"الطرق في بلاد فارس. القسم III" [و‎‎٥‎٢] (٧٣٩/١٠٨)

&3
No. 35— conid,
B iujand to M ashad, via Kain and Turhat-i-IIaidari.
No.
of
stage.
Names of stages.
D istakces
in milks.
Interme
diate,
Total.
R emaeks.
13
14
A sadabad
5,500'.
30
S harifabid ...
4,689'.
276
31
307
Turbat-i-Haidari is a flourishing town of about 1,000
houses, surrounded by fortified walls and a ditch.
The villages around are large and surrounded
by vineyards, fruit gardens, and corn-fields;
silk culture is the principal som^ce of wealth,
TuHbat-i-Haidari is surrounded by high hills,
mostly of bare rock, with pasture on their
lower spurs; climate temperate in summer, but
rigorous in winter ; snow lies for upwards of two
months.
Route due north. For 3 miles after leaving the
town, the road traverses gardens and luxuriant
cultivation, and then strikes over a desert, stony
plain, passing at 7th mile a great ahamhar in the
midst of pasture to the foot of a range of low,
rocky hills. At 10th mile, passing up a narrow
gully by an easy ascent, cross a spair of the
Baidar mountain, by the Gudar-i-Khir-Sang pass,
1,350' above Turbat-i-IIaidari ; descent easy and
gradual. At 12th mile cross a hill-stream by the
castle of ^Xami Pain," and a mile or so beyond
another irrigation stream, near the substantial
caravansavai of Kishkat, where there are some 36
huts. At 16th mile cross the Gudar-i-Baidar
watershed; steep ascent up a narrow gorge over
rocks of slate, 2,575' above Turbat-i-Haidari.
The descent of 1,200' to the plain of Dasht-i-
Rukh is as difficult and fatiguing as the ascent.
This pass is impracticable for camels in bad
weather, but a road could be made without difficul
ty. There is another route, via Kami Bala,
which is easy. Six miles beyond, or about 22
from Turbat-i-Haidari, emerge from the hills at
the castle of Shur Hisar. Cross the plain of
Dasht-i-Rukh, and at about 28th mile pass the
sarai of Robat,
Asadabad is a small fortified village, situated in
plain or valley of Julgah Rukh, Water from
harez of insipid taste. Sarai and supplies. Soil
light and gravelly. There are eight or ten castel
lated villages in the valley of J ulgah Rukh.
Route north. Road good, rising up to the hills.
At 6th mile cross the Gudar-i-Rukh pass. As
cent very steep; road would require metalling for
guns. The pass is 1,165'above Asadabad, Ap
proximate elevation 6,665'. Hills rugged and