rapidly along, in spite of the ad verse current ; but, at Arnaood-keui and an other place, it was so violent that we were ob liged to be towed by men who station them selves at these places for that purpose. Pass ing by Dolma-baghcheh, ( Jj^ ^^ J^S^ ^4> PRAISES OF THE BOSPHORUS. 21 " As Shab, and Ghootah, and Ablah, and Soghd, are considered on earth as heavenly cities, so are the two shores of Istambool re nowned in heaven as celestial abodes." Another author thus describes it : — " The imperial capital of Constantine, which, at the confluence of two oceans and two worlds, resembles a diamond set between two sap phires and two emeralds, and forms the most precious centre-stone of the ring of universal empire." The ambassador's house is a delightful sum mer residence, and is separated from the clear and deep waters of the Bosphorus only by a narrow quay. It commands a beautiful pros pect of the Asiatic coast, and the Bay of Biu- yuk-dereh, (" the great valley.") The back is open, and looks on the garden, which rises in a succession of terraces, (on one of which are 22 THE SULTAN. the Turkish baths,) to the summit of the lower heights. Next day, we crossed over to Unkhiar-is- kelehsi on the Asiatic shore, and landing, found ourselves in a delightful valley covered with the finest rich turf imaginable, fully equal to that produced in our own humid country, and in parts shaded by large trees which would be an ornament to any English park. Here stands one of the Sultan's country houses, originally built by Selim IIL, as a kiaghd-khaneh (lOli- jils) or paper manufactory. To our unexpected delight, one oTthe first persons we saw during our walk, was the Pad shah himself (the Sultan) seated on the turf, under the shade of a large .sycamore, and em ployed in shooting arrows up the wind. He was dressed in a plain, red beneesh, and was only attended by his favourite and chief secre- HIS AMUSEMENTS. 23 tary, Mustafa Efendi, and a few eich-oglans, or pages, to pick up his arrows. The bow he used was made of horn, very short, and much curved. He is said to be in disputably the best and strongest shot in his dominions ; and the numerous little marble columns, which are seen on all the downs which sOrround the capital, attest his most famous performances, and bear convincing proof of his prowess in archery. This accomplishment is much in fashion here, especially among the household of the sove reign ; and indeed, most persons are in posses sion of bows and arrows. Returning to the boat, we rowed along-shore, passing under the Giant's Mountain or Yooshi- dagh, and crossed over to Biuyuk-dereh, a pretty and well-known village, inhabited by many of the diplomatic corps. Off the Rus- 24 PERPETUAL MOTION. sian palace, lay the Princess Lovicz frigate and a lugger, which were to convey to Italy M. de Ribeaupierre, the Russian ambassador, and bis suite. One of the frigate's boats, with a lieutenant and six men, bad just been upset, and all had perished. We remarked vast flights of those restless and indefatigable birds, called by the Turks, Marty-koosh, and by the French, dmes damnies. They are a species of the Alcyon voyageur, and are never observed to rest, but keep constantly flying up and down the stream at about six inches from the surface of the water. He wanders, joyless and alone. And weary as that bird of Thrace, Whose pinion knows no restin^place. Moore. On the 31 st of October we started with the BELIGHRAD. 25 ambassador, on horseback, to visit the village and forest of Belgrade, or, properly speaking, Belighrad, *>l»«Jj' Proceeding by the upper road, which runs along the summit of some ranges of heathy heights, we shortly came to the commencement of the wooded region, and then passed by the lofty aqueduct of Ibrahim Pasha, which spanning the commencement of the lovely valley of Biuyuk-dereh, forms so pretty a feature in the landscape when viewed from the anchoring-ground in the Bosphorus : beyond this, we rode through the dirty Greek village of Bagheheh, and soon after reached Belighrad, also inhabited by rayahs. It con sists of a small collection of scattered houses prettily situated on a green turfy clearing, close to one of the numerous bendts or reservoirs, which supply, by aqueducts, water to the capi- VOL. II, c 26 A FETE CHAMPETRE. tal, and is quite embosomed in the midst of a fo rest of fine old trees. Some ofthe Frank families of Pera have houses here in which they spend the summer months ; at one of them, at present in a very dilapidated State, Lady M. W. Mon tague once resided.* Sir Robert Gordon had prepared a file champetre on the green in front of the village. A large tent had been pitched, under which we dined, whilst an Armenian band played several ' Turkish airs, and some Greek men and women from Biuyuk-dereh danced the Romaika, after which a French band of musicians played se veral European pieces. Numberless but fruit- * Her ladyship's powers of vision must have been much more acute than mine ; for she states that from her window she discerned the waters of the Euxine, notwithstanding that several high ranges of heights must then, as they do now, have intervened. A FETE CHAMPETRE. 27 less attempts were made to induce the village girls to dance, but all declined, some on the plea of being betrothed, others of being just married, but all evidently too bashful to exhibit their graces. However, they, as well as the dancers, were made very gay and happy by being allowed to draw with the ladies of our party, in a lottery of which all the numbers were prizes, and for which Sir Robert had provided a large quantity of turbans, kalem- khiars, yaghleks, kooshaks, bashleks, and trin kets, which were arranged in festoons from tree to tree. We concluded a very agreeable day by dancing within doors. The following moming, mounting our horses, we dived into the depths of the forest, which is excessively wild and beautiful ; and the nume rous and luxuriant creepers which hang from every tree, and connect them together, greatly c 2 28 A CHASSE. add to the effect. Our course wound at tiraes, down deep dark and romantic dells and ra vines, whilst at others, it led us to the summit of comparatively barren heights, from which we obtained extensive views of the surroundinjr country. Having rode six miles, we found twenty beaters assembled, when we dismounted and took up our positions for the approaching chasse. The sportsmen were formed in extended line, along the length of an elevated ridge,, whilsf the beaters, descending from the opposite side into the intervening valley, drove the game up to the guns ; and in this manner we went from position to position. Several wild boars were killed ; our sport would however have been much better, bad not the lazy Greek beaters, after the first hour, quietly and gradually re turned home, leaving us at last with only eight AQUEDUCTS AND BENDTS. 29 men, and these had become very lethargic in the execution of their duty. Arrived at Purgas, we again mounted our horses, and galloped on to Justinian's aque duct, where we met the ladies of the party also on horseback, and with them returned to Purgas, where we found a dSjeuner. In this part of the country are a great num ber of aqueducts, and bendts or reservoirs of water, some of considerable antiquity, and others dating their existence from Suleyman I., (who reigned from 1520 to 1566,) and subse quent sultans. The bendts are formed by very thick and solid walls, tapering from the base upwards, being built across a valley through which may chance to flow a small stream of water; some are extremely handsome, being decorated with ornaments and inscriptions, and have a summit of polished white marble 30 AQUEDUCTS AND BENDTS. Many of the lakes which are thus formed, are of great extent, and are bordered by a thick growth of forest-trees ; their edges are covered with a velvety and rich green carpet of turf, on which the deer are occasionally seen crop ping the grass, or allaying their thirst in the stream. These waters abound with a great variety of wild-fowl during the proper season. The greatest attention is paid to these aque ducts and reservoirs, for on them almost en tirely depends the supply required by the capi tal ; in fact, if these were ever destroyed, or in the power of the enemy, Istambool would fall an easy prey ; for the water which, could be procured from other places would not nearly suffice for the consumption of its inhabi tants. Aware of this, the Turks, during the last war, threw up a few field works in their vicinity. RETURN TO THERAPIA. 31 After remaining three days at Belighrad, we returned to Therapia, and stopped there also three days, previous to going to Constantinople. I shall, however, delay for the present giving any account of the numerous beauties of the surrounding country, as I was subsequently en abled to extend my rambles to several places which I did not see upon the occasion of my first visit. 32 CHAPTER VII. The Sultan — Pera — Perote Manghals or Brasiers — Constantinople — Tomb of Abd-ul-Hameed — The Vizeer's palace — Mosque of Aia Sofiya — Ancient Hippodrome— Obelisks— The Nizam Jedeed. On the Sth we returned to Stambool, and, as it was Friday, we stopped on our way at Yeni- keui to see the Sultan, who intended going to the mosque of that village.* The whole shore * I have never been able to discover from what oriental word the Franks have derived this said name mosque ; for both in Arabic and Turkish these buildings are called j-«L=- Jamaa, signifying "a place of assembly." The nearest affinity I can find, is in the word j>.:gX„j^ il/uyerf, which signifies THE SULTAN. 33 from Therapia to Yeni-keui was lined with troops under arms, and in all directions was seen the simple but beautiful flag of the Oth manlus gaily fluttering in the breeze. We took our station opposite the quay where Sultan Mahmoud was to land. After waiting some time, the distant but gradually-nearing shouts of the troops announced the approach of his majesty ; and the imperial barge, followed by two others, was soon after seen rapidly advanc ing in our direction. The swiftness of its pro gress was absolutely astonishing; for, built on a larger scale, but of the same proportions as the common kaeeks, it was propelled by four- " a chapel ;" and, if we pronounce the ^ or j, like a g, as the Egyptians do, we may perhaps trace some resemblance in sound. This letter is, however, by the Turks pronounced like the English j, and by the western Arabs like the French j. c 5 34 THE SULTAN teen athletic and supple-limbed rowers : (this number, on state occasions and in a larger boat, is increased to twenty-six :) the men were dressed in loose, white-striped silk shirts, white cotton shelwars, or trousers reaching to the knee, and the little-red scull-cap. The boat was simply painted black with two gilt expanded eagles, one at the stern, and the other on its sharp and elongated prow. -At the helm sat a venerable Turkish pilot with a large, flowing, grey beard, and a magnificent and well-ar ranged Asiatic turban.* This personage is the only employe in the Sultan's service who still is allowed, notwithstanding all the late innova tions in costume, to retain this truly-distin guishing and becoming head dress. As his boat passed within three yards of ours, * Qur word " turban" is, I imagine, derived from the Turkish Joulii dulbend, or durbend as it is fre quently pronounced by the common people. MAHMOUD. 35 we were enabled to see the great Padishah dis tinctly. His dress consisted of a very dark green frock-coat with scarlet collar, cuffs, and pocket flaps, richly embroidered in gold, and having gold shoulder-straps ; the overalls were of the same colour, with gold stripes down the seams ; his black, European boots were armed with brass spurs, and he wore, sus pended by gold-embroidered cavalry slings, a basket-hilted sword. On his head was a rich red velvet fez, with an enormous and spread ing gold bullion tassel This account of the dress bears, I am afraid, a great resemblance to an extract from a mili tary tailor's bill ; but, as the lately-adopted Fr^nk uniform is not, certainly, an unimportant feature in the new Turkish system, I have imagined that, viewed in that light, these de tails might not be altogether without interest ; especially if we call to mind the wonderful dif- 36 THE SULTAN ference that must have existed between the times of Selim I., or of his son Suleyman I. at the commencement of the sixteenth century, and those of Mahmoud at the present day. His majesty, notwithstanding that three or four officers were sitting next to him, and ready to do his bidding, supported over his head, and with his own imperial hands, a rose-coloured silk umbrella. Sultan Mahmoud is decidedly a very hand some man : fine and intelligent black eyes, good and manly features, a complexion which. tells more of the bivouac than of the luxu rious effeminacy of the harem, great breadth of shoulders, and a large open chest. Compared, however, to the upper part of bis figure, the legs cannot be said to be in good proportion, which is owing, as with respect to most of the Turks, to the manner of sitting adopted by AT PRAYERS. 37' them. His beard is one of the finest and the blackest I ever saw. On landing, he was received by a numerous body of staff-officers ; the band played the Sul tan's march ; tbe cannon of the adjoining forts, as well as those of Asia, thundered forth the roar of their artillery ; the officers, inclining themselves, shouted forth his titles and praises; and the troops presented arms, and that in a manner which pleased me much, for, whilst the musket is held at the " present," by the left hand, the right is brought up to the forehead at the " salute," in the French manner. A richly-caparisoned horse was in waiting, but he did not mount, proceeding to the mosque on foot, and preceded by priests burning in cense. After remaining about twenty minutes at his devotions, he re-embarked with the same 38 EXTENSIVE PROSPECT. ceremonies, and pulled across to his beautiful villa on the opposite coast of Asia, whilst we quietly dropped down the stream to Top-khaneh, and from thence ascended to the house we had hired, situated on one side of the Petit Champ des Morts, and close to the Palace of England. The fashionable promenade of the Perotes ran under our windows, and from these we enjoyed a very beautiful and extensive pros pect, embracing the cemetery, Ters-khaneh, (the naval arsenal?) the dock-yards, the ships in commission anchored opposite, a long row of dismantled men-of-war along the quays, the Capudan pasha's palace above, the villages of Hassim Pasha, Piri Pasha, St. Demetrius, the Ok-Maidan, Ramas Chiftlek, Eyoub, the old walls near Constantine's palace, and the mosques of Muhammed, Selira, and Shah-zadeh. The house was, however, small and cold ; and, with PEROTE BKASIERS. 39 the exception of divans, which in Turkish houses supply in themselves alone, the place of beds, chairs, and tables, totally unfurnished ; but this latter evil was most kindly remedied by Sir Robert Gordon, who sent us, from his palace, all we required, including that most important and comfortable article, an English stove ; this, after much quarrelling with the landlady, we had arranged much to our de light. As the generality of houses are built of wood, and large districts of the town are often, either through negligence or by incendia ries, burnt to the ground, the very idea of a stove or fire-place, creates the greatest alarm among the inhabitants, who use nothing but manghals, or brasiers, over which are placed tables covered with large cloths or blankets reaching to the ground. The people sit round these tables, with their knees over the 40 CONSTANTINOPLE, OR brasiers, and, as much of their persons covered with the blanket as they can manage to con trive, and spend in this manner, in talking scandal, the greater part of their days. I ara speaking of the Perotes and not of the Turks. This table, with the blanket and charcoal fire, forms the well-known tendoor. We now lost no tirae in visiting the capital of the Turkish empire, and, in fact, during our whole stay at Pera, we scarcely ever allowed a day to pass, at least when we were not other wise engaged, that we did not go there, so much were we pleased with it ; and I think I raay safely say that I soon became as perfectly ac quainted with the town as any Frank has ever been, for I knew all the labyrinthine windings of its numerous narrow streets and lanes better than those of London or Naples. Many, how ever, are the residents of Pera who, after a so- ISTAMBOOL. 41 journ of many years, have never even once had the curiosity to cross the harbour, and a great many more who have been satisfied with one visit, and who look upon going to Istam bool* as a journey replete with dangers and fatigue. * This name is spelt (J»jJIjLj1, " Istanbool," but the n preceding the b is pronounced like m, as in amber for anber. Constantinople is also called by the Turks JLuukJJa^ijJ'j " Kostantineah." Many are the derivations ascribed to the name Istambool ; some say ing it is a mere corruption and abbreviation of Con stantinople. The Greeks, led away by their vanity, absurdly deduce it from cis rw i!o\a>, " to the city ;" and again, others from ^)^ Am\, " a place abound ing with. the true faith;" i.e. Muhammedanism ; and in this manner I have seen it spelt in several Turkish manuscripts — among others, in the Syahet Nameh of Evlia Efendi, which I have now before me. There is 42 TOMB OF ABD-UL-HAMEED. Our wish being to see the Hippodrome on our first visit, we embarked at Galata, and landed at the Balik Iskeleh, or Fish-stairs, passed by the Yeni Jamaa, (New Mosque,) and then visited the tomb of Sultan Abd-ul-Ha meed, the father of the present sovereign, and of Sultan Mustafa. Other members of the family also repose here; the interior of this turbeh, or sepulchral chapel, is very hand somely ornamented, chiefly vnth richly carved and painted inscriptions from the Koran ; the coffins, covered with rich cloths embroidered with inscriptions, are ranged in the centre pa rallel to each other — those of the males being distinguished by turbans. From the ceiling are suspended a great number of glass lamps of different colours. no doubt but that this lattei is the correct origin of the name. THE SUBLIME PORTE. 43 Beyond this we saw the palace of the grand vizir (or vizeer) Azem. The gate of this palace has given the name of " the Sublime Porte" to the Turkish government. By the people it is indifferently called Dowlut Alieh, Babi Aaly, Babi Saadet, and Pasha Kapoo. During the late revolt of the Janizaries it was burnt down, together with a great number of the adjoining houses. The palace and gate are now rebuilt, but the houses are still in ruins. Passing under the walls of ancient Byzan tium, which now enclose the seraglio, we came to its grand entrance, called Bab Humayoon, a large heavy building erected by Muhammed II. It bears a long and intricate inscription, and part of it says, " May God make the glory of its master eternal !" On each side of the en trance is a niche in which are placed the heads of culprits who have been executed. These 4?4< THE vizeer's PALACE. objects are, however, now rarely seen, — in fact, during the whole time I remained at Constan tinople I never saw but one.