'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎156v] (317/610)

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Forests,
alluvial deposit of the Tehran-Kazvln plain which F exceeds
1,000 square miles in area. Should this theory prove correct
and the coalfield he capable of exploitation it would become of
great value in the event of a railway being constructed from
Baghdad to Tehran.
Iron. —Near Ardahak, 16 miles East of the Abiyak coalfield,
is a deposit of iron, 30 yards deep and 70 to 80 yards thick.
The ore is 40| per cent, pure iron.
Khamseh and Khalkhdl. Copper, alum, lead, mercury .—
Copper is said to exist in Tarum and near Zinjan, and alum
in Tarum. Lead is found in many places in these provinces,
especially near Anguran, 45 miles West South-West of Zinjan.
The Anguran lead mine is now closed. It was situated at an
elevation of 8,210' and only worked in summer. Mercury is
found in the district of Afshar, west of Anguran.
Kharagdn. —In 1910 a survey was made by a'Frenchman in
Kharagan-i-Khalaj about 12 miles East of Nubaran. In'an
area of 7 square miles near the villages of Azbazan, Turchak,
and Bivaran he found loads of copper carbonate, barytine,
iron, manganese, chromium, aluminium phosphates and
sulphates.
The boundaries of thp wooded area of the Caspian provinces
have been roughly indicated in Chapter II “Geography”
p. 95-6, and are shaded green on the map at the end of the book.
The jungle in the lowlands for the most part consists of small
trees between the areas cleared for rice cultivation, ^and the
main forest is in the foothills and valleys of the ‘ Miyanband ’
and extends to an elevation of between 5,000' and 6,000', above
which the trees become stunted.
The forests of Nur, Kujur and Tunalcdbun are considered
the best, and as the hills approach nearer to the sea in these
districts they are more accessible than the forests in the East of
Mazandaran.
West of Tunakabun in Gxlan the trees are smaller than in
Mazandaran.
Boxwood grows to rare profusion and perfection in many
parts of Mazandaran. It is found close to the sea m the
narrow coast strip between Mazandaran and Gilan, but most
of the thick stems have been cut, and good boxwood is now
found principally in higher levels.
There is much box in the Shimarud valley between Siyah-
kal, near Lahijan, and Dailiman, but none is seen between
Manjll and Rasht.