TURKEY. 



blended with fome few Aflyrians from tlie fouth. See 

 Thkk, and Turkey in Europe, fupra. 



The prevalent language is the Turkifh, to which we 

 may add the modern Greek, together with the Arabic, 

 Syrian, Perfian, and Armenian, with the various dialefts 

 ufed by the tribes on the Black fea, and indicating the di- 

 verfity of population. To the account already given of 

 the hillorical epochs of Turkey, we may here fubjoin the 

 following from Pinkerton. Armenia and Georgia were 

 fubdued by the Turks in the eleventh century, and the 

 whole of Afia Minor foon followed. Their kingdom of 

 Roum extended from the Euphrates to Conftantinople, and 

 from the Black fea to the confines of Syria. SuccefGve war- 

 like princes acquired additional territory from the Mame^ 

 lukes of Egypt and the Perfians. Syria, formerly an 

 appendage of Egypt, was conquered by Sehm II. in 1516 ; 

 Tauris and Diarbekir, the laft of which had formerly be- 

 longed to Perfia, were fubjugated by the fame monarch ; 

 and in 1 589 Abbas, the great fovereign of Perfia, was ob- 

 liged to yield three provinces to the Ottomans, though he 

 extended his conquefts to the eaft ; and Bagdad, with the 

 furrouiiding province of Irak-Arabi, became fubjeft to the 

 Turks in 1638. The prefent limits feem to have been fixed 

 by the treaty between the Porte and Perfia in 1736, fince 

 which period the Turks have been chiefly employed in de- 

 fending themfelves againft the Ruffians ; but fuch had been 

 their afcendancy over Perfia, that in 1727 they had acquired 

 the territory from Erivan to Tauris or Tebiiz, and thence 

 to Hamadan, a boundary which feems to be more precifely 

 marked by nature than the pencil. 



Tiie antiquities of Afiatie Turkey are thofe of Balbec 

 and Palmyra or Tadmor in the defert, and thofe that have 

 been difcovered in the fcite and plain of Troy ; for which 

 fee thefe articles. 



The Turkifii empire in Afia is eftimated at 470,400 

 fquare miles, and the population at 1 0,000,000 ; which, allow- 

 ing 8,000,000 for the European part, will render the total 

 18,000,000. The reader will find a (Icetch of the manners 

 and cuftoms of the inhabitants of Afiatie Turkey under 

 this article, which we (hall now proceed to mention. The 

 Curds or Kurds pafs in fummer from Moufoul to the 

 fources of the Euphrates, and they are never punilTied 

 either for robbery or murder. They are a paftoral^ people, 

 who conduft their herds from one country to ano^her, and 

 extending fometimes as far weft as Tocato ; where Tourne- 

 fort, in his time, found other hordes called Turkomans. 

 The Armenians, though Eutychian Chriftians by profel- 

 fion, and of courfe irreconcilable enemies of the Greeks, 

 are diftinguifhed by many fingular manners and cuftoms 

 They are reprefented as a fenfible and polite people ; and 

 bv their frugality and enterprife, are admu-ably qualified tor 

 conduaing the Levant trade, which is chiefly their province. 

 For an account of the Druzes and MaroHites,_ lee theie 

 appellations. In the northern extremities of Aiiatic 1 ur- 

 key, there are manv tribes which have adopted fingular 

 praaices. Six or feven languages are faid to be fpoken in 

 the country between the Euxine and the Cafpran. ihe 

 Abkhas, called by the Circaffians. " Kufh-Hafip," a people 

 beyond the mountains, retain f^me traces of Chriftian.ty. 

