From: hubey@pilot.njin.net (Hubey)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.turkish
Subject: Batuta  4/5
Date: 23 Jul 92 04:21:12 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.



Ibn Battuta's Travels....

Continued from page 131

	************		***********

We then entered the territories of the king of Iraq, visiting Aqsara [Akserai]
where they make sheeps wool carpets which are exported as far as India,China,
and the lands of the Turks, and journeyed thence through Nakda [Nigda] to 
Qaysariya, which is one of the largest towns in the country.  In this town
resides one of the Viceroys's khatuns, who is related to the king of Iraq and
like all the sultna's relatives has the title of Agha which means Great. We 
visited her and and she treated us courteously, ordering a  meal to be
served for us and when we withdrew sent us a horse with a saddle and bridle
and a sum of money. At all these towns we lodged in a convent belonging to
the Young Brotherhood.  It is the custom in this country that in towns that 
are n not theresidence of a sultan one of hte Young Brothers acts as 
governor, exercising the same authority and appearing in public with the same
retinue as the king.....

We journeyed thence to Amasiya, a large and beautiful town with broad streets,
Kumish [Gumush Khanah], a populous town which is visted by merchants from
Iraq and Syria and has silver mines, Arzanjan where Armenians form the 
greater part of the population and Arz ar-Rum.  This is a vast town but is
mostly in ruins as a result of civil war between two Turkmen tribes. We
lodged there at the convent of the "Young Brother" Tuman, who is said to be
more than a hundred and thirty years old.....

We journeyed next to Bursa [Brusa], a great city with fine bazaars and broad
streets, surrounded by orchards and running springs.  Outside it are two
thermal establishments, one for men and the other for women, to which patients
come from the most distant parts.  They lodge there for three days at a 
hospice which was built by one of the Turkmen kings.  In this town I met the
pious Shaykh Abdullah the Egyptian, a traveller, who went all round the 
world, except that he never visited China, Ceylon, the West or Spain or the
Negrolands, so that in visiting these countries I have surpassed him.  The 
sultan of Bursa is Orkhan Bek, son of Othman Chuk. {Mine: It seems that the
founder of the Ottoman Empire was a little guy!}..
He is the greatest of 
the Turkmen kings and the richest in wealth, lands and military forces, and
posesses nearly a hundred fortresses which he is continually visiting for
inspection and putting to rights.  He fights with the infidels and besieges
them.  It was his father who captured Bursa from the Greeks and it is said
that he besieged Yaznik [Nicaea] for about twenty years, but died before it
was taken.....

We set out next morning and reached Muturni [Mudurlu] where we fell in with a 
pilgrim who knew Arabic.  We besought him to travel with us to Qastamuniya
which is ten days' journey from there...He turned out to be a wealthy man,
but of base character....We put up with him because of our difficulties in
not knowing Turkish, but things went so far that we used to say to him in the 
evenings "Well, Hajji, how much have you stolen today ?" He would reply "So 
much" and we would laugh and make the best of it.  We came next to the town
of Buli, where we stayed at the convent of the Young Brotherhood. What an
excellent body of men these are, how nobleminded, how unselfish and full
of compassion for the stranger, how kindly and affectionate they are to him,
how warm their welcome to him !  A stranger coming to them is made to feel as
though he were meeting the dearest of his own folk. Next morning we traveled
on to Garadi Buli, a large and fine town situated on a plain, with 
spacious streets and bazaars, but one of the coldest in the world.  It is 
composed of several different quarters, each inhabited by different 
communities, none of which mixes with any of the others......

We sent on through a small town named Burlu to Qatamuniya, a very large.....
>From Qastamuniya we traveled to Sanub [Sinope], a populous town
combining strength with beauty.....

We stayed at Sanub about forty days waiting for the weather to become
favorable for sailing to the town of Qiram.{Mine: Crimea} Then we hired a 
vessel belonging to the Greeks.....At length we did set sail....We made for 
a harbour called Karsh [Kerch], intending to enter it....

