Whenever A Son Reaches The Marriageable Age,
His Father Gives Him, Even Before His Marriage, A Couple Of Camels And A
Horse To Defray, By The Profits Of Trade, His Private Expenses.
At the
death of the father, his property is divided amongst the family
according to the Turkish law.
The Ryhanlu bury their dead in the burying
places which are found scattered among the ruins of deserted villages.
My observations were confined to the Ryhanlu. But they will probably in
great measure apply to all the large Turkman tribes which inhabit the
western parts of Asia Minor, and concerning which I obtained a few
particulars.
In the level country between Badjazze and Adena lives a tribe which is
tributary to the governors of these two places. They are called Jerid,
and are more numerous than the Ryhanlu; they likewise leave their plains
towards the approach of summer, and winter in the Armenian mountains, in
the neighbourhood of the Ryhanlu. Like the latter they have one head,
and several minor chiefs, and they are divided into six tribes: viz.
Jerid (chief Shahen Beg), Tegir (chief Oglu Kiaya), Karegialar (chief
Rustam Beg), Bozdagan (chief Kerem Oglu), Aoutshar (chief Hassan Beg),
Leck (chief Agri Bayouk). The Lecks speak, besides the Turkish, a
language of their own, which has no resemblance either to the Arabic,
Turkish, Persian or Kurdine; “it sounds like the whistling of birds,”
said the Turkman from whom I obtained this information, and the same
remark was confirmed by others. The name of the Leck, renders the
supposition probable that they are descendants of the Lazi, a people
inhabiting the coast of the Black sea, and who in the time of the great
Justinian opposed his forces with some success. Chardin mentions having
met descendants of the Lazi near Trebizond, whom he describes as a rude
sea-faring people, with a peculiar language.
The Pehluvanlu are the most numerous tribe of the whole nation of
Turkmans. They are governed by a chief, (Mahmoud Beg), who is tributary
to Tshapan Oglu. A part of them have for a long period been cultivators,
others are shepherds. They inhabit the country from Bosurk to near
Constantinople, and pass the summer months at one day’s journey distance
from the Ryhanlu. They are in possession of a very profitable transport
trade, and their camels form almost exclusively the caravans of Smyrna
and of the interior of Anatolia. They drive their sheep for sale as far
as Constantinople.
The Rishwans are more numerous than the Ryhanlu, but their tribe is not
held in esteem among the Turkmans. They were formerly tributary to
Rishwan Oglu, governor of Besna, which lies at one day’s journey from
Aintab; and they used then to winter in the neighbourhood [p.643] of
Djeboul, on the borders of a small salt lake, five hours to the S. E. of
Aleppo. They are at present dependent on Tshapan Oglu, and winter in the
plains near Haimani in Anatolia; they pass their summer months in the
neighbourhood of the Ryhanlu. Their principal tribes are Deleyanli
(chief Ali Beg Oglu), Omar Anli (chief Omar Beg), Mandolli (Omar Aga),
Gelikanli (Hassan Beg Mor Oglu). The Rishwans are noted, even among
robbers, for their want of faith.
The great tribes of the Turkmans are often at war with each other, as
well as with the Kurds, with whom they are in contact in many places.
These wars seldom cause the death of more than three or four
individuals, after which peace is concluded. In a late war between the
Ryhanlu and the Kurds, which lasted five or six months, and brought on
several battles, the whole list of deaths was only six Kurds and four
Turkmans. In the mountains, the Turkmans are accompanied in their
military expeditions by foot soldiers, armed with muskets; these are men
of the tribe who cannot afford to keep a horse. Neither the lance, nor
the bow is used among them. Some tribes of Kurds, on the contrary, have
never abandoned the use of the bow.
The Tar, or blood-revenge, is observed among the Turkman nations, as
well among themselves, as with respect to foreigners. They have a
particular species of Tar which I have never heard of among the Arabs.
It attaches to their goods; the following incident will best explain it:
a caravan of Turkman camels laden with wood was seized last winter, just
before the gates of Aleppo, by a detachment of Karashukly (a mixt tribe
of Turkmans and Arabs, who inhabit the banks of the Euphrates, in the
vicinity of Bir). One of the Turkmans was wounded, the loads were thrown
down, and fifty camels driven away, worth about five hundred piastres
apiece. The Turkmans immediately dispatched an old Arab woman as
ambassadress to their enemies, to treat for the restoration of their
camels, and she succeeded in recovering them at the rate of one hundred
and sixty piastres apiece, or eight thousand piastres, for the whole.
“Thus,” I was told by a Turkman chief, “the Tar between us will not be
for the whole sum of twenty-five thousand piastres, the real value of
the camels, but only for the sum of eight thousand piastres, for which
we shall, on the first opportunity take our revenge.”
There are no Sherif families, or families claiming a descent from the
prophet, amongst the Ryhanlu. But family pride is not unknown among
them. Descendants from ancient and renowned chiefs claim, though poor,
some deference from wealthy upstarts. In one of their late battles with
the Kurds, a young man of noble extraction, but poor, and without
authority, was crying out in the heat of action: “Comrades, let us
attack them on the left flank.” Hayder Aga, who heard it, exclaimed:
“Who are you? hold your tongue.” After the victory the young man, was
seen thoughtful and melancholy in the midst of the rejoicings of his
brethren; Hayder Aga, as proud a man as ever sat upon a throne, to whom
it was reported, sent for the young man, and when he entered the tent
rose, and kissed his beard, begging [p.644] him to forget whatever lie
might have said in the heat of action, when he was not always master of
himself.
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