* In front of the gate is an open space, in the centre of which is a very beautiful marble fountain, richly carved, and ornamented with incriptions, arabesques, paint, and gilding; though sraaller and less elaborately decorated than the one at Top-khaneh, it pleased me more. Ahmed III. erected it, and the verses which form the inscriptions, which are said to possess great beauty, are the composition of the Sultan hiraself On the right is the famous mosque of Aia • I several times asked if they were not frequent ; and the invariable answer (conveyed, I thought, in rather a tone of regret) was, " Gechenlerdeh chok l-erreh, shemdi seerck :" " Formerly very often, now rarely." MO.SQUE OF AIA SOFIYA. 45 Sofiya, built by Justinian on the ruins of a chapel erected by Constantine the Great, and converted into a mosque by Muhammed II., on the very day of his triumphal entry into the capital of the Greek empire. I was never en abled to enter it ; for though foreign ambassa dors, from long established custom, are entitled to a firman, or order of admittance, yet from some insulting and disrespectful conduct of a Russian party, who spit on the carpets, and otherwise ill-behaved themselves, just before I arrived in Turkey, a polite note now accompa nies the demanded firman, in which the ambas sador is requested not to avail himself of the permission. The dome of this mosque is re markable for its great depression, and com parative flatness ; the exterior of the edifice is far from beautiful, and its minarets are the most clumsy and inelegant of any in the whole 46 HIPPODROME. city. Under the entrance porch are some ancient porphyry columns, marble capitals, &c. Proceeding onwards, we entered the At- Meidan, J^i^ cuK " the Plain of the Horse," or in other words, " the Race-course," (the ancient Hippodrome,) an oblong, unpaved square, one of whose lengths is occupied by the beautiful mosque of Sultan Ahmed I,* called also, from its being the only one which pos sesses six minarets, Alty Minarehler Jamaa. On the opposite side is a barrack, a khan, and the sultan's menagerie, or the Arslan Khaneh ; and at the lower end is the Darushifa, or Bimar Khaneh, a lunatic asylum attached to the mosque. In the area of the square are a granite obelisk, * The h in this name, as in Mahmoud and others, is hard and guttural ; Ahmed, therefore, is pronounced Ahkmed. EGYPTIAN OBELISK. 47 another of marble, and a broken brazen pillar, all standing on the spina of the Hippodrome, which was doubtless adorned with many similar objects, that perhaps might still be found by removing the accumulated soil. The Egyptian obelisk is of fine red Assouan granite ; it is sixty-two feet six inches in height, and bears the following cartouches of the royal name and titles. Besides these, there are also other shields with variations of the titles 48 EGYPTIAN OBELISK. o. 'O 1±±±1 aniL From these it appears that this monument was cut by order of Thothmes III.,* the sixth sovereign of the eighteenth dynasty of the Pha raohs, and is probably one of those which were originally erected at Karnak. With regard to its date, we may, I think, state it at three thou sand three hundred and sixty years back ; for as the treaty entered into by Thothmes and the Hyk-shos, 'or pastors, by which the latter agreed to evacuate Egypt, was not signed till 1531 B.C., it is probable that the Egyptian king * Thothmes III. was one of the Egyptian kings who most distinguished himself by tlie erection of splendid monuments. EGYPTIAN OBELISK. 49 was too much occupied with the war waged against the invaders of his country, to possess either the time or the means of erecting these stupendous monuments before that period — but we have every reason to believe that he com menced doing so immediately after. The obelisk rests on four bronze blocks, bearing the marks of having had attached to them some figures or ornaments, probably the eagle with expanded wings. These blocks are placed on a white marble base, sculptured round with numerous figures representing some historical fact of the western empire, but the subject is obscure, the composition bad, and the execution worse. Under this again is ano ther part of the pedestal, also of white marble, but of better workmanship, representing on one side the obelisk at the moment of its being raised in the Hippodrome, and on the other, VOL. II. D 50 OBELISK. when fixed on the spina, and the races taking place round it. On the side facing the mena gerie is the following inscription — KlONATETPAnAETPONEIX0ONIKEIMENONAX0OC MONOCANACTHCAO0EIAOCIOCBACIAETC TOAMHCACnPOKAnEnEKEKAETOTOCoCECTH KinNHAIOCENZlAKONTAATD and on the side facing the mosque is another in Latin — DIFICILIS aVONDAM DOMINIS PERERE SEEENIS IVSSVS ET EXTINCTIS PALMAM PORTARE TYRANNIS OMNIA THEODOSIO CEDVNT SVEOLIftVE PE- RENNI TER DENIS SIC VICTVS EGO DA'OBVSQVE DIEBVS IVDICE SVB PROCLO SVBLIME ELATVS AD AVRAS. The lower lines of these inscriptions were OBELISK. 51 covered by the soil, which I was obliged to re move, and part of the last one was almost effaced. The obelisk itself is not perfect, part of the base having been broken or pur posely cut off; it also inclines a little from the perpendicular, leaning towards the me nagerie. Gillius states, that close to the glass manufac tory in the seraglio, there was another obelisk,but that it was afterwards overthrown by an earth quake, and bought by Antonio Priuli, a Vene tian nobleman, who proposed sending it to Venice, to be placed in the Piazza San Stefano ; but I was unable to ascertain where it really is at present. It was said to be thirty-five feet long, and six feet square at the base. I have seen a drawing, by Montfaucon, of an obelisk at Constantinople, which, as it did not in the least resemble the one just described, we may suppose D 2 52 OBELISK. to have been meant to represent this lesser one : but at all events the signs which are marked upon it have no similitude to hiero glyphics. At the end of the square stands another obelisk, its shaft not consisting, like that of the former, of one single block, but of eighty- three layers of stones, independent of the apex ; and the whole was originally covered with plates of bronze fixed by cramps in holes which are still visible. This monument is in parts considerably injured, and the following in scription, which exists on the pedestal, can not be deciphered without the greatest diffi culty — TOTETPAnAETPON0ATMATnNMETAPCinN XPONn*0APENNrKnN2TANTlNO2AE2nOTH2 OPOMANOTnAI2AOHATH22KHnTOTXIA2KPEITTONNEOYPrErrH2nAAAI0EnPIA2 THE BRAZEN PILL.^R. 53 OrAPKOAO22O20AMBO2HNENTHPOAn KAIKA\KO2OTrO20AMBO2E2TlNEN0AAE The inscription does not exist at present in the entire state as given above ; but the illegible parts are supplied from a copy I found in an old work. The brazen pillar stands between these two obelisks, and is formed by three spirally en twined serpents, whose heads, branching out at the top, formerly supported a large golden patera. It was brought, together with many other valuable objects, from Delphi, by Con stantine the Great. The heads no longer exist ; one was severed, according to report, by a sabre-cut from Muhammed II., on the very day of his conquest of Constantinople; and the others were subsequently knocked off, and car ried away by the orders of a Polish ambassador. Lady M. W. Montague, however, I believe, 54 THE NIZAM JEDEED. mentions having seen one of them still con nected with the body. — At present only about eleven and a-half feet of the column are above- ground. During our visit to the At-Meidan, a batta lion of the Nizam Jedeed, or New troops, were going through their manoeuvres ; this was the first time I had seen them working, and really, considering the rawness of the materials, and the short time they had been embodied, the performance was very tolerable. The line, which was formed three deep, was, when halted, far from straight, but as soon as it advanced, it became, to my surprise, very correctly dressed ; the coverings in column, the intervals, and the wheelings, were very good, and certainly much better than I had expected. The appearance of the men was, however, far from being equally satisfactory — the greater part consisting of PATREM SEQUITUR NON PASSIBUS .EQUIS. 55 young, white-faced boys, and not the least at tention seemed to be paid to placing them in the ranks according to the gradations of their heights ; a boy of five feet was often seen flanked by men of six, and vice versa. The uniform consisted of a blue short jacket without skirts, red collar and cuff, blue Kossak overalls, and black leather belts ; the non-commissioned officers wore side-arms. Many of the bayonets were inlaid with gold. The words of command were given with the French intonation. — But I shall return hereafter to the subject of the Turkish troops. When the field-day was concluded, some of the companies who were quartered close by were dismissed. The men immediately flocked round us, and expressed the greatest curiosity at seeing me copying hieroglyphics, and Cap tain R. sketching a view of the Hippodrome ; 56 THE POWERFUL SULTAN. and when my interpreter told them that I understood what the characters meant, they all wished to have them explained, and particulariy asked if they made mention of any concealed treasure ; to satisfy their curiosity I was obliged to invent a story about a powerful sultan, and the battles he had fought and gained, and that to commemorate them this obelisk had been raised. Mustafa, my accompanying interpreter, was a yasakji, (a rank next to that of ghawas,) "a man well known to all English travellers who have been at Constantinople, Mr. Cartwright, the consul-general, to whose service he is attached, kindly allowing him to act as cicerone to stran gers. He is a native of Switzerland, aud early in life renounced Christianity for Islamism, and served in Egypt and other cainpaigns ; he speaks English, French, Italian, German, .MUSTAFA. 57 Arabic, and Turkish of course, and is extremely useful; sometimes he also acts as Tartar in inland excursions. He belonged to the forty- second orta of Janizaries. d5 58 CHAPTER VIII. The Bazaars — Eating-houses — Wine-shops — The Burnt Pillar and other Columns — Therapia and its vicinity — General Guilleminot — M. Jaubert — Visit to the Sultan. We generally crossed over at ten o'clock to Constantinople, and walked about the bazaars and bezesteens to make purchases, for during the morning they are most crowded, and more occurs and is seen to interest and amuse stran gers. At three o'clock they are shut, but even before then, they are comparatively deserted. About that time we usually entered some kabab shop, of which there aie many, very good and MUHAMMEDAN CASUISTRY. 59 clean, where we lunched on delicious mutton cut into small cubic pieces of half an inch square, roasted on little skewers, and having between them slices of artichokes, &c. ; to this was added a small dish of salad, composed of a great variety of herbs, chopped fine. The beverage consisted of pure water or sherbet — I preferred the former ; for notwithstanding its high renown, I must confess that " the blest sherbet, sublimed with snow," delights not me. Those who wish for wine cannot obtain it in these houses, but must go to the regular wine shops, where they will also generally be amused by some curious scenes, and where will be seen the dignified and apparently scrupulous Mu- hammedan, drinking off in succession large tumblers of wine, or more generally, glasses of ardent spirits, for there are many of them who draw a distinction between the impropriety of 60 AN IRRESISTIBLE ARGUMENT. drinking wine, and that of taking brandy, and whilst they abstain from the former, hesitate not to cheer themselves with the latter — assert ing, that it cannot have been prohibited by Muhammed, for the simple reason, that in his days it was not known. For the same reason, also, neither champagne nor porter, (arpa-su, or " barley-water,") are considered as prohi bited. At other times we lunched in the pastry cook shops ; and though I am far from being an amateur of cakes and sweet things, yet the Turks are such proficients in this art, they make such varieties, and are, moreover, so ex ceedingly clean in their manufacture of them, (much more so than even in England or Hol land,) that I was often led to commit great de vastation among the contents of the large chrystal vases. After thus restoring our BEHAVIOUR TO STRANGERS. 61 strength, we again sallied forth to view the different objects of interest in the town. During our numerous walks, and in some of these we were alone, unaccompanied by either ghawas or yasakji, never did we experience the slightest insult ; on the contrary, the gene rality of the people were markedly civil, often going into the middle of the street to make room for the Christian lady on the foot-path. It is true, that once or twice some women, prompted by more than ordinary curiosity, lifted up Lady Temple's veil to examine her features. This, however, was absolutely the only act we experienced which in the least bor dered on rudeness ;* and even these women, when they had satisfied their curiosity, and * Once, indeed, a Jew made some insolent remark about us, for which conduct a Turk, who was standing by, felled him with a blow to the ground. 62 THE BURNT PILLAR. ascertained what sort of person a Frank woraan really was, saluted us, and walked off, repeating some complimentary phrase, such as, " Peik," " Peik-guzel." Not far from the At-Meidan, and on the summit of one of the seven hills, is tbe burnt pillar, or Yanmish-tash. It is formed of seven blocks of porphyry, the bottom of each piece projecting, and cut as a crown or wreath of laurel; this overlaps the block beneath and conceals the joint. There were formerly ten blocks, but three were overthrown by lightning, and their place supplied by twelve layers of white marble, round one of which is this in scription, stating the repairs to have been made by Manuel — TO0EIONEPrONEN0AAE*0APENXPONnKAINEMANOTHAET 2EBH2ATT0KPATnP. On the pedestal existed, and, in fact, perhaps DISAPPOINTED EXPECTATIONS. 63 still exists, under the coating of stone built round the base by the Turks, another one thus translated : — " Oh Christ ! Arbiter and Sove reign of the world, I address my prayer to thee; protect this city, this sceptre, and the Roman empire, and preserve them frpm all dangers." The column is ninety feet in height — its pedestal twenty feet. It was brought from Athens, and is said to be the work of Phidias. On its capital originally stood a statue of Apollo, which afterwards changed its name for that of Constantine. During the siege of Con stantinople by the Turks, the Greeks fully ex pected, on the strength of an old prophecy, that the angel of their salvation would appear on its top, and drive out beyond the walls their dreaded enemy with great slaughter, when he should have reached this spot. But — Muham- 64 THE maiden's stone, or med came — the angel did not — and the city belongs to tbe Turks. The Yanmish-tash forms a very conspicuous object on approaching Estambool from the Pro- pontis. The Adrianople street runs between it and an old ruined palace called the Elchi Khan, which, before the period when foreign ambassadors and ministers had taken up their residence at Pera, was appropriated for their use. It was originally established by the Christians, but after the conquest endowed by Ikbal Pasha. There are three other columns within the walls ofthe city, namely, the Marcian, the His torical or Arcadian, and the Theodosian. The former, called by the Turks, Kiz-tash, or " the Maiden's Stone," stands on the heights over looking the Yeni Bagheheh, near the street leading to the Edrineh Kapoo, and not far from MARCIAN COLUMN. 65 the Serej-bazaar, or Saddle-market ; the vici nity is one vast scene of desolation, occasioned by fire, and the cannonade which took place during the late suppression of the Janizaries — the solid and high chimneys of whose barracks rise in different parts like the columns of some ruined temple. The shaft ofthe Marcian column* is of grey granite, and the Corinthian capital, as well as the pedestal, is of white marble. On the sum mit is a sort of square white marble sarco phagus, with the Roman eagle at each of its corners. It is supposed to have contained Marcian's heart. The Turks, however, have a long story about a princess being kept there in order to avoid coming in contact with ser pents, by the bite of one of which animals it had been prophesied she was to die ; which * Marcian died ad. 456. 66 THE MARCIAN COLUMN. prediction, notwithstanding the precautions taken, they say, was verified, and point out the hole by which the serpent entered.* A nearly similar story is connected with the Kiz KouUeh, or Maiden's Tower, on the little island close to Scutari. On the pedestal are two winged female figures, supporting a species of wheel, ^nd this inscription, which was originally covered with bronze letters — * Evliya Efendi, in his account of Constantinople, gives a somewhat different version of this story. He says, that near the Serej-bazaar, on the summit of a column which comes in contact with the heavens, is a chest of white marble, in which the unfortunate daugh ter of Sultan Puzenteen lies entombed ; and that to pro tect her remains from ants and serpents, this column was made into a talisman. THE MARCIAN COLUMN. 67 PRINCIPIS HANC STATVAM MARCIANI CERNI FORVMQVE TER EJVS VOVIT QVOD TATIANVS OPVS Whether the statue stood on the summit of the column, or only on the pedestal, and was afterwards replaced by the column, is doubt ful. The whole of the monument has suffered considerably' from fire. I think it is Tournefort who says, that the discovery of this pillar does more honour to Spon and Wheler, than to Tatianus, who erected it. What is, however, meant by the discovery of an erect and lofty column in a populous city, it is not easy to understand. The Arcadian column, called by the Turks Dekili tash, or " the pyramidal stone," stands near Jerrah Pasha Jamaa, in the district of 68 THE ARCADIAN COLUMN. the Avret bazaar, or " market of women."* It was erected by Arcadius in 405, a.d , after the model of Trajan's at Rome. The bas-re liefs, which spirally wound around it, repre sented that emperor's victories, and its height was a hundred and forty-seven feet ; but, at present, nothing remains of it except the pe destal, the toro, and two or three feet of the shaft, on which can still be distinguished a chariot and a few figures. It has suffered greatly from fire and earthquakes ; but the in terior still exists; and within the pedestal are three small chambers, on the ceiling of one of which is the common monogram of our Sa viour's name, together with the letters A and ii. * This place derives its name, not from its being a mart where female slaves are sold, but from having been inhabited by that class of women who them selves dispose of their persons to any one who wishes to possess them for a time. THE THEODOSIAN COLUMN. 69 The whole is of white marble, and some of the blocks are of great size. The Theodosian column is situated within the precincts of the seraglio, and close to the Selihtar- Agha's house. Its height is about fifty feet, and the shaft is composed either of cipollino, or of white marble streaked with grey ; but which of the two I could not distinctly ascertain, as the sea air has greatly discoloured the stone. The Corinthian capital is of white marble, and not of verde antico, as stated by some writers. The pedestal is also of white raarble, but very coarsely cut ; on it was this inscription, FORTVNAE REDVCI OB DEVICTOS GOTHOS of which only the words redvci and devictos GOTHOS are at present legible. Some travellers have stated,but on what autho- 70 CONSTANTINOPLE IN ANCIENT TIMES. rity is not mentioned, that it also bore some Greek ones ; but, though I searched carefully for them, I could not see the least vestige of any. The following is a list of the principal public buildings, monuments, &c., which Constanti nople contained during the time it was the capi tal of the western empire : — S Palaces, 6 Domus divin. Augusti, 3 Domus nobiliss., 2 Senate Houses, 14 Churches, 2 Basilicas, 1 Augusteum, I Circus, 4 Forums, 2 Theatres, 1 Capitol, 4 Nymphsea, 52 Porticoes, 1 Mint, 8 Public baths. 