 The territory of the Tfcherkafl-es, or Circaffians, is ex- 

 tenfive: part of it is fubjeft to Ruflia but their manners 

 are invariable. The pri.ces cannot poITefs lands and their 

 nobles are chofen by the princes from the vaffals, or tlmd 

 - clafs. Public mealures are propofed by the prince, and 

 debated by the nobles and deputies of the people, on a ipot 

 deftined for this purpofe, near the royal refidence. Ihe 

 agriculture of thefe people is barely fuffic.ent for their own 

 Vol., XXXVI, 



confumption ; but they export fhecp and liorfcs, and 

 flaves taken in their predatory cxcurfions. The beauty of 

 their women has been much extolled. Having received a 

 fuitable education, ami formed from their youth according 

 to their own ftandard of beauty, they are fold from 2c/. to 

 loo/., and fometimes at a much higher price. Soon after 

 the birth of a girl, a belt is fewed round her waift, and when 

 this burfts, it is replaced by a fecond ; fo that their waifts 

 become very fmall, and their flioulders broad, which is a 

 defeft little regarded, on account of the beauty of their 

 breafts. On the wedding-night the belt is cut by the huf- 

 band with a dagger, an operation which is fometimes ac- 

 cidentally fatal. The bridegroom pays for his bride a 

 prefent, or " kelym," conCfting of arms, or a coat of 

 mail; but he muft not then, nor on any future occafion, fee 

 her, or cohabit with her, without the greateft myftery. 

 The young men recommend themfelves by their adlivity 

 and addrefs in military exercifes ; and thofe who arc moil 

 alert have the privilege of choofing the moft beautiful part- 

 ners. Their mufical iiiftrunients are a long flute, with only 

 three ftops, a fpecicfe of mandoline, and a tambourin. 

 Their dances are in the Afiatie ftyle, with little gaiety or 

 expreffion. The women pride themfelves on the courage 

 of their huftjands, and feverely reproach them when they 

 are defeated. It is their bufinefs to polifli and take care of 

 the armour of the men. The habitation of a Circaflian 

 confifts of two huts, becaufe the wife and huftiand are not 

 fuppofed to live together. At meals the whole family is 

 aflembled. Their food confifts only of a httle meal, pafte 

 made of millet, and a kind of fermented beer, prepared 

 from the fame grain. The Mamelukes of Egypt are flaves 

 regularly imported from Circaflia and Georgia. In 

 Imeritia, Mingreha, and Guriel, as well as in Georgia, 

 which forms a Perfian province, the barons have power 

 of life and death over their vafTals, and form a very 

 powerful ariftocracy, very formidable to the prince, who re- 

 fides at Cutais. The religion of all thefe provinces is the 

 Greek ; but they can fcarcely be regarded as fubjed to 

 Turkey. It may be obferved in general, after this brief 

 detail, that the moft ftriking feature of manners and cuf- 

 toms in the Turkifli empire, is that half the people may 

 be confidered as fomewhat civilized, while the other lialt 

 may be regarded as paftoral wanderers ranging over cx- 

 tenfive waifes. Next to the capital of the Turkifli empire, 

 the n«xt city of Afiatie Turkey in dignity and importance 

 IS Aleppo, containing about 250,000 inhabitants, where 

 the manufaaures of filk and cotton are flouriftnng, and 

 whither large caravans frequently refort from Bagdad and 

 Baffora, with the produds of Perfia and India. Damaf- 

 cus is fuppofed to contain 1 80,000 fouls :-- Smyrna may be 

 regarded as the third city in Afiatie Turkey, and contains 

 about 120,000 fouls :-Prufa is a beautiful city at the 

 northern bottom of mount Olympus, and its number of in- 

 habitants IS eftimated at about 60,000 :-Magnifi or M..g- 

 nefia, is alfo a city of fome repute in this quarter of he 

 empire; and Kircagat^h has nien to n„portance by the 

 cultivation of cotton, being iituated about 40 miles N.E. 

 of Magnifi, on the route to Priifa :- Angora contains 

 8o,oooihabitants, and trades chiefly m yarn for flialloois, 

 anTin Angora ftuff^s of its own manufaaure from the 

 hair of a breed of goats :-Tokat - /"-"""g- ^/wnd 

 inhabitants are abouf 60,000 ; Us manufaaures arc filk ami 



lequence, asi ^ ^_ r^^^^ ^^^ Perfia; and opulent 

 T caravans 



as the vari< 

 are here exchanged for 



