Brick-lined graves of the Astrakhan Tatars
Editorial contextAround Astrakhan Hanway found settled farmers 'of the race of the Crim Tartars', tributary to Russia. He contrasts their burial with the Kalmyks': they dig deep graves, line them with sun-dried bricks and whitewash them, build a cover over them, and raise mud walls around the tomb topped with white flags. The same page describes their marriage custom of the white tent (see below).
They dig their graves very deep, and after lining them with bricks dried in the sun, and whitewashing them in the inside, they build a cover over them. They also raise thick walls of mud round each tomb, on the top of which are fixed one or more white flags, according to the character of the deceased.
About Tatars of Crimean descent settled around Astrakhan
Khiva: walls of earth and houses of mud
Editorial contextThe British factors Hogg and Thompson reached Khiva in 1740. They describe it as the khan's seat on rising ground, defended by a very thick earth wall higher than the houses, with turrets and a wet ditch. The houses are low, mostly mud-built, with flat roofs covered in earth. On the same page they note that the Khivans live in towns while their Kazakh neighbours live in tents.
It is situated on a rising ground, has three gates, and is defended by a strong wall of earth, very thick, and much higher than the houses: it has turrets at small distances, and a broad deep ditch full of water. The place is large, but the houses are low, the greatest part of them being built with mud; the roofs are flat, and covered with earth.
About Khivan Tartars (Uzbeks)
Bukhara's brick mosques and ruined bazaars
Editorial contextGeorge Thompson went on alone to Bukhara. He describes low mud houses inside a slender earth wall, but caravanserais and many mosques of brick, and a college for priests of brick and stone. The bazaars had been 'stately buildings' but were now mostly in ruins. He adds a lurid note about guinea worms ('rishtas') from the bad water.
…the houses are low, and mostly built of mud: but the caravanserais and the mosques, which are numerous, are all of brick: the bazars, or market-places, have been stately buildings, but are now the greatest part of them in ruins; these are generally built of brick and stone.
About Bukharans and Uzbek Tartars
A white tent for a daughter who may marry
Editorial contextWhen a daughter of these settled Tatar farmers was ready to marry, her family covered her tent with white linen tied with red strings and set a painted cloth on top, with a painted wagon beside it as her dowry. Suitors took the hint, and the girl generally went to the man who offered her father the best present.
When any of their daughters become marriageable, they cover her tent with white linen, and put a painted cloth on the top, which is usually tied with red strings: they have also a painted waggon on the side of the tent; and this is to be her marriage portion. Those who design to marry observe this signal,
About Tatars of Crimean descent settled around Astrakhan
Honoured by the number of dogs
Editorial contextHanway reports that the Kalmyks threw their dead into open fields for dogs to eat, and that a body eaten by more than six dogs did honour to the dead. He also describes their small wooden idols dressed in rags, caressed in good seasons and beaten in bad ones. Near Astrakhan he later saw many human skulls lying on the steppe, 'for the Khalmucks always leave their dead uninterred'.
They throw their dead into open fields, to be devoured by dogs; of which many run wild, and some are kept for this purpose. If their bodies are thus devoured by any number exceeding six, they think honourably of the state of the deceased; otherwise he is a disgrace to his relations.
About Kalmyk Tartars
Keep in mind
Partly hearsay; Hanway admits he could not talk with them and judges only 'the externals of a religion'.
Kumiss in the tent of a Kazakh chief
Editorial contextTravelling in Tartar dress with Kazakh guides, the factors reached the horde of the chief Jean Beek (Janibek Batyr). He sat on a carpet in his tent, rose to welcome them, drank a large dish of kumiss and made them drink too. The next page describes Kazakh felt tents, horse meat, drunkenness on fermented mare's milk, the dried cheese called 'crute', and their rule of never harming a guest while he is under protection.
This Tartar-chief was sitting on a carpet in his tent; he rose, and bid us welcome, and making us sit down with him, he took a large dish of kumees, which he drank, and made us do the same. We gave him some small presents, which he immediately divided amongst the company.
About Kazakh ('Kirgeese') Tartars of the Lesser Horde
No images in the mosque
Editorial contextAfter visiting the Indian temple at Astrakhan, Hanway contrasts the Muslim Tatars, who abhor image worship so much that they will not carry coins stamped with a man, bird or beast into their temples. Their worship is silent prostration, with the priest calling on the lord of nature through Muhammad. He adds that the Nogais are Muslims who look like the Kalmyks 'but better favoured'.
