Page:The Six Voyages of John Baptista Tavernier.djvu/35

Camel's Load, which is eight hundred Pounds. For in the mountainous Countries a Camel's Load is no more; but in the plain and even Countries they make 'em carry above ten hundred weight. A Load of Indian Calicutts pays a hundred Crowns; but the Loads of Linnen are much heavier than those of Silk. As for other Commodities, they pay Six per Cent. according to their value.

From this Stage the Caravan sets forward to a Fortress call'd Hassan Kala, where you must pay half a Piaster for every Camel's or Horses Load going from Erzerem to Erivan, but returning you pay but half as much.

Leaving this Fortress, you must go and lodge at a Bridge near to a Village which is call'd Choban-Cupri. Over this Bridge, which is the fairest in the whole Journey, you cross two Rivers which there meet, one is the Kars, and the other is a Stream that falls from a Mountain call'd Binguiel, both which disburthen themselves into the Aras. The Caravan usually stays a day or two at this Bridge; because the Caravan divides it self at this place, some continuing on the High-road, others taking the Road of Kars, as well to avoid fording the Aras several times, as the paying a great Duty upon the great Road, where they exact four Piasters upon every Camel's Load, and two upon every Horse-Load, whereas at Kars you are dismiss'd for half so much.

I went Kars Road twice; but it is longer, and more troublesom than the other. As soon as you leave the Bridge, for the first four days you travel over woody Mountains, and very desert Countries, where you meet but with one Village; but coming near Kars the Country is more pleasant, and well manur'd; bearing all sorts of Grain.

Kars is in 78 Deg. 40 Min. of Longitude, and 42 Deg. 40 Min. of Latitude; in a very good Soil. The City is very large, but thinly peopl'd, though Provision be very plentiful and very cheap. But the Grand Signor always choosing that place to rendezvouz his Army, whenever he intended to recruit it, and to lodge his People there which he sent to build Villages; the King of Persia has ruin'd all the Country, as he did at Sulfa, and in many other Frontier places, for nine or ten days journey together.

From Kars to Erivan the Caravan makes it nine days journey, and lyes where it can find most convenience, there being no certain Stages. The first days journey ends at a Monastery and a Village, the one no less deserted than the other. The next day you come to the Ruines of a great City, call'd Anikagaë, in the Armenian Language the City of Ani, which was the name of an Armenian King that was the Founder of it. By the Wall, on the East-side, runs a rapid Stream that falls from the Mountains of Mingrelia, and empties it self into the River of Kars. This City was very strongly situated; being plac'd in a Mersh, where are to be seen the Remains of two Causeys that only led to the Town. There are the Ruines of several Monasteries; among the rest two that are entire, suppos'd to be Royal Foundations. From thence to Erivan for two days journey, you meet with only two Villages; near the last of which you ride by the side of a Hill, whither when the Caravan passes by, the People bring Horses from several Parts to be sold. The Great Road from the Bridge, where the Caravan parts, lyes thus:

Two Leagues from the Bridge, on the right hand toward the South, lyes a great Mountain which the People of the Country call Mingol. In this Mountain there are abundance of Springs, and from one side of it falls Euphrates, from the other side the River of Kars, which empties it self into the Aras fourteen or fifteen Leagues on this side Erivan. The Aras, which the Ancients call'd Araxes, falls from other Mountains Eastward of Mingol, which after many windings through the Upper Armenia, where it receives many other Rivers that swell its Streams; it discharges it self into the Caspian Sea, two days journey from Shamaki, upon the Frontiers of the ancient Medes.

The whole Country is inter-cut by the Rivers Aras and Kars, and several other Streams that fall into them, inhabited by very few, but what are Christians; those few Mahumetans that live among them being so superstitious, that they will not drink the Water of any of those Rivers, nor wash in them; believing them impure and defil'd by the use which the Christians make of them. They have their particular Wells and Cisterns by themselves, which they will not suffer a Christian to come near.

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