'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎52v] (109/610)

92
AKituds and
paaaea.
Faasabilltr
in winter.
of the Safid Rud between Manjll and Rasht. This is the only
valley from Talish to Khorasan which pierces right through the
chain, and it affords the easiest natural line of approach from
the Caspian to the Persian plateau.
South East of the Safid Rud the continuous ridge of the
x Elburz winds without a break to the Firuzkuh Pass, North
East of Tehran, whence it continues East to the province of
Astarabad.
The best view of the range showing its formation as a uni
form barrier dominated by Mount Damavand is obtained from
the Mazandaran plain between Sari and Amol.
North West of the Safid Rud the Masuleh and Talish hills
form a single unbroken range and afford no open line of approach.
The main ridge is terminated South East of the Safid Rud
by the peak of Dalfak (8,500'), which rises precipitously above
the valley. East of this peak through Dailiman, it is wide and
undulating, 7,000' to 8,000' in height; it narrows and increases to
about 10,000' at Gavanehkul (Kazvin-PuI-i-Rud-Rudisar route,
North East of Kazvin), to 11,000' at Salambar (Kazvin-Tunaka-
bun route) to 14,500' at Takht-i-Sulaiman behind Kalardasht,
between the Seh Hazar and Chalus rivers near longitude 51°,
the biggest mass in the range, whence it maintains an elevation
of 10,000' to 12,000' to Damavand 18,600', which towers like
a pyramid above it. It decreases to 7,000' at the Firuzkuh
Pass (Tehran-Barfarush-Meshed-i-Sar route), and averages
9,000' to 10,000' further East.
While rising precipitously from the valleys the summit forms
a remarkably uniform ridge. It has no depressions worthy
of the name of a “ Pass except at Manjil and Firuzkuh, and
on the other hand has no very prominent peaks except Dalfak,
Takht-i-Sulaiman, 3 Shahzadeh Kiili and Damavand.
The winter cold on all the ridges is intense, and sudden
terrific storms of wind and snow render the crossing of them 1
1 The Persians have no special names for the great ranges. Every prominent
ridge or peak is known by a local name and mountain groups or sections of a
range are collectively termed the “ mountains ” (kuhha) or “ highlands ”
(yallaqat) of such and such a district.
The name “ Elburz ” is applied by European geographers to the whole moun
tain system stretching from Azarbaijan to Khorasan, by educated Persians it is
restricted roughly to the section from the Safid Ttud to Dam. vand, and by the
local villagers, to a single ridge between Alamut and Talagh.in North East of
Kazvln. .
Similarly with the rivers, some of the larger rivers, such as the Kizil TJzun
and Haraz, retain one name for a considerable part of their courses, but the
smaller streams are called after districts or villages on their banks as the water
(Ab) of such and such a place, and such names change every few miles.
* Most routes cross it at a^i elevation of 9,000' to 11,000'.
* Between the sources of the Nur and Karaj rivers midway between Longi
tudes 51° and 52°, some 20 miles North of Latitude 36°.