The morning was beautiful; the day is not yet hot; In the distance one could see the Arganeon Mountains, which seemed blue. The fields, quite cultivated, and some groves, presented a charming landscape. About five hours later we rode into the mountains and stopped to feed the horses and have lunch in the small village of Taushanji, on a mountain belonging to the Arganeon chain of mountains. I learned that these inhabitants have a rather strange duty: they must go to the very top of Olympus, observe the moment the moon appears during Ramadan, and immediately ride to Constantinople, with news about it. The view from Taushanji is beautiful and extensive: Lake Nicea spreads out in the distance, in all its beauty. I am very sorry that I could not post Nicaea, famous for its ancient greatness, two ecumenical councils, and the siege during the Crusades. It would have taken two days to get there, but I was afraid of not catching Akhmet Pasha in Bruss5. I don’t know why Duke Raguzeju, in his Travels, says that Nikel does not exist, but that in Nikomidsh there are still many remains of antiquity visible. I can certify, after my personal observation, that, on the contrary, in Nikomid there is nothing left except a heap of rubbish, which is considered the remains of the Dloklit1anog palace: and in Nikev, as the Greeks told me, there is life there, and Ahmet Pasha himself, in Nikev there are many ruins, inscriptions embedded in new buildings, and even columns, albeit lying on the ground. Nikea is located on the shore of the lake of the same name, and is surrounded by cypress groves. In ancient times there was an archbishop there. In Nikethus, the Leguns were elected, but after the death of Tovan, Emperor Valentinan.
The waters of the Arganeon Mountains are separated by two bays: Nikomidysyu, Uzyosepiz ti, and Nikeisay, S:apiz Tib. In the local mountains, as Mieologu says, the nymphs kidnapped Gillas, the companion of Hercules, and in the time of Strabo they still celebrated this incident. The Bacchae scattered across the mountains, calling out the lost Gillas with cries.
We set off again and arrived at 10, or Gemlek, a place near the Gulf of Nicaea (now Mudan Bay). In ancient times it was called Tsgus: it was destroyed by Philip, the father of Perseus (\. Tired of the journey, I stayed here. but- °) Strabo, ki. 19. chew. In Gemlek I learned that it was a place to carry out quite a significant trade with Constantinople, wheat, wine, fruits and silk.
I said that in Nikomidshi I hired a boat of a young voyage, the groom of the eldest daughter of my master Kozmos. This was our agreement: he was to immediately go and wait for me at the very mouth of the Ryndak River, and from there deliver me to the island of Marmara, where I would find the Messinsyu ship; In case of failure, he undertook to go with me to Hellespovt, to the last castle, for a fee agreed upon between us. In this way I ensured my return from Brussa. The next day, after drinking some tea, early in the morning I got on horseback and left Gemlek. Olymnus, although still distant, appeared before me in all its beauty: the rays of the rising sun illuminated its top, which seemed to be of a bright pink color, and shone in the limbs and on the sides with luminous tints. It is impossible to depict or describe this picture: a painter who wanted to write off these flowers would, of course, be accused by everyone of deviating from nature; but it seems to me that he would not have approached her yet.
We walked for two hours across the plains, insensibly rising; there were no villages on the roads; but I saw a lot of them on the sides. For the first time, I visited the Turkish Empire with well-cultivated fields, abundance everywhere, and the villages not devastated; the inhabitants, both Turks and Christians, seemed content and happy. In the middle of a rich country, surrounded by the well-dissolved air of the best climate in the world, I fully enjoyed life |... We forded two miles away; one of them is Asser, the other I don’t know the name and didn’t ask about him. An hour later Brussa showed up. The road to it went downhill. On a hill, at the foot of Olifnos, a large city was spread out: its appearance was magnificent; around is a vast and fertile valley, planted with mulberry trees and irrigated by a thousand streams, including two burning springs, abundant in water; its heat is equal to boiling water.