of Pelvereh, the ancient Perre, and the connecting point in
the Antonine Itinerary, between the routes from Cappadocia,
Mesopotamia, Lesser Armenia, and Syria. The summit of
this pass is near the picturesque village of Erkenek, which
has an elevation of 3828 feet; and northward from thence,
the bed of the Gok-su is at once a road and a water-course,
through a rocky glen of limestone precipices: this was lately
made passable for artillery by Hafiz Pasha.
The Pashalik of Mar’ash represents the eastern extremity
of Cilicia with part of Cataonia and Melitene, and is thinly
peopled by fixed inhabitants, consisting of Turks and Kurds,
with a large proportion of Turkomans; the occupations of all
are almost entirely agricultural.
The narrow strip of I'ch-ili stretches westward from
Mar ash to Tekeh, between the Taurus on the north and the
Mediterranean on the south, and lies opposite to Cyprus, which
forms part of the jurisdiction. On the western side of this
territory, the Taurus sends those numerous branches which
procured for the district the appropriate name of rugged
Cilicia (Trachea); whilst the extensive plain of Adanah was
distinguished by that of Cilicia Campestris, on the borders of
which the slopes of the mountains terminate with a number
of parallel branches enclosing fertile valleys. On one of the
former, at the distance of 12 hours eastward of the Cilician
Gates, stands the castle of the chieftain Badinjan O’ghlu, a
massive pile of buildings with a platform about it, commanding
a prospect of singular richness and beauty.
Below are seen the Ja'ihan and Saihun, winding through the
cultivation and pastures of the Turkoman tribes, who are
spread over the plains of Tarsus, Adanah, and Misis ; and
more inwards, in the direction of Sis, there is a succession of
cultivated valleys, separated by low shoulders, crowned with
villages or rather hamlets embosomed in a rich foliage of oak,
chestnut, arbutus, myrtle, &c., with the Durdun Tagh and
the rugged snow-clad peaks of Taurus in the back-ground.
Towards the western termination of the arms thus prolonging
the slopes of Taurus to the level of Cilicia is the deep
rent or fissure which extends throughout its width from the
crest to the base of the chain, lying nearly on one level, and
forming the ordinary route between Syria and Lesser Asia. The
windings of this break in the mountains give a distance of about
83 miles, the ride having, in my case, with good horses, consumed
26J hours. The pass has this peculiarity, that instead
of traversing a high mountain, such as that of Ali-Shehr, it
runs over a summit-level of moderate height towards each
extremity; and as both are approached through deep rocky
defiles, the celebrated gates may in consequence be considered
as consisting of two distinct portions. Beginning southward,
an ordinary mountain valley, having a width varying from
1 to 2 miles, winds north-westward between wooded shoulders,
crowned with villages for a distance of about 2 5 | miles from
the plain of Adanah to Golek Boghaz. The advanced posts of
the Egyptians were near the latter point, where the pass narrows
to about half a mile; and a little forward, to about 200
yards, between precipitous ledges of limestone, rising to 200
and sometimes to more than 500 feet. On the lower parts of
these, ledges are occasionally seen traces of those extraordinary
excavations which here and elsewhere show the difficulties
surmounted by the ancients in opening their roads. Several
high batteries occupy a tongue a little on one side, so as to
command the pass from the approach, and prevent a direct
attack. In the mountains, some 8 or 10 miles to the N.W.,
are the silyer and lead mines, from which, at one time, Ibrahim
Pasha vainly expected to fill his coffers almost without expense.
The pass of Golek Boghaz has an elevation of about 3000 feet;
the village of that name has 5000, and the mines 9000 feet, while
the crest of this part of the Taurus is 13,000 feet.1 Northeastward
of this part of the pass a water-course serves for a time
as the road; and the scenery from thence by Menzil Khan is
alpine, and scarcely less striking than that, of the Ali-Shehr
pass. Rocks protrude through pines, cedars, &c. ; and their
bare conical summits rise above the woods to a height of 3000
or 4000 feet. This is succeeded by a narrow valley covered
with pines, near which the Kara guhid su, the western affluent
1 According to the calculations made by Signor Borriano, the director of the
mines, in 1835.
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