Nader Shah. Historical novel. Yunus Oghuz

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СКАЧАТЬ When he ran towards the camp of the Uzbeks I was in the forest.

      Baba-ali khan stood up:

      – Bravo! Bully for you! – He said. Do you want to work in my palace?

      We answered his question by nodding our heads. We had nowhere to go. Thus, we began to serve to Baba-ali khan.

      Afterwards I learned that Baba-ali khan had sent a mes- senger to the ruler of Khorasan and asked him to give back the women and the children of the stock of Avshar. The Uzbeks of Khorasan promised to return the captured people in return for some sum money in order not to be cross with the Avshars.

      I couldn’t see my mother among the returned prisoners. In this way, the languor of my mother remained in my heart for ever.

      I was promoted to the post of a military leader in the palace. The quickest, the most famous regi ment among the Avshars was mine. One day Baba-ali khan called me. I supposed that he was going to send me to fight. But I was mis- taken. That time he had another thought. Baba-ali khan began talking in a roundabout way. It was his habit, when he wanted to solve a serious problem he used to begin his talk in a roundabout way. He spoke about the summer pas- ture, winter hut of the Avshars, about the forest, river and frontier fights. At last he began to state his purpose:

      – My son, Nader, you are more than twenty five years old. Don’t you want to marry?

      I dropped my eyes shyly:

      – I follow you advise, my khan!

      Baba-ali khan:

      – My son, don’t be ashamed! Consider me to be close to you. There is a saying if water is in the can it is drinkable. If you love somebody, tell me. I shall be your match-maker.

      – I love nobody, my khan!

      From the author:

      Nader had a vigorous constitution; he was tall, large-eyed, with long eyelashes and black brows. The scar which was the keepsake of the fight made him look much braver. The colors of his eyes were yellow and that color suited him very well. He had a severe character. When he was betrayed he used to suffer from nerves and became much crueler. In spite of everything he was very joyful.

      In life he loved much firstly his mother, and in his old age his grandson Shahruh. Nader and the people around him liked to speak the Turkish language. He didn’t know the Arabian language. He used the Persian language only if necessary. Till the end of his life Nader didn’t learn to read and write.

      “…I went upstairs quickly and stood at the room of the khan. The servant standing at the door said to me: “The khan is waiting for you”. I entered the room and greeted the khan. The khan was leaning against a cushion and was staring at an unknown point; he was looking somewhere as if he didn’t notice me entering. Though the mushtuq3 of his pipe was in his mouth, neither the smoke rose nor was the water of the pipe boiling. He was too thoughtful. I didn’t want to disturb him and decided to wait on foot just at the door. After some time he stirred a little. I greeted him once more. He shook his head without turning towards me and showed me a place to sit. I bent my knees and sat on the carpet of Shirvan4. I put my hands on my shins and began to wait. I was feeling that he had called me to tell something serious. I wasn’t mistaken. …He began to speak after some time:

      – Nader, my son, I have lived most of my life, there remains only a little. There is a proverb; he who is born will pass away once. I think my deceased wife is waiting for me. And I miss her so much…

      I wanted to cheer up the khan:

      – Don’t be upset, my khan! You will dance in the wedding of your grandson Rzaqulu too.

      The khan answered like a moaning person:

      – Don’t interrupt me!

      I kept sil ent. That time he also began to speak in a roundabout way;

      – We always served our grandfather Shah and his successors devotedly.

      – Whom do you mean while saying “our grandfather Shah”, my khan?

      – I mean the founder of the state of the Safavids, Shah Ismayil. He did salavat5. – He united all the Oghuz stocks in Azerbaijan. Then he consolidated the territories of the stocks with his territories, the stocks which were not Turkish.

      – Well, my khan, why didn’t you tell me all about it?

      – Because the time wasn’t right. Now it is the time. Listen to me attentively! The foundation of the state of the Safavids was laid by the six Turkish stocks together with the Avshars. Those stocks are of Sham, Rum, Takla, Ustaja, Zulqadar and Qajar. The power of our grand father Shah was in those Turkish stocks. Those stocks were like backbones of the state. Our grandfather Shah behaved kindly to them and considered them to be close to himself. Because of it our grand tat her Shah not only united the Azerbaijani lands but also consolidated the lands of Iraq, Bahrain, and Turkustan with the territory of our state.

      I was thinking why Baba-ali khan was telling me all he did. But I said nothing. I felt that he had a purpose in his story.

      Somebody knocked at the door. The servant entered the room. There was tea and dry fruits on the tray he brought. He put the tea-kettle on the table-cloth, and put one of the bowls in front of me and another bowl in front of the khan. Then he poured the Chinese tea and left quietly. The khan took the bowl and drank a sip of tea.

      – Now only little remains from the unity and the realm raised by the Shah. The Ottomans occupied Baghdad… Well, our grand tat her Shah always wanted to be friends with the Ottomans, because they are also the Turks of Oghuz. The late Shah used to write his letters to the Sultan in the Turkish language. I don’t know all the reasons well....The result is that the dynasty of Safavids has been de stroyed now.

      I couldn’t help myself from asking a question:

      – What do you mean by saying “has been destroyed”, my Khan?

      – Aft er the death of Shah Abbas II, his children were clumsy. They were ruled either by their wives or by the eunuchs in the palace. The successors to the throne had a good time all day long. See, the Qizilbashs had become so weak that the realm turned to a toy in the hands of eunuchs. The successors to the throne spent most of their time with women. The treasury became empty, the taxes increased. The seven stocks which were the backbones of the state began to wrangle and fight with one another. Because of that reason in Herat, Ghilzais revolted under the leadership of Mir Vays. Shah Sultan Husain sent Qurqun khan to Mir Vays. Mir Vays destroyed the troops of Qurqun khan and in ad di tion he oc cu pied Qandahar.

      – Do you know why the troops of the Shah were de t stroyed?

      – Maybe they didn’t train well for the fight.

      – No, my son! Sult an Husain had sent the Persian and Georgian regiments headed by the clumsy warlords to fight against them… That was the reason.

      – But whom did he have to send?

      – The СКАЧАТЬ