'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME II' [‎104r] (212/706)

GILIN
195
i- Azam, Governor General of the province, showed much energy in making
new roads and causing old ones to be repaired. Good me ins of communica
tion are everywhere of great importence, but especially so in places, where,
like Gilan, the country is a mass of jungle and morass.
There is a certain amount of water communication from the Murdab at
Enzali, inland ; for details see article on Enzall.
The telegraphic service connecting Rasht with Europe and other Persian
towns has been of late years much improved, but there is still room for im
provement. From Rasht to Tehran and vice versa a telegram usually
reaches its destination in 24 hours ; formerly a telegram has been known
to take 18 days to get from Rasht to Tehran.
There are few countries more completely protected by nature against
external aggression than Gilan, for its coast is lined with a belt of impene
trable forest, which shows a most disheartening aspect to an invading
foe, whose perplexity would be completed by the deep murdcbs or back
waters and extensive morasses, equally covered wifi forests, that lie behind
the first barrier. At the same time these very obstacles would prove the
best advantage to the defenders acquainted with their intricacies, and
afford them means of securely annoying their enemies. On the south
the passes through the mountains are of extreme steepness, difficulty, and
ength, and might be defended or obstructed with so much ease that no
1 hostile army unassisted by treachery could hope to force them, or, if it
succeeded m reaching the places below, it would find itself embarrassed in
i a maze of jungles and morasses, impenetrable without a guide, and even under
every advantage presenting the most serious difficulties to the march of
many troops encumbered with baggage and military stores.
MonteRh has formed no less decided an opinion of the impracticability
of Gilan, saying that if the Persians were only united, nothing ought to
be more desired than an attack from this side of the Caspian ; for had he
not been forced to traverse it, he would have had no hesitation in report
ing it impracticable, and it certainly is not possible to journey through it
except with the aid of the cattle belonging to the inhabitants. In sum-
m ® r “ be practicable to advance along the banks of the Kizil Uzun
which then occupies but a small part of its bed, but immediately beyond
its bank are deep rice swamps so unhealthy as to have obtained the
appellation The district of death.” Should an enemy force his way
through these impediments, the difficulties of driving the defenders from
the steep and lofty mountains which bound Gilan on the west would be
still greater, supported as they would be by the population of the neigh
bouring parts of Persia. “ In fact ”, he winds up, “ nothing but a combined
movement from both sides of the mountains by an army already possessed
of the upper country would easily accomplish that object.
There are no fortresses or fortified places in the province ”
GILAN (No. 2)—
A valley in Kirmanshah about 25 miles south of Sar-i-PuI; on the south
east it joins the Chila valley, to the north-west it extends on into a valley
which reaches the Hulvan river south of Qasr-i-Shirin. It is a fertile valley
watered by a stream and springs, and the high ranges north-east and south-