'Routes in Arabia' [‎715] (746/852)

(jn)
715 '
R oute N o . 200— contd.
deep and heavy, and impracticable for wheels, in wet gather ,
many culverts, ramps and bridges would be required. U PP
pkntilul. Water good and abundant from wells and canals.
Fuel scarce.
6 QIZILROBAT.. 18 m. General direction
north-westerly. Pass-
— ing through the roofed
ha-dr^ind walled gardens of Shahraban, the road emerges over
tXutog ground 8 showing S ign, of flood; are n_.
irrigation channels in all directions some of which are c p
and narrow with few and bad foot bridges. At 4 miles the
ground becomes more elevated and at 6 miles, a ca ^ ^ cr i , {
15 feet wide and 3 feet below the banks, by a bridge in bad
repair • roadway 9 feet. Immediately beyond this is a sluggis
river, 20 yards'wide and 15 feet, below the level of ^ banks 0 '
perpendicular soil; the bridge is of buck of » clen '
a roadway of 12 feet between the parapets. There are some
ruined houses near by. From here the road traverses nudulat-
inf trravellv country crossed by broad shallow lavmes. Rt g
Sntirit 7 miles, 'the road enters the-Jabal Hamrm range of
low Wen hills by a narrow pass. The path here mde
enough for single animals only, is a deeply worn gut m the
smooth rock. After some hundred yards the gut wnlens and
the road spreads into several deep worn P at,,s cl "'^ t^'road
of smooth rock. There is gradna the sum
widening and traversing some plateaux. „ bccn
mit of the pass is reached, an ascent of some «0 fee' ha^g been
made from the plain. The descent is gentle by a broad track
over stone and gravel. At 12 miles the road emerges from the
hills, and descending a gravel slope crosses a salt ^am at 1
miles, and enters a broad plain, bounded except to the north , b>
low hills and ridges, in which there are a few villages, and he
and flocks grazing. At 17* miles there is cultivation on either
hand and °a half mile to the left the Diyalah nver flows m a
Wd stony and rushy bed. CM BobSt, which is now entered,
has a post and telegraph offiee and f ™ ra ~ShLteibSn
further side of the town. The first four miles from bhahraban
is heaw in wet weather and impracticable for wheels, numerous
culverts and small bridges arc required ; the pass into the Jabal