Juan Van Halen y Sarti (1788 – 1864) was a Spanish military officer and adventurer who had a rather colorful life. During the Peninsular War (1808-1813) he initially supported the French and served King Joseph Bonaparte of Spain, helping him escape to France in 1813. He then defected to the Spanish side but was investigated for his role during the war and sentenced to death. In 1817, he avoided death by escaping from prison and fleeing to Russia, where he was accepted into the military service and appointed a colonel in the Kavkazskii Dragoon Regiment deployed in Georgia. In 1819, Van Halen traveled to Georgia where he stayed for over a year and served under the leadership of General Alexey Yermolov. In 1821 Van Halen returned to Spain to support the revolutionaries who rebelled against King Ferdinand VII. After the revolution failed, Van Halen had to flee once again, traveling to the Caribbean. In 1830, he returned to Europe supporting the Belgian revolutionaries against the Dutch monarchy. After the new kingdom of Belgium was established, he moved to the Iberian Peninsula where he first supported Portuguese Liberals against King Miguel I and then fought against the Carlists during the First Carlist Wars in Spain.
Van Halen died in El Puerto de Santa María (Cadiz, Spain), at the age of 76, in 1864.
In the late 1820s, Van Halen wrote (in Spanish) an interesting memoir describing his imprisonment in Spain in 1817-1818 and later service in the Caucasus in 1819-1821. The memoir was later translated into English and published in London in 1830.
Beyond Mozdok, and before crossing the Terek, travelers coming from Georgia are obliged to perform quarantine, whilst those coming from the south meet on the opposite side with a similar impediment. General [Alexey] Yermolov has established several other quarantines as far as Tiflis and throughout Georgia, with the view of preventing the introduction of the plague, which previous to his government had frequently been brought to this country by its neighbors, the Turks and the Persians. I crossed the Terek in a barge, and arrived early in the afternoon at the place of quarantine, where I underwent but a slight examination, as no danger was to be apprehended from the direction I came.
From the river Terek to the foot of the Caucasus, there are three important military posts; namely, the redoubt of Constantine, which is thirty-three versts from the river; that of Elizabeth, twenty-eight versts further; and the fortress of Vladikavkaz, twenty-two versts from the last. Every day at dawn a convoy, consisting of from a hundred and fifty to three hundred men, and almost always with a field-piece, proceeds from one point to the other, a very necessary precaution to prevent any audacious attack from the bands of Kabardines and Tcherkesses [Circassians], who overrun the country on each side of the road.
I left the place of quarantine the next morning with the convoy, which did not reach till noon the first redoubt, where I was obliged to pass the night, in order to proceed in the same order of march on the following day. The troops stationed in these redoubts are very well lodged; and, as these places likewise serve to shelter the Armenian merchants and other travelers in their journey through this country, there are inns, kept by Russians, or by people of the country, which are generally well provided with all sorts of provisions. The soldiers have, near the redoubts, gardens, which they cultivate for their own use ; and, as in every military cantonment in Russia, vapour-baths, which are much in use among the Russians.
Between Mozdok and Vladikavkaz, there are two extensive plains, intersected by a long chain of mountains of the second order, running almost parallel with the principal chain, and crowned with thick forests. From their summit is seen the redoubt of Constantine, and the line of the Terek. Game is so abundant here, that if the good order which ought to be observed in a convoy did not prevent the travelers from shooting, they alone would be able to furnish daily sufficient game for the troops of the redoubt. As I was walking at a short distance from the vanguard, I observed something dark not far off, which I at first believed to be some men in ambush, but which, on a nearer approach, proved to be an immense eagle, that did not offer to stir, though we passed within pistol-shot of it.