2 Lusoria, 4 Cisterns, 120 Pistrina priv., 5 Granaries, 153 Private baths, 20 Pistrina publ., 5 Abattoirs, 117 Gradus, 2 Hollow columns, 1 Red column, 1 Colossus, 1 Golden tetrapylon, 322 Streets, 4388 Houses, 4 Harbours. ANOTHER VISIT TO THERAPIA. 71 In this account, it will be observed that no mention is made of either of the Egyptian obe lisks; for the red pillar alludes to the Yan- raish tash, and the Colossus is the obelisk co vered with brass plates, which is still seen in the At-Meidan. One of the hollow pillars is the one called the Arcadian, the other no longer exists. The tetrapylon must not be mistaken for the tetrapleuron, the name by which the " Colossus" is mentioned in the inscription found on that monument. Nor can it meanth e Porta Aurea, which had only three gates. It raust have been an edifice, I iraagine, resem bling the Arch of Janus at Rome. On the 10th we rode to Therapia, where Sir Robert Gordon had again asked us to spend some days, and for which purpose he had sent us his horses. The distance is about twelve miles ; and the road runs along the heights 72 VALLEY OF ROSES. which border the right shore of the Bosphorus, of whose waters we occasionally caught glimpses through the openings of the ravines which de scend to them. During our stay at Therapia, we made daily excursions to its beautiful environs. One of these was to Gul-dereh, " the valley of roses," which lies behind the village of Biuyuk-dereh, and which may be reached by a bridle-path. This valley takes its name from the plantations of roses which cover its surface, which, in the proper season, must form a lovely coup d'osil; and no doubt when all the flowers are in bloom, the sweetness of these rose-beds must make the air so fragrant, that the dew, before it falls on the earth, becomes changed into rose- water : so at least would an eastern poet say. When we rode through it, we could, however, scarcely discern the existence of any rose GENOESE CASTLE. 73 plants whatever ; for, soon after the flowers have been gathered, the bushes are cut down to within a few inches of the ground. At the extremity of this valley, we ascended the steep hills on our left, passing by a pretty fountain, (the scene, in summer, of many parties of plea sure,) and then descended by an equally steep path to Biuyuk-dereh.* Another time, we rowed across to the very pretty village of Kavak, passing by the stone quarries under the Giant's Mountain, the vil lage, and the batteries of Yoro. On the sum mit of the steep hill which rises behind Kavak, and to which we ascended, stands an old castle built by the Genoese ; its remains show it to have been of considerable extent, as the walls * In the turfy plain near Biuyuk-dereh, is a remark - ably large and beautiful tree, which forms the pride of the neighbourhood. VOL. II. E 74 GENOESE CASTLE. and outworks reached down to- the water's edge. It was built on the site, and partly with the materials, of the temple of Serapis, and in its walls are found inserted fragments of columns, capitals, cornices, &c. The area of the castle is, at present, occupied by a Turkish village. From a mound close to the castle, the view is extremely beautiful, embracing the Black sea, the Symplegades, or Cyanece ins., (little rocky islets off the European shore under Fa- naraki,* and called by the Franks le Pavonare,) the Bosphorus flowing from the Black Sea to Constantinople, the shores lined with batte ries, villages, and gardens, another old castle * The following, according to the generality of au thorities, are the ancient and modern names of some of the spots along the banks of the Bosphorus : — Fanaraki, Panium ; Feel boorun, Coracium prom. ; Kecheli liman, Pantichiuni sinus ; Maghara boorun, TURKISH BURIAL-GROUND. l5 on the opposite coast of Europe, and a fine extent of hilly and wooded country on each side. The wind swept down the Euxine, and the wave Broke foaming o'er the blue Symplegades ; 'Tis a grand sight, from off " the Giant's grave" To watch the progress of those rolling seas Between the Bosphorus, as they lash and lave Europe and Asia Byron is, however, wrong in saying that the Symplegades are to be seen from the Giant's Mountain, as such is not the case. Proceeding on, we came to a remarkably pretty and picturesque Turkish burial-ground, embosomed in a plantation of oak trees. One Argyronium prom. ; Kadlinje liman, Cartacion sinus ; Kandeeli bagheheh, Nicopolis ; Koulleh bagheheh, Cecrium ; Stavros, Staurosis ; Fanar bagheheh, He- rteum promontorium ; Iskindar, or Scutari, Chrysopo lis ; and Scutari Point, Damalis. e2 76 UNKHIAR-ISKELLEH. of the tomb-stones bore the imperial tooghra ; but just as I was about to ascertain what dis tinguished ashes it covered, I was called away by the shouts of the beaters ahead, who had sprung a woodcock, and immediately after by the report of Sir Robert's gun ; for, as the whole country abounds with game, we always carried our guns with us during our rambles. After making a tour through the hills and valleys, we descended to the battery of Yoro, where we entered the kaeek. Yoro is the ancient Hierom portus, where formerly . existed a temple : but of this I found no ves tiges. During another of our rambles, we crossed the channel, landed at Unkhiar-iskelleh, walked up the beautiful valley I have before noticed, and ascended the sides of the Giant's Moun tain, from whose summit we obtained another THE giant's mountain. 77 magnificent view ; bearing, however, a general reserablance to the one from the Genoese castle. It embraced the Bosphorus, the Merraereh- deniz, the Kesheesh-daghy, or Mount Olympus, and the Kara-deniz, or Black Sea. This moun tain takes its narae from the supposed tomb of a giant, and certainly a giant of no ordinary size ; for, though it is asserted that only one half of his body reposes on this spot, yet that half alone measures fifty feet in length. Ac cording to the story told by the dervishes who guard these remains, and who have a small tekkeh here, this great man was no less a per sonage than Joshua the son of Nun, (jjJ ^j K(i»j). Antiquarians are not, however, of ac cord with them on this point, some stating it to be the tomb of Amycus, king of the Bebry- ces, and others, the bed of Hercules. Having reposed ourselves in a little adjoin- 78 RUINED PALACE. ing cafe, and drank " the sober Mokah-berry's juice," we ascended, by another road, into a pretty valley, in which, at a place called Tokat, are the traces of a palace built by Suleyman the Magnificent. Some large marble basiqs, into which bronze dragons still discharge clear streams of water, are all, however, that at pre sent remain of its former splendor. Most of these valleys, and the sides of the surrounding hills, were clothed with fine trees and shrubs, looking beautiful in their mellow and varied autumnal hues. Between Therapia and Kefeli-keui, are the ruins of the convent of St. Euphemia, under which is a fountain, greatly venerated for its miraculous properties, of which many wonder ful and romantic stories are related. At Sir Robert Gordon's table, we made the acquaintance of the French ambassador, Gene- GENERAL GUILLEMINOT. 79 ral Count Guilleminot, and his amiable family — an acquaintance which, during our whole residence at Stambool, gave us the greatest pleasure. General Guilleminot is well known in the military annals of his country. He en tered the service in 1791, and soon after was attached to the staff of Moreau, with whom he contracted a most intimate friendship, so rauch so indeed, as to render him, to a certain degree, suspect in Napoleon's eyes. However, the em peror, aware of his talents and experience, em ployed him in the war of 1805 against Austria. In 1807, he was naraed Adjutant Commandant; entered Spain with the first army that marched into that country, and much distinguished him self at Medina and Rio Secco in 1808 ; shortly after, he was appointed general of brigade. In the Russian campaign he gained fresh laurels, especially at the battle of the Moskowa, and, 80 GENERAL GUILLEMINOT. in the following year, gallantly repulsed the Swedes at Dessau, for which he was promoted to the rank of General of Division. In 1815, he was appointed Chef d'etat Major to an army which was to be commanded by the Duke of Berry against Napoleon ; but, as both time and soldiers were wanting, the army had no exist ence. He was one of tbe commissioners who signed the capitulation of Paris. In 1823, he followed the Duke of Angouleme into Spain, and in fact commanded that army. General Guilleminot is considered one of the best officers in the French service ; and his reputation, as a man of honour and a friend to liberty, is not inferior to that which he has gained as a soldier. We also met Monsieur Amedee Jaubert, Conseiller d'Ambassade, one of the best orien tal scholars of the present day, and well known M. JAUBERT. 81 for his works, his travels, and his lectures. He was Napoleon's oriental secretary, and filled many important diplomatic missions to the Sublime Porte, and to the Shah of Persia. He it was that brought over to France from Thibet, the faraous goats, from whose hair the renowned Kushmeer shalls are made. In April, 1815, the emperor sent hira to Constantinople as minister extraordinary to the sultan. He entered the palace occupied by the minister of Louis XVIIL, and displaying, together with his suite, the tricoloured cockade, the example was imraediately followed by most of the French mission and French merchants. Having sub- stituted over the gates of the palace, the proud, imperial eagle of Napoleon, for the pale lilies of the Bourbons, the Turkish ministry begged that the latter might be restored. M. Jaubert refused ; on which a detachment of Janizaries E 5 82 THE sultan's GIRAFFE. were ordered to take down the eagles of the empire. Had the battle of Waterloo met with a different result, it is probable that the vizeer would have suffered for not having been suf ficiently clear-sighted to choose the proper line of policy. M. Jaubert is an active, brave, and intelli gent man, and quite adapted to the perilous missions with which he was entrusted by Na poleon. We visited the sultan's stables to see the lately-arrived giraffe,* the same that we had met in the Dardanelles. It is the largest of the species hitherto imported into Europe, mea suring to the summit of the head nearly fifteen feet in height. It appeared in bad condition, * This animal is called by the Turks, Zurnapa, 'jL^J'**', and by the Arabs, ¦ — ^¦>j^' Dzareef, " the graceful," or " the elegant." HORSES. 83 being, frora the effects of its long voyage, both thin and ragged. Only three of the horses from Egypt were at Therapia, the rest having been left at Stam bool; but we saw about a hundred and sixty others — Turkish, Arabians, Egyptians, Don- golese, Syrian, and Turkoman. Few, however, judging from appearance, seemed possessed of any very transcendant qualities, or remarkable beauty, though we were told that they were all good at work. The Turkish horses are easily distinguished from others by their forms. They have good raiddle pieces though rather* round ; high and thick crests resembling in their immense arch that of the Godolphin A,rabian. Their heads are rather coarse and badly put on ; and their legs are short, flat, and bony. The favourite colours are the pie-balds and the strawberries. 84 singular HORSE. especially when the two near legs and one of the off ones are white. The Italians have the same predilection, saying, Balxano a tre, e ca vallo di Re. Whitemuzzles and wall-eyes are also considered as great beauties. One horse was particularly pointed out to us as remarkable for his extraordinary colour, which was certainly most singular, being a perfectly bright crimson shade of chesnut, which, viewed under the influence of the sun's rays, looked exactly like the finest carmine. I imagined it to be produced by the khennah, or some other dye, but was positively assured it was the horse's natural colour. The Dongolese horses are excellently adapted for the carriage, many being from sixteen to seventeen hands high, very showy, and with grand action. They are, however, remarkably long in the back, and rough in their movements when rode. TAKKAH HORSE. 85 Sadih Khan, a Persian who has long resided in England, had lately arrived at Constanti nople from his own country, bringing with him, amongst other horses, one of the breed of Takkah in Khorassan, which, in comraon with all his race, was possessed of the curious dis tinction of having no mane. He was altogether a showy horse, with an English thorough-bred look about him. The horses in Turkey are all kept excessively fat, and are shod with bar shoes, with high pro jecting nail-heads, there being no groove. On Friday I again went, with three English officers of the eighteenth regiment of infantry, (who were lately arrived from Corfu on a shoot ing excursion,) to see the sultan going to mosque. He generally goes to a different place of worship every week — this day he chose Yali-keui in Asia. The ceremonies were the same as what we had 86 THE 'SULTAN. before seen, but his dress was different, re sembling exactly the petite tenue of our third light dragoons. After leaving the mosque he mounted his horse, and rode to the turfy valley of Unkhiar-iskelleh, where he amused himself by galloping about, and showing off his powers of equitation. He possesses a very firm and graceful seat, and has apparently a good and light bridle-hand. He rode with long stirrup-leathers, like ourselves. His horse ap pointments were very rich and splendid, and decorated with pearls and precious stones. I was told that he well understands cavalry ma noeuvres, and often delights in putting his squadrons through a field-day. His instructor was Captain Calosso, a Piedmontese officer, at present instructor-general of the Turkish ca valry, with the rank of colonel. On the following day, the 13th, I accom- PRESENTATION AT COURT. 87 panied our ambassador, who had demanded ¦a private audience with the sultan for the pur pose of delivering his credentials from William IV. I was very sensible of Sir Robert Gor don's kindness on this occasion, for in order to obtain permission for me to go with him, he had to undertake a long and very troublesome correspondence with the Reis Efendi. Every thing being at last arranged, and it being at the same time understood that this deviation from the established etiquette of the court was not to serve as a precedent — for no Frank subjects are permitted to approach the sultan, except when a new ambassador or rainister has, on his arrival, an audience of introduction, on which occasion the subjects of that minister's sovereign are allowed to follow in his suite — we em barked in the ambassador's state kaeek, pulled by fourteen oars. As aide-de-camp to Sir 88 PRESENTATION Robert Gordon 1 put on my full-dress uniform of hussars. Mr. Villiers carried the king's letter, enclosed in a rich portefeuille of gold and silver tissue. M. Chabert, chief dragoman* of the embassy, was in the very handsome ori ental full-dress of his office, as were also the pilot, ghawases, and servants. The sailors were dressed in green velvet jackets embroidered with gold, whilst the silken flag of England waved from the prow. On landing at the stairs of the imperial serai the ambassador was received by the troops with presented arms, and we were then ushered into an apartment on the ground-floor, where we found the Reis Efendi, Ahmed Hameed Bey,t attended by his dragoman, Esrar Efendi. • A word corrupted from j^^Loo-.J', terjeman, " an interpreter." t Called also, from having six fingers on one of his hands, Alty-Parmak Pasha. AT COURT. 89 The Reis Efendi is a very short little man with a dark-grey beard, and, with the excep tion of sharp and penetrating eyes, possessing a look the reverse of distingue. The dragoman was a person of most dirainutive stature. They were both covered from the neck to the feet with dark and unornamented cloaks, and wore on their heads the simple red fez. Shortly after, Mustafa Efendi, the sultan's private secretary and favourite, entered the room followed by Ahmed Fethi, pasha of the Bosphorus and colonel-in-chief of the guards,* and another officer. Mustafa is a good-looking fat young man, and Ahraed has a pleasing and soldier-like ap pearance. They were both dressed in a dark * The rank of Pasha of the Bosphorus and colonel of the guards, unites the charges and duties of the Ex-Bo8tanji Bashi. 90 PRESENTATION blue uniform with scarlet facings. The latter spoke a little French. Next entered the Serasker, {^L^^jm " head of the army,") Hosrew Mehemmed Pasha, a jovial and good-looking old man with a beard of snowy whiteness ;* but, notwithstanding his jovial, good-natured, and bon enfant looks, he is said to be very sanguinary and cruel. " Is it possible," I asked, " that so amiable a looking man did really cut off so many beads?" "Her goon," — " every day," was the answer. With the exception of the Reis Efendi, who was seated on the divan, the rest of the party occupied chairs, but the old habit of crossing their legs seemed not to have quite abandoned them, for they tucked them up as much as pos sible, by resting them on the bars beneath. * For a list of the different cabinet ministers, and otlier officers of the Sublime Porte, see Appendix. -VT COURT. 91 Pipes and coffee were served, the latter quite in the Frank manner, with saucers, spoons, sugar, and even sugar-tongs. We remained bere about an hour, conversing on a variety of subjects, but all far from having a serious ten dency — women, and affairs of gallantry, being the themes most dwelt upon. The Serasker and jNlustafa were particularly gay, cutting jokes, and laughing loud and freely. At last we were summoned up-stairs to the imperial presence. Passing through several rooms, furnished not only with the usual divans, but with several articles of Frank furniture, such as consoles, or molu clocks, Sevre vases with artificial flowers, pier-glasses, and pictures, we entered a room overlooking the waters of the Bosphorus, and there, seated on a divan, we beheld the mighty lord of the Othman empire, Ghazi Sultaun 92 THE SULTAN. Mahmoud Khan Aadli — ^_^S£. ^JJ:- Oyt^s^ J.\Am j_^jli, " the Victorious Sultan Mahmoud, Khan, the Just."* Khan is the old Turkoman title. * Sultan Mahmoud, born 20th July, 1785, is the son of Sultan Abd-al-Hameed, and nephew of Sultan Selim III. He succeeded his brother. Sultan Mustafa IV., on the 28th July 1808. He has several daughters, but only two sons, Abd-al-Mesheed, born 1823, and Abd-al- Azeez,boru February, 1830. His eldest daugh ter, Saleehah, born 1811, it is said, is to be married to Haleel, Capudan Pasha. In the Appendix I have inserted his lineage traced from Adam ! I copied it from a very handsome Turkish manuscript, which was, however, partly ef faced, as will be seen from the three blanks, where the names were perfectly illegible. The Turks, and all eastern nations, have, at all times, been very par ticular in keeping correct genealogical tables, not only of themselves but also of their horses. THK SULTAN. 