Polygamy is permitted, but it is rare that any Musselman has
a second wife. The Tartar women cover their faces with
great care, and are considered to he chaste, which is not the
case with the Armenian ladies.1 The local government was
patriarchal, but it is now administered by a military superintendant,
assisted by a native divan.
Some of the Nestorians,2 who live apart in the mountainous
country which separates Turkey from Persia, say that their
ancestors were Greeks. The different tribes of Kurds appear
to be the descendants of the Parthians who were dispersed
over Assyria and Mesopotamia ; and a dialect of the Syriac
is still preserved amongst these wanderers. Their name is
derived from Kerad (to speak).
Under the ancient name of Raine, Karâbâgh formed a part
of the Armenian kingdom ; and previously to its entire destruction
by Tamerlane, the capital, Barda, was distinguished
for its great size, and its numerous inhabitants^ the descendants
of the oldest Armenians. The Persian dominion succeeded,
and that of the Turks followed. This continued till
the country was recovered by Nadir Shah. In 1809 it came
under the government of native khans, and it so remained till,
in 1822, it became subject to Russia. This was considered
by the Persians their choicest province, and it is that whose
loss they most regret.
The Armenian territory obtained by Russia in 1828 extends
to the N.W. for some distance along the Araxes, and
comprises the province of Erivân and Nakhchivân. The
latter is the south-eastern portion : it is situated between 39°
and 40° N. latitude, and between 45° 10' and 46° 30' E. longitude.
It has the limestone mountains of Karâbâgh to the N.E. :
on the S. and S.E. is the river Araxes, and on the N.W. is Erivân.
The district of Urd-âbâd forms the south-eastern extremity,
and is separated from the other portion by the chain of
Bar Dugh. It has the shape of a triangle, touching the
Araxes and the crest of the mountains of Karâbâgh at the
south-east point ; and it contains about 396 square miles of
1 Aperçu, &c., Tome III., pp. 61 to 91.
! The Catholics, and not the Kaldi, or Kalddni, of p. 121.
surface: it is altogether the best climate of the trans-Caucasian
provinces, and is so fertile that it has been called the
earthly paradise.
Besides the Araxes, it is watered by the Ghilan-chai, the
Oust'oukan-chai, and three other small rivers.
There are five magals constituted by the valleys of Urd-
abad, Ailis, Dastine, Tchalanape, and Believe; the first of
which contains the capital, Urd-abad, and eight villages.
The town has 615 clay-built houses, usually of two stories,
an Armenian church, six mosques, and two karvanserais.
The inhabitants of the district are principally occupied with
the care of silk-worms, with their orchards and vineyards, and
with a limited cultivation of wheat, Indian corn, flax, and
hemp. Including fourteen villages, the population amounts
to 3883 Tartars, and 1806 Armenians of both sexes.
Three-fourths of the surface of Nakhchivan is mountainous,
and the remainder slopes towards the left bank of the Araxes.
The principal rivers, in addition to the last, are the Arpah-
chai, the Nakhchivan-chai, and the Alindja-chai. The climate
is good in the higher grounds, but the plains are
unhealthy. The wild and domestic animals are nearly the
same as in Karabagh. The vegetable productions are wheat,
barley, cotton, millet, &c., with an abundance of fruit and
forest trees. The minerals are lead, silver, alum, copperas,
and an abundance of salt. The province contains the four
magals of Nakhchivan, Alindjine, Khoi, and Daralaghez.
On the left bank of the Araxes stands the modern fortress of
Abbas-abad, and four miles northward is the capital, consisting
of four different quarters, in which are an Armenian
church, two mosques, two karvanserais, and some baths. It
has a population of 3388 Tartars and 1779 Armenians.
In former times the city contained about 40,000 houses,
and was one of the most important belonging to the kingdom
of Armenia; and tradition connects its foundation with
Noah’s descent and first habitation.1 There are in the four
magals, and in the different villages of the district, 10,8542
1 Nakh, first, and itchivdn, habitation.
2 Including those brought from the Turkish provinces in 1828.
VOL. I. H