The redoubt of Elizabeth, where we arrived on the following day, is situated in a plain, the soil of which is less fertile than that of the former. The first redoubt constructed by the Russians in this place, more than twenty years ago, was taken, after an obstinate resistance, by the Kabardines and the Tcherkesses, who reduced it to ruins. Near the redoubt are seen at present some hovels of Kabardines, who are living under the protection of the government. Having forgotten the key of my portmanteau in the redoubt of Constantine, and mentioned it to one of the officers stationed here, he spoke to a Kabardine, who offered to bring it to me in a few hours. This man presented himself to me on horseback, and wore a white band round his flat black cap, which I was told was a distinctive mark of a Kabardine priest. On the following morning, at day-break, the key was in my possession; but the good Mahometan [Muslim] minister, with whom I was advised to make no agreement lest he should think I mistrusted him, made me pay very dearly for his nocturnal journey.
Half-way between Elizabeth and Vladikavkaz, the river Terek flows at a short distance from the road. On the banks of this river are seen some hamlets of Kabardines, who, though submitted to the authority established here, are in the habit of sheltering their marauding countrymen; a circumstance which renders traveling, even in sight of this fortress, unsafe.
We arrived before noon at Vladikavkaz, which means, in Russian, the empire of the Caucasus, probably because it is the gate of the only practicable passage through these mountains. This town, which is but newly built on a very regular plan, offers a striking contrast to the other places in this country. There is a military hospital, very advantageously situated with respect to salubrity; and, as Vladikavkaz is the residence of several families of employes, the society is a great inducement for any officer or traveller, whose duties do not render his immediate departure necessary, to make a short stay in this place. The commandant of the Vladikavkaz, who is usually a colonel or a major-general, inhabits a house belonging to the government, situated in the finest part of the town, the walls of which are bathed by the Terek, which is again crossed by a wooden bridge. The many forests abounding with game, by which Vladikavkaz is surrounded, the fertility of the neighboring country, and the purity of the atmosphere, all contribute to make this city the most agreeable place of residence.
I left Vladikavkaz, the day after my arrival, with an escort of twenty infantry and two Cossacks, who accompanied me as far as a small Assetinian [Ossetian] village called Balta, where there is a redoubt, in which I passed the night.
After crossing the Terek, all the posts as far as the frontier of Persia are served by Cossacks of the Don, who furnish the army of Georgia with several regular squadrons, more or less numerous according to circumstances. These men do not only escort the travelers, but furnish them with horses, for which they are paid at the same rate as if they belonged to the post. In all the stations of Cossacks which are without the redoubts, there is a watch-tower, built of wood, in which a sentry is always posted to observe the surrounding country. From Vladikavkaz till after crossing the defiles and the mountains, the escorts of infantry are relieved at short distances, the chain of redoubts maintaining an active communication, and contributing to the safety of the road.
This, from the above place to Balta, proceeds along the brow of the mountains, and will only attract the attention of those who have not seen the Pyrenees or the Alps; but beyond that redoubt, every step offers a prodigy of nature or of art. When the rigour of the season, which in the Caucasus lasts from the month of November till March, is passed, the usual day's journey is from Balta to Kazbek, a distance of twenty-five versts. Several small villages, perched in places almost inaccessible, are passed, as well as two redoubts, the first of which is called Larskoi, and the second Darial. On descending the height on which Balta stands, the road, the construction of which must have cost immense labour, passes through steep rocks, among which the Terek flows compressed into a narrow channel. Beyond it there is a natural arch, formed by a rock, extending eight or ten paces ; and as the road proceeds along the borders of the impetuous torrent, its foaming waters fall in showers, scattering themselves over the road. From this spot is seen, on a great elevation, the redoubt Larskoi, beyond which the defiles as far as Darial are of such a nature, that a hundred men standing on the summits of the inaccessible rocks which form them, and hurling down missiles, would suffice to arrest the progress of the most formidable army, especially as there is no avenue by which those heights might be turned. In many parts of the road, the rocks meet, and form an archway, whose wide fissures and cleft vaults seem as if they would every moment obstruct it. On leaving these defiles behind, and before reaching the redoubt of Darial, the Terek is again crossed by a bridge. Opposite to the entrance of the defile, and within a short distance of the bridge, rises, in the middle of the river, a rock seven hundred feet in height, on the summit of which is an old fortress, which for many ages has commanded this passage. By placing on it a few cannon, and destroying the bridge, no human power could cross the Caucasus.
