Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1924-12-03


Who were these master-builders of
Islam? Early in the eleventh GEN.
tury the Seljuk Turks migrated west
ward through Bokhara to Bagdad, en-
braced Mohammedanism, and within
40 years had founded an empire
stretching from Afghanistan to the
Mediterranean.
After only 70 years duration, their
empire was engulfed in the tidal wave
of Mongolian invasion.
During that brief span the splendid
sultans of Rum gathered at their
Anatolian court the flower of Persian
and Arabian genius architects,
poets, scholars, and mystics alike
fleeing before the savage Mongol-
and fathered a brief renaissance Of
Moslem art.
1t was during the reign of single
sultan that the most beautiful of the
Seljuk mosques appeared. Aladdin Of
the wonderful lamp may quite con-
ceivably be no other than this same
Ala-ud-din Kaikobad I, at whose COM
mand majestic piles sprang out Of the
plain, like those enchanted palaces Of
the Arabian nights
The route from Sivas to Kaisariye
lies over the mountains and across
125 miles of plain which yield many
glimpses Of Seljuk remains inter-
mingled with Turkish peasant life.
Along the excellent highroad, and
placed at distances Of a days march
between, rise those crumbled masses
of masonry, the Seliuk khans, erected
by Ala-ud-din Kaikobad-a veritable
chain of hotels under one royal man.
agement, intended to accommodate
travelling embassies, personages of the
reigning house, and the sultan's own
caravans.
Greeks in Kaisariye.
Just as Sivas has long been an Ar
menian center, so Kaisariye has been
predominantly Greek ever since the
days when this region was known as
Cappadocia. Greek vineyards still
clothe the TANKS of Mt. Argaeus
and Greek donkey trains still trans
port gum arabic across the mountains
to Kaisariye, where it is sorted and
retailed for the sizing of cotton fab
RIGS.
AS a shopkeeper, the Cappadocian
Greek so excels the Turk that the lat
ter, by boycott and terrorism, has
driven his rival from the bazaar.
More than any other Anatolian
town, Kaisariye breathes of an olden
distinction as trade center and the
seat Of kings. Under the shadow Of
its Seljuk mosques and Seljuk castle
walls, the big bazaar huns with the
babel of half dozen tongues
Persian, Jewish and Syrian mer-
chants discuss prices and politics, as
from the backs of their kneeling
camel trains tumble bales of Kok-
hara rugs and Damascus silks. Small
boys fly about with glasses of tea
wherewith to slake threats dry from
bargain arguments. Everywhere por-
tiers are shouting for right of way,
bazaar-keepers are crying praises Of
their wares, professional "touts" are
gabbling recommendations into strang-
ers' ears, and sQuatting beggars are
wailing for aims.
Even the barber's seated subject
holds the copper bowl of suds under
his own half-shaven chin, 80 that the
razor-wielder's hands may be left free
for copius gesticulation during his
rapid-fre monologue.
Indeed, next to an American stock
exchange, the bazaar is the greatest
talkfest in the world.
And it is distinctly mans talkfest.
No woman's voice is heard and but
few women are to be seen, these few,
always in pairs, making their bargains
in undertones from behind their black
wells and regaining the outer world
as soon as possible.
Kaisariye's long succession of kings
and conquerors extends far back Of
Seljuks and Romans, into the mists Of
1000 B. O., when the Hittites ruled
OdPPduOC1d. Lying, as IL uOeS, Oh
direct line between Boghaz Keui and
Djerablus, the excayated strongholds
of the Hittitte empire, Kaisariye's
plain, with its towering tumun, may
one day yield further knowledge Of
that early people whose priestesses
were, perhaps, the Amazons Of Greek
legend, and whose rock-cut inscrip-
tons still battle the archaeologists.
Unfortunately, however, excavation
In Anatolia is baked by the Turks
Jealous suspicious. Asked for permits
sion to dig for written stones" he
at once suspects the savant of being
on the track of some fabulous hoard
Of buried gold. Hence Kaisariye's