'Military Report on (S.-W.) Persia, Volume V. Luristan' [‎51v] (107/152)

88
Route No. \Q~contd.
river containing about 800 houses inhabited by Arabs. Surrounded by date and
orange gardens. Water slightly brackish but drinkable. There is a Turkish Governor
and a customs house ; also 100 zabtiyahs. Troops should camp on the outskirts of the
town to the north of it on the left bank of the river, where the water is purer. Firewood
very scarce.
The inhabitants are almost all Shi’ahs, the Shaikh and his family being Sunnis. At
some seasons the river is said to become quite dry. The date gardens extend 2 m. from
either bank and are surrounded each by a mud wall 15' to 20 ' high with watch towers at
intervals on the outer edge. The irrigation cuts on the plain are crossed by small wooden
bridges of a couple of date trunks covered with fascines and layer of 1 ' of earth on the top
A large mound to the north of the gardens is called Akr Tappah.
The stages to here from Kut-al-Amarah consist of a long one to Jassan and a short one
to Badrai. No better division can be made owing to the want of water and supplies.
Zakbatiyeh
(444').
64
Gen. dir. E. N. E. Road good over open
level plain along the left bank of the
river. At 3^ m. cross the Kunjian Cham
, , A , ) R - about 50 yards broad and a few inches
in depth, bed stony, banks very easy (October). Along the left bank, crossing several
small irrigation cuts en route. At 7f m. Zarbatiyeh, a Turkish frontier town of about 300
houses, surrounded by extensive plantations of date trees and situated on a level plain • a
few shops. Water plentiful in streams from the Kunjian Cham R. slightly brackish but
drinkable. Troops can camp m the vicinity to the N. E. of the town. Firewood scarce •
this stage is passable for guns.
. naunsell wont by a more round-about route, making a detour to the north to avoid
the bends of the river and the irrigation cuts. The length of his march this way was 22
miles. Inhabitants of Zarbatiyeh are Arabs, including some Lurs. The town is a stra»-
gling place with some good houses of sun-dried bricks and lies in the centre of a circular
patch of date gardens, about 2 m. in diameter. Each garden is surrounded by high mud
walls with watch towers at intervals as at Badrai. ^ h
Hussaintveh
( 1 , 000 ').
14
makes them difficult to cross.
76
Gen. dir. N. E. Road to 7} m. is good over
level ground. The canals and irrigation
cuts round Zarbatiyeh, however, cross the
road in several places and the soft mud
irrigation cuts a ho„t in' a ,™ h aIluvial clay. At 2£ miles skirt several
irrigation cuts, about 10 wide and sunk 8 to 10 feet with a muddy bottom • they are diffi-
ri an ir,'r- There are few bridges ot »^ ° {
haowTmUeZfftn^T .1 i!!‘- belt <> f crops follows the river which
is now 2 miles off to the south. The soil gradually deteriorates. At 41 m cross the from
hT b^r ^he iteTaS P T F ^ a k& a tmncated COne ’ 6 ' highand e' squam at
could seen or heaH v * ^ iaU Side ab ° Ut 60 ^ from this - ^
^abcmt^G n m r ^he^ 1 lvT°R 18 ^ 0 * n< ^ 1 ® a ^ e the general direction of the frontier.
from a rockv' nass th« T J ° mS o- he - Kunj P n Cham on the lef t bank. It emerges
trom a rocky pass the Tang-i-Gavi in the Kafirgah range, bearin', from here
mud fJrt 2 lTr t ,fT,l he ( ?r iSn Cham - At Kaleh Safid u .S
Road* over a Zv^grlvehy^Vack Iwri' ‘"ti'ic Mb ' Tm"'- 6 ’ ‘ n nUme [ 0U8 ,ma11 chan " eb -
y ipg. The valley now closes in and the river is bor«