If on one side we are struck with awe at the work of nature, on the other we are no less surprised at seeing built on such a height a fortress which was provided with water by an aqueduct, the remains of which are still perceivable, and a vaulted road descending to the river. On the summit of the rock, the soil, which is capable of cultivation, would maintain a garrison of eight hundred men.
Darial, in the Tartar language, means a gate; and certainly no name could be more appropriate for this place, where the traveller is ocularly convinced of the horrible tyranny which Persia must have exercised over Georgia, to oblige her to cut a passage through the Caucasus in order to communicate with the empire to which its provinces now belong. Indeed, General Yermolov has done every thing in his power to open a road through the Daghestan; but I shall have an opportunity of mentioning in the sequel the serious obstacles which oppose themselves to its execution.
After Darial, the road offers a different aspect; but, if possible, more imposing. On the right the Terek flows with an astounding noise, rendered more frightful by the deep silence that reigns in these solitudes, and loudly reechoed on the left by the rocks, piled one above another, and which increased in height as we advanced.
Two versts further the immense mount Kazbek is seen, rising in the form of a sugar-loaf, from the summit of which avalanches detach themselves almost yearly, and obstruct the road in such a manner that only a narrow passage resembling a cavern is left for the traveller, and through which one proceeds as over a sheet of ice until within one verst of the place called Kazbek. This kind of road offers many obstacles to the artillery, or to any sort of vehicle, and is altogether impracticable during the fall of the avalanches, when the travelers are obliged to pass by means of ropes, in the use of which the Assetinians [Ossetians] excel. It is not the pen but the pencil that can sketch the extraordinary aspect presented by that immense mass of snow furrowed by the waters of the Terek, which, dashing themselves from a succession of cascades, keep up a continual roaring truly awful in those rocky defiles.
Although from Darial to Kazbek there is only seven versts, they occupied me four hours, not so much on account of the difficulties offered by the road, as because my attention was continually attracted, either by the enormous precipices, down which the impetuous torrent rushed, and whose foam surpassed in whiteness that of the snow by which the mountains were covered, or by the diversity of shapes presented by the rocks.
The small village of Kazbek is surrounded by meadow land, which affords pasture to the cattle of the few inhabitants of this place, where I found a much better lodging than I expected at the house of the late Colonel Kazbek, whose family is one of the most ancient of the Caucasus; indeed so ancient, that it derived its name from the mountain, and descends from one of the chiefs of the Assetinians [Ossetians]. This family profess the Greek religion, and the women have all the shyness of the Georgian females. They sent me a bottle of wine of their own vintage, which greatly resembled Madeira both in taste and colour; and when I went to present my respects to them and thank them for their civilities, they all ran away, and hid themselves as if they saw a ghost.
My apartment consisted of a saloon, furnished in the European style, and which had been destined by the colonel, who was a man much attached to the Russians, for the greater convenience of travelers. It was altogether detached from the tower, and did not resemble the latter either in the interior or exterior of its apartments, where I could see the shadows of the women gliding like phantoms to and fro. From the window of my saloon I had a full view of the mountain Kazbek, whose shining peak, illuminated by the rays of a clear moon, permitted me to distinguish, notwithstanding its being at the distance of thirty versts, the snows drifted by the wind, which perpetually reigns in those regions, and falling in masses down its perpendicular sides. I was here told, that an English traveller, having prepared himself with every thing he stood in need of for the ascent, succeeded in reaching, accompanied by a guide, about the middle of the mountain ; but, when he attempted to ascend higher, the pain he felt in the chest and ears was so great, that he was obliged to content himself with leaving a mark, and retrace his steps. It is asserted that the Kazbek is one of the three highest points of the globe.
