'Military Report on South-West Persia, Including the Provinces of Khuzistan (Arabistan), Luristan, and Part of Fars' [‎182] (181/466)

182
Ahwaz, destroyed towards the end ^ o£ the 14th century hy Timurluk,
ceded its place as chief town of Khuzistan to Shustar, which continued to
hold it till 1831-32, when the plague depopulated it. J)Mn\ then came into
importance, trade taking the line Amarah on the Tigris via Dizful to Khoram-
abad, the neighbourhood of Shustar being infested by Lur robbers.
Captain Wells, R.E., made a careful survey of the river obstructions in
1881, and reports as follows^ ;
" It will be seen by referring to the sketch that, as the Karun approaches
Ahwaz, its course is divided into two parts by an island marked I 1 .
"1. The branch to the west carries about one-third of the stream, whilst
that to the east takes the other two-thirds. The latter is deep and navigable
for boats or flats of from 4 feet to 4 feet 6 inches draught, and this is the case
with the river up stream as far as Band-i-Kir. - ^
"2. Below the island mentioned above, the river only unites in a stream to
be immediately confronted by the obstruction which I will now describe in
detail, f
" 3. A ridge of sandstone, which emerges from the Ram-Hormuz plain
some 20 miles east by south of Ahwaz, here approaches the river, and apparent
ly it is greatly due to this ridge of rock that the river presents the navigable
aspect it does for so many miles above Ahwaz. The rocks form a complete
weir across the stream, which, flowing as best it can over the numerous out
crops, falls at least 6 feet in three-fourths of a mile of its course. Were it
not for this weir, it is doubtful if the nature of the river would not be entirely
different.
" 4. The weir or series of weirs at Ahwaz comprise five principal outcrops
of sandstone.
"b. No. 1 group is perhaps the most formidable; appearing 25 yards
below the island, it narrows the river to 300 yards in width, presenting a
double ridge of rock, over which the water roars in times of flood. There are,
however, two openings, each of 50 yards in width, in the low wall of rock, and
through these the water pours at ordinary times, having a fall of ; say, 2 feet
6 inches in a length of 30 yards.
a 6. No. 2 group crosses the river 1^100 yards below No. 1, the river
having turned 15 degrees to the west to avoid the numerous rocks which crop
out from the left bank, but do not extend right across its bed,- Considerable
accumulations of silt have collected on the rocks on the left, but they do not
join the bank; water channels have been cut in rock between them and the
bank for the purpose of turning mills {vide plan), and their direction marks
the course of a considerable flow of water in flood time. It was along the
ridge of group 2 that the ancient band was built, for irrigation purposes, by
the Sasanians (?). Remains of this massive structure are still visible,
but only high and dry, far out of the present course of the water, which is
in a rapid stream between depressions in the rock, and impassable for boats.
The ancient band was adapted to the configuration of the rock to the left bank r
where the sandstone is high above the river. A loop in the band took in
these high rocks, which are pierced by tunnels and sluice channels, for divert-
ing probably the water into canals for irrigating the country.J
* See farther on for a modification of this statement.
f Extracts only are given.
j It would seem that the irrigation canal was not taken out of the river here, hut higher up*
and that the line marked ' c' on the map represents it. Captain Wells describes the hand ^ 1 ^
the river is at its lowest, i .e., November. In March 1884! the band was scarcely visible, ana o-
rapid, as remarked further on, was barely recognized.