The Tartars hold this image worship in the utmost abomination; they will not carry even money which has any impression of man, bird, beast, creeping thing, or insect, into their temples. Their devotion is in silence and prostrations,
About Muslim Tatars of Astrakhan
Where the Chuvash smear fat on the shrine
Editorial contextCaptain Woodroofe's journal calls the Chuvash 'the poorest and most wretched of all mortals', tributary to Russia and heavily taxed. He could not learn their beliefs, but saw that they stick part of their food over doors and windows, and that when they kill an animal the priest eats some of the fat, greases himself and smears their place of worship with it. He adds that the neighbouring Tartars eat horse meat.
We could not discover what notions the chuvashins have of religion, but observed when they dress victuals, they stick part of it over their doors and windows; and when they kill an animal, … their priest takes out the fat, and after eating some of it and greasing himself, he smears over their place of worship,
About Chuvash ('Chuvashin Tartars')
'The Cossacks are a species of Tartars'
Editorial contextPassing through Cossack villages on the Khoper, Hanway describes clean, well-dressed people and women with crescent-shaped caps. He then files the Cossacks under 'Tartars', explaining that their name means freebooters. It shows how loosely an eighteenth-century Englishman used 'Tartar' for any steppe people on Russia's frontier, even Orthodox Russians.
The Cossacks are a species of tartars: their name signifies free-booters; but in these parts they are civilized, and faithful to the Russian government,
About Don Cossacks
Kuban means wild hog
Editorial contextWoodroofe says the Chuvash were descended from the Kuban Tartars and explains that 'Kooban' means a wild hog in Russian, a name given for their fierce nature, because Ivan the Terrible found them harder to subdue than the Crimean or Nogai Tartars. It is a folk etymology (the Kuban is a river), but a vivid example of how names for Tartar groups were explained.
Kooban, in the Russian language signifies a wild hog; which name was given to these Tartars on account of their fierce and savage nature, having cost Ivan Wassilowitz more trouble to subdue them,
About Chuvash and Kuban Tartars
Keep in mind
A folk etymology: the Kuban Tatars were named after the Kuban river, and the Chuvash are not descended from them.
Forty Christian Tartar princes buried at Derbent
Editorial contextOn the hills around Derbent the 1746 embassy saw many ancient graves and tombstones six to nine feet long, with inscriptions no one could read. Persians told them forty of these belonged to Christian Tartar princes who died for their faith, and that each stone was cut to the exact height of the dead man. The diarist warns that the Persians 'deal much in the marvellous'. (These are probably the Kirkhlyar, the 'Forty' cemetery linked to the early Arab conquest.)
…the Persians report, that of these are not less than 40 belonging to Christian Tartar princes, who have died fighting for their religion. There are many antient tomb-stones, from 6 to 9 feet long, … with inscriptions not intelligible to any of the present inhabitants. The Persians, who deal much in the marvellous, endeavoured to persuade us, that these stones were cut in length exactly to the stature of the deceased
About 'Christian Tartar' princes (Persian tradition)
Keep in mind
Local Persian tradition, which the diarist himself doubts. The identification with the Kirkhlyar cemetery is ours, not the source's.
A tower of 282 heads
Editorial contextMarching from Shamakhi towards the Kura, the embassy passed a circular 'pyramid' about fifty feet high with niches holding the heads of 282 Persian and Tartar chiefs of the Shamakhi rebellion, all beheaded in one morning on Nadir Shah's orders. The diarist notes that these Tartars had never accepted Persian rule, yet were punished as rebels.
…here is a circular pyramid of near 50 feet high; in which are niches filled with 282 human heads, of the late Persian and tartar chiefs of the Shamakie rebellion, who were all beheaded in one morning. These Tartars had not acknowledged subjection to Persia, and yet they were treated as rebels.
About Persian and Tartar rebel chiefs
Skulls without sutures on the Kalmyk steppe
Editorial contextRiding back from Astrakhan, Hanway saw many human skulls lying about, as if on a battlefield, because the Kalmyks leave their dead unburied. He examined several and claims he could find no sutures in them. A footnote adds that surgeons doubted any race lacked sutures. A small, odd moment of amateur anatomy on the steppe.
I observed here many human sculls, as if the place had been a field of battle; for the Khalmucks always leave their dead uninterred. Upon examining several of these sculls, I could not discover any sutures,
About Kalmyk Tartars
Keep in mind
Hanway's anatomical claim is his own impression; his footnote records that surgeons doubted it.