_ 117 _ afternoon at a ford across the same Bitlis River, which we were still following. By now it was larger on account of the many streams and springs from the mountains. For this reason we dared not ford it, but diverted half a league to a fine bridge; and a league or so farther on we arrived at the city of Hasuh. We had been travelling on all these days towards the west. Hasuh is ruled by a Kurd, the brother of the one who killed his uncle in Bitlis. It is situated on an eminence to the north-east and consists of good houses in stone and mud with two storeys and flat roofs. It has five or six hundred citizens, mainly Armenians, all of whom are Christians and claim that they are obedient to the Pope. They are of similar language and demeanour to those [we had encountered] earlier. They are favoured by the the ruler of the land, and he allows them the freedom of their churches and rites. They are on good terms with the Kurds, of whom there are many in the areas above, and they understand one another very well, although there is a difference of language. Above, on a steep mountain, there is a well-fortified stonework castle with many windows with blinds, which looks stronger than the one at Bitlis.
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