'Lord Curzon's Notes on Persia: About 1889-1890' [‎300r] (619/1486)

5
for | of a mile or so when a very steep descent leads into a rocky valley which
is ascended in a south-west by south direction for f of a mile, when turning
to the left, and crossing a saddle-back the road will run south, descending for if
miles. From the Kotul to this point, 3J miles, only earth-work had been done,
the heavy rock-work had not been commenced, or many necessary bridges
touched.
Turning south-west by west the road ascends a valley, a confluent of the
one previously descended, at the head of which a steep pass has to be crossed.
1 here was no sign how the engineer proposed to negotiate this, the highest
point between Askabad and Kuchan, and which I should say has an elevation
of 4,000 or 4,500 feet above the sea.
The cold here on the 29th of November was intense, and snow was lying on
all the surrounding mountains.
Although this is the highest ridge passed it is not the watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. for the
rivers flowing north to the Turkoman desert, and those flowing into Persia.
On the far side the zig-zags were seen partially excavated (only the com
mencement of the earth-work the rock untouched) by which the road is to descend
into the valley of the Tang-i-Shahruh or Durbadam ; a very difficult bit of en
gineering this will prove, as the mountain-sides are very steep and rocky. It
was impossible to follow the direction of the proposed road, and the caravan
track had to be kept by which it took 30 minutes for an animal to scramble down
into the valley which was reached at a point a mile above the Tang or defile.
This is a remarkable split in the rock through which a good road has been
made to wind—the made-road has again been reached. The walls of the defile
are almost, if not quite, perpendicular, and it would take some time for troops
to crown the heights on either side if they were held by determined men. The
defile, I should say, is 200 yards in length, and on emerging from it a rock-
bound valley is followed which opens out at Durbadam.
At Durbadam there is considerable cultivated ground, and a largish village
with walled enclosures and trees. The ground is apparently good, and is irrigat
ed mostly by the waters of the Sharek, which small river coming from the south
and south-east debouches from a rocky valley into the Durbadam opening, and
disappears again into another rocky valley to the east. The extremely precipi-
tious nature of the mountains in this locality is very remarkable, and would afford
good positions for defence.
The road for a mile beyond Tang-i-Shahruh or Durbadam is open to wheel
ed traffic to Meshad, and wagons are employed to carry merchandise to and fro
as far as Durbadam, whence camels are employed over the remainder of the
road to Askabad.
November joth, i88g.
3. Imam Kuli ) 6 miles ; total distance 5^ miles.
From Durbadam the west side of the valley is followed, till the gorge, by
which the Sharek river enters it, is reached ; the stream is crossed by a masonry
bridge, and is insignificant in size and depth. The valley is followed through
its narrow limit for, say, 3^ or 4 miles. The stream is more than once crossed
by brick-bridges newly constructed, often almost at right angles to the general
alignment of the road, a proof that the Engineer had