93 He was dressed in the same uniform he wore when I saw him at Yeni-Keui, and on his left breast wore a magnificent decoration in dia monds and rubies, representing the crescent, the star, and a plume of feathers arranged like those which form the distinguishing mark of a Prince of Wales, The room was very simply furnished ; the only ornaments it bore were his arms suspended from the wall; his sabre, pistols, and topuz, were mounted in gold, and studded with diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. Sir Robert Gordon addressed him in French, and his speech was immediately translated into Turkish by Esrar Efendi. The sultan then re turned his answer in Turkish, which was trans lated into French by M. Chabert. On commencing his speech, which was of con siderable length, the sultan seemed rather ner vous, but his voice soon recovered its firmness. 94 PRESENTATION His delivery was excellent, and quite oratorical, and, as I afterwards heard, his words were well chosen, and his sentences well turned. In fact, he has paid great attention to literature, and is deeply read, not only in the Turkish, but also in the Arabic and Persian languages, and is more over a very tolerable poet. His expressions bore witness to his great friendship for our king and the English nation, and were excessively com plimentary and kind to Sir Robert Gordon per sonally. After this he desired that Mr. Villiers and myself should be presented to him, when, through the dragoman, he asked me how I liked those parts of his dominions which I had visited, and when, in answering this question, 1 said, that I had been delighted with all I had seen, I spoke not in the matter-of-course and complimentary manner, but really as I felt. Sir Robert Gordon then added that I was AT COURT. 95 very anxious to see some reviews of the new troops, to which his Highness answered " Insh' allah, when I return to Stambool he shall see plenty ;" and at the same time ordered Ahmed Pasha to afford me every facility in seeing the different barracks, and the interior economy of the troops. After talking some time longer with the am bassador, during which time he was not only very affable, but even gay, we bowed, and reined back out of the room, (where we had remained about half an hour,) and returned to the apartment where we had first been received. Here we again smoked the delicious weed of Jebeleh, drank amber-perfumed Mokah coffee, and sipped sherbets of the violet (the best,) the white rose, the red rose, the carnation, and a variety of other flowers, all served in richly- cut crystal vases, with gold covers. Before our 96 MOTTO FROM THE KORAN. departure, Mustafa Efendi had his best hories paraded in the garden, and close to the windows, for our inspection. Most Turkish houses have some sentence from the Koran painted on the fa§ade; the words inscribed both on the outside of the sul tan's serai, and in the rooms, were iai*. Ll~. (Ya Hafix !) " Oh Protector !" On Sunday we returned to town by water. 97 CHAPTER IX. Remains of Old Byzantium — Ancient Cisterns — Aque duct of Valens — Principal Mosques — The Suley manieh — Tombs of the Suleymans — Benevolent In. stitutions — Universities — Lunatic Asylum. On returning to Stambool, we recommenced our search after the remains of old Byzantium. According to the list of buildings and monu ments given a few pages back, it appears that there were four sets of public cisterns. Gillius, however, if I mistake not, increases the num ber to six ; there are but two at present, which VOL. II. F 98 ANCIENT CISTERNS. are still well preserved ; namely, one near the Yanmish tash, called by the Turks, Bin- bir-deerek, (the thousand and one pillars,) Yerabatan Serai, and Eer Ewi, (subterranean palace ;) and another near Santa Sofia, called Batan Serai. The former is used as a place for spinning silk : the entrance to it is a little lower than the level of the capitals which sup port the vault, and a wooden staircase leads to the bottom. The size of this cistern, and the number of pillars it contains, has afforded incessant sub ject of dispute — no two persons, I believe, being agreed on the point ; but this may easily be accounted for by the fact, that the Turks, whose houses are situated round it, from time to time have enclosed parts of it for the pur pose of making cellars and store-rooms. Some writers have stated the number to be two hun- THE BIN-BIR-DEEREK. 99 dred and twelve ; others, three hundred and sixty-six ; and others again, by considering them as double ones, at four hundred and twenty-four. They are called double, from the shaft of the columns having, half way up their length, a false pedestal, up to which the water was allowed to mount, so that the upper half of the columns seemed to rest with these pedestals on the surface of the water. Dr. Walsh, however, gives a still grander account of this reservoir, describing it as " an arched roof supported by six hundred and seventy-two marble columns, each column con sisting of three, standing on the top of each other." As I did not myself count them, I can not decide which of these statements is cor rect, though I must confess that I certainly did not see the treble order. There is, how- F 2 100 THE BIN-BIR-DEEREK. ever, no reason, after all, why there may not still exist even as many as the one thousand and one, a portion, as I before observed, being inclosed within the walls. Some of the capitals were evidently taken from the materials of other edifices ; but the generality of them are simply square blocks of stone with the edges rounded off: this cistern is supposed to have been that of Philoxenus. Andreossi asserts, that it was capable of con taining a sufficiency of water to meet the de mands of the city for sixty days: within its area are two wells of good water. The soil has so much accumulated, that it reaches to within five or six feet of the middle pedestals. The other cistern, called forinerly Cisterna Basilica, is situated under a house in a street near Aya Sofiya Jamaa. Those who wish to THE BATAN SERAI. 101 see it must ask permission from the Turk who owns this house. Descending into a garden which occupies a part of the cistern where the vault has fallen in, he sees a sort of archway, entering which a forest of columns bursts on the sight. The part of the reservoir which is vaulted over, and on which part of the town is built, is in very good preservation, and still serves the purpose for which it was originally constructed ; and numbers of pipes, or pump- tubes, are seen descending into the water it contains, in all directions, ffom the houses above. Here again I was unable to ascertain the exact number of columns for want of a boat, the one which is generally kept there being under repair. Gillius states that he counted three hundred and thirty-six. It however seemed to be of very great extent, long rows 102 THE BATAN SERAI. of columns continuing to a considerable dis tance, . and then becoming gradually lost to the eye, in the darkness of the opposite ex tremity. The Turks say that it reaches as far as the At-Meidan. The columns are of different forms and dimensions, some repre senting the trunks of trees, others fluted, and many quite plain, whilst the capitals vary from the rich Corinthian to plain square blocks. In the water I observed a great number of fish, which seemed quite tame, in consequence of being regularly fed by the Turk. This visit of mine caused great alarm in the household ; the master was absent, and upon entering we found ourselves in the midst of his female slaves, some of them working, others playing in the hauli, (the hall or interior court,) who, on seeing us, all ran screaming to the harem, covering their faces with their hands ; AQUEDUCT OF VALENS. 103 a small negro boy alone remaining, who acted as cicerone. ' The aqueduct of Valens, or as it is now called, the Bosjohan Kemeri, forms a very con spicuous feature in the picture of Constanti nople. In many parts it has two tiers of arches, and is of considerable breadth, having on its summit a convenient path, which con nects, without descending into the intermediate valley, two districts of the town. It is chiefly built of stone, but in parts is intermixed with brick-work. Some of the arches (which span dif ferent streets) would form very picturesque sketches, being adorned with ivy and festooning creepers, besides large shrubs, whose roots are fixed in the interstices of the stones. This aqueduct underwent a complete repair in the reign of Suleyman I., and in fact, was in many parts completely rebuilt by him. 104 THE PILGRIM FROM MEKKAH. One day, whilst sketching this building, we were startled by a sudden crash of wild dis cordant music and song ;* and on proceeding to ascertain the cause, we discovered a house sur rounded by musicians, and other persons bear ing a litter covered with feathers, plumes, and flags ; — a hajji had just reached his home after making the long and perilous pilgrimage to Mekkah. With the exception of the Porta Aurea, and the city walls, of which I shall speak hereafter, the above-mentioned edifices and monuments form the only considerable ruins of ancient By zantium. I shall now briefly notice some of the mosques — the principal structures erected by the Turks. Of these there are a considerable number ; the most remarkable (I place them chro- * See specimens of Turkish love songs in Appendix. PRINCIPAL MOSaUES. 105 nologically) are, — 1. Aya Sofiya, the famous Christian shrine, converted into a mosque by Muhammed II. on the day of his capture of Constantinople ; 2. Sultan Mehemmed, erected by Muhammed II. 3. Eyoob, by Muham med II. 4. Sultan Bayazeed, by Bayazeed II. 5. Sultan Selim, commenced by Selim I., and completed by his son, Suleyman I. 6. Shah- zadeh, by Suleyman I. 7. Sultan Suleyman, or Suleymanieh, by Suleyman I. 8. Sultan Ahmed, by Ahmed I. 9. Noor-Othmanieh, commenced by Mahmood I., and finished by Othman III. 10. Yeni Jamaa, by the Vali- deh Terkhann Sultana, the wife of Ibrahim I., and mother of Muhammed IV. 11. Valideh Jamaa, by Rabieh Gulnoosh Sultana, wife of Muhammed IV,, and mother of Mustafa II. and Ahmed II. 12. Lalehli, by Mustafa III. 13. Aiazma Jamaa, by Mustafa III. ; and F 5 106 MOSQUES. 14. Istavroz Jamaa, by Abd-ul-Hameed, father of the present sultan.* This list only includes the principal mosques, for the number of lesser temples, and mesjids, or chapels, is extremely great ; but although, with the exception of Aya Sofiya, I visited most of the principal, I shall not attempt to describe them separately, for, in general features, they * It is perhaps not generally known that even be fore Constantinople fell beneath the victorious sabre of Muhammed II. a mosque existed in the capital of the Greek Empire. Bayazeed I. had encompassed the city with his forces, and the siege was only averted by the Greeks consenting to the erection of a Muham- medan temple within their walls. It was called Gul Jamaa, or " Rose Mosque," and was situated in the market of Mustafa Pasha, within the Jebaleh Kapoo. Some say it was founded as far back as the time when Omar Ibn Abd-ul-Aziz besieged the town with his Arabs. THE SULEYM.A.NIEH. 107 all much resemble each other. The one which pleased me the most was the Suleymanieh. As Lady Temple accompanied me on my visit to it, and we were both dressed in our usual costume, I deemed it prudent to choose an hour when I thought that we should meet the smallest number of the faithful at their prayers ; — for in one respect the Mussulmen, and to a certain degree, the Catholics, differ greatly from us, inasmuch as that though both have regularly appointed hours for public worship, yet their temples are open at all hours, and any one may enter them whenever he feels disposed to offer up his prayers to the Almighty, with out waiting to be summoned once a-week by the ringing of bells, and parading for the pur pose like a troop of soldiers. In the one case, devotion is a voluntary act, — in the other, it is but too generally a mere compliance with custom. 108 THE SULEYMANIEH. I also sent a message to one of the priests, Stating bow thankful I should feel if he would show me the different beauties of the edifice. Accordingly, at the appointed hour we met him at the entrance, left,- of course, our boots and shoes at the door, (which, by the bye, could not be done in a Christian country, at least if the owners should entertain the wish of seeing them again,) and passing through a beautiful gate, entered the holy fane, and certainly never was I struck with more serious and deyotional feelings. The building is of vast extent, lofty and wide — no glaring and dazzling ornaments like those in Catholic churches meet the eye, nor is it offended by Smithfield-pens, for to no thing else can I compare the pews which deco rate our churches at home ; the whole space is open, and the marble floor is covered with the soft carpets of Persia, over which, slowly and THE SULEYMANIEH. 109 silently, the pious Moslem bends his way to some favourite corner. A number of sraall windows fitted with coloured glass, admit a sober and mellow light, and give, if I may use the expression, a religious air to the interior, preventing the mind from being distracted or diverted by the glitter of ornaments and deco rations. This mosque was built in 691 of the Hejrah (1554) by the architect Sinan, and finished two years after, chiefly with materials taken from the church of St. Euphemia, at Kadi-keui, the ancient Chalcedon. Some Turkish authors, however, state its construction to have occupied a longer period, asserting that the first stone was laid in Jamadi-awal 957, and that the edi fice was not completely finished till Zil-hijjeh 964. It cost seventy-four million three hun dred thousand piastres. 110 THE SULEYMANIEH. The dome is very handsome and bold, and rests on four enormous piers, besides four Egyptian columns of red granite, sixty feet high, each of one single block, and brought from Kahira as a present, by Karinjeh Capudan. It is covered with bronze, and is flanked by two half-domes. From the dome are suspended a vast number of small glass lamps of different colours, which reach to about six or seven feet from the floor ; they are said by Mu- hammedan writers to have been originally twenty-two thousand in number. Long inscriptions in the beautiful intricacies of the elegant Soolssi and Guzafi characters, generally in gold relief, on a lapis lazuli co loured ground, adorn different parts of the walls. The grand altar, which fronts the prin cipal entrance, is extremely simple ; above it is a window of coloured glass, and on each side THE SULEYMANIEH. Ill two gigantic wax candles, measuring no less than fifteen feet in height and five in circum ference, and said to weigh twenty cantars. On the left of the altar, or mihrab, is the minber, an elevated pulpit, with a narrow and steep flight of marble steps leading to it. In other parts of the mosque are three oblong-square galleries, or mahfils, resting on a number of little marble columns, inlaid with rich mosaic work, like those seen at Salerno, and Ravella, and in other parts of the Neapolitan territories, and which are called Saracenic. One of these galleries belongs to the sultan, and is sur rounded by gilt lattice-work — another is of some scarce wood inlaid with mother-of-pearl. In front of the principal entrance is an open court, with a beautiful fountain in the centre, and a covered cloister, or gallery, running round it ; this gallery has twenty-seven little domes, and is supported by twenty-four beauti- 112 TOMBS OF ful columns of verd' antico, porphyry, granite, and marble, whose pedestals are of bronze. In rear of tbe mosque are the turbehs, or tombs of Suleyman and his well-known wife, the famous Roxelana, called in Turkish, Hes- siah. Suleyman's turbeh is a handsome octa gonal chapel, surraounted by a dome; round the lower half of the building runs a covered projecting gallery, supported by double rows of verd' antico columns ; the edifice itself is of white marble, with borders and labels of rose- colour. In the interior are eight verd' an tico pillars, one in each corner ; the walls are decorated with inscriptions in yellow letters on a blue field, and the dome, (from which are sus pended many lamps kept burning night and day,) is of richly carved cedar-wood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and studded, according to the account of the turbehdar, with diamonds, rubies, and pearls. THE SULEYMANS. 113 There are six coffins in all, three of males, namely, Suleyman I., Suleyman II., son of Ibrahim, and Ahmed II., also son of Ibrahim, and three of females ; the bodies are not, how ever, in the coffins, but are buried in the earth under them. The cenotaphs of the princes are surrounded with wooden railings inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and covered with rich silks, embroidered with Arabic sentences, being veils which have surrounded the prophet's tomb at Medinah.* At the head of each are the impe rial turbans with the zulfs or aigrettes worn by the sultans — but Suleyman's turban is pre served in a little closet. * These veils are renewed by each sultan on his accession to the throne ; and, whenever the former ones become worn out. The old ones are taken back to Constantinople, and are used to cover the tombs of the sultans. 114 TOMBS OF We also see a model of the sacred temple of Mekkah, together with the adjoining mountain and valley; and a number of handsome copies of the Koran are kept for the use of the pious. Service is still regularly performed in this chapel ; twelve readers are also appointed, who are paid to read extracts frora the Koran, to any person who desires them ; six turbehdars are maintained to keep the place in order. Suleyman having died whilst fighting the Christians, at the siege of Zieghet, in 974 Hejra (a.d. 1566) is considered asasheheed, or martyr. At his funeral the Namaz was per formed over his body according to the rules of the Imam Shafi, which he had observed during his life; in fact, he was always accompanied by Imam Nakybul Eshref, one of the sect. After this tbe clergy were ordered to finish the Telaveti Koran forty times a day, for forty consecutive days. THE SULEYMANS. 1 15 Suleyman was surnamed Kanooni, " the Legislator ;" another derivation is given of this word in the recently-published " Journal of a Nobleman," in which it is seriously stated that he was " surnamed Kanouny, for having in troduced the use ot cannon in Turkey." The above-mentioned turbehs stand in a garden, and, with the mosque, occupy a level space on the summit of one of the seven hills, and are surrounded by a wall and an avenue of trees. From this elevated terrace is obtained a fine view of the town, Galata, Pera, Scutari, and the Bosphorus. Outside the square are hospitals, schools, libraries, and lunatic asy lums, and the residence of the Sheikh ul Islam, formerly the palace of the Janizary Agha; on the left side runs a long row of cafes, formerly resorted to by opium-eaters, but at present almost deserted. 116 BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. To most of the mosques, as well as to this of Su leyman, are attached a number of useful and benevolent establishments — such as imarets, (hospices,) where the priests and the poor are fed ; taby khanehs and biraar khanehs, (lunatic asyluras and hospitals;) mektebs, (schools;) mudressehs, (colleges;) and ketab khanehs, (or libraries.) One of the first acts of Muhammed II., after his conquest of Constantinople, was that of founding two universities, — the one attached to Aya Sofiya, the other to the Muhammedeah ; the first contained six colleges, the latter six teen, and the most talented men in the em pire were appointed as teachers. The Mu hammedeah is still considered as one of the chief boasts of the Constantinopolitans. There are more than five hundred mudressehs, each bearing the name of its founder ; a great A SUMMONS FOR THE SULTAN. 