The village of Kazbek contains above three hundred inhabitants, the greatest part of whom are shepherds and vassals of the present proprietor, the son of the late colonel. The party of Cossacks, which is the only troop stationed here, as the inhabitants excite no apprehensions, all of them being Christians, are quartered in a house contiguous to that of the lord of the village. Hurricanes are here very frequent, either on account of the proximity to the mountain, or of the great elevation on which the village stands. One of them was experienced on the night of my sojourn here, and shook my apartment so much, that notwithstanding the solidity with which it was built, I expected at every moment to be buried under its ruins.
I left Kazbek on the following morning at daybreak, although the account I received respecting the state of the road was by no means encouraging, and although the rain and the wind were both high and violent. My escort consisted only of six Cossacks belonging to this station; but it was sufficient, as we had no danger to apprehend. The road from the above village to Kobi, which is seventeen versts distant, offers nothing very remarkable, except that the country is a little more open. On the right of the road and in a small valley stands the redoubt of Kobi, where travellers find, tolerably good lodgings, and a magazine of provisions, kept by a Russian, not very well provided.
Beyond Kobi is a high mountain, over which the road passes, and at the foot of which are some ferruginous waters, which have restored to health many persons who in Georgia were thought incurable. Although we were on horseback, and followed by a small escort of infantry, accustomed to march in these places, we spent seven hours in performing seventeen versts, which is the distance between Kobi and Kaichaur. The mountain we ascended, which is called Kristogara, or St. Christopher, is the most elevated point the traveller meets in crossing the Caucasus. There is on the summit a wooden cross, and a cabin inhabited by an Assetiman [Ossetian] family. At this point the course of the rivers which flow through the valleys of the Caucasus takes an opposite direction- The wind, which during the whole day was very high, and which on the top of the mountain blew furiously, gave me a tolerable idea of what it must be in the middle of winter, when, according to the account I received from the officers of the redoubt, traveling in vehicles is quite impracticable, notwithstanding the excellence of the road, which has as much width and solidity as any in the empire. Indeed, the whole passage throughout these mountains is so obstructed during that season, that the extraordinary couriers sent from Tiflis to St. Petersburg, are obliged to make use of ropes and other contrivances to effect their passage through these defiles.
The head of the Assetinian [Ossetian] family established on the summit of St. Christopher, and whose good will I gained by presenting him with some brandy, a liquor of which the Assetinians [Ossetians] are passionately fond, accompanied me as far as the redoubt, and, as I was informed, had rendered many useful services to travelers, particularly in winter, when, to the great astonishment of all, his hut and family had hitherto resisted the excessive rigours of winter in that unsheltered situation, where they are almost buried in the snow. These attentions on his part are the more singular, as, besides what I have already said respecting the character of the Assetinians [Ossetians], it is not long since some of his countrymen assassinated in the most cruel manner all the Russian soldiers whom they could surprise in those difficult passages. It is necessary to have all the avarice of the Armenian merchants to support, with still more patience than their own beasts, the painful conveyance of their merchandize; preferring the numberless inconveniences of this road, rather than give the least gratification to the inhabitants of the country, who might afford them such effectual assistance, and who would thereby take an interest in the success of their undertakings ; whilst at present it is only by the presence of the troops that the mountaineers are prevented from plundering them.
On the following day I set off, accompanied by four Cossacks, and with remarkably fine weather to cheer my journey. We began descending the immense elevation on which Kaichaur is situated, and which is the last difficult passage of the Caucasus ; when, two hours after leaving that place, in exchange for the terrific beauties of nature, the most varied and enchanting scenery presented itself. At the bottom of the precipices, which we were now leaving in the rear, are seen scattered about several small villages and fertile valleys, watered by the river Aragua [Aragvi], which has its source near St. Christopher, and which flows in an opposite direction to the Terek. In these valleys, which enjoy an eternal spring, the mildness of the temperature formed the most striking contrast with the excessive cold which is felt during the crossing of St. Christopher, even in summer; and in proportion as we advanced, Georgia burst on my sight, covered, like Andalusia, with luxuriant fields, and hills crowned with woods, on many of which are seen the ruins of old towers and ancient fortresses. Even in the month of September the trees still preserved the freshness of spring, whilst the harmonious war-blings of an immense variety of birds, seemed to announce that we were on the point of treading on the favourite soil of the Creator of the Caucasus.
