'Report on the Preliminary Survey of the Route for the Central Persia Telegraph Line' [‎23v] (51/300)

Leavin" the fine new Idln-brick caravanserai A roadside inn providing accommodation for caravans (groups of travellers). of Zaferkancl or Jogand, <he
road gradually ascends the valley in a south-easterly direction, passing the last
garden of the village at -372 miles. The valley, which at first is about 2 mile?
wide, gradually decreases in width; at -7()3, a fine of Kanats is seen oOO yards
to the south-west, or right—water, brackish ; and on the north-enst, 01 h'i., a
small hamlet. Mazrahye-Mollah, is passed 2 miles distant Ihe valley at tho
end of the first mile is about 400 yards wide on the left and on our rigln, or
south-west, it is one mile. At 1-255, the torrent bed is entered, and the road,
as in vesterdav’s route, practically follows it for the next 4J miles, which is hero
about 80 to loO yards in width and is confined between high hanks the right
bein- 20 feet and the left about 10 feet. 'Ihe going up this bed of firm gravel
and sand, at an easy gradient, is most excellent and makes a fine road At 2 -^1
miles, the valley is only 50 yards wide on the right, with a sheet of rock, and
on the left 150 yards, with rocky boulders. A line of kanats is seen on the left
at 2-26 miles, tne vallcv widening out to three-fourths of a m ile here \ he tor,
rent bed at 2-540 is onlv 40 yards wide and a foot deep. At 3 Oof), Mceshab is
passed, king 21 miles to the left, while at the fourth and fifth mile a line of dry
Kanats is passed on the left, resueetively 20 and 400 yards distant. The six,li
mile brings us to another line of Kanats, which contain brackish water and lie 60
yards to the left. The valley all this time has been steadily widening out,
and at 6-5 miles stretches for 8 miles to our right and for 2 miles to the left,
being hounded bv low hills. At this point, Mirandoo is noted lying 2 miles to
the left, and at 7*60 a road to Harun branches off on our light. A line ol dry
Kanats crosses the road at 8 35 miles. At 9*725, a track branches off to the
ri"ht to a spring of sweet water about a mile off. r J his should be paitieulaily
noted as this is the only perennial sweet water actually met with <>n route iroin
Zaferkand to > avestanak. The road from Kayaz crosses ours at 10 bb and
goes to the spring* the bearing of wl.ich at this point is 2 U . J he open water
shed is reached at 12-395 miles, and is 6987 feet. Another track from Kavaz
to Harun and l urun crosses the main road at 33-3o, while at 13 %8 the small
hills cease on both sides, the valley widening out to 12 and 10 miles, light and
left, with a high range on the former, and small solitary peaks on the latter
side. From this watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. , the descent is very gradual over an excellent tmo
gravelly road all the way to A'aycs«anak. We note two dry ab ambars at the
15th mile, respectively 10 and 50 yards on the right, which contain \\a er six
months in the year—November to April. They are 6 feet hv 6, and are of
burnt brick and lime with 23 steps leading down to the brackish water, while
at 16-564 another ah ambar is. in course of construction, ihe gardens ot
Khabeed begin at 22*821, while a line of sweet w T ater Kanats opening info a
stream, 24 feet bv 5 feet and flowing 22 feet in 15 seconds, crosses the read at
the 23rd mile and the Nayestanak caravanserai A roadside inn providing accommodation for caravans (groups of travellers). is reached half a mile further on.
Nayestanak to Nain.
Date,
No. of
March.
Route.
Intermediate
Miles.
Total
Miles.
■
2nd October 1893
...
3
Nain, 5,073 feet.
18-54
50-53
Trim Navestanak, tlm roart, stilt descending gradually, keeps in a south-
eastern direction and is excellent, with a plain stretching lo tjio mountains on
the ri"'it and the desert on tho left, and is covered with shrub, on which many
camels arc seen grazing. The village ends at-24 miles and Matabad w seen
Iviti" one mile to the south-w<st, or right, while at - Jlt> Izahad, 300 jards to
the left, or north-east, and Kafiabad, 2 miles to the right, or south-west, are
passed. At 1-176, a line of Kanats of slightly brackish water runs parallel to
the road, 80 to 100 yards distant on the north-east side, for a quarter ot a mile.