'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME II' [‎42r] (88/706)

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ll'ats. The road from Marand via Snfian to Tabriz, however, being part
of the Tabriz-Julfa road, is in constant use.
II. The Julfa-Tabrlz road is commercially the second road in north
western Azarbaijan, that by Tabriz and Kizil Dizeh being of more impor
tance ; but in many other respects it is the first of the roads in the north
west. On the Russian side an excellent military road has been made
along the Aras valley from Erivan to Julfa, where it joins the Persian
caravan route to Tabriz, but no regular service is maintained. The Rus
sians are now connecting Julfa with Erivan by railway. Shortly after
leaving Julfa in a southerly direction, a difficult defile, the Darreh Duz, is
entered. Here carriages must proceed with great caution along the bed
of the river, heavily laden carts and light Victorias sometimes pass through
it to the higher level of the plateau of Zal behind. Thence the road is along
the level or by gentle slopes, through a rich and highly cultivated country,
studded with large villages, to Marand. This plateau compares with Khoi
and Karaziadin in richness. From Marand the road rises rapidly to the
plateau lying off the MeshS and Kara Dagh, and there is a long descent over
good ground to Sufian and so by the plains to Tabriz. A line of rail has
often been spoken of in connection with this route. The Darreh Duz, how
ever, offers a very great obstacle. It would be extremely difficult both to
build and maintain a line through this defile. An immense amount of
bridging would be necessary, the gradient is very unfavourable, and the
line would be at the mercy of the spring floods (the water comes down like
a wave sometimes) or, if carried up the cliff and friable rocks, would be
subject to landslips. In many parts the steep hills are of friable rock,
which can be compared to the strata of the Harnai. It would be much
wiser to bring a line somewhere west of the Darreh Sham mountain in the
valley of the Aras and by Karazladin (the watershed is remarkably easy)
to Marakand then by the Zilbir Chai valley to Marand, and so to Tabriz
a perfectly feasible and easy route.
A concession has been granted by the Shah to the Russians in return
for a loan made in 1902, for the construction of a carriage road from Julfa
to Kazvin, then linking with the Rasht-Kazvln-Tehran road, and a com
pany has been formed in Russia to carry out the concession.
In 1912 the Russians applied for a concession to build a railway from Julfa
to Tabriz with a branch to Urumieh, making it a condition for an advance to
the Persian Government. The road between Julfa and Tabriz had already
been made fit to take a railway, and the bridges were also adaptable for that
purpose.
III. From Kh5I to the Aras river there are four routes, leading to Shah
Takht, ’Abbasabad, Karghulak and Julfa respectively. There is also a
road suitable in fine weather for carriages to Maku from Khoi.
The following other important roads lead from Tabriz ; (IV) through Ahar
and Aslandfiz to the north-east; (V) to the Caspian through Ahar and
Ardabil to the east; (VI) to Kurdistan through Marageh and Sainkaleh on
the south ; (VII) to Turkish Kurdistan through Oilman, Urumieh, Tabriz,
Sauj Bulagh and Ushnu on the west and south-west.
In June 1902 the Persian Government commissioned a German en
gineer in their service to make a road from Astara to Tabriz via Ardabil,