The six voyages of John Baptista Tavernier, Baron of Aubonne through Turky, into Persia and the East-Indies, for the space of forty years : giving an account of the present state of those countries, viz. of the religion, government, customs, and commerce of every country, and the figures, weight, and value of the money currant all over Asia : to which is added A new description of the Seraglio / made English by J.P. ; added likewise, A voyage into the Indies, &c. by an English traveller, never before printed ; publish'd by Dr. Daniel Cox

CHAP. XII. Of the third Estate of the Kingdom, comprehending the Tradesmen and Merchants: as also of the Trades, Manufactures, and Commodities of Persia.

THe Commerce of Persia, as in all other Kingdoms, consists in the Trade of the Country and Forraign Traffick. Only with difference, that the Country Trade is in the hands of the Persians and Jews, the forraign Traffic in the hands of the Armenians only, who are as it were the Kings and the Noble mens Fa∣ctors to sell their silk.

As for the Handicraft trades, there are some Corporations that pay a certain yearly duty to the King, as Shoemakers, Cutlers, Smiths, and others. Some are free, as the Joyners and Masons: though he get by their labour as much as others pay him in money. For when the King requires twenty Masons for a work which is in hast, the Marmar Bashi who is their Chief, summons them together, and they that give most are excus'd. For when the King requires but twenty, he summons forty: and thus every man lives by his calling. The practice is the same with the Chief of the Joyners, and all other Trades, who are Officers pay'd by the King, and never work unless they please themselves, commanding all that are under their Jurisdiction. As for Carpenters and Joyners work, the Persians know little what belongs to it, which proceeds from the scarcity of Wood, that does not allow them materials to work upon. So that for Chairs, Tables and Bedsteads, there are no such things to be seen in Persia: the Joyners business being only to make Doors and Frames for Windows, which they make very neatly of several pieces of wood join'd together, so that a man can hardly put a Tennis Ball through the holes where they put the glass. Nor can it be expected that the Persians should work like other Europeans, having no other Tools then a Hatchet, a Saw, and a Chizzel, and one sort of Plainer, which a Frenchman brought among them.

Their nobler Arts are Writing, for Printers they know none. All their Books are writt'n, which is the reason they so much esteem that Art. There was an Armenian who had set up a Printing-Press at Ispahan, and had Printed the Epistles of St. Paul, the seven Penitential Psalms, and was going about to Print the whole Bible, but not having the way of making good Ink, and to avoid the ill consequen∣ces of the Invention, he was forc'd to break his Press. For on the one side the Children refus'd to learn to write, pretending they wrote the Bible themselves, on∣ly to get it the sooner by heart: on the other side many persons were undone by it, that got their living by writing.

The Persians use three sorts of hands, the first is call'd Nestalick, or the Set-hand: the second Shakeste or Divanni, which is their Court-hand: the third Neskre, or the Running-hand, very like the Arabic. They write with small Indian Reeds; and say, that to write well, a man ought to lean so slightly upon his Pen, that should a fly stand upon the other end it would fall out of his hand. When they write they hold their Paper in one hand to turn it according to the motion of the Pen, other∣wise they could not make their dashes large and free, as the Character requires. They make their Paper of Cotton Fustian, very course, brown, and of no strength, for the least folding tears it. They sleek it with a sleek stone, and then rub it over to make it more sleek. Their Ink is made of Galls and Charcoal pounded together with Soot.

The Persians reck'n four Languages among 'em. The Persian call'd Belick, that is, sweet and pleasing. The Turkish, call'd Sciascet, or the Rodomontado Language. The Arabian, to which they give the Epithite of Feschish or Eloquent: and the fourth, call'd Cobahet, or the Speech of the Country people. The Persian in use among the Gentry is compos'd almost of all Arabic words: by reason that the Persian is very barren. But the Gibbrish of the Country people is so corrupt that they in the City can hardly understand 'em. The Arabian is the Language of the Learned, in which tongue their Books are written. The Language of the Court

is Turkish, but much more soft and elegant then at Constantinople. As for the Persian Language, it is spoken in the Courts of the Great Mogul, and the Kings of Golconda and Visapour, in all which Courts a Noble man would take it for an af∣front to be spok'n to in the Indian Language.

As for their Painters they only paint in miniature, and for Birds and Flowers they will draw them indifferently well: But for figures and stories they know not what belongs to any such thing.

The Persians are most excellent Artists for manufactures of Gold, Silk and Silver, of which their rich Carpets and Tissues are made: nor do their Gold and Silver Manufactures ever grow black or loose their luster by long wearing or lying by. There are abundance that work in Silk stuffs of all sorts, and others that make Bonnets and Girdles of Gold and Silk. Others there are whose business it is to fast'n flowers of Gold and Silver to their Taffata's, with gum water, of which the women make Shifts and Drawers. And now they begin to make such large quantities of Taffata's, that they care not for the stuffs which are brought out of India, though they be much finer.