117 number of mektebs, and thirty public libraries, independent of the one in the seraglio. Muhammed II. wished that the new mosque he proposed building, which was to bear his own name, should rival that of Aya Sofiyah, and for this purpose had collected a number of splendid columns, and other rare materials. His architect, however, to render the building stronger, shortened these columns by three cubits. This naturally greatly enraged the sultan, who ordered the architect's hands to be cut off. Evlia Efendi, who mentions this fact in his Syahet Nameh, adds a curious anecdote connected with this affair. He states that the architect summoned the sultan to appear before . a court of law to answer for his conduct. Mu hammed obeyed the summons ; when, after the plaintiff and defendant had been heard, the Islambol-molassi sentenced the sultan to pay 118 DAMAGES AGAINST THE SULTAN. a daily sum of ten akchehs to the architect, in compensation for the loss of his hands. Mu hammed doubled the sum, to the great delight of the plaintiff, who professed himself perfectly satisfied. This shows the great difference in the value of money at that time to what it is at present, unless we choose to account for it by the smaU value in which hands were then held.* Every mosque is possessed of considerable revenues ; that of the Suleymanieh amounted to twenty-five thousand piastres, and that of Aya Sofiya to one million ; very large sums, when * Three akchehs make one para, forty paras one piastre, and, calculating at the present rate of ex change, (seventy-seven,) the twenty akchehs would now only equal the four hundred and fifty-sixth part of one pound sterling, or a little more than a half penny a day. LUNATIC ASYLUM. 119 we recollect that the piastre, at that time, was perhaps nearly equal to the Spanish dollar. The expenses have never exceeded the half, or, at most, two-thirds of these revenues. We visited, among other establishments, the lunatic asylum attached to the Suleymanieh. It consists of two open courts, round which run covered galleries, and into these the cells open : the doors are left open, and any one may enter ; the patients are chained, and generally occupy the deep recesses of the grated windows which look into the court. The unfortunate beings are allowed a bed and two blankets ; but they mu.st, notwithstanding, suffer greatly from the cold in winter : few of them were very furious, but all begged for tobacco. According to a work published in 1827 on insanity, by order of the French government, it appears that no less than seven hundred and 120 MAD TAILORS. fifty-five tailors were confined at Paris in the Salpetri^re alone, and that, on an average, there are two hundred and eighty-five mad tailors in every thousand. Many medical men have attributed this great proportion to the sedentary position adopted by this class of per sons ; and it would be curious to ascertain, whether the Turks and other eastern nations, who sit in the same attitude during the greater part of the day, are, more than other people, subject to this dreadful affliction ; though, con sidering the case in another point of view, they ought undoubtedly to be exempt from it, as they always keep their heads shaved. Not only the sultans and pashas, but private individuals generally leave a part of their for tunes towards supporting the different benevo lent institutions already established, and also, when their means are sufficient for the purpose, for founding new ones. We must certainly look TURKISH CHARITY. 121 upon the Turks as a nation possessed of much charitable feeling, which they exercise in its purity, uncontaminated by any germ of vanity or ostentation ; for by far the greater number of the fountains erected in the desart bear no inscription to commemorate their founder ; and hosts of unclean and abhorred dogs who possess no master, are daily fed by the charitable Turks. The piety also of the Moslem seems sincere : often have I stopped to admire them at their prayers, when they seem to be so entirely wrapped up in their devotion as to be perfectly unconscious of the bustle of the surrounding scene : no false shame prevents them, at the stated hours appointed for prayer, from kneel ing down in the camp, at the road side, or in the crowded street ; nor do they omit doing so in the midst of vast solitudes, where they cannot be aware that any eye but that of the Almighty is bent on them. VOL. II. G 122 THE KORAN, AND The Koran is certainly a fine code of mo rals ; and, when freed from the interpretations and false constructions of fanatic followers, in culcates much greater toleration, and more li berality, than we are generally inclined to con cede to it. Among other instances, I shall quote the seventy-fourth verse of the fifth chapter, called " the table." — It is as fol lows : — " For those who have believed, and those who have been Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabeans, every man who has believed in God, and in the day of resurrection, and who has performed good works, all these will meet their reward from the Lord."* The ex- * As I am but a very indifferent Arabic scholar, I insert the original : ^Ic J^c ^sl ^^1 _, Mi ^] ^ (^jT-^ ¦ i*^'^ &^j '^ MUHAM11EDAN RELIGION. 123 pounders of our religion do not certainly speak thus : where, for example, can we find any thing to match Athanasius' curse. Which doth your true believer so much please. And decorates the book of Common Prayer .'' I have somewhere read the following account of the Mohammedan religion, which seems drawn up with considerable fairness. — The Muhammedans are neither atheists nor idolators. On the contrary, their religion, false as it is, has many points in common with the true one. They believe in one God Almighty, Creator of all, just and merciful ; they abhor poly theism and idolatry ; they hold the immortality of the soul, a final judgment, a heaven, a hell, angels good and bad, and even guardian angels ; they ac knowledge a universal deluge ; they honour the patriarch Abraham as the father and first au- G 2 124 THE MUHAMMEDAN RELIGION. thor of their religion ; they hold Moses and Christ to have been great prophets sent from God, and the law and the Gospel to be sacred books. In contrast with the corrupt system which it has displaced, it has, in many respects, the advantage ; nay, it may be said to have embodied more truth and less error than the Romish superstition in its vulgar form. Sa- ladin's was a more Christian faith than that of Cceur de Lion, and Mekkah is the scene of a purer worship than Rome. Wherever Mu hammedanism spread, it expelled idolatry ; the Christianity of Rome adopted and perpetuated it. The Moslems denounced, and sometimes extirpated image worshippers; but the ortho dox, on the plea of heresy, destroyed their brethren. The religion of the Koran, sensual as are the future rewards it holds out to the faithful, is more spiritual than that which THE MUHAMMEDAN RELIGION. 125 dealt in absolution and indulgences : the former at least postpones the gratification of the pas sions to a future state, while the latter let them loose in this. Nor were the pretensions of Mu ham raed more impious than those of the pope. The Arabian impostor promised paradise to the faithful, the Roman pontiff sold heaven to the highest bidder, and fixed a price on the pains of hell. The morality of the Koran is also far purer than that of the canons ; and finally, the devotion of the mosque has brought the Mos lem into a more intimate communion with the idea of Deity, and partakes more ofthe character of worship than the unmeaning ceremonials of the Romish church. In Spain the two systems came fairly into opposition. But enough of this, for I had designed only a slight sketch of Constantinople — not an essay on the merits or demerits of the Moslem creed. 126 QUOTATIONS FROM EL HARAWI It must, however, literally confine itself to the character of a sketch, for it would be in vain for me to undertake a full description of its beauties, or to call up the vast multitude of events connected with its history, which render it, in the eyes of all, one of the most interesting spots on earth ; besides which, the pens of so many eloquent writers have been employed to sing its praises, that my cursory observations, at random strung, can scarce, I fear, merit the name even of a sketch. Some of these accounts are very curious. Ibn Batuta, (a Moslem,) after representing himself as being much pleased with Constanti nople, chimes in with the prophetic wish of El Harawi, a writer of the thirteenth century, who exclaims, " This city, which is greater than its fame, may God of his bounty and grace, make the capital of Islamism !" Little AND IBN BATUTA. 127 did he imagine how soon his wishes would be fulfilled. I was much struck with a passage in the travels of Ibn Batuta, who states that he was prevented from visiting St. Sophia, " as a great number of crosses were placed on and around it, to exclude the infidels." What a number of thoughts are called up by this one short sentence ! 128 CHAPTER X. The Army — The Nizam Jedeed — Cavalry — Uniform — Manceuvres— Colonel Calosso — Barracks — Infantry — Artillery — Military Hospitals — Russia and Turkey —The Navy. In the present chapter, I shall give a brief ac count of what I saw of the army, that is to say, of the Nizam Jedeed, (troops disciplined ac cording to the European system,) and, avoid ing details, shall merely touch upon its general features. I had many opportunities of seeing the greater part of the different corps of cavalry, infantry, and artillery, both under arms and THE NIZAM JEDEED. 129 in their barracks ; and certainly every facility was kindly offered me. Among other instances, I was permitted to enter the seraglio, where sorae of the cavalry of the Guard were quar tered ; they were drilled twice a week by Co lonel Calosso, known in the array as Rustam Bey, whom, on these occasions, I used to ac company ; I used also, at the same time, to be provided with a military-equipped charger. The guard consists of three regiments of cavalry, and three of infantry. Its corps still retain the name of Bostanjis. The line comprises nine regiments of cavalry, and sixteen of in fantry. The regiments of cavalry are composed of six squadrons, each of ninety-six horses, forming a total of six thousand nine hundred and twelve horses. Three other regiments were raising, which, when complete, would increase the force to eight thousand six hundred and g5 130 CAVALRY. forty horses. The flank squadrons of each re giment were organized as lancers. The men are armed with sabres, made according to the old English light-dragoon model, a carbine slung from the belt, and not fixed in the bucket, and a pair of pistols : the lancer squad rons have no carbines. The horses are small, but active ; they are chiefly taken from Mol davia and Bosnia, and have as yet cost the sultan very little, being mostly presents from different pashas and wealthy individuals. Very great attention is not paid to grooming thera ; but the forage issued out is sufficient. The saddles and bridles are English, and are made on the Hussar principle ; but, instead of using a folded blanket as we do, they employ several l^iyers of felt joined together, which material, they say, experience has taught them to be best adapted for preventing sore backs. I did not observe much uniformity of system CAVALRY. 131 in the manner of riding, nor can this as yet be expected, considering how much the new mode differs from the old and national one ; besides which, the sultan was much too anxious to see his cavalry embodied for work to allow the ne cessary time for a regular course of riding les sons. The officers, however, and many of the men, take great pains to acquire the new seat, and much pride in showing it off when obtain ed ; the principal objection entertained by the men, appeared to me to consist of being ob liged to wear straps to their overalls ; for I ob served that most of them, whenever favourable opportunities presented themselves for doing so without being seen, leant down and unbuttoned them, so that in a short time manv naked legs became visible, the overalls flying up. The dress of the officers of the Guard, when in full uniform, consists of blue jackets and overalls; the former are covered with gold-chain 132 UNIFORM. lace, and exactly resemble the full dress of our 7th Hussars. In undress, they wear a blue frock-coat, with red collar and cuffs. The men are also in blue, with the red facing and three large red stars, or suns, worked on each side of the centre row of the buttons, and their overalls have double red stripes. Both officers and men wear the simple red fez. The exercising ground in the seraglio lies between the deer park and the Theodosian column. The sultan does not, at present, de vote so much of his time to drilling his cavalry as formerly ; his leisure hours being chiefly taken up with literary pursuits, especially the study of Arabic poetry ; he himself is said to write with considerable grace ; and the Hatti Shereefs, which are generally remarkable for force and elegance, are ot his own composi tion. MANCEUVRES. 133 Rustam Bey put the troops, for two hours a day, through a great variety of manoeuvres, some of which were very complicated ; they were all performed on the move and not from the halt, and generally at a canter, or acce lerated trot. I was quite astonished to find with what general precision they were all exe cuted ; in the charges, however, owing to the great variety and quality of the horses, there was not quite the ensemble that might be de sired ; but the pace was good. It was, on these occasions, rather nervous for the spectators, who were ranged with their horses' croup close to the wall ; for the halt was never made till the mizraklus (lancers) touched the said wall with the point of their lances. I often could not help dreading that some of these spear- heads-might be made to go through my body instead of being directed to the right or left 134 COLONEL CALOSSO. of it. Some wild, lively boy, disposed to gra tify his desire of sticking an infidel, might after wards have excused himself by saying, that the dust prevented his seeing ; however, I never felt more than the flags wiping the dust off my moustaches. Their code of raanceuvres is copied from the one introduced about eighteen months ago in France. On the whole, their state of disci pline, and their manner of working, reflect the highest credit on Colonel Calosso, especially when the nuraerous and violent prejudices he had, on commencing, to contend against, and his ignorance at first of the Turkish language, are fairly considered. He now speaks the lan guage fluently, and, what is more important, is a great favourite with both officers and men. Some of the regiments, during the late war, greatly distinguished themselves, and, on se- CAVALRY BARRACKS. 135 veral occasions, completely annihilated whole corps of Russians, cavalry as well as infantry. On one occasion, one of the cavalry regiments, commanded by a colonel with whom I was acquainted, (but who was not the person who related the affair to me,) was marching along a raised causeway of great length, when it came upon three Russian battalions, — it imme diately charged, cut the first to pieces, broke through the second, and drove the third before it. This is no contemptible fait d'armes for any cavalry. The cavalry barracks in the seraglio are just behind the Balyk kioshk, and form a hol low square ; one room runs round the whole, which allows a free circulation of air ; down the centre is a row of wooden pillars supporting a beam and shelf, on which are placed and sus pended the kit and arms ; four rows of inclined 136 CAVALRY BARRACKS. planes like our guard-room beds, and raised about nine inches from the floor, run round both sides ; and in double rows down the middle of them, are the mats which compose the soldiers' beds. In the officers' mess-room, I used to smoke and drink caravan tea, which, in many in stances, has taken the place of coffee. I also used to frequent the odas of the pages, situated in the great palace of the seraglio. Most, if not all the officers, are taken from the corps of these pages. Regimental tailors, boot-makers, &c., had just been established. The pay of the officers and men is, for the country, liberal ; for example, a colonel receives one thousand two hundred piastres (£16.) a month ; besides which he is furnished, at the expense of government, with horses, uniform. INFANTRY. 137 appointments, rations, — in fact, with every thing. The infantry consists of three regiments of the guard, and sixteen of the line, each of which is composed of five taburs or battalions, four of which are for service ; the others form the depot. A battalion has eight companies or ortaluks, of one hundred men each ; the company is divided into twelve behluks, sub divisions or pelotons; the eighth ortaluk of each battalion is organized as voltigeurs ; and the fourth battalion of each regiment is drilled to act as sharpshooters or skirmishers. The war-strength of each company is one hundred and seventy men. This gives, therefore, ex clusive of officers, non-commissioned officers and the depots, an effective force in peace of sixty thousand eight hundred bayonets. Each regiment is commanded by a miralai ; 138 INFANTRY. a battalion by a bim bashi; and a company by a yuz bashi, having under him two melazeras or lieutenants. Each battalion has a sagh aghasi and a sol aghasi, ranks which the French call adjudants de la droite et de la gauche. The names of the inferior ranks are bairakdar, or standard-bearer; chaoosh bashi, sergeant major; chaoosh, sergeant ; ou bashi, corporal ; trom- petji bashi, drura major ; chialghiji bashi, band master ; baltaji bashi, sergeant of pioneers. One of the regiments forms a corps of marines, called Terskhaneh taboor. Eight regiments are quartered in Constantinople or its imme diate vicinity. The men are steady under arms, manoeuvre with tolerable precision, and their lines and coverings are correct : their arras are kept clean and in good order, and the barrels of their muskets burnished. In*their dress and appoint- YOUTHFUL SOLDIERS. 139 ments, however, they look dirty and slovenly ; and, wearing no stock round the neck, have an undress appearance. The privates are all very young men, and many are mere boys of twelve years old, who can hardly carry their firelocks ; but it is not for want of grown-up men that we find these boys in the ranks, — it is purposely done, and on a sound principle ; for these boys never having possessed any of the power and consequence of the Janizaries, and never having known any other system of discipline and instruction than the now .exist ing one, will form, in a few years, a fine steady army, on which the sultan may rely with con fidence, which could not be the case if its com ponent parts consisted wholly, or in part, of the turbulent spirits of the old. school. The military bands perform very well, and are under the instruction of Donizetti, brother 140 ARTILLERY. of the famous Neapolitan composer. The young Turks show a great disposition for mu.sic. The barracks are fine spacious buildings, placed in airy and healthy situations. The pay in the line is five hundred piastres a month for a bim bashi; three hundred for a yuz bashi; and one hundred and fifty for a melazem. I several times witnessed their artillery prac tice, which was tolerable. The topjis, (artil lery-men,) the khumbarajis, (bombardiers,) the baltajis, (sappers,) and the laghumjis, (miners,) are divided into regiments. Each battery is composed of four field-pieces and two howitzers. Four batteries form a regiment of twenty-four bouches a feu, and as many caissons. The old pieces of one and a half, three, and five pounders, have been replaced by new ones of seven, nine, and eleven. ARTILLERY. 