‘Persia – especially Seistan’ [‎445v] (889/949)

4
which is the shorter by some 15 miles and it is used by the post and the maj
ority of Kaffilas. The road is quite a good one for Persia. There are somo
wide river ends to cross, which w ould be very awkward in time of flood, and at
times water is scarce, at others salt, but there are no narrow defiles or high
passes. Robberies some times take place. Last week the post messenger was
tied up near Naibid for a day, but having no parcels was not robbed. A short
time previously, also near Naibid, in the Rudkhana-i-Duzdi or “ Thieves River,”
a caravan belonging to a high Persian official was looted.
The cost of carriage between Kerman and Bam, about 140 miles, varies
from 3 to 5 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. , and caravans take from 7 to 8 days to do the journey.
There are other tracks connecting Bam and various villages in the hills
and desert, but they are not much used and need no comment here.
Khorasan-Seistan and Bunder Abbas Bnutes.
The great caravan track from Herat, Khorasan and Seistan to Bunder
Abbas passes however within three day’s march to the eastward of Bam.
Through the Lut, or desert, there is but one caravan route, that running
through Farhaj and Nusratabad. Originally however when starting from
Bunder Abbas the tracts are two. One of the main road, runs through Minab
and then through the Rudbar District to Rigan, this bounded north. The other
lies west and north of this, going by way of a defile known as the Rudkhana-i-
Duzdi—there are several such in Persia—through western Rudharand unites
with the main road near MiM-Parhad, to the south of Rigan. The choice of
tracks is determined partly by the w’ater*supplies and partly by the likelihood
of meeting brigands.
Prom Bunder Abbas caravans take :—
To Seistan 40 days.
To Meshed 60 „
Cost of carriage :—
Seistan 15 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. per Kharvar
Meshed 20 to 30 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. per Kharvar.
Products.
Cotton, Raw, sown March—April, picked October—November Crop
100,000 maunds, Tab. yielding 30,< 00 maunds cleaned cotton. Price spot 37 to
38 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. per Kharvar cleaned. This has so far been all used at home. This
year however Arab Ardeshir sent a trial shipment of 3,000 maunds to Bombay.
Cotton Manufactured. —A course cloth called “ Garah ” is manufactured
and sold at £ a kr. a yard. Some 800,000 yards of this are produced a year, about
3,000 women being employed for 6 months in spinning and weaving.
Wool, Reno. —About 10,000 maunds (Tab.) half of which is fine wool, or
coork, are produced in the Bam District yearly, and handled by the merchants,
who buy in small quantities from the herdsmen and farmers, some lots of the
best being however, sent in by Khans from their estates. This wool is all export
ed to Kerman, Yezd, Kum and Isfahan, where it realises from 8 to 14 krs. a
maund for fine, and from 4 to ‘r for coarse. The wool is nearly all used in the
manufacture of carpets and none is exported to India, no samples procurable
just now, I am told however that the quality is very good, am making enquiries
as to chance of starting trade with India.
Henna. —This is the chief product of the district which produces some
500,000 maunds annually, about f of this goes to Yezd, where it is ground at the
rate of 1^ krs. per maund and distributed to the chief/ towns in Persia. The
remaining J is treated locally, part being used locally and part finding its way
into Baluchistan and Afghanistan.
Price spot, unground 2 to 2J krs. per maund.
Do. ground 3 to 3| ditto.