On the long descent of Kaichaur being terminated, we crossed the Aragua [Aragvi] by a bridge, on one side of which stands a pyramid of stone, marking the limits between the Assetinian [Ossetian] territory and Georgia; and at eleven o'clock in the morning we arrived at Passananur [Pasanauri], the first village or redoubt which is met with in following the course of the Aragua, the borders of which are pleasantly wooded. The fine sky of Georgia makes a lively impression on the traveller, though he may have been born under that which embellishes the smiling borders of the Guadalquivir; as do also the cheerful countenances and fine stature of the Georgians, contrasted with the gloomy air and mean appearance of the mountaineers.
The road from Passananur to Ananur, a distance of twenty versts, lies also between the valleys watered by the rapid Aragua, on both sides of which are seen among woods, now country houses, and now the ruins of the flanked towers, which in former times were the means of defence among the Georgians. My escort consisted only of two Cossacks; but with whom I might very well have dispensed, as there could be no danger in a road so much frequented. About three versts from Ananur are seen the turrets of the ancient Greek church, which is situated on a steep rock, overlooking the town, and opposite to the road. Before reaching the city we were obliged to perform quarantine at a lodging extremely damp, and well adapted to try the health of the most robust man, where travelers are generally detained [for twenty four] hours.
Ananur, the population of which was formerly very great, contains at present between three and four thousand inhabitants. It is protected by a fortress, the command of which is entrusted to a colonel of the army. The term of my detention at the place of quarantine having expired, I set off, accompanied only by a Cossack. This road, which before the arrival of General Yermolov in Georgia was as dangerous on account of the Lesghis as that passing through the country of the Kabardines, was in 1819 so safe as to render any escort unnecessary. In proportion as I proceeded towards the interior of Georgia, I remarked a greater resemblance between this country and Andalusia; the farms scattered here and there, and within sight of the road, perfectly resemble what in Spain is called cortijos ; the picturesque situation of the villages; the fertility of the country ; the gaiety of the peasants; their merry and continual songs, and even their lazy habits, which their rich soil seems to encourage; every thing assimilates the Georgians to the lower class of Andalusians.
At a short distance from Ananur, after crossing a branch of the Aragua, is the new building for the quarantine, which General Yermolov has caused to be erected to replace that we had just left, and which is extremely well situated. I arrived at Douchet [Dusheti], which is nineteen versts from Ananur, at sunset, and found a good lodging at the commandant-at-arms, who kindly invited me to spend the night at his house.
Douchet is a larger place than Ananur, and enjoys the most delightful climate. In the evening, as I traversed the town to go to the commandant’s residence, which is just outside the gates, I saw most of the inhabitants sitting at the doors of their houses, forming small circles, some chatting merrily, and others singing. The building where the commandant resided, is surrounded by a thick and high wall forming a perfect square. It is encircled by an exterior gallery, and has a large saloon in the centre, and a great number of smaller rooms; all the windows are unglazed; but they have wooden blinds, curiously carved, in the style of those of Andalusia. It has only one floor, the whole built of stone ; the roof is flat, and forms a terrace. This place was the ordinary residence of one of the last Tzars. In the saloon was held the supreme tribunal of a country which knew no law; there the prince gave audience, and in imitation of the Shahs of Persia, exercised various atrocious and tyrannical acts.
The commandant-at-arms, who was a great sportsman, accompanied me very early in the morning till within a short distance of Meskhet [Mtskheta], which is nineteen versts from Douchet. Before arriving at the former town, there is an extensive field on the borders of the Aragua, where the park of instruction for the artillery of the army of Georgia, which is usually stationed at Tiflis, is yearly formed.
