'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOL. III. PART II: L to Z' [‎287v] (579/988)

T?n»t.? |
007 SHI—SHI
ridge through which ft small valley oalled Darveh Asuh comes down to the
sea in a direction perpendicular to the coast: this valley has two branches
in the interior which unite at about 10 miles from the sea,, one of them
coming from the west from a point near the head of the Gabandi valley
and the other from the east, from the watershed on the other side of which
a valley called Hamxru has its origin. The Hamiru valley from its source
at first runs eastwards, then bends southwards round the end of the sand
stone ridge to the east of Maqam and finally goes westwards reaching the
sea at Maqam in an opening between two parallel ranges similar to that
of the Gabandi valley at Naband. The southern range in this case is another
ridge of sandstone which extends from Has N a hand for 50 miles to Charak,
where it ends, closely adjoining the shore throughout its length; between
Chiru and Charak it has an elevation of 2,000 to 3,000 feet. The greater
part of the interval to the north of this ridge between it and the great mari
time range is occupied by the turn of the Hamiiu valley already described,
and by a tributary which it receives from the east, but the remainder
consists of the basin of the Gulshan valley, which has its mouth on the
coast less than a mile to the east of Charak. Beyond Charak a gap about
5 miles in width occurs in the coast ridge, and a plain extends from the
edge of the sea to the main range, here 15 miles inland, broken only by
some dark-coloured, detached hills between 1,000 and 2,000 feet high.
Between the gap and Mughu,the last of the Shibkuh ports in this direction,
the detached hill Kuh INamaki (in the Admiralty chart called Jabal land)
rises close to the sea to an elevation of 1,200 feet.
The strata of the sandstone ridges which skirt the sea below Bas Naband
dip toward the coast, and it appears not improbable that the ridges them-
sefves have been formed by the gradual elevation of the greater inner
limestone range through a bed of superincumbent, light-coloured sand
stone.
It is worthy of remark that, while the limestone range gives biith to many
fresh springs and streams and is clad, though sparsely, with almond, dwarf-
oak, hawthorn, rose and terebinth, the sandstone ridges produce hardly a
shrub or a grass, and the streams that spring from them are generally
bjacbish. j >:
The actual coast of the Shibkuh ports district possesses no remarkable
feature, unless we reckon the islands of Shaikh Shibaib, Hindaiabi, Qais,
Farur and Nab in. Farur. Bangers of navigation, apart from these con
spicuous islands, are few T ; and north of Shiyu the tide-stream is either
faint or imperceptible.
The number of Ijouses in the Shibkuh district—the valleys of Gabandi,
Barveh Asuh and Gulshan in the interior being excluded—-appears to be
about 3,500; bub at the present time (1906), in consequence of recent
emigrations, there is at most places a considerable proportion of unoccupied
houses and the actual total population cannot be estimated at more than
13,000 souls; Persians of unmixed descent are few in the district, and such
as are found am mostly settlers from Bar and other Persian districts; the
bulk of the people are of mingled Persian and Arab blood, and the tribes