The place was in the Qipchaq {Mine: Kipchak} desert which is green and verdant, but flat 
and treeless.  There is no firewood so they make fires of dung... The only
method of travelling in this desert is in waggons; it extends for six
months' journey, of which three are in the territories of Sultan
Muhammad Uzbeg.  The day after our arrival one of the merchants in our 
company hired some waggons from the Qipchaqs who inhabit this desert, and
who are Christians and we came to Kafa, a large town extending along the
sea-coast, inhabited by Christians, mostly Genoese, whose governor is
called Damdir [Demetrio].....

We hired a waggon and traveled to the town of Qiram, which forms part of the
territories of Sultan Uzbeg Khan and has a governor called Tuluktumur...
He was on the point of setting out for the town of Sara, the capital of
the Khan, so I prepared to travel along with him and hired waggons for 
this purpose.  These waggons have four large wheels and.....on the waggon
is put a light tent made of wooden laths ....and it has grilled windows
so that the person inside can see without being seen.  One can do anything
 one likes inside, sleep, eat, read or write during the march...

At every halt the Turks loose their horses, oxen and camels and drive them out
to pasture at liberty, night or day, without shepherds or guardians.
This is due to the severity of their laws against theft.  Any person found in
posession of a stolen horse is obliged to restore in with nine others; if 
he cannot do this, his sons are taken instead, and if he has no sons he
is slaughtered like a sheep.  They do not eat bread nor any solid food, but
prepare a soup with kind of millet, and any meat they may have is cut into
small pieces and cooked in this soup. Everyone is given his share in  a plate
with curdled milk and they drink it, afterwards drinking curdled mare's milk
which they call qumizz.  They also have a fermented drink prepared from the
same grain, which they call buza [beer] and regard it as lawful to drink....

The horses in this country are very numorous and the price of them is 
negligible.  A good one costs a dinar of our money.  The livelihood of the 
people depends on them, and they are as numerous as sheep in our country,
or even more so.  A single Turk will posess thousands of horses.  They are
exported to India in droves of six thousand or so....

>From Azaq {Azov} I went on to Majar, travelling behind the amir Tuluktumur. It is
one of the finest of the Turkish cities and is situated on a great river{22}.

...A remarkable thing which I saw in this country was the respect shown to
women by the Turks, for they hold a more dignified position than the men.
The first time that I saw a princess was when, on leaving Qiram, I saw the 
wife of the amir in her waggon.  The entire waggon was covered with rich blue
woolen cloth, and the windows and doors of the tent were open.  With the 
princess were four maidens, exquisitely beautiful and richly dressed, and
behind her were a number of waggons with maidens belonging to her suite. When
she came near the amir's camp she alighted with about thirty of the maidens
who carried her train..When she reached the amir, he rose before her and sat
her beside him, with the maidens standing around her.  Skins of qumizz were
brought and she, pouring some into a cup, knelt before him and gave it to him,
afterwards pouring out a cup for her brother.  Then the amir poured a cup for
her and food was brought in and she ate with him.  He then gave her a robe and 
she withdrew.  I saw also the wives of the merchants and commonality.  One of
them will sit in a waggon which is being drawn by horses, attended by three
or four maidens...The windows of the tent are open and her face is visible
for the Turkish women do not veil themselves.  Sometimes a woman will be
accompanied by her husband and anyone seeing him would take him for one of
her servants; he has no garment other than a sheep's woold cloak and a 
high cap to match.

NOTES:
22. The ruins of Majar (now Burgomadzhari) lie on the Kuma river  S.W. of
Astrakhan, 110 kilometeres N.E. of Georgiewsk, at 44.50 N., 44.27 E.
-- 

	mark	


   hubey@pilot.njin.net                   hubey@apollo.montclair.edu
 ...!rutgers!pilot!hubey                  hubey@logos.montclair.edu
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