23 chapters
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23 chapters
GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY
GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY
The Empire of Turkey, through which I propose to conduct you, stretches over portions of Europe and Asia—the slender thread of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles being the division between the two continents. A rapid current rushes through these channels, but in some places they are so narrow that you can shout across from Europe to Asia, and it is no uncommon thing to hear the dogs barking from the other side. Turkey in Europe spreads northwards from these points up to Bulgaria, and consists of
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ROUMELI HISSAR.
ROUMELI HISSAR.
The splendid conquests of the Turks were due to the hardihood of a race brought up in frugality and nomadic pursuits. Their strength and courage were amazing, and their religious zeal made them reckless of their lives. Their early Sultans, too, were men of extraordinary energy and sagacity, and were the first among the Turks to organize regular soldiers. A famous corps was that of the Janissaries, who were selected from the strongest and most beautiful Christian youth forced away from their pare
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ALBANIANS, POMAKS, TARTARS, AND BULGARIANS
ALBANIANS, POMAKS, TARTARS, AND BULGARIANS
Having briefly narrated the history of the rise and decline of the Ottoman Empire, it may be interesting to have a peep at the various races and nationalities which at present constitute it. Beginning with Turkey in Europe, we have the Albanians, who occupy the mountainous country north of Greece, and also Albania and Epirus on the eastern shore of the Adriatic. They are a brave, haughty, liberty-loving, but turbulent people, whom some maintain to be the descendants of the ancient Pelasgi, who o
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A SIMITDJI.
A SIMITDJI.
Bordering on Albania and Epirus, and east of them, you will find a district marked on the map as Macedonia. It is inhabited principally by Tartars, Bulgarians, and Greeks, with a large sprinkling of Jews in its seaport towns, specially in Salonica, the Thessalonica of Scripture. The Bulgarians belong to the Slav family, and are mostly Christians. Some, however, have turned Moslems, and are generally known under the name of Pomaks. The Pomaks have intermarried and fused with Tartars, who migrated
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CIRCASSIANS, LAZES, AND KURDS
CIRCASSIANS, LAZES, AND KURDS
Passing over to Asia Minor, we come across groups of a very interesting race called the Circassian. Inhabiting originally the belt of lofty mountains which run from the Black Sea to the Caspian, they were conquered in 1864 by the Russians, after nearly a century of resistance, and no less than half a million were expelled, and received hospitality in Turkey. This welcome was extended, not only because the exiles were Moslems, but also because that country, remarkable for the beauty of its women,
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A STAMBOUL BEGGAR.
A STAMBOUL BEGGAR.
The tchektermes are only partially decked, a covered stern and bow serving for cabins for the crew. The undecked sides are heightened by 2 or 3 feet, with a tarred awning, which protects from surf and spray. The larger ships used by the Lazes are from 200 to 300 tons; they are very quaint, and resemble ancient galleons. There is very little discipline among the crew, and everyone has a say and advice to give to the captain, who is much on the same level as his men. A large number of Lazes come t
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ARMENIANS
ARMENIANS
Adjoining Kurdistan lies Armenia, but it is difficult to determine where the one begins and the other ends, as during the time of the Armenian troubles the Sultan decreed that no such place as Armenia should exist, and vast stretches of country inhabited by Armenians were officially incorporated in the villayets, or provinces, of Kurdistan and others. So determined was the Sultan to blot out the name he hated that the censors were ordered to prohibit or deface all books having reference to Armen
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IN THE GRAND BAZAAR.
IN THE GRAND BAZAAR.
If the object to be conveyed is a very heavy one, it is suspended on a long pole, and carried between two hamals , the rounded ends of the poles resting on their shoulders, with perhaps a leather pad between to protect the bone. Should the weight be heavier still, say a large bale of merchandise or a pig of lead, four, six, or eight hamals combine, each pair carrying a separate pole. As they march swinging and staggering along, with their right hand resting on their neighbours' left shoulder, an
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GREEKS AND VLACHS
GREEKS AND VLACHS
In our account of the races ruled over by the Turks we must not forget the Greeks, those enterprising colonists who, long before the Christian era, settled along the coast of the Black Sea, and all along the sea-line which now fringes the Ottoman Empire, as well as in its islands, and who also founded commercial stations in the interior. In earliest times we find them connected with such expeditions as the Argonautic, in quest of the Golden Fleece, and returning, not only with rich trophies, but
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A SHEKERDJIS' SHOP.
A SHEKERDJIS' SHOP.
Over the bodice a bright zouave is worn, richly embroidered in gold or silver, and strings of gold or silver coins hang round the head, or as a necklace round the throat, while on the wrists are heavy bracelets. In other places it is described as consisting of "a skirt woven in stripes of silk and woollen, reaching to the ankles, with a tight-fitting bodice of the same, a cloth jacket braided or embroidered round the borders in gold thread and lined with fur, and in some districts a bright-colou
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JEWS—SUPERSTITIONS
JEWS—SUPERSTITIONS
We read in the New Testament of Jews scattered all over the Roman Empire. The same is true of them to-day in Turkey. Their principal resorts are Constantinople, Smyrna, Salonica, and the other great towns. Some are original colonists, principally from Palestine; others are exiles from Spain in 1493. Common vicissitudes with the Moors, who had also been ejected from Spain, created sympathy for them in the Moslem world, and, to the honour of the Turk let it be told, they were offered a shelter and
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A CEMETERY BY THE BOSPHORUS.
A CEMETERY BY THE BOSPHORUS.
