'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎59v] (123/610)

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“ Julgeh,” of extreme fertility bordering the Caspian, every
where presenting uniform features but varying from 2 to
miles in width, the width being greatest m the deltas formed by
the largest rivers.
These deltas from East to West are:
1. The plain of Mazandaran, which is the combined deltas
of the Nikah, Tejen, Talar, Babul, and Haraz, and measures
some 80 miles in length from East to West, from Ashrat to the
West of Am5l, and 15 to 20 miles in breadth from South to
North.
Further West the Nur ridge nears the sea and gives rise
to no streams of consequence with the result that the coas
strip narrows to 2 miles or less.
2. The Chalus and Sardabrud form the district of Kalaris-
taq, where this strip widens to about 4 miles.
3. Adjacent are the Izarud (near Nishta), Seh Hazar (a
large stream) and Chalkarud rivers which have formed tne high y
cultivated Tunakabun plain around Khurramabad, some 16
miles in length, and 6 to 8 miles in breadth.
To the West of Tunakabun by Daryapushteh village the
forest clad spur of Safid Tamisheh, the boundary of Tunakabun
and Gilan, extends to within f mile of the sea.
4. The strip again widens at the mouth of the Pul-i Bud,
expanding beyond Rudisar into the plain of Gilan, formed by
the Safid Rud a triangle measuring some 70 miles in length to
the North West to Shafa Rud, and 35 miles at its greatest breadth
up the Safid Rud.
Water is distributed over it for irrigation by canals from
the river,, and most of it is highly cultivated.
At Karganrud the lowlands contract to If miles.
The small plains have a very definite slope from the hills
down to the sea, but in Mazandaran and Gilan the slope is
imperceptible and they appear dead flat.
These lowlands were originally covered with dense jungle*
which for the most part still remains untouched in the narrow
sections between the river deltas.
The smaller plains, where the rivers are sufficient for the
irrigation of the whole area, have been entirely cleared for
cultivation.
On the large plain of Mazandaran, and, to a much lesser
degree, in Gilan, many jungle thickets (‘Kharabeh’) still remain
and are quite impassable.