'Military Report on South-West Persia, Including the Provinces of Khuzistan (Arabistan), Luristan, and Part of Fars' [‎257] (294/466)

33
257
R oute No.
From Gulpaigdn toBurujird, eoncld.
by a bridge: the Md-i-Pfr, witli_4 feet of water j the Rud-i-Dizfu] by the Pul-i-
Kul (see further on).
The remarks on the nature of the road crossed and the transport that can tra
verse it are as already i^iven j the Dizful-Khoraniabad route^ ^iven in detail
(Route No. 1), was said to be a king's highway in comparison to the above
routes and that described by the Dara-Shiraz.
A third road was said to pass by the Dara-Slriraz, and that by it Shustar
could be reached by the stages below, viz.,—
1. Dara SMraz..
2. Dara Dalii • • •
3. Cliukan
4. Zaz
6. Chal-i Nurrak ...
6. Pul-i-Kul
7. Gurii
8. Idapar
9. Sar-i-daslit
Farsakhs,
3
3 (village).
2
3 (river Dizful).
3
3
3 (village).
Thence one stage to either Shustar or Dizful.
The above accounts were taken at an assemblag-e of the leading men of
Ali-Gudar; it was most difficult to get them to confine their remarks to the
roads passing through the hills. Arguing that it was impossible for me to go
with my baggage mules by any of them, they would break off into accounts
of the roads via Khoramabad [see Route No. 1) and that via Chahal Chashmah,
Baba-Haidar, Deh-i-Kurd, and thence by the Upper Isfahan-Shustar road
via Bazuft and Chulbar {see page 281), roads passing round the main intricate
mass of hills and not over them [see page 201) . This disposition to discant on
them, combined with their statement that merchandise never went by any other
roads, leads me to believe in their further statement that the hill roads I have
just described are quite impassable except to the Lurs, who move over them
with their sheep, goats, mules, horses, donkeys, and cows, and who use the two
latter, i.e., the donkeys and cows only, as baggage animals and for horsemen.
The Lurs reach the pastures about Ali Gudar early in June as a rule.
Their movements, however, depend upon the melting of the snows. Whilst the
passes are blocked by snow they cannot pass, and during the time that the main
hill torrents are swollen by the snow waters they cannot ford them. They
prefer in their migrations the roads to the north of the Karun as they thereby
escape the difficulties of fording that river, the most formidable in the hills.
To reach Dara-Shiraz from Chaman-i-Sultan the road takes a more
westerly course than the one to Ali-Gudar, and passes through the village of
Mughanak by several ruined villages, and Malekabad (Armenian village
with 30 families, elevation 7,000').— [Schiudler.)