141 The division quartered at Dolma-baghcheh, used to assemble twice a week on the downs by the road to Therapia, not far from the Yldiz kioshk, when the sultan hiraself used to attend, and on several occasions pointed the guns, and was far from making the worst shots. The comraander of the artillery is Tahir Pasha, who commanded the Turkish fleet at Navarin. He was shortly going to Varna to re-establish the fortifications of that place. The second in command is Kara Jehennem, or Black-Hell. He is the officer who distin guished himself so much in quieting the Jani zaries in the Et Meidan, and who also behaved with so much gallantry against the Russians near Shumla. Promotion in the array is given for merit, and not by interest or seniority, as the follow ing extract from one of their military gazettes 142 PROMOTION. will show: — " Muhammed Bey, colonel of the 1st regiment of the 1st brigade, and his lieu tenant-colonel, Hassan Bey, having shown but little capacity and zeal in the military service, and in the execution of the functions attached to their respective ranks, have been dismissed. An examination having been held among the officers next in rank for the purpose of re placing them, Aly Bey, lieutenant-colonel of the 2nd regiment of the 2nd brigade, and Kavakli Emin Bey, major in the 2nd regi ment of the 1st brigade, having shown the greatest knowledge in the theory of war, and in the details of discipline, have been pro moted to the vacancies. Their places also, after a strict examination, have been filled up by Asmi Efendi, commanding the 2nd battalion of the 2nd regiment of the 2nd brigade, and by Eumer Bey, major in the same corps. This MILITARY HOSPITAL. 143 latter officer has been succeeded by Mustafa, son of Yusuf, Pasha of Seres." This is a proper system, and worthy of being imitated. There are six large hospitals for the troops and navy ; three for the army in general — namely, those at Top-kapoo, Mal-depeh, and Top Tash ; one for the artillery, another for the ouvriers militaires, and one for the navy. Independent of these, each regiment and each ship has its own private hospital. Should another war break out in the course of a few years between the Othmanlus and Russians, when the Turkish army and navy are complete in their organization and discip line, the result, I feel convinced, will be far different from that of the last ; and no more marshals or generals will then have grounds on which to found claims to the title of Sabal- 144 RUSSIA AND TURKEY. kanski. Although, during the late campaigns, the Turks were vanquished after the greatest efforts on the part of Russia, yet, in the struggle, Russia lost no less than one hundred and eighty thousand men, and a great part of her artillery ; the prestige of the Russian arms, so much spoken of and so much dreaded in Europe, was completely destroyed ; and the world saw, to its utter astonishment, that the Moslems, though labouring under the greatest possible disadvantages, were able to subdue, with a weak and undisciplined force, more than double their own number of their foe's best troops. In 1827-28, the Russian force amounted to eight hundred and sixty-four thousand five hundred men ; namely, one hundred and sixty- nine thousand four hundred cavalry, four hun dred and one thousand infantry, forty-seven RUSSIA AND TURKEY. 145 thousand artillery, twenty-seven thousand of extra corps, two hundred thousand extraordi nary levies, and twenty thousand officers. By far the greater portion of these forces were com posed of old and well-disciplined soldiers, com manded by experienced officers, provided with every possible thing requisite to carry on war fare, and, from the uniform system of their or ganization and instruction, acting with that per fect ensemble so conducive to success. Russia was tranquil at horae, had no other foreign foe to oppose, and the eraperor was a favourite with his subjects. On the other hand, the Othraan- lus, during tbe war, never had, at any one time, more than eighty thousand men under arras. The brave and determined Janizaries, the da ring and impetuous Delhis and Spahis, and the active and harassing Timariots of the days of Selim and Suleyman, no longer existed ; in their VOL. II. H 146 RUSSIA AND TURKEY. places, were from twenty to thirty thousand raw, weak, and inexperienced boys, to whom, at that period, it would have been thought a burlesque to have applied the term of " regular troops ;" the rest of the army was made up of wild and lawless Asiatics. No money, no depots, no ma gazines, no commissariat, and, worse than all, no experienced officers. Turkey had just been agi tated by a great and dreadful revolution ; and, in the very midst of the war, another serious insurrection broke out. The Sultan was de tested by a powerful faction for the innovations he had introduced. This disaffection was, by Russian gold, converted into open treason. Varna was basely surrendered, the Balkan was left undefended, and the Pasha of Iskondrah, with a considerable army, preserved a shame ful state of inactivit}',- — and yet, what were the results of the first campaign ? Why, the Rus- RUSSIA AND TURKEY. 147 sians, after having suffered immense losses, and their army being perfectly disorganized and demoralized, were obliged with the greatest haste to retire behind the Danube, leaving behind them the greater part of their ma teriel. During the second campaign it is true that, assisted by tbe treachery of some pashas, they did succeed in reaching Adrianople; but, ar rived there, they found they had only eighteen thousand men wherewith to follow up their operations. The Turks had forty thousand men in their rear at Sofia; but these were, by the traitor who commanded thera, not suf fered to act ; though, after the signature of the peace, he blustered and threatened much, thereby hoping to conceal his infamy. There is also no doubt that the Russians, aware of their own weakness, and of the unpleasant pre- H 2 148 RUSSIA AND TURKEY. dicament in which they found themselves, were far more anxious for peace than the Sultan, who only required to be properly supported by his subjects to have come out of the con test as a conqueror. Fortunate would it have proved for hira, if his enemies had advanced against the capital, for then the whole popu lation, throwing off their apathy, and recol lecting that the seat of their empire and reli gion was in danger, would have risen en masse, and the consequence would probably have been, that not one single man of the " accursed yel- low-haired giaours" would have returned to his own dreary steppes. But unfortunately the Turks, not aware of the miserable plight of the invaders of their country, signed the hu miliating treaty — and the world praised the barbaric northern tyrant for his magnanimity in sparing a prostrate enemy, at the time when NAVY. ' 149 he himself, in private, was singing a Te Deum for his fortunate escape from annihilation. Little as I have said of the army, I can say still less of the navy, not being very conversant with maritime affairs. At Terskhaneh, I saw all that part of the Turkish navy which was then in the harbour i of the capital. With the exception of two frigates, one of which was the Raphael, cap tured from the Russians in the Black Sea dur ing the late war, and three corvettes, kept in commission as schools of instruction for young officers and naval recruits : all the rest were in ordinary, and consisted of 9 Ships of the line, 2 Double-banked frigates, 9 Frigates, 14 Corvettes, 2 Brigs, 150 NAVY. I Cutter, 2 Steam vessels. I could not ascertain the number of ships in commission or laid up in other ports, but the following is a list of those on the stocks in different dock-yards : — No. Gans. 1 84 Length in feet. ... 137 . . . ¦Where bQilding. . . . Sinope. 1 .... 80 ... ... 135 . . . Ghemlek. 1 .... 80 ... ... 134 . . . Boudroom. 1 60 . . . . . . 130i . . . ... Erkli. 1 .... 48 . . , ... 1141 ... . . . Rhodes. 1 .... 48 ... ... 113i ... . . . Ghidros. 1 46 ... ... 118i ... . . . Fazza. I .... 46 ... . . . 106 . . . Samson. 1 46 . . . . . . 106 . . . Amasreh. 1 .... 46 ... . . . 106 . . . Bartin. 1 .... 50 ... ... Ill Lemnos. 1 .... 46 . . ... 106 . . . Akcheh Shehr 1 .... 46 .. . .. 106 . . Ismid. 1 48 ... . .. 106 ... . . Mytelene. HALIL PASHA. 151 Besides which, there were several corvettes, brigs, schooners, and smaller vessels. We visited the Mahmoodieh, a three-decker, measuring in extreme length, two hundred and fifty-six feet, and pierced for one hundred and thirtyrtwo guns, six of which were brass three- hundred pounders. She had only lately been launched, and the workmen were still employed in fitting up the cabin, which was to be inlaid with a great variety of beautiful woods, the growth of Turkey. On board, we became ac quainted with Hassan Bey, the Capudana Bey,* said to be the best sailor in, the navy. Halil Pasha is the Capudan Pasha. This man, not many years ago, was a slave at the Dardanelles ; but, having obtained his freedom, and being pushed on by his former master, * There are several officers called Sanjak-beys, whose rank answers to that of rear-admirals. 152 SHIPPING. the serasker, his fortunes rose rapidly. At the conclusion of the last war with Russia, he was sent as ambassador to Petersburgh : he is now commander-in-chief of the navy, and is shortly to be married to one of the Sultan's daughters. Alongside of the Mahmoodieh was the Selim, an old three-decker, not much inferior in size, and possessing the invaluable qualification of being a good sailer under all circumstances, whether well navigated and trimmed, or the reverse, on or off a wind, in a gale, or in a calm. With the exception, I believe, of the Penn sylvania American line-of-battle ship, the Mah moodieh is the largest in the world. The Pasha of Egypt is also building some very large ships ; one of which, the Mehalet el Kebeer, measures, along her water-line, two hundred and twelve feet, is fifty-eight feet in SHIPPING. 153 the beara, and is to fight one hundred and thirty-six guns. Timber is very cheap in Turkey, selling for one English penny the cubic foot ; and, some years back, the expense of building a first-rate in the Black Sea amount ed only to about 9,000/. One of the double- banked frigates had just corae round frora the Black Sea, where she had been launched. She was a very fine vessel, but looked, alongside of the Mahmoodieh, like a small boat. Ano ther of the frigates had also arrived from Si- zeboli, where she had been sunk during the war, but subsequently got up. The cutter had lately been launched, and was built on the exact model of the English cutter Hind- None of the ships are ever painted till they have been rigged. The largest of the steam vessels, formerly one of the English packets to Hamburgh, was cora- H 5 154 SHIPPING. manded by Captain Kelly, an Englishman who has entered the Turkish service. He was ex cessively civil to us, taking us over all the dif ferent departments of the arsenal, and on board the men-of-war. This steam vessel is fitted up as a yacht for the Sultan, who frequently makes excursions in her. The ships in commission seemed very neatly rigged, and were particularly light and clear aloft. I was especially struck with the Shereef Rezan, a beautiful new frigate. Captain Kelly, (who speaks Turkish remark ably well, and is a great favourite with the Capudan Pasha and his brother officers,) took us also .over the dock-yard, where we visited the store-houses, forges, rope-walks, mast-sheds, &c. A great part of the workmen consisted of Albanians, lately taken prisoners by the vizir during the insurrection of their country. We TURKISH CARELESSNESS. 155 also inspected two very fine dry docks for re pairing the larger ships, one built by Selim III., the other,, by the present Sultan. Under one of the sheds, in which the Sultan's state barges are kept, we were shown one which be longed to Muhammed IL, the conqueror of Constantinople. The following is a curious instance either of carelessness or of a strong belief in predestina tion on the part of the Turks. Halil, the pre sent Capudan Pasha, on first coming to office, was looking out for some building in which to establish a forge and an armourer's shop. One was pointed out to him as adapted for the purpose, which, on being opened, was found, much to his surprise, to be quite full of loaded shells and grenades with the fuzes in them, and a great quantity of loose powder scattered about in all directions; this building, (which 156 THE KOUREK-ZINDANI. by-the-bye, I think must originally have been a chapel during the Western Empire,) had se veral open windows. Some considerable fires had lately committed great ravages in its im mediate vicinity, yet every day fires were lighted against its walls, either for the pitch cauldrons, or for cooking the men's messes, and this system continued for many years with out the occurrence of a single accident. How great is Providence ! We also visited the Kourek-Zindani, bagno or prison, which is within the enclosure of the Terskhaneh, and is familiar to the recollection of all who have read that delightful book, the Memoirs of Anastasius. It was quite full of occupants, some of whom were of considerable rank. The prisoners are employed in the diffe rent works of the arsenal The prison bazaar is a most dismal-looking THE PRISON BAZA.4R. 157 place : it consists of a narrow passage of pitchy darkness, bordered on eacb side with small, mi serable shops, each having, in its farthest recess, one wretched, gloomy lamp, struggling in vain to give light on this scene of misery, but barely sufficient, in fact, to raake the darkness visible. At the end of this passage, having first passed, in almost total darkness, the crowds of savage, ferocious, and desperate-looking personages, the rattling of whose chains told us that murder or robbery had ushered them into this den, there is a chapel of the Greeks. On first entering it, we found ourselves in the most perfect obscurity; but, on paying a few paras, the candles were lighted. Its altars and walls were decorated with images, pictures, and other ornaraents ; the pictures represented the Virgin- and a variety of saints, and were of very ancient and curious execution : the back-ground of the 158 CHAPEL OF THE GREEKS. pictures was in gold leaf, and the dresses of the saints in solid silver. Among these different portraits was one of St. Nicholas, taken frora the captured Russian frigate, the Raphael. When the Turks took possession of this vessel,, they found the image over an altar, surrounded with a great number of wax candles and lamps ; these they immediately lighted, and, seating themselves round it, commenced smoking their chibooks. It must have forraed a curious little picture — this little -reunion of Mussulmeen, with eyes fixed on the portrait of the worthy St. Nicholas, surrounded by his staff of candles, relics, artificial flowers, &c., offering up to him clouds of the fragrant smoke of Saloniki and Latakia, perhaps just as agree able to him as that of frankincense. 159 CHAPTER XI. Walls and Gates of Constantinople — Abattoirs — Church of the Fish — Siege of Constantinople by Muhammed — The Seven Towers— Visit tothe Efendi's Harem — The Eski Serai — Tekkehs of the Derwishes — Burial- ground at Scutari. Perhaps the most interesting walk about Con stantinople, is that leading round the city, out side the walls on the land side, extending from the Yedi KouUeler tothe Hai van Serai, (palace ofthe wild beasts.) The best mode of visiting the walls, is to take a kaeek, eitherat Topkhaneh or Galata, and to pull close to the Seraglio Point, from which you gently glide down the stream, keeping close in shore, which is bordered by the walls of 160 WALLS AND GATES the seraglio ; behind rise lofty cypresses, and the different raasses and towers of the ira- perial palaces, together with the Theodosian coluran. Two or three little doors are seen, cut through the walls ; through these raany a fair but frail Odalek has passed, on her way to her watery grave. At the end of the seraglio wall, are two little kioshks built over the water; — the one used as the place of trial for vizirs, the other as the place of their execution. Just behind it, and within the walls, are the cavalry barracks of the guard. Hence we proceed along the old and unre paired walls of the town, passing by the follow ing gates, Chatladi-kapoo, Koom-kapoo, Yeni- kapoo, Daood Pasha-kapoo, Psamatia-kapoo, and Narli-kapoo. In parts, the walls are en tirely destroyed, but by far the greater por- OP CONSTANTINOPLE. 