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.
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