They also make great quantities of Linnen Cloth of all sorts of colours, upon which they fast'n several flowers with gum water, and some figures, though the Law forbid it. Which they learnt to do upon the Armenians carrying out of Eu∣rope some ill-favour'd cuts and pieces in distemper which they bought here without judgment: these pieces they hang before their doors, and those hollow places in the walls where they put their Quilts and Carpets when they rise.

The Persians are excellent Artists at Damasquing with Vitriol, or engraving Da∣mask-wise upon Swords, Knives, and the like. But the nature of the Steel which they make use of, very much contributes to their Art, in regard they cannot perform the same work neither upon their own nor ours. This steel is brought from Golconda, and is the only sort of steel which can be damasqu'd. For when the workman puts it in the fire, he needs no more then to give it the redness of a Cherry, and instead of quenching it in the water as we do, to wrap it in a moist Linnen cloth: for should he give it the same heat as to ours, it would grow so hard that when it came to be wrought it would break like glass. I speak this to undeceive those people who think our Scimitars and Cut-lasses are made of steel of Damascus, which is a vulgar error; there being no steel but that of Golconda that can be Damask'd.

The Persians are also excellent Artists at making Bows and Arrows, and such other weapons as are us'd in that Country. As for Bridles and Saddles their Ar∣tists far exceed ours, especially in their sowing, which they do so neatly and with so much art with a kind of back-stitch, that it looks almost like an embroidery. There are an infinite number that live by dressing Seal-skins and Goat-skins, the first to make boots for the Gentry and better sort of Merchants, the latter for the poor people.

There is also a sort of earthen ware made at Kerman which is very fine, and be∣ing brok'n looks as white within as without. It does not endure hear so well as Porcellane, which has this quality, that if you powre never so hot liquor into a Porcellane cup, neither the foot nor the brims a-top will be any thing the warmer.

There are abundance of poor people that get their living by mending glass To∣bacco-pipes, for when they are brok'n they join them together again with a cer∣tain mastic made of lime, and the white of an egg, then with a Diamond-pointed piercer they make holes in the glass, and bind the pieces together with a thin Latten-wire.

The most considerable commodities of Persia are the Silks which come out of the Province of Guilan. But there is not so much transported out of-Persia as men imagin. For formerly great quantities of Velvets, Tissues and Taffata's were transported out of Persia into these parts: but now we make them better and cheap∣er in Europe.

There is also a vast quantity of flat silk transported out of Persia into Turkie, Muscovy and Poland, which the women use in embroidery: for the Colours being lively, they embroider their shifts, hankerchers, vails, and other linnen with it.

The Seal-skins and Goat-skins which are dress't in Persia are transported by the

Hollander into India and Japan. Great quantities also of both are transported into Muscovy and Poland.

The Ronas, that famous Root, of which I have already spoken, is transported over all India, where there is also a great vent of Persian fruits pickl'd in Vinegar, as also of their sweet waters.

Their Pistaches grow in great abundance about Casbin; Almonds from the Terri∣tories of Yesd and Kerman, Raisins from several parts of the Kingdom, especially from Schiras: And their purgative Prunes, which they call Alonbacara, from the Frontiers that border upon Tartary.

Great store of Quinces candied, and boxes of Marmaled made at Balsara, are thence transported into India, where they are bought up by the Mahometans and Portugueses. For the Banians will eat none, for fear they should by accident bury a fly in their stomachs.

Great store of dry'd Fruits are brought out of the Country of the Medes, and transported to Tocat, to Diarbequir, Nineveh and Dagdat. Among the rest a sort of small Abricots, very pleasing to the taste, which being boyl'd in water make a pleasant syrrup, and are the only diet for the sick in those parts.

There are also great store of painted Calicuts made in Persia, which being course, are only worn and made use of by the poor, so that there is very little transported out of the Country, but what is carried into Turkie.

The Persians also make a great deal of money of their Cattel; and to begin with their Camels, they sell vast numbers of them into Armenia and Natolia. But the Governours of the Provinces are very unwilling to part with them; which very much abates the trade. For the Turks very highly esteem the Persian Camels, as being stronger than their own. They also sell great store of Horses and Mules; but that trade is not so considerable, the chiefest part being only sent into India.

As for their Sheep, 'tis a wonderful thing to see what prodigious numbers come out of the Province of the Medes and the Higher Armenia, and the Forraign Mer∣chants come as far as Tauris and Hamadan to fetch them away. They drive them as far as Constantinople and Adrianople, and the greatest part of the Mutton which is spent in Natolia and Romania comes out of Persia, which very much enriches Persia with ready mony. But when Lamb is in season, as we travel with the Ca∣ravans, we meet at every turn with flocks after flocks, the least of which consists of a thousand Lambs: and in regard there are some of those Lambs that are weary, and lag behind, we buy them at a very cheap rate, the Shepheards that are not able to carry them, being glad to be rid of 'em.

Formerly the Merchant Fewellers brought some Turquoises of the old rock out of Persia; but for these 15 years last past there have bin none found. The last time I was there I could only meet with three, which were but reasonable. As for those of the new rock, they are of no value, because they do not keep their colour, but turn green in a little time.