'Military Report on Persia' [‎19r] (42/134)

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tinning due north, it forms tho boundary between
Persia and Afghanistan as far as ZuMkar, and
between Persia and Russian Turkistan from
Zulfikar to Sarakhs. Above Herat there are
numerous fords. Below Herat there is an impor
tant ford at Zindajan, which is generally used
during flood-time. The Herat-Meshed main road
crosses by the Tirpul bridge 59 miles west of Herat.
The river here is 100 yards wide. The Tirpul
bridge is of masonry, ‘and has G arches; total
length 180 yards; width of roadway, 11 feet. Hear
Zulfikar the water is taken off for irrigation
leaving a stream some 40 yards wide with a depth
of about 2^ feet and a sound gravel bottom.
From Pul-i-Khatun to Daolatabad it is swelled by
the waters of the Kashaf Rud, and is unfordable
except at Shor Tapa and Naorozabad. At Sarakhs
there is a ford 60 yards wide and 2| feet deep.
Below Sarakhs the Hari Rud is known as theTejend. The
It becomes deep and tortuous, and is unfordable Tejend.
except in very dry seasons. The Central-Asian
railway crosses it by a 2-span lattice girder bridge.
North of the railway it gradually loses itself in the
sands of Turkistan.
The Harhaz rises in the northern slopes of Demavend, The
and falls into the Caspian near Amol, after a course Harhaz.
of about 100 miles. In its upper portion it is a
mere mountain torrent crossed by several wooden
bridges. At Amol the main road from Teheran
crosses by a masonry bridge of 12 arches. The
stream at this point is broad, but not more than
2 feet deep in the dry season. In spring, when the
snows melt on the Elburz Mountains, it becomes
an unfordable torrent.
The Kashaf Rud, or Tortoise River, also known as The Ka-
the Ab-i-Meshed, rises in the Binalud Mountains shaf Kud.
near Meshed, and joins the Hari Rud at Pul-i-
Khatun after a course of about 130 miles. In its
upper reaches fords are plentiful, but below Meshed
they are scarce, the easiest being that at Baghbagu.
B 2