‘Military report on south-west Persia, including the provinces of Khúzistán (Arabistan), Luristán and part of Fars.’ [‎114v] (233/470)

218
Route No. 1— contd.
From Muhammerah to Tehran, $•£.*—contd.
o
u •
Distances in
miles.
% **
II
Time.
Names of towns, villages, &e.
Interme
diate.
Total.
Remarks.
stream not 100' wide; fordable everywhere. At times it carries a large volume of water
(See Revised Gazetteer of Persia.) . ,
'the Bala-Hisar is built on the summit of a solitary steep rock, near the centre of the
gorge, and close to the right bank of the river. Near its summit is a copious stream. Round
about its base are line gardens, well irrigated, and dwelling houses, &c., enclosed by walls of
no strength, about 15'high.
It contains about 2,000 inhabitants, and is the residence of the ruler of the Luristan
district, extending southward across the Lur hills to Dizful. The town is rapidly falling
into ruins. Trade was most inactive owing to the insecurity of the Dizful road (1884). There
is here a Persian Post and telegraph office {see page 110). _ .
Its roads are narrow and difficult to traverse; its houses, said to number j.,000, are chietty
of mud ; roofs flat; bazar of insignificant size.
The camping ground, suited for one brigade, lies to the west of the town. The
river here breaks through a range of rocky hills stretching across the plain in the usual
north-west direction, leaving standing the solitary rock, nearly 1,000 yards in circumference,
upon which the fort is built. There are two roads from Khoramabiid to Bdrujird. The
route taken by De Bode is the most direct, but tents are met with along it only during the
summer months. Caravans, &c., prefer that taken and now described.
N.B.— With reference to the practicability of constructing a cart-road from 3fuhdim
mer ah to Khoramdbdd, it may be here convenient to note
Cart road to Khoramibad. that from Muhammerah to Dizful, 178 miles, the conn-
try is practically a level alluvial flat, to construct a road across which raising and ditching
only is required; road metal can be obtained from the hills about Ahwdz, Shustar, and
Dizful.
From Dizful to Khoramdbdd, a distance of 157 miles, with reference to the facilities
of constructing a cart-road, the tract has been classed as good, fair and bad ; the good, 57
miles, is level and requires nothing to be done to it beyond the removal of loose boulders to
the existence of which Lurs are quite callous ; the fair, 60 miles, requires to be widened and
cleared of stones ; the bad, 40 miles, requires to be widened and to be zigzagged in places to
lessen the gradients; in the ravines or passes large boulders will require to be blasted,
otherwise there is little rock-cutting required and picks, croio bars, levers, sledge hammers
and gun-cotton will do all that is required (see page 238 for estimate of cost of construc
tion). Within the hills road metal is plentiful.
The direct road from Kir-Ah, 8 farsakhs from Dizful, referred to on
, c yn /,.. P a ffe 204-, leads from that valley across a preci-
Direct road Dizful to Khoramabad. -P .. ,i tz • i/ in
pitous range, a continuation or tne iviamu,
into the Tang-i Zardawar, a narrow and wooded valley having for 20 miles a
direction of N. 20^ W.