Another division is that of Hebrews from Russia, Poland, and Austria. These do not understand Judeo-Spanish, but speak corrupt Russian and German, and differ from their southern brethren in features and customs; they all adhere to the law of Moses, and accept the teaching of the Prophets. There exists also a sect of Jews called Dunmés , or turncoats, who are both Mahomedans and Jews. Ostensibly they are the former, and observe all Moslem rites, but secretly they practise those of the Hebrews als
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GIPSIES—SUPERSTITIONS
GIPSIES—SUPERSTITIONS
A people resembling the Jews in that, like them, they are "found scattered toward all the four winds of heaven, and there is no nation whither these outcasts have not come," are the gipsies. They are to be met with in every part of the Sultan's dominions, and in physical appearance, manners, and character they are very similar to those in our country. Moslems and Christians vie with each other in holding them in execration, and they are branded by the former as the Kitabsis , or "bookless" natio
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A FORTUNE-TELLER.
A FORTUNE-TELLER.
A popular remedy for illness of any kind is to obtain from the imam , or priest, a written text of the Koran and swallow it, and I have known of doctors' prescriptions being taken the same way, and doubtless with similar effect. Another superstition is that, if a person has had a fall, water poured on the spot will prevent its repetition. A curious method for arresting the spread of infectious disease is to surround the patient with a circle of some disinfectant, and during a cholera scare I saw
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SYRIANS, DRUSES, MARONITES, AND BEDOUINS
SYRIANS, DRUSES, MARONITES, AND BEDOUINS
An account of Palestine having been given in "Peeps at the Holy Land," I will not allude specially to it, although it belongs to Turkey. Arabic is the language also spoken in Syria, which lies north of Palestine, and in Mesopotamia, which is to the east. Of the ancient towns of Tyre and Sidon, once famous as the capitals of Phœnicia, nothing now remains but ruins on which fishermen dry their nets. The inhabitants in the surrounding regions, however, still keep up many of their ancient customs an
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TURKS
TURKS
Having summarized the customs of some of the people under Ottoman rule, I must say something of the Turks themselves. When a Turkish baby comes to this world no dainty embroidered linen and warm bath await it, but it is dressed in a plain cotton shirt and a cotton, quilted dressing-gown. Its limbs are then tightly wrapped in a long shroud, so that it cannot move them. Frequently a cushion is put between its legs before shrouding, and this probably accounts for so many children being bandy-legged
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A TURKISH LADY IN OUTDOOR DRESS.
A TURKISH LADY IN OUTDOOR DRESS.
The rug spread out, the party will all sit cross-legged upon it, and as other groups of women also congregate in the same place, dressed in garments of variegated colours, you would imagine yourself amid beds of many-coloured tulips, while the boys and girls playing around suggest fluttering butterflies. The enjoyment of the women consists in smoking cigarettes, and gazing between each puff at the glorious scenery. Vendors of all sorts of eatables surround them, and, we will say, a shekerdgi , o
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THE FAITH OF ISLAM
THE FAITH OF ISLAM
A peep at Turkey cannot be complete without a passing reference to the religious beliefs of its people, but space will only allow me to mention those of Mahomedans. Broadly speaking, without counting Arabia, there are 13,000,000 Mahomedans or Moslems, as they are also called; 12,000,000 Christians; and 1,000,000 Jews and members of other persuasions. In Asiatic Turkey, Mahomedans form the majority, but only the minority in European Turkey. Moslems are the followers of Mahomet, who was born in Me
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INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE OF SULTAN AHMED I.
INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE OF SULTAN AHMED I.
The new faith, which received the name of Islam, implying submission to God, was a protest against the heathenish practices of his countrymen in Arabia, and the worship of the Saints and the Virgin Mary among the Christians. The corner-stone was the unity of God, and its leading dogma was expressed in the formula, " La illah il Allah " ("There is no God but God"), to which was added, " Mohamet Resoul Allah " ("Mahomet is the Prophet of God"). In addition to the unity of God, Moslems believe in t
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GAMES
GAMES
The Turk is too indolent by nature to care for any sports requiring physical exertion, and he would rather be a spectator than take an active part in them. There is, besides, a feeling among those that have reached the age of manhood, especially if they are holding some Government office, that their dignity would be lowered if they were seen engaged at play. A very interesting and pretty sport is the djirat . Two companies of horsemen, armed with muffled lances, or in some places the stalks of p
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A HOWLING DERVISH.
A HOWLING DERVISH.
Chess—that most antiquated of games—is known under the name of satrach , and differs somewhat from our own, but is as highly scientific. However sceptical we may be about the story in the "Arabian Nights" of the monkey which played chess with a Grand Vizier, I can vouch for the accuracy of one regarding an Armenian banker who played it with Sultan Aziz. The stakes were properties belonging to the Crown, and so successful was the banker that, finally, his landed possessions extended from the Bosp
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DOGS
DOGS
Everybody has heard of Turkish dogs, and I am sure you will consider this book incomplete if I pass them over in silence. Their origin is shrouded in mystery, but naturalists would probably find them allied to the wolf and the jackal. Tradition, however, has it that they originated in Tartary, and followed the Mongolians and Turks across the steppes, gorging themselves on the carnage of a thousand battle-fields, and finally settling down with the conquerors. How much truth there is in this grues
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THE GALATA BRIDGE AND THE BAZAARS
THE GALATA BRIDGE AND THE BAZAARS
An attempt has been made in these pages to conduct the reader over the domains of the Sultan of Turkey, and to introduce him to some of his subjects, but there is perhaps no better place in the world for getting a panoramic view of the various races depicted than on the bridge which spans the Golden Horn, and joins Stamboul with the Galata quarter of Constantinople (see frontispiece). Nor can you find the various products of the Empire exhibited within a more suitable compass than in the bazaars
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