The Turkmans Are
Passionately Fond Of Hawking; They Course The Game With Grey-Hounds, Or
If In The Plain, They Run It Down With Their Horses.
The population of the Ryhanlu Turkmans may be roughly calculated from
the number of their tents, which amount to about three thousand; every
tent contains from two or three to fifteen inmates.
They can raise a
military force of two or three thousand horsemen, and of as many
infantry. They are divided into thirteen minor tribes: 1. The
Serigialar, or tribe of the chief of the Ryhanlu Turkmans, Hayder Aga,
has five hundred horsemen. 2. Coudanlut, six hundred. 3. Cheuslu, two
hundred. 4. Leuklu, one hundred. 5. Kara Akhmetlu one hundred and fifty.
6. Kara Solimanlu, fifty. 7. Delikanlu, six hundred. 8. Toroun, sixty.
9. Bahaderlu, one hundred. 10. Hallalu, sixty. 11. Karken, twenty. 12.
Aoutshar, twenty. 13. Okugu, fifty. The Serigialar derive their origin
from Maaden, the Cheuslu from the [p.635] neighbourhood of Badjazze, the
Babaderli from the mountains of St. Simon, the Halalis from Barak. Each
tribe has its own chief, whose rank in the Divan is determined by the
strength his tribe; Hayder Aga presides amongst them whenever it is
found necessary to call together a common council. His authority over
the Ryhanlus seems to be almost absolute, as he sometimes carries his
motions in the Divan even against the opinion and will of the assembled
chiefs. He settles the disputes, which occur between these chiefs, and
which are often accompanied by hostile incursions into one another’s
territory.
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