16l tion, together with the square towers, still exist in very tolerable preservation. Imbedded in them are a variety of fragments of columns, cornices, inscriptions, &c. Landing at the angle formed by the wall turning inland from the sea, you find yourself close to the famous fortress of Yedi Koulleler, which I shall hereafter describe ; and, close to the water on the left hand, is a large wooden building, called the Sal-khaneh, where all the cattle and sheep destined for the use of the capital are slaughtered : it is, in fact, a similar establishment to the abattoirs of Paris. Proceeding onwards, the upper part of the Golden Gate is seen rising above the walls. The first entrance into the city, called Yedi KouUeler-kapoo, is close to it. A little before arriving at the next gate, (the Selivri-kapoo,) through which passes the 162 ALY, PASHA OF YANINA. road to Silivria, are seen on the left, close to the road side, the tombs of Aly, Pasha of Yanina, and of four members of his family— namely, his three sons, Veli, Muhktar, and Saalih, and his grandson, Muhammed the son of Veli ; the first of these was a pasha of three tails, the others of two. Muhktar is the hero commemorated in the following lines by Lord Byron. " Dark Muchtar his son to the Danube is sped. Let the yellow-haired Giaours view his horse-tails with dread ; When his Delhis come dashing in blood o'er the banks. How few shall escape from the Muscovite ranks !" Rebellion caused the fall of this powerful and talented family : their heads alone were buried here by one of their friends, after hav- CHURCH OF THE FISH. 163 ing been exposed to the public gaze in the court of the seraglio. From these tombs, a road turning to th^ left leads to the ruins of Balukli kalissa, ^' the church of the fish." We descended to what were formerly the under-ground vaults of the edifice, (though now they are open to the sky,) and observed, in a stream of water, some small flat fish swimming about, and also a nurnber of bright new paras at the bottom, the votive offerings of the pious. The story related to us on the spot respecting these fish, condensed in a few words, was as follows : — During the siege of Constantinople by Mu hammed IL, the news being brought to this church that the Othmanlus had actually pene trated into the city, the monk, whose duty it was to cook for the rest, and who was at that moment frying some fish, firm in the belief that 164 A MIRACLE. the city was under the special protection of his saints, boldly asserted that the story was false, adding, that it was as probable that the fish he was then frying should return to life, as that the city should be taken by the infidels. Scarce had these words escaped from his lips, when behold ! — the fish did actually jump out of the frying pan, not into the fire, but into the little stream flowing close by, and com menced swimming about, and amusing them selves as gaily as if their skins had never been under the destructive influence of boiling oil; and these fish we were now looking at were the identical individuals to whom the miracle had happened. We showed our belief of the story by presenting them with our quota of paras, and so departed. After passing Yeni-kapoo, we came to the Top-kapoo, or Cannon Gate, so called from THE CANNON GATE. 165 four large shot being fixed in the wall above it. Through this the victor Muhammed made his triumphal entry. On the undulating ground opposite to it, and near the military hospital, is a mound called Mal-depeh, on whose sum mit, during the siege, proudly waved the Turkish standard, and from which the haughty Sultan beheld with exultation the last bulwarks of the Greek empire crumbling beneath the resistless assaults of his gallant warriors. Be tween this gate and the Edrene-kapoo, or Adrianople Gate, the ground sinks into a little valley, through which, at times, flows a small stream, which, after passing through the Yeni- baghcheh and the rest of the city, falls into the sea at the Armenian quarter between Daood Pasha-kapoo and Yeni-kapoo. On the slope of this valley, is still seen the breach made by the Turks, who themselves 166 SIEGE OF thus describe it: — " The gates and ramparts of Constantinople soon became like tbe heart of an unfortunate lover — they were pierced in a thousand places." It was on this breach that Constantine, the last of the Paleologi, is sup posed to have met his death, whilst gallantly defending, the last remnant of his empire ; there is, however, every reason to regard the story, in its generallyTreceived form, as the offspring of vanity < . on , the. part of the Greeks and Christians generally, who wished tq throw a gleam of light and glory on the last of their weak and eflfeminate sovereigns. Saed-ed-Deen, who has alvyaya been considered an impartial and faithful historian, thus relates the circum stance in his Taj Al Towareekh, or " Diadem of History:" — "The Otbmanlus, regarding their lives as common merchandise, mounted to the assault with intrepidity, by the breaches CONSTANTINOPLE. 167 which had been made on the south side of the Adrianople Gate. They penetrated beyond the ramparts, when the advanced-guard of darkness appeared in the western horizon. On this, Sultan Muhamraed ordered his soldiers to fix lanterns and lights on the points of their spears and lances, in order to prevent the Chris tians from repairing the breaches. According to this imperial mandate, the light of the torches and lamps illumined the front of the city and the environs, which became like a plain covered with roses and tulips. On the following morning, the general of the Franks mounted on the ramparts in order to repel the ^Mussulmeen. At this moment, a young Mos lem,* taking the cord of firm resolution, threw * To most readers, it is unnecessary to' mention that " Moslem" is the singular, " Mussulmeen" the plural. 168 SIEGE OF himself like a spider upon the walls, and hav ing vigorously employed his crescent-moon- shaped sabre, at one blow sent forth the soul of the infidel from his body, like an owl from its impure nest. The Mussulmeen then crowded towards the breaches, assured that they were the gates of victory, and soon raised their triumphant beyraks and sanjaks on the walls.* The Greek emperor, who, together with his elite, was in his palace on the north of the Adrianople Gate, having learnt that some of the Othmanlus had already entered, fled, and on his way discovered some of the victors who, full of confidence, had commenced pil laging. At this, the fire of hate filled his dark * The attacking columns opposite Top-kapoo were commanded by Nishani, alias Karamani Muhammed Pasha. Those opposite Edrene-kapoo, by Saadi Pasha. CONSTANTINOPLE. 169 soul, and, rushing upon these unsuspecting Mussulmeen, bis scythe-like sabre gathered the harvest of their lives. One poor soldier of this band, who was only wounded, bathed in the blood which flowed from his wounds, and full of anguish, awaited the approach of death. The Greek king, beholding this wretch, raised his sword to take his last breath. In this mo ment of despair, the unhappy soldier, aided by Divine assistance, dragged this enemy of the faith from his gold-adorned saddle, and cast him on the dark earth, making his warlike scimitar descend upon his head." This probably is the plain unvarnished state ment of the affair. The very fact of Constan tine being on horseback, proves that he could not well have been upon the summit of the breach — at least, I believe it is not custo- VOL. II. I 170 THE HEBDOMON. mary to place cavalry on the ramparts of a town.* Within the walls, and near the Edrene- kapoo, is a mosque, built by the lovely Mih- rumah, the daughter of Suleyman I. Between this gate and the next one, called, from its form, Egri-kapoo, (the crooked gate,) is a large old building, called Tekir Serai, supposed by some to be the Hebdomon, one of Constan tine's palaces, by others, the habitation of Beli- sarius. Over one of the windows is the foUow- iflg escutcheon. B a B a • The body of Constantine is said to have been buried in the Sulu Menasteer, or water monastery. THE HEBDOMON. 171 It is, at all events, the palace alluded to in the above extract from Saed-ed-Deen, as the one where the last Constantine was, at the time of the Turks' entrance into the city. Descending tbe hill, you again enter the town at the Haivan Serai, and taking a kaeek at the first stairs, are soon conveyed to Galata. This walk, as I before observed, is exces sively beautiful and highly interesting, whilst the still silence and solitude which reign over the scene, though so close to the large and busy capital of the eastern world, is very striking. The walls themselves, especially between Egri- kapoo and Haivan Serai, are remarkably pic turesque, being covered in many places with ivy, creepers, and shrubs, whilst, in the space between the different walls, grow many trees. They have suffered much from earthquakes, and some of the large towers are actually rent I 2 172 WAILS OF CONSTANTINOPLE. from the summit to their base, whilst the poi tions inclining outwards, seem to threaten in stant destruction to the passers-by. The walls are triple, having a ditch twenty- five feet wide in front ; the first and lowest rises about twelve or fourteen feet above the present bottom of the ditch, and has only a parapet. Twenty-five feet in rear of this, is the second, fortified with circular towers ; and, at the same distance behind it, rises the third and highest, strengthened by large square towers, which divide the intervals between the round ones of the second line. The walls and towers are all crenated. In numerous parts, are inscriptions encased in the walls. The view from Tekir Serai is extremely beautiful, embracing the harbour oi the Golden Horn, the Valley of the sweet waters, Kalidzi Oglou, the extensive barracks of the topjis, FORTRESS OF THK SEVEN TOWERS. 173 the cannon-foundery, Sudlujy, Eyoob and its mosque, where the Sultans are crowned, or ra ther, where they are girded with the sword of power, and the two palaces, Ramas Chiftlek and Otakji-keui ; whilst, on the right, are the vene rable walls of Istarabool, which here rise to a much greater height than in any other part, und are defended by variously shaped towers, some of them octagonal. A number of fine old cypresses and large plane trees, shading several cafes, complete the picture. Our ambassador having obtained from the Porte a firman to visit the Seven Towers, we proceeded there with him in his state kaeek, accompanied also by Mr. d'Israeli, Mr. Clay, and Mr. Meredith. Landing at Narli-kapoo, we walked to the fortress, where we were received by the governor, Ibrahim Efendi. Having conducted us all over it, he gave us 174 THE efendi's HAREM. pipes, coffee, pomegranates, and other fruits, in the room formerly set apart for captive fo reign ambassadors. It was a light and com fortable room, not bearing the least appearance of a prison. Lady Temple, whilst we proceeded to enjoy our pipes, went to pay a visit to the Efendi's wives in the harem. She found only three ; two of whom were old and plain, but the third was young and pretty. A continued exchange of words was carried on between the two parties, though the one understood not a word of any Christian language, and the other was as little versed in that of Turkey ; there was no terje- maness to explain the civil speeches which were said on both sides, yet they parted as great friends as if they had understood them all. The fortress of the Seven Towers was erected by Muhammed II. , on the site of the ancient FORTRESS OF THE SEVEN TOWERS. 175 fort, called by the Greeks, from its form, Cy- clobion. Although it still retains the narae of Yedi-koulleler, yet only four of the towers at present exist entire, the fortress having suffered greatly from the earthquake of 1768. On the walls are mounted a few sraall and very old pieces of artillery. In the towers the prisoners of war were confined, and the names of per sons of all nations, some of thera connected with reraote dates, are seen carved on the stones. At present, the castle is used as a depot for gunpowder ; within its enclosure, there is also a mesjid and several other build ings. Within, or rather forming part of its walls, and facing the Propontis, is the famous Porta Aurea, constructed of white marble. It con sists of three arches, but these are now all blocked up, with the exception of a little door 176 PORTA AUREA. left in the centre one, which opens upon the narrow space between it and the city walls. The centre arch is flanked by two Corinthian pilasters; and in different parts are seen re mains of frieze and cornice. On each side of the gate, and connected with it, advances a large, square, and well-preserved tower, on the summit of one of the angles of which, is a well-executed and uninjured eagle with ex panded wings. This is, however, all that re mains of its former splendour; the different bas-reliefs mentioned by Wheler, which repre sented the fall of Phaeton, Hercules and Cer berus, Venus and Adonis, &c., have all passed away,* as well as the inscription stating the * Perhaps a little excavation in the garden, and an inspection of the materials of which the houses are ¦ built, would bring some of these pieces of sculpture to light. FORTRESS OF THE SEVEN TOWERS. 177 gate to have been constructed by Theodosius, in commemoration of his victory over Maximus. It was as follows : — HAEC LOCA THEODOSIVS DECOR AT POST FATA TYRANNI AVREA SAECLA GERIT aVI PORTAM CONSTRVIT AVRO. The Sultan has a small kioshk overlooking the walls, in which detained diplomatists were occasionally allowed to recreate themselves. I was very much pleased at having been en abled to visit the interior of this fortress, as but very few persons indeed, prisoners ex cepted, have ever been allowed admittance, and I had myself several times before, in vain, tried the effect of gold on the dragons who guard it. i5 178 THE serasker's tower, The best general and panoramic view of Constantinople and tbe surrounding country, is obtained from tbe summit of tbe Serasker's tower in the court of the Eski Serai, built on tbe site of the ancient Janizaries' tower by the present Serasker, Hosrew Mehemmed Pasha. It is solidly constructed of stone, with a wooden spiral stair leading to a gallery with windows all round, and one hundred and seventy-one feet above the court-yard. The total height to the gilt crescent on the summit, is two hun dred and twenty feet. The Eski Serai, which was built in 1454 by Muhammed II. for his harem, on the site of a monastery, is no longer appropriated for its original purpose, but forms the residence of the commander-in-chief, and within its pre cincts are the different offices connected wilh the department of war. Here are also the AND ESKI SERAI. 179 quarters of the Chaooshes, Ghawasses, Yasak- jis, and Tatars, who compose the body-guard of the Serasker, and who are to be daily seen as sembled in groups, at the great gate front ing the mosque of Sultan Bayazeed, and pre senting, from the variety and brilliant colours of their gold -embroidered costumes, and the glitter of their costly arms, the appearance of a gaudy bed of tulips. At Galata is another lofty tower, from which also was formerly obtained a very extensive view; but the staircase which led to the sum mit, and the conical roof, were lately destroyed by fire. These towers were erected in order that vi- dettes stationed there might be able to give an early alarm in case of fire, and, by signals, point out the quarter in which it had broken out. In the circular room, from whose win- 180 TEKKEH OF THE dows you look out upon the surrounding scenery, a cafe is established, and many der wishes meet there to read the Koran. J propos of these worthies, a visit to their tekkehs should not be omitted, at least to two of them, the Spinners at Pera, and the Howlers af Scutari. The former, who are "of the sect of Mevlevi, perform every Friday at two o'clock ; their tekkeh is in the main street of Pera, and close to the Petit champ des Morts. The first tirae, we went there, we were rather early, and waited sorae time in the yard, which was filled with crowds of all descriptions and ranks, including a considerable number of soldiers. The doors - were at last opened, and we entered; but the sentries made us take off our boots and shoes. The interior of the building is octa gonal, with a lower and upper gallery run- SPINNING DERWISHES OF PERA. 181 ning round it ; there were also some rooms above partitioned off by gratings, and reserved for the Turkish ladies. The area was formed of highly polished wood, like the parquets of Paris. Eight derwishes soon after came into the arena, and seated themselves, crossed-1 egged, round it. The chief had a green shawl twisted round the base of his lofty conical cap. Prayer.s were then both read and sung, accompanied by strange wild music. After some time, the der- wishes threw off their cloaks and walked so lemnly round the area, having their arras folded over their breasts. Whenever they passed by a red carpet at the head of the roora, where the chief had been seated, they made low pros trations before it. After, several turns, they com menced waltzing till each had occupied a place where he might spin on his own ground with- 182 THE SPINNING DERWISHES. out interfering with the evolutions of his com rades ; their feet were naked, and their hands held up, on one of which they kept their eyes fixed, I imagine to prevent giddiness ; they wore tight waistcoats, with long and very ample petti coats, which, in their revolutions, spread them selves out into immense circles. The chief did not spin. Music played the whole time of the performance, which was divided into three acts. At the conclusion of the last, we all broke up, feeling, I believe, much more giddy than the actors. During the spectacle, I was much as tonished at being thus addressed, in very good English, by an individual seated next to me : — " Well, sir, what do you think of all this d — d nonsense .?" I soon discovered that he was an Egyptian whom I had slightl}' known at Kahira, and who had been sent by the Pasha of England there to obtain an Euro pean education. THE HOWLING DERWISHES. 183 The tekkeh of the howling derwishes, of the sect of Rufahi, is at Iskiudar, or Scutari, at the edge of the town. The room was small and dirty, and the walls covered with pictures, if Arabic sentences, twisted into the representation of different figures, may be so called. In the open space in the centre, was stationed a rank of performers, who were incessantly employed in bending their bodies from the hips upwards, back ward and forward, throwing, at the same time, their weight alternately from leg to leg, and singing forth, in varied cadences, the name of Allah, the sounds seeming to proceed from the bottom of the stomach. Two or three der wishes assisted them to keep time by singing and beating their tamborines and cymbals. This ceremony lasted so long, and the exertion was so great, that one or two of the actors 184 THE HOWLING DERWISHES. dropped down from complete exhaustion. This affair concluded by a second act, in which the derwishes struck daggers through the faces and into the breasts of their disciples, leaving the weapons,(to the handles of which were fixed, by chains, six-pound cannon-balls,) sticking in the wounds : many of the persons performed this part ofthe ceremony with their own hands. After they had remained for several minutes, the chief derwish advanced and drew them out, touching the wounds and appearing instantly to heal them. The whole scene was very curious, and certainly proved these jugglers to belong to the first class of their profession ; for they performed these acts with so much cool ness and quiet, and gave you so much tirae to watch all their movements, that it was diffi cult to persuade oneself that they had not in reality performed a miracle. BURIxVL -GROUND OF SCUTARI. 185 I have already observed, that the great and well-known burial ground of Scutari com mences close to this tekkeh : let nothing pre vent the traveller from visiting it — and alone. There is an indescribable sombre beauty in almost all the Turkish mezarleks, which deeply and forcibly affects the feelings ; but in this it is felt a hundred-fold; — its iraraense extent, — its remote antiquity, — the great size of its splendid cypress trees, — the ashes of the great, whose names are still alive in the records of fame, — and the awful silence and deep shadows which reign over the scene, make an impression which no lapse of years can ever efface. The high roads through Analdoly pass through it, to the west, the east, and the south, and are of course much frequented ; yet I have in variably observed that the scene produces on all a most marked effect. Few words are 186 TURKISH BURIAL-GROUNDS. heard. The lawless and blood-drinking Spahi of Asia, — the unprincipled and plundering Mogbrabeen, — the wild and reckless Arab, — as they approach it, are all seen checking uncon sciously the pace of their horses ; the conversa tion gradually decreases, and finally stops ; the pipe is never out of the mouth, the features relax, and the eye, losing its fire, wanders to the right and left in quiet contemplation. It is, however, when at a distance from the road, and in the depths of the great forest, that these impressions are most powerfully felt. How different are the mezarleks of the Oth manlus to our own frightful churchyards, un adorned by a single tree, if we occasionally ex cept sorae hideous and deform.ed yew, and resembling a stone-mason's yard overgrown with nettles. The French have, perhaps, gone too far the other way; their beautiful ceme- TURKISH BURIAL-GROUNDS. 