'ROUTES IN PERSIA, Section 1.' [‎123r] (250/416)

201
No. 38A.
Isfahan to Shustar, via Ardal and HiU^at.
No. of
stage.
Distance, in
MILES.
Names of stages.
Inter
mediate.
Total.
Rbhxbes.
Tlie Karun at Ardal goes by the name of the Kuh-i-Rang river. Doubtless, however,
this name of Kuh-i-Rang is the origin of the name Karun. At Ardal, Raza Kali Khan, the
second-in-command, so to speak, of the Bakhtiaris, has his head-quarters.
The plateau of Ardal is devoid of trees, though the lower spurs of the Kuh-i-Sabz are
covered with oaks. The level part of tlie plateau showed marks of cultivation, but now of
course was deserted, as all the Iliats had marched south for the winter. The huts clustered
under the hills looked dismal and deserted. The snowfall here in winter is described as
tremendous.
Baring says the road across the Gardan-i-Zara is the shortest from the Khariji valley
to Ardal, but is never likely to have any commercial importance, as in winter it is closed.
Ardal he describes as a miserable Bakhtiari village with one good house.
6
Dopulan
4,900'.
104
General direction S. Crossing the plateau of
Ardal to the S. descend into the deep cut gorge
of the Tang-i-Siah river which flows at a depth of
IjOOO' below. The plateau lies between perpendi
cular cliffs of fine limestone and conglomerate. At the foot of the cliffs and wherever thero
is holding ground, oaks, ash trees, and pistachios are plentiful.
The mules come rather to grief over the descent. After meandering for some two miles
at the bottom of the gorge, reach the picturesquely situated village of Dopulan on the left of
the river.
The road is certainly a very bad one, especially at the descent to the river. Dopulan is a
miserable village with no supplies except firewood. 100 houses, 400 inhabitants, 1,200 sheep.
Just below Dopulan the river of the Tang-i-Siah falls into the Kuh-i-Rang river, forming,
as before stated, the second tributary on its left bank. The former is spanned by a wicker
bridge, the latter by one of brick lately built by tbe Ilkhani The paramount chief of certain tribes in south west Iran. , at the point where the river
emerges from a deep gloomy gorge. The bridge is narrow but serviceable, and spans the
stream in one large and one small arch, length, say, 20 yards.
Hilisat. Camp
on left bank of
Stream.
4,850'.
19
123
General direction S. for 14 miles, then S. E.
Leaving Dopulan cross first the very shaky
wicker bridge over the Siah river, and then the
brick bridge, over the Karun river and ascend
the side of a N. W. spur of the Gara mountain. Hoad is rough in places though as a rule
good, and leads through thickish oak forest with a steady ascent to an elevation of 7,850',
where cross the watershed, a saddleback between the Gara and Arman mountains, and
descend by a steep track to some cultivated ground. The forest here is of oaks, 40 feet
high, and one and a half yards girth. Altitude, 6,350'. From the patch of cultivation
the descent is through a narrow gorge, with precipitous sides, which could easily be turned
into a nasty obstacle to an enemy. The road is rocky and goes downwards, but only to
again rise steeply to 6,600' and again descend to 6,400', when it once more rises to
6,750'; then crossing the saddle of a spur from the Arman mountain, it descends into a
gorge which leads down into the valley of the Hilisat stream which we followed. There
are 3 roads from Dopulan westwards : one high along the upper slopes of the hills, only
used in summer, a middle road, and a lower or winter road which follows the river along
tW hills immediately above it. This latter is much the longer and is said to be the more
difficult. Preece took hours by the middle road. Hilisat is a fair village but the
people are poor and no supplies are obtainable.
The road is certainly very rough and the frequent up and downs vary trying. No supplies
obtainable except rice.
General direction W. by S. The road imme
diately crosses the stream (!5 yards wide, deep
with rapid current) by a wicker bridge and then
ascends a steep spur of the mighty Gara (Girreh),
8
Rudbar. (
amp
15
138
on bank
of
River.
3,080'.