A walled Tatar burial chapel on the Dema steppe
Editorial contextIn the middle of a large old cemetery near the Dema river, Georgi measured a masonry burial chapel that the Tatars call astana. It was square, built of sandstone and limestone slabs laid in mortar, about 4 fathoms across, and its vault had long since fallen in, so that a bird-cherry tree had grown inside. He had the local mullahs read its Arabic and Tatar inscription, which gave a death date in the year 744 of the Hijra.
Almost in the middle of the burial ground stands a walled burial chapel, which the Tatars call astana. It is built square of sandstone and limestone slabs with mortar, exactly square. Inside it measures 4 fathoms across … One fathom above the floor, in the corners, rise the [supports] that carried the vault, which however fell in long ago
Working translation
Original wording
Fast mitten auf dem Begräbnißplatze steht eine gemauerte Begräbnißkapelle, die die Tataren Astana nennen. Sie ist von Sand- und Kalkfliesen viereckig mit Mörtel aufgeführet, genau viereckig. Im Lichten hat sie 4 Klafter im Durchmesser … Ein Klafter über dem Fußboden setzen in den Ecken die … an, welche das Gewölbe trugen, daß aber vorlängst eingestürzet
About Tatars (old Muslim burials, read by local mullahs)
Keep in mind
Some words on this page are lost in the scan; the inscription itself is printed on the next leaf, whose OCR is unreadable.
A whitewashed stone tomb with an eight-sided roof
Editorial contextGeorgi describes a village named Tirma after an old Tatar tomb building (tirma) that still stood nearby. It was built of stone, square inside and 4 fathoms across, well vaulted and whitewashed within, with the vault serving as an eight-sided roof ending in a point. Just before this, on the same page, he watched visiting mullahs wash in a lake, take off their boots and pray at the older tomb, and heard them reckon it at 434 years old.
This tirma stands 1 verst below the village, on the left bank of the Slak, on a hill. It is built of stone, square, 4 fathoms across inside, well vaulted and whitewashed inside. The vault is also the roof, which is eight-sided and ends in a point.
Working translation
Original wording
Diese Tirma steht 1 Werst unter dem Dorfe an der Linken des Slaks auf einem Hügel. Sie ist von Steinen aufgeführet, viereckig, im Lichten 4 Klafter im Durchmesser, gut gewölbt und inwendig weiß getünchet. Das Gewölbe ist zugleich das Dach, daß achteckig mit einer Spitze ausläuft.
About Tatars (old tomb, near a Meshcheryak village)
Continue in this sourceGeorgi's travel journal from Lake Baikal to Kazan1772 to 1774 · 11 passagesBashkir summer evenings on kumys
Editorial contextIn summer the Bashkirs lived almost entirely on soured mare's milk. The men, with little to do, went from yurt to yurt emptying the milk skins in cheerful talk, and kumys was strong enough that on warm summer evenings nearly all the men were drunk. The same page says a bride was paid for in livestock: the author saw a young wife who had cost 200 head, namely 60 horses, 40 cows and 100 sheep.
In summer they live almost only on soured mare's milk (kumys), and as they are idle, the men go in company from one yurt to another and empty the milk skins amid cheerful conversation. Yet kumys has so much spirit that on warm summer evenings one finds nearly all the men drunk.
Working translation
Original wording
Sie leben des Sommers fast einzig von gesäuerter Pferdemilch (Kumiß), und da sie müßig sind, gehen die Mannsleute in Kosch von einer Jurte zur andern und leeren die Milchschläuche unter fröhlichen Gesprächen aus. Der Kumiß hat doch so viel Geist, daß man an den warmen Sommerabenden fast alle Mannsleute betrunken findet.
About Bashkirs
A note on this quote
OCR normalized (checked against the page image; the OCR text is badly garbled).
Tatar songs 'like the Scottish Highlanders''
Editorial contextPallas dismisses Mongol music as wailing and inharmonious and claims the Mongols passed this 'corrupted taste' to the Crimean Tatars, outdone only by Nogai songs. By contrast, he says, the Kazan Tatars, the Bashkirs and the 'unmixed' Siberian Tatars have quite tolerable melodies, much like the songs of the Scottish Highlands. He adds that the Mongols can write down music in Tibetan letters with lines showing rising and falling notes.
the Mongols have passed on this same corrupted taste to the Crimean Tatars, whose miserable screeching is far surpassed by the Nogai songs, whereas the Kazan and Bashkir, and also the unmixed Siberian Tatars, have quite tolerable melodies, which very much resemble the songs of the Scottish Highlanders.
Working translation
Original wording
eben diesen verdorbenen Geschmack haben die Mongolen den Krymischen Tataren mitgetheilt, deren elendes Geschrey, durch die Nogaischen Gesänge noch weit übertroffen wird, da doch die Kasanischen und Baschkirischen, wie auch die Sibirischen unvermischten Tataren ganz erträgliche Melodien haben, welche sehr nach den Gesängen der Schottischen Hochländer arten.
About Crimean, Nogai, Kazan, Bashkir and Siberian Tatars; Mongols
Keep in mind
A personal and prejudiced judgement of taste, not a description of how the music works.