187 tery of Pere la Chaise resembles too much a pretty and well-kept flower-garden. The Oth manlus have adopted the proper medium : their tombs are pretty and even gay, being adorned with gold inscriptions, on a ground either of black, white, vermillion, or azure; but the vivid brilliancy of the colours is subdued by the shade of the numerous and stately cypresses which rise high above them, and produce that soft and quiet half-light which so perfectly harmonises with the deep and profound silence which reigns over this vast city of death. The rank and the sex of the dead are dis tinguished at a single glance, by the shape of the stone, and by the turban which crowns the summit: the latter is not found on the tombs of females. Since the abolition of the Janizaries, the Sultan issued an order that the tombs of all soldiers and employes of govern- 183 TURKISH BURI.\L-GROUNDS. ment should not be surmounted by the turban, but simply by the red fez ; this order, however, has not always been obeyed, as appears frora what I one day witnessed in the great Turkish burial-ground of Pera. The Sultan, accorapa- nied by his staff, was on horseback, and there were also a nuraber of men on foot, with large axes and hammers, whilst others were busily occupied in reading the sepulchral inscriptions, and from time to time made signals to those with the axes — when imraediately a blow was given, and down rolled a marble turban : they were those that had been erected, since the or- donnance, over the bodies of Janizaries. I saw about a hundred and fifty treated in this man ner ; they were then collected, and thrown in a heap close to the guard-roora at Fundukli, where they may probably still be seen. It would be uninteresting to mention all the TOMB OF A FAVOURITE. 189 great names that are met with ; but there are two monuments which are certainly curious; the one a dome, supported by four columns, but having no inscription, which covers the bones of the favourite charger of Mahmood I.; the other points out the spot where a horse of Oth man IL lies buried. In the little burial-ground of Pera, and not far from the tekkeh of the derwishes, is the tomb of Count Bonneval, who embraced Islam ism, and was known as Ahmed Pasha ; he was commander of Khumbarajis, and died in 1160 ofthe Hejra. 190 CHAPTER XII. Departure of the Mekkah Caravan — Iskiudar and its environs — Printing Office at Iskiudar — Leander's Tower — Remains of Justinian's Villa — Daood Pasha — The Sultan's Greyhounds — Tomb of Barbarossa — Curious monogram. On the 28th of December, we went to see the departure of the great Mekkah caravan from the seraglio. For this purpose we hired a shop in the little square near the Yeni-jamaa, and, preceded by two ghawasses, made our way through a very dense crowd, chiefly composed of women, who had already assembled to wit ness the procession, and took our places. The THE MEKKAH CARAVAN. 191 gay and various costumes of the men contrasted well with the uniform whiteness of the yash maks. Several Turkish ladies of distinction were drawn up in their arabas and carriages, among wbom I remarked the Sultan's sister. An open passage in the centre of the street was preserved by patroles, of regular and ir regular troops, and by the Serasker's body guard. The procession having left the seraglio, where prayers had been offered and blessings given, now made its appearance. It was headed by the Sheikh ul-Islam, the Ulemas and Mol- lahs, all mounted on richly-caparisoned horses ; these were followed by the Sultan's staff in splendid new uniforms ; then came two very large, fine camels, lineal descendants of the prophet's own favourite animal ; they, however, do not go to Mekkah, but only as far as Iskiu dar, where their place is supplied by others. 192 DEPARTURE OF THE who, after having fulfilled their holy duty, are exempt ever afterwards from all labour ; these camels bore the Mahmal, containing the Koran and presents for the sacred shrine. The Mah mal is covered with richly-embroidered silks, ostrich features, and a variety of little flags, and of gold and silver ornaments. The camels' heads and necks are also profusely decorated with shells and beads. It was curious to ob serve how proudly conscious these aniraals appeared to be of their own consequence, and of the importance of the ceremony in which they were engaged. Now advanced a long train of mules, bear ing the pilgrims' baggage ; these animals were also fantastically and gaily decorated. The pro cession was closed by the tent-pitchers, lantern- bearers, and Arab musicians. Having arrived at the edge of the Golden Horn, they embarked for Iskiudar, under salutes from all the men-of- MEKKAH CARAVAN. 193 war and batteries : thus concluded the first day's march, which was not to be resumed till the 4th January. Neshib Efendi, the commander of the cara van, a ppst considered as of the highest honour, invited Sir Robert Gordon and ourselves to breakfast with him at Scutari, in order to wit ness the final departure of the Hajj. Accord ingly, early in the morning, we proceeded from Top-khaneh and landed at Scutari, where we found a number of horses and a regular Chris tian's carriage, (the present, probably, in former days, of some European monarch,) waiting for us on the quay. The Turkish coachman, in his national costume and turban, seated on the hamraercloth, had rather a curious effect. Passing through the streets of Iskiudar, we stopped at the house of the Muhrdar, or keeper of the seals, where Neshib Efendi had taken VOL. II. - K 194 DEPARTURE OF THE up his abode. In front of tbe gate, and in the court-yard, we observed various preparations for departure — horses saddled and impatiently pawing the ground,— mules loaded, and kick ing in dislike at being so, — tekhtprawans, adorned with gold lattices, silken curtains, and luxuriant cushions, waiting to receive the vo luptuous forms of beautiful women, — high- Capped Tatars, — splendidly-dressed ghawasses and chokadars, with their canes of office, — yasakjis, surrojis, and soldiers, all ready booted and armed,— fierce-looking men giving orders, humble ones obeying them, — quarrels, oaths, blows, and execrations, — all combining to form an aniraated and interesting picture. Passing through this yard, and a pretty garden still slightly sprinkled with roses and other flowers, we entered an orangery, and were thence ushered into a sraall but pretty MEKKAH CARAVAN. 195 kioskh which opened upon it. Here we were served with pipes, beautifully ornamented with diamonds and enamel flowers worked in high relief, with coffee in cups of Persian porcelain, held in zarfs of pure gold, and, like the pipes, adorned with diamonds and enamel bouquets. Neshib Efendi's son now made his appear ance to apologize for his father's absence, who was too much occupied to leave the divan. Breakfast was then served in the garden. It consisted of a variety of Turkish dishes, chiefly composed offish, laitage, (including the delicious yaourt,) and preserved fruits ; but all, or most of the dishes were maigre, as they supposed that all Christians were of one sect, and did not eat meat on certain days. The only beverage was spring-water-; but when we returned to the kioshk to resume our chibooks, coffee, and large goblets of excellent Cognac were handed round, K 2 196 A POINT OF ETiaUETTE. even to Lady Temple — who, on the pipes and coffee being first brought in, had been the cause of much discussion among the attendants. Some of them were about to present the pipes to the cavaliers first ; this was, how ever, objected to by one of them, who said they should eat dirt by doing so ; for he knew from reading, and the accounts of travellers, that in the Firenk-vilaieti, or country of the Franks, women were considered superior to men, and that, in fact^ the latter were nothing more than the slaves of the former. The assertion drew forth smiles of incredulity, and the excla mations of " Impossible !" "Nonsense!" But the man was firm, and it was done as he directed, except as regarded the ambassador ; for he found it quite impossible to convince his com rades that a woman could ever, in any country, or under any circumstances, be served before an Elchi-Bey. MEKKAH CARAVAN. 197 We were now summoned to remount our horses, and then started for the great burial- ground, where we took up a position to see tbe caravan defile by us. First carae a detachment of irregular cavalry, acting as iclaireurs ; then a corps of baltajis with red leather aprons, and ancient battle-axes, inlaid with gold ; a bat talion of the guards, with their band ; Neshib Efendi, and a brilliant staff ; a great number of tekhterawans, with the women and children ofthe principal officers; mules carrying two large square panniers, one on each side, and each containing a woman ; the whole being covered by green tents or awnings. The rear was brought up by a nuraber of pilgriras; the greater portion of these, however, had gone on at day-break to tbe night's resting-place after the first day's raarch. At Haider Pasha an immense number of peo- 198 DEPARTURE OF THE pie had assembled, of whom more than the half wore yashmaks. The Sultan himself was in his kioshk. Here prayers and other ceremonies having been performed, the troops manoeuvred and marched past, and the caravan again put itself in motion.* At this parting point it was not very numerous, but like a school-boy's snow ball " vires acquirit eundo ;" and it is always stated to enter Mekkah seventy thousand strong; for if it does not really consist of so great a number of mortals, the deficiency is supplied by the requisite number of invisible angels. * On the night preceding the departure of the caravan, all the men-of-war in harbour, and all the mosques, were illuminated, the minarets of the latter being con nected by festoons of lamps. The night was dark, but clear and serene, and the effect produced by this blaZe of light, as seen from our windows, was ex tremely beautiful and brilliant. MEKKAH CARAVAN. 199 It is a known fact that many incurable in valids, and decrepid old men — many, in fact, who are aware that they have but few months, or even days, to live, undertake this hajj, in the hope of dying on the road, in which case they are sure of obtaining admittance to heaven. Their hopes, however, are not always fulfilled, for an old man who kept a shop in the Serej bazaar, told me that with this view he had twice performed the hajj, but had returned, not only with life, but with re-established health and vigour. As we are now on the other side of the water, I may as well say a few words of Iskiu dar, or Scutari. This town was the ancient Chrysopolis, and on the heights aboye it was fought the decisive battle between Constantine and Licinius, which insured to the former the undisputed possession of the empire. It is very 200 ISKIUDAR. prettily situated, and has some wide streets, but no very remarkable buildings. The principal of these are the large and exten sive infantry barracks, which form so con spicuous a feature in the landscape; the cavalry barracks of Top-tash, and the mosque of Selim III., which is simple, but in very good taste.* There is also another mosque built in 954 of the Hejra, by the Princess Mihrumah, daughter of Sultan Suleyman I., with others of less note ; and close to the water * We entered this mosque without even taking off our boots, and were followed by a great number of soldiers just dismissed from parade, who seemed to vie with each other in doing the honours of the place, showing us all its different parts, and pointing out their several uses ; and whenever we said anything in admiration, they appeared exceedingly delighted. PRINTING OFFICE. 201 is a small serai belonging to the Sultan, called Shums kioshk, or Pavilion of the Sun. Iskiudar also contained the printing office es tablished by Selim III. This monarch was not, however, as is generally supposed, the first who introduced typography into the Othmanlu erapire. Its first appearance was made as far back as the reign of Ahmed III. in 1139 H. (a.d. 1726,) under the direction and super intendence of Ibrahim Efendi, a man of great learning and talents, and of Seid Efendi. The first work issued from this press was the Ketab Loghat Wankooli, in two volumes, folio. After the death of Ibrahim in 1170, no other books appear to have been published till printing was revived by Sultan Abd-ul-hameed. Off Iskiudar is a sraall rock, on which has been built a tower and a saluting battery. It is called by the Christians, Leander's Tower, K 5 202 THE maiden's tower. for what reason, it is impossible to say ; the Turks calls it Kiz-kouUeb, (the Maiden's Tower,) and a very romantic story is related by them of a princess who was confined in it, and ber lover, a young Irani, A ride should be taken from Scutari to the summit of the hill of Bourgurlu, from which a very extensive view is obtained of the country : Stambool, Iskiudar, Kadi-keui, Pera, the Bos phorus, the K^ra-deniz, or Black Sea, the Sea of Marmora, the Prince's Islands, the snowy Olympus, or Chesliish Dagh, and many of the hills and valleys of Anadoly. The road is partly paved, and passes by a small villa built by Selim for his mother, and between Bour gurlu and Janileji, where the Sultan has a house. On returning one day, we turned to the left, passing by another small country-house of the Justinian's villa. 203 Sultan's, opposite which are seen a variety of small marble columns, commemorating the dis tance of some of his shots. Before us lay the pretty point of Fanari-baghcheh, with the Sul tan's serai embosomed in groves, and tbe town of Kadi-keui, forraerly Chaloedonia. Between these is Moundeh-bourun. At Fanari-bagbcbeh are seen the remains of Justinian's villa and baths. The point itself is the Hereum prom., and the bay the Portus Eutropius. At Kadi-keui I did not observe any thing worthy of notice, except, perhaps, what remains of the church of St. Eufemia. Between Kadi-keui and Iskiudar, and close to Kaoak-serai, is the fountain, of Hermagora. The number of palaces and kioshks belong ing to the Sultan in the immediate neighbour hood of the capital is very great. I know of the following, and probably many others exist. 204 THE sultan's PALACES AND VILLAS. The winter and summer palaces ofthe Seraglio ; the Eski-serai, Galata-serai, and two at Eyoob ; Beshik-tash, Dolmah-baghcheh, Bebek, The rapia, Sweet Waters of Asia, Stavros, Che- raghan, Beglerbeg, Shums-serai, Kandelli, Bourgurlu, Jaroleji, Yldiz kioshk, St. Stefano, Biuyuk Chekmejji, Daood Pasha, Fanari- baghcheh, Ok Meidan, Kaoak-serai, Haider Pasha, and Kiaghd-khaneh. Some of these are, however, merely small summer villas, where he only spends a day or two, or perhaps only a few hours. The rides about Stambool are quite delight ful — beautiful views on all sides, a fine turf, and an unenclosed country, cannot but raake them so. About the Ok-Meidan, the Sweet Waters, and Ramas Chiftlek, the turf is espe- cially good, equalling in goodness the best kept English lawn. RIDE TO DAOOD PASHA. 205 The ride to Daood Pasha is very pretty — one may gallop the whole way, if mounted on a good Turkish horse, and not afraid to venture down one or two ravines of steep broken ground. Keeping along the heights, you pro ceed to the top of the Golden Horn, and then descend into the rich and verdant valley of the Sweet Waters. Here stands one of the impe rial palaces, a building formerly used as a paper manufactory ; it is surrounded by fine large trees, and in part overhangs the Kiaghd- khaneh- su, (Barbysses,) whose banks are cased with stone, and whose waters are made to form a very pretty little cascade. The meadows on both sides are favourite re sorts with parties of pleasure and pic-nics, and here on festivals are seen mingled in one society the Turkish flowers of the harem, in their snowy yashmaks and yellow slippers, — Grecian 206 KIAGHD-KHANEH-KEUI. beauties, with unveiled faces and sandalled shoes,' — ^purple-booted Armenians, and black- booted Jewesses ; and with a proper proportion of the male members of these respective sects, in their gay and splendid costumes, they form a brilliant coup doeil. Many additional trees have lately been planted in these meadows, which in a few years will render them still more delightful. About tbe end of April, the greater part of the Sultan's horses are turned into them to grass for the summer. Ascending the stream is Kiaghd-khaneh- keui, a small village, where Mons. Roger, se cretary of tbe French embassy, and son-in-law of General Guilleminot, used to keep a small pack of hounds, with whom we often went out, and had several good runs, especially when we had a wolf a-head ; these animals always took THE sultan's greyhounds. 207 us a long run to the Forest of Belighrad. On the adjoining downs I have often met the Sul tan's greyhounds coursing ; they are large dogs, of a light cream colour, and have a tuft of hair at the end of the tail, like what we see on lions. They are covered with very warm body clothes, even when the weather is not very cold. Soon after leaving thp Kiaghd-khaneh-su, you cross another stream, called at present the Mahklena, (formerly the Cydaris,) both flow ing into the Golden Horn ; and then ascend the heights on which stand the large barracks* \^ u^*^^ Lord High Admiral. Ser Aasker, ^,x— c^-j Commander- in- Chief. Reis Efendi, t-^"^-^' U-!,J Minister for Foreign Affairs. 282 APPENDIX. Kahia Bek, CJ^j [^ Minister for the Home Department. Reis Al Ketab, c_;l:;j31 ^ j Secretary of State and Chancellor. Bash Defterdar, • jljpj ^^^b Minister of Finances. LS-V U-}"- Chaoosh Bashi, -v ai * i or Ahtesab Aghasi, Minister of Police or Grand Marshal. Binyuk Telkheesji, or Biuyuk Teskirezi, Grand Maitre des Reguetes.* Mektoobji Efendi, Secretary to the Grand Vizeer. Ters-khaneh Emini, Minister of the Navy. * I have translated this into French, as I do not know what answers to it in English. The same is the case with respect to the oflRce of Beklekji Efendi. APPENnx. 283 Dzereb-khaneh Emini, ¦s'^^ Kaeem-makam, ^liu >jli Vice- Vizeer.) — He exercises his functions dm'- ing the absence of the Grand Vizeer with the army. This office is generally filled by the Kahia Bek. Beklekji Efendi, i-?'^^ ^.s'^'^ Rapporteur d'Etat. 284 APPENDIX. These oflftcers are not placed in all cases in their proper order, as I do not know the exact degree of precedence attached to each. APPENDIX. 285 GENEALOGICAL TABLE, THE DESCENT OF THE PRESENT SULTAN MAHMOOD FROM ADAM. 1 Adam. i!^\^La *jl 2 Sheith. cU^ 3 Enosh. ^}j\ 4 Keenan. i.jb-i 5 Jehankeer. 6 Mehelathel. Jj'V 7 Aberdeered. '^ji^j^^ 28b APPENDIX. 8 Adrees. Lrr;.">l 9 Mooshtalekh. r^ 10 Malek Kerd. ^JC^ 11 Noah. zy 12 Yafet. •¦^v. 13 Yelkhesan. ^iJi. 14 Macheen. i:J^^ 15 Bedkhesan. ^^,Ljs-kW 16 Sakerkoonjan. uVy> 17 Sakerthemoud. j^^ 18 Batemour. jy*^^ 19 Koorlugha. ^h^ 20 Karahool. J;^V 21 Suleyman. uW- 22 KaraOghlan. J^,\ .^ 23 Kemash. j^Ui 24 Kerjah. •> 25 Kertelmes. ^j; APPENDIX. 287 26 Harsoogha. li:iuj.U>- 27 Meesertej. -^—^^ 28 Tefral. JyL 29 Hemarem. 30 Baeesoub. 31 Soonj. 38 Kamery. 39 Teraj. 40 Bektum. 32 Faly. JU 33 Bash Bogha. liy 'L> 34 Yemak. -A^ 35 Kooly. Jyi 36 Koortelmesh. .±4^1^ 37 Kazel Bogha. \£y Jp 41 Kemar. .Uj 42 Artak. 43 This name is obHlerated in the MS. c^^l iio8 APPENDIX. 44 Ai-dooghmesh. J^J^J 45 Toorak. jy 46 Koutloo. p^ 47 Karah. '} 48 Arghoon. ui^j" 49 Aghoor. jy' 50 Kookeb. -^/ 51 Yaeesouka. ^T-ik 52 Bekeemoor. jy^. 63 Kiou Aaljan. J^i^ 54 Yafy Aasha. lixljij 55 Basneghoor. jjii-=b 56 Keersetem. r-^ 57 Bogha. 58 Arghougha. ii,i,i 59 Suljan. j^ 60 Koutloo. p^ 61) > Two names obliterated in 62) the MS. APPENDIX. 289 63 Karah. ^j 64 Artoghroul. Jjy^j^ 70 Muhammed II. d:;,«j-« 71 Bayezeed II. Jujjb 72 Saleem I. ^ 73 Suleyman I. uW-" 74 Saleem II. r^ 75 Murad III. d\j^ 76 Muhammed III. A'^';^ 77 Ahmed I. J>.4o-! vol.. 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