"تقرير عن الحدود الشمالية الشرقية لبلاد فارس والتكه تركمان" [ظ‎‎١‎١‎٨] (٥٠/٢٨)

\ n Tan thousand men are about the number employed in this work yearly. The
Wakil dan* have* the first right to the water, and their branch of the river or large
canal "ors north-east from near the band to their chief camp, which is called Oubah
Wakif or the camp of the Wakils. Here lives their Chief, Mahomed Ynsuf Khan
the s„n of Nur Verdi Khan. The Wakil are the most powerful clan of the lour 1 ekeh
o ans but there is no fort like that of Koushid Khan in their country. The old ruined
for of Merv the city of Bairam Aly Khan Kajar, can still be traced, and is (con-
siderine the time that' has elapsed since its destruction) in good preservation Near it
are some more ruins, said to he those of the Merv of the time ot the Khahf A1
Monrein* destroyed by Tului, the son of Jenghrz Khan. A third Merv of still older
“ate called Kala Goehr, or Fort of the Fire-worshippers, is said also to he found in
the same neighbourhood. In the Wakil tribe there is no chief to compare with
Mahomad Yusuf Khan. I suppose now that his half-brother, Mukdum Kuli Khan,
W X , refuge in the Merv country, he will have a share of the power ,n this
tribe hut 1 do not feel certain of this, as he is of the Akhal Tekeh division of he
Wakils In the neighbouring clan of Beg the chief men are the sons of Koushid
Khan ' There are three sons of Koushid Khan, who are men of influence, Baha
Khan’, Kalah Khan, and Nawhut Khan. Three other sons also live in the Beg country,
^Every^ection'of the Afferent clans has a sort of sub-chief called a khetiskoda, and
these Jen have a good deal of power. There are, I believe, 24 khetkhodas m the
Merv country, hut there may he more. These men meet and elect a chief in times
of [rouble. A man called'Kayar Khan held power for a short time, but „ow he
has been ousted, and the rulers at present in authority, forming a duumvirate, in it
Merv country are Baba Khan, the son of Koushid Khan, and Aman Niaz Khan.
Besides the ketkhodas, the grey-beards have much , es P®;;! a ! ly J [[ 7 ,^
rich. One of the most influential of the grey-beards is Killitch Mojek, ot the Beg
clan Killitch means sword, and Mojek wolf. Mahomad \ usut Khan has a good dea
of influence even amongst the Beg clan, through his mother, Jumal Bhai, as she 1 ,
a woman of an influential family of that clan. , , ,
Proceeding up the Murghah river after leaving Kala Koushid Khan, at about
45 miles, the Sarnk encampment ofYullatuu is reached; here there are gineia y
Ditched some 4,000 tents of the Saruk tribe. The tents are scattered about and the
whole is known as Yullatun. Above Yullatun is the band or dam of the Saruk tribe,
hut it is not properly finished, and is a poor affair 111 comparison with the Tekeh dam
near Allasha. Sirdar Sultan Niaz Nahung is one ot the chief men ot the -aiuk tribe
at Yullatun. The largest settlement of the Saruk tribe is five days journey furtiier up
the Murghab river at Puug Deh or the five villages. At Pung Deh there are about 7,000
tents of Oils tribe, one of the chief men at Pung Deh is Ahman Khan. The descendants
of Kurim Verdi Ishan, a family of priests, have much influence amongst the Saruk 1 uiko-
mans, and they are addressed as Kalif Oglu, or sous of the Khalit. Pung Deh is s.tua ed
above the junction of the Kushk stream with the Murghab. If, instead ot follow mg the
Murghab to Pung Deh, the Kushk stream is followed, the town of Kushk is reached, and
this fs the best road to Herat. The distance from Kala Koushid Khan to Herat is about
250 miles bv Kushk, less if the direct road is taken. Ayub Khan has a garrison of
his regular Afghan soldiers in Kushk, which is a poor place. It is the capital of the
Jamshedis, a tribe very similar to the Turkomans but not considered so brave ;
they generally live in tents, and are nomads, though there are houses in Kushk. At
present the Jamshedis, are very hostile to Ayub Khan. Ayub Khan marrted a daughter
J the chief of the JatUedis who was named Khan Agha, but tn January las he put
him to death. The son of Khan Agha, with a large number ol followers, fled to the
Sat uk Turkomans, and the Jamsbedi camps were plundered by the troops of Ayub
Khan. 4 he Jamshedis, who are a division of the Char Aimak tubes of Herat, would
rise if Abdur Rhaman Khan, the Amir of Cabul, appeared before Herat, and the son
of Khan Agha would join him with a considerable following of Jamshedts, and some
Saruk Turkomans would also join, with the hope ot obtaining plunder. On the
western bank of the Murghab river, opposite the fort ot Koushid Khan, are the
quarters of the Bukshi and Suchmuz clans of the Tekeh ; these clans it is said, can
bring as many warriors into the field as the Beg and Wakil clans, but they have not
so much importance politically. They have no one paramount family, andscem o
he even more impatient of restraint than the other clans. Amongst the Buksh. tube
Aman Niaz Khan is a powerful chief, and a person named Mahomad Durd. Klnm,
whom I met in Mash-had, has some influence. In the Suchmuz clan Adnayar Khan
Kazak is powerful, and Niaz Mahomad, whom l met tn Mash-had, has some power.