Meskhet [Mtskheta] was the capital of the ancient Kurtchistan [Gurjistan], now Georgia. The river Kur, formerly Cirus, bathes its ruined walls, and receives the waters of the Aragua. This city continued to be the seat of government for twenty centuries, till one of its Tzars transferred his residence to Twilis, (which in the Georgian language signifies warm springs, and from which Tiflis takes it name,) in the hope of deriving some benefit from its waters.
The Georgians, referring to their ancient confused traditions, pretend, that Meskhet was founded by a near descendant of Noah, who named it after himself, choosing that spot on account of the unrivaled beauty of its situation. There is at Meskhet a church built of stone, which not all the fury of the Mussulmans has been able to destroy. The relievos [reliefs] of several groups of allegorical figures, which still exist, though a little injured, are sufficient to show the great merit of the work.
In a corner of the walls of the ruined fortress there is a chapel, so small that it might more properly be called a niche, which, it is asserted, was used by the captive Nono [Nino] as his [her] sanctuary. The cross, made of broom, and tied with his [her] hair, with which he [she] converted the Tzar Mirian, and made so many proselytes, was carried into the mountains during the various invasions of the Mussulmans, and lastly to Moscow, where it was preserved until the Emperor Alexander I caused it to be returned to the Georgians.
There is also a monastery, the dome of which is perforated by cannon balls, and which the Persians, unable to take possession of it, vainly endeavored to destroy. This monastery, situated on the borders of the Kur, contains the mortal remains of the noblest families of the country, and was the place where the coronation of the Tzars of Georgia was performed. The solidity with which it was originally built, and its present ruined state, give one an idea of the dreadful revolutions which it has undergone. The population of this city amounts but to little more than 500 inhabitants, whose dwellings are scattered over a space of ground which, in former times, presented 80,000 combatants.
On the borders of the river, and on the northern part of the city, are still seen the remains of a fortress, the foundations of which were laid twenty centuries ago. According to the traditions current in the country, this fortress inclosed a palace, where a Georgian princess, subject to violent passions, often invited the young travelers to sojourn; and, after having gratified her illicit desires, caused them to be precipitated into the river from the top of the tower, hoping by this means to conceal her criminal excesses.
Within a few versts of Meskhet there is a spring, which flows into the Kur, and which still preserves the name of Armasm Zkala [Armazis tskali] or the water of Armasm, an idol to whom in ancient times the princes immolated the first-born of their vassals. Idolatry having been substituted by the gospel, the idol met the same fate which in similar cases all idols meet. The Lesghis, who now saw this place abandoned, descended from the neighboring mountains, and established here their ambushes to surprise the passengers, whether men or women, whom they carried away to sell in Natalia or in Egypt.
A chain of mountains extends from Meskhet to the province of Imeretia, as far as the coasts of the Black Sea. In these mountains are seen the caverns which served the unhappy inhabitants of the town as places of concealment, when the barbarians in their invasions sought them as their prey. Indeed, the neighborhood of Meskhet has not only been the theatre of atrocities in ancient times, but even in our own; and, until the arrival of General Yermolov, it was a place most dangerous for travelers.
The Kur is crossed by a bridge, which, according to the opinion of antiquarians, was built at the epoch when Pompey was in Georgia. It has two great circular towers at each extremity, which, in those times, must have been sufficient to defend that passage, and have given a greater importance to Meskhet. Two or three versts beyond this city the heights are left to the right, and the traveller enters the fertile soil of Tiflis, where I saw the Georgian peasant ploughing the land with three or four couples of buffaloes, a method which must be attributed rather to the routine of these men than to the nature of the ground.
Five versts before reaching Tiflis, the city is seen spreading in the form of an amphitheater, on the banks of the river Kur, at the extremity of a defile, formed by two bold ranges of mountains. On the left of the road, following the course of the river, is the place of quarantine, where I was detained but a short time, it being established rather for the merchants, whose goods demand continual precautions, than for the traveling officers.
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