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Descriptio Moldaviae (Description Of Moldavia)
by Dimitrie Cantemir (1673-1723)
CHAPTER 4 – ON THE REGIONS AND TOWNS OF MOLDAVIA excerpt 3. THE CHILIA REGION. Its most important fortress is Chilia, once named Lycostomon, situated at the western mouth of the Danube, to which the Greek seamen gave this name namely because the waves seemed to roll just like coming out of a wolf’s throat. The fortress is not very large, but the trade port is very famous, since all sorts of ships come here, not only from the neighboring maritime fortresses, but also from farther ports: Venetian, Egyptian, Ragusan, which usually take wax and raw ox skins from here. It is inhabited not only by Turks, but also by Jews, Christians, Armenians and other nations, all being under the rule of a Turkish commander, “supervisor”, as they would say it in common language. The fortress was burned down by the Moldavians during the rule of Suleiman, and has never reached the same magnificence again.
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