‘Military report on south-west Persia, including the provinces of Khúzistán (Arabistan), Luristán and part of Fars.’ [‎23r] (50/470)

25
4
To the Rumarun river, near the entrance of the Tekab pass, elevatoin 1,400
feet, where forage, uncut hay, is abundant, is 20 miles.
12th June. Tekab roac [ i s fairly good in parts ; the Gatz-i-Darwaza is,
pass, 20 milea. however, a most difficult, winding, rocky staircase^ of a
descent, and the ascent and descent round the “ pulpit rock or diz are
both difficult, rocky, and steep. , . , ino0 • i i
The temperature in the bed of the Rumarun river rose to 102 in the shade,
and it was impossible to hold the artificial horizon after it had been seven
minutes in the sun at 3-30 p.m. The party bivouacked ou its left bank
The road to Behbahan, elevated 1,300 feet, is excellent from the foot of the
hills (10 miles) across a flat plain growing cereals in
13th June. Bheba- t j ie w i n t e r months, but now lying fallow. The pas-
h*n; 17 miles. &9iCre o£ the Tang-i-Tekab is very difficult, over slippery
pavements, rock and bowlders and took 2 hours. The path generally 6 feet
wide follows the Rumarun, Jaraln or Kurdistan river, here flowing in a bed
9 00 feet wide between perpendicular cliffs, 300 to 400 feet high. In many
places the road is revetted; by cutting these places away the pass could be
readily made impracticable.
My delight on emerging from the hills was great. It was time too ; tlie
horses were exhausted, and not one of the four had a sound shoe; ah had been
smashed to pieces since leaving Khurra. ^ , , , ,
The tano’s or defiles, narrow passes 200 to 300 feet wide, bounded by pte-
cipitous cliffs, 200 feet to 500 feet high, often of solid
Defiiea. w ith, in some cases, shallow and insignificant
streams flowing through them, with their beds encumbered by huge boulders
and often circuitous in their length of 1,000 yards and upwards, are most
remarkable features in these hills. # .
If their formation is to be explained by natural causes, it is sufficient to
say that they are due to contraction on cooling, or that the abrasive action of
water continued through countless ages, has formed them. The last hypothe
sis it’is considered, quite fails to account for their formation, and the former
explanation is equally unsatisfactory, inasmuch as it leaves unsettled the
reason for the contraction, and the resulting crack in the hills, taking place at
the head of a valley, just in the place required to allow the passage of a
stream through it, and with the level of its bed just on a level with that of
the valley {see pages 71, 360). »
Behbahan is surrounded by a dilapidated mud wall; its bazar is or no size ;
within its walls are numerous houses of mud, surrounded
Bekbakan. ^ mu d walls; the usual cry of the stagnation of trade
was heard here as elsewhere. When passed through no governor resided there.
The temperature was 100° in the serai at 5 p.m. Water is scarce and obtained
from one large tank supplied by a canal from the river [see details, Fart iT,
and Revised Gazetteer of Persia).
Abstract.
Road Isfahan to Behbahdn (297 to 327 miles).
By the route taken via Deh-i-Kurd and Ardal, Behbahan is distant 367
miles or 17 stao-es from Isfahan. By taking the direct road to Chigakhor, two
stages or 40 miles are saved. If the still more direct road via Kumesheh from
Isfahan is taken to Felat, the total distance is only 297 miles. The great
difficulties of the road he between Bassaki and the toot
of the hills (Tekab pass), a distance of 173 miles or 8
Road difficulties.