'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME IV.' [‎244r] (492/652)

nearly abreast of the adjoining island of Hanjam, it actually exceeds 20
The shape of Qishm is somewhat that of a fish, the eastern end represent
ing the head, the western end the tail, and Laft point a projecting dorsal
fin. The coast is generally rocky : its two principal salients are Laft
point and Khargu point, both about the centre of the island, the former
on the northern, the latter on the southern coast. Khargu point is low
and rocky, but Dairistan bay to the west of it is sandy, and there are
swamps inland of it. Has Dastakan, the south-western point of the island
is also low and rocky : Basidu point, the westernmost, is described in the*
article on Basidh.
Qishm is almost covered with table-topped hills of a light brown colour
with broken-down sides and in some cases of very remarkable appearance •
there is, however, a general absence of dominant or characteristic peaks’
The land which rises immediately behind Qishm town continues increasing
in elevation till at one point, 3 miles west of the town, it reaches 560 feet •
it then falls away abruptly to a low plain which reaches across the island
from sea to sea and is several miles in breadth. Beyond the plain the hills
recommence but without any remarkable features until Kishkuh the
highest summit on Qishm with an elevation of 1,300 feet, is reached, at
about 17 miles from Basidu and nearly in the middle of the island
About 3 miles west of Kishkuh, a range of dark-red hills with patches
of slate colour crosses the island from north to south; where it abuts
upon the southern coast, with which it is in contact for 5 miles, it con
tains great salt-caverns and is known by the name of Namakdan. The
largest cave is at the eastern end of Namakdan ; it is over 200 feet in
height, is about as deep as it is high and has a span of 60 or 70 feet.* The
general geological formation of the island is the same as that of the adjoin
ing coasts. The upper strata are of course sandstone, grit and conglomerate,
supported by a blue lias marl and interrupted in one place by the salt hills
already described : the aspect of the whole island is that of a plateau rising
by a perpendicular scarp from the sea beach and eroded by weather in
many valleys, some of which are parallel to the coast. The surface of the
island along the southern coast has the bleak and barren appearance usual
in this part of the world in the formation to which it belongs. Qishm in
fact is, apart from the villages, almost a desert, but the hills contain some
wild goats, partridges and pigeons, and the plains some gazelle.
The population, including Qishm town, amounts to about 13,500 souls.
Nearly all are Arabs by race and Sunnis by religion ; but there are Persian
communities at Qishm town and Diraku which together may number 500
souls among whom also the Sunni form of Islam prevails. The Arabs
belong for the most part to tribes of Trucial ’Oman but these tribal divi
sions are not here of much importance ; the Shaikh of the island belongs to
a tribe called Bani Ma’in or Mu’ain who are said to be connected with
Shammarof Na,jd and number in Qishm town about 100 persons. The
population is said to have been considerably reduced by a severe earthquake
which in 1898 visited Qishm and levelled many village with the ground.
Arabic is the language of the island. £
A C ^ ve ’ with the methods of working, and the Namakdan generally are
descried by Pelly in the Bombay Geographical Journal, Volum# XVII, 1865, pages