'Report of Khan Bahadur Maula Bakhsh, Attaché to the Agent to the Governor General of India and Her Britannic Majesty's Consul-General for Khurasan and Sistan, on His Journey from Meshed to Quetta via Turbat-i-Haidari, Kain, Sistan, Kuh-i-Malik Siah and Nushki (7th April to 28th July 1898)' [‎66v] (137/156)

110
REPORT OF KHAN BAHADUR MAULA BAKHSH
166. The Indian traders with my caravan, although disappointed by losses
Viewa of Indian traders regarding the new Of Camels (belonging to the CaDielmen),
Nushki-sistan trade route. difficulties of transport and want of water
at certain places, have not formed an unfavourable view of the new trade route
and they intend to advise their firms to send their goods by it in future. They
are of opinion that it is good enough for camelmen requiring water and flour
only and carrying packages of merchandise which they need not do up or undo
at each stage, provided arrangements are made for w r ater at each place and
godowns are opened at Rubat-i-Kuh-i-Malik Siah, Amir Chah, and Miroi. They
do not consider the road in its present state suitable for merchants, travellers,
or pilgrims not accustomed to rough travelling owing to the inconveniences
and hardships experienced by them in transit.
They declare that if arrangements could be made for storing barley and
bhoosa at each stage (which they believe could easily be done by an enterpris
ing contractor for only a small consideration from Government, as be would
surely make a good profit) and sinking wells at places wTierew r ater is not pro
curable at present in order to enable male caravans to traverse the road with
ease, the Nushki-Sistan route would become the best and the most popular
road between India and Eastern Persia and would attract all traffic of pilgrims,
travellers, traders, and merchandise going from India to the Provinces of Sistan,
Khurasan, Herat, Bukhara, and Turkistan and vice versa,
167. Excluding the time spent in Kain and Sistan in connection with the
Complete routes between Meshed and Quetta, settlement of pending British Consular
cases and delays at certain places caused
by difficulties connected with transport, I have performed the journey from
Ideshed to Quetta in 65 days.
The quickest time in which a camel caravan can perform the whole
journey is 62 marches, but it is very difficult—almost impossible—for any camel
caravan to make no halts at all, as camels get exhausted in traversing the sandy
desert and bad parts of the road, and occasional rest is absolutely necessary to
them. Therefore allowing the minimum number of ten halts, the time occupied
on the road between Meshed and Quetta cannot be less than 72 days, and any
camel caravan that can perform the journey in that time without any mishap
would do very well. r
The total distance between Meshed and Quetta being 1,090 miles, the
performance of the journey in 72 days would give an average of over 15 miles
a day which is ample.
Even if the journey should be performed in 72 davs, the Nushkf-Sistan
route would take preference over the Bandar-Abbas route which, though only
966 miles in length, takes camels from 75 to 90 days to traverse, while the
latter has none of the advantages of the former in cheapness, facilities, etc.
I append a table giving the whole route from Meshed to Quetta with all
tlm necessary information about camel-stages, distances, condition of road,
water-supply, etc., which might be useful for reference, as traders often apply
to the Khurasan Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. for a complete list of stages which the Khurasan Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
has so far been unable to furnish for want of information about certain parts of
A no tner table is also appended 'giving the route from Meshed via Kha,
and Gazik which Afghan caravans would probably prefer to the route via
Birjand and Neh owing to abundance of camel-grazing, easiness of road, and
friendliness owing to similarity of religion—of most of the people of the
frontier districts through which the former route passes.
Kll .t f ' ( i a . zi . k £ enerall y Relieved to be the shorter and more
direct than the Birjand-Neh route, but really it is about the same as the other;
jn fact it is longer than the latter by about 7 miles.
. A S t lle E;llaf -Gazik route joins the Birjand.Neh route at Madeh, the stages
beyond Madeh are not given m the second table, because between Madeh and
Quetta they are the same as those given in the first table.
Colonel* C V E Ie Y A Tr D p S 1 ! 6 r' I v^' Ga * Z ''f ? Ute fr0m Gisha to Milled with
1,00 Ml mJv’t C - M - Ct -> a ‘ tlle beginning of 1894, so the information
given about it may be taken as accurate. The information ahnnf tbp mvf Hp!
ween Grsha and Madeh has been obtained by me from a guide at Aliibdd