The English traveler Edward Brawn, was a member of the Medical Society of London and visited, among others, Larissa in the year 1669. that year, in the middle of the Venetian-Turkish war, the sultan Muhammad the DHe was stationed in Larissa to better supervise his troops.
The information provided by Brawn is very important because there is a dearth of sources for the 17th century period. His work was first published in French under the title? “Relation de plusieurs, voyages faits en Hongrir”, Paris 1674. Translated for the Thessalian Calendar by G. Polese and published in the same journal.
The region of Larissa, during the years when Mohammed IV had his headquarters in Larissa (1669), as recorded in Edward Brawn’s travelogue. (commercial traffic of the city):
“Larissa, the most important city of Thessaly, is located on the banks of the Pinios river. The famous Mount Olympus rises to the north and beyond stretches the vast plain. Now it is inhabited by Christians, Turks and Jews. There are nice public squares, several mosques for the Turks and some temples for the Greeks. Its location is pleasant, on a small earthen hill. The Sultan’s palace, or at least what remained, while he held that position, was on the highest point of the city.
Here’s how it’s built: Large windows decorate all 4 of its sides. in front of them the sultan dines or entertains, depending on whether there is a breeze or a strong wind. Larissa is the seat of an archdiocese, which includes several dioceses. The venerable Dionysios1 he was the archbishop during my stay there.
The Church of Agios Achillios is its metropolis. One day, when the archbishop was there, I attended the Divine Liturgy. I saw him sitting on his throne in his high priestly robes and with his pastoral rod. We were only 3-4 foreigners and as soon as he saw us enter the Temple he sent someone to incense us with frankincense and other similar spices. The sultan had his court in Larissa for several years because of the war in Crete2 and also because the region offered itself for hunting, which he is exceedingly fond of. On leaving I learned that he had to go to Negreponte3. But he stayed a few more months in Larissa until he left for Thessaloniki and from there to Adrianople. With the caps of the summer the sultan went to spend two months on Olympus, which is not far away, to see its natural beauties, the Aegean, to enjoy its coolness and to be away from the heat of the plains.
This whim of his cost the death of several people because those who came to see him arrived exhausted and weakened by the heat, fell ill as soon as they faced the cold of the peaks and died. The places there were such that there was not enough soil to bury the dead. The sultan was a little annoyed but this only lasted a few days. Several horses and camels were lost.
The sultan, an excellent horseman, galloped one of his best horses, forcing it to the top of Mount Kisavos, where no one could follow him. He was quite a risk-taker and wanted, for bravery, to jump a ditch from where, if he fell, no one could get him out.
No one could convince him or make him realize the danger he was in. Many people also died because they drank the white water of a spring. Two or three days before they died, their stomachs felt heavy and they were cold. (…) The Pinios River, which crosses Larissa, is the largest river in Thessaly with several tributaries. (…) The builders of the beautiful stone bridge (of Pinios in Larissa) with the 9 arches planned and left gaps between the arches so that the water would find a way out when it rose too much and the bridge would not be endangered in times of flood.
Several Turks set up their colorful tents on the banks of the Pinios (see photo) near a mosque, because they could not find a place in Larissa and the sight was quite pleasing to the eye. The fabric of their tent was so well placed that it was only slightly off the ground to allow air in. Here they spent most of the day drinking sherbet and coffee. The nearest and most important port, near Larissa, is Volos, the old city of Pagases, in the Gulf of Almyros, which is also called Pagasitikos or Dimitriada. Near here was the Pelasgian Argos, from where they sailed4 the Argonauts for their famous voyage to Colchis. Larissa was a populous city and although there were, at the time, people of all ethnicities, there was order and calm everywhere.
An officer marched with a baton in his hand accompanied by about 24 men, who controlled all the streets punishing those who were drunk, who quarreled, made noise or did anything offensive to good manners. I was in Larissa in September 1669. the heat was unbearable and the fever broke. It was the same in most of the countries of Europe because when I returned to England quite a few people were still suffering from the summer fever. At this time the local people were preparing their wine and we had the opportunity to taste it while it was still cloudy and fresh.
Among the Turks there are those who are more religious than others and never drink stale wine. However, they are not averse to drinking a bit of hazy. Throughout the summer we often went to the barber. He was good at his job, kept us cool enough and received everyone, as is customary in his place. The Greeks shave their heads in one spot, the size of a coin, and leave their hair, all around, long, about two fingers, cutting off the rest. (…) The Turks shave the whole head except for a tuft at the top. The Greek clergy neither shave their heads nor cut their hair.
Those who have less clean it better. In the barbershop, the customer sits quite low, so the barber has the advantage of shaving him almost at once. He uses plenty of soap and holds the blade like a knife, which allows him to shave faster. Above the customers’ heads is a basin of water with a cock, from which the barber lets out as much water as he wants. I had the opportunity to see such a barbershop in Larissa and a tomb, quite large and old, made of jasper5. This monument is quite beautiful. Unfortunately, he was not appreciated at all in this city. I noticed that the barber had pierced the tombstone, put water in it, and was using it for a cistern. I had with me ducats and dollars and other coins, and I did not know how I could redeem them.
Luckily I found some bankers6 in the market, which were set up there for that purpose. They were happy to give medinas, whites, and 5 pentaras coins, which are used by the common stockbrokers of this region. The streets, where the most traffic takes place, are covered as is customary in other cities of the Turkish territory. The shops are small in size but full of all kinds of goodies.
The shopkeeper sits cross-legged and thus does the buying and selling with his customers, who usually stand on the street and almost never enter the shop. As for the products, which are not in abundance, someone on horseback roams the city, preaching where and at what price the interested party can find them. (…) when I saw in Larissa all these fine and chosen horses from every region of the Turkish empire, I was stunned.
Their saddles and bridles were rich, studded with precious stones, soft. Here I also saw the Tartar horses, famous for their speed and endurance (…) Some Greek merchants learn Italian to help them in their business, so that language is useful to those who come here, while Latin and French are completely useless . Jews usually speak Spanish7 (…) In Thessaly I found myself in a season of great heat and drought. Some of the larger rivers had low water levels.
The smaller ones were completely dry. But I noticed that a river8, which was 7 miles from Larissa towards Tyrnavos had plenty of water. It went under a mountain, spread into several streams but formed a beautiful river. (…) The Thessalians are quite well-made. Almost all have black hair and eyes. Their face is cool and looks like the face of the English. Foreigners consider their women very beautiful and comment on the fair skin of the Greeks. Macedonians are more untamed natures (…). The inhabitants of Moria (…) look almost all black..” Ed. Brown, “The Larissa of 1669”, trans. Gino Polese, Th. H (32 ), pp. 177-186. Director-publisher Kostas Spanos.
- 1. Dionysius IV, Muselinismetropolitan of Larissa (1662-1671) and later ecumenical patriarch for five terms [1671-3, 1676-9, 1682-4, 1686-7 και 1693-4].
- 2. The last phase of the Turkish-Venetian war (1668-9).
- 3. The name for Evia of Frankish origin. (Euripus+ ponte [θάλασσα])
- 4. Of course, the Argonauts sailed from Iolkos and not from Pelasgian Argos, which is another name for Larissa.
- 5. Kind of precious stone.
- 6. The so-called seraphim, who were almost always Jews.
- 7. They are the so-called Sephardic Jews, who left Spain due to the persecutions of Queen Isabella.
- 8. Mati Tyrnavou (springs, streams and lake).
Source: LARISSANET PRINT
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