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8 CONSTANTINOPLE AND ITS ENVIRONS.
"It should be our prayer that the justice of a merciful God should reward with happiness the
author of this benevolent undertaking, and have his deed handed down to a never-ending posterity."
"This exquisite work is before Allah a deed of high merit, and indicates the piety of the Sultan
Mahmoud."—1145.
The whole of the water department is under the direction of the Sou Nazir, " or,
president of water," who has under him the Sou Ioldgi, or " water engineers," and the
Sacgees, or " watermen." The business of the first is to watch that the Bendts, &c. receive
no damage, and are in constant repair; the second distributes the water over the city.
They are supplied with leathern sacks, broad at one end and narrow at the other, somewhat like churns, and closed at the mouth with a leather strap; when it is filled at a
fountain, it is thrown across the Sacgee's back, the broad end resting on his hip, and
the narrow on his shoulder; when he empties it5 he opens the flap, stoops his head, and
the water is discharged into some recipient. There are generally in every hall two
vessels sunk in the ground, and covered with a stopper. These the Sacgee fills every day,
and receives for his trouble about two paras, or half a farthing.
Around the fountain is the great market, the most busy and populous spot on the
peninsula of Pera. It is held between the gate of Galata on one side, and the manufactory
of pipes on the other: above is the descent from Pera to the Bosphorus, and below the
crowded place of embarkation, so that the confluence of people from these several resorts,
creates an almost impassable crowd. Among the articles of sale, the most numerous and
conspicuous are usually gourds and melons, of which there are more than twenty kinds,
called by the Greek Itolokithia, and by the Turk Cavac. They are piled in large heaps,
in their season, to the height of 10 or 15 feet Some of them are of immense size, of a
pure white, and look like enormous snow-balls—they are used for [soups: others are long
and slender—the pulp is thrust out, and the cavity filled with forced-meat This is called
Dolma, and is so favourite a dish, that a large valley on the Bosphorus is called Dolma
Bactclie, or the gourd garden, from its cultivation. Another is perfectly spherical, and
called Carpoos. It contains a rich red pulp, and a copious and cooling juice, and is
eaten raw. A hummal, or porter, may be seen, occasionally, tottering up the streets of
Pera, sinking under the weight of an incredible load, and overcome by the heat of a
burning sun. His remedy for fatigue is a slice of melon, which refreshes him so effectually, that he is instantly enabled to pursue his toilsome journey. The Turkish mode
of carrying planks through their streets is attended with serious inconvenience to
passengers. The boards are attached to the sides of a horse in such a manner, extending from side to side of the narrow streets, that they cannot fail of crushing or fracturing
the legs of the inexperienced or inactive that happen to meet them. Neither are the
dogs, nor their most frequent attitude, forgotten in our illustration. The market-place
is their constant resort: there they quarrel for the offals; and a Frank, whose business
leads him to that quarter, has reason to congratulate himself, if he shall escape the blow
of a plank from the passing horse, or the laceration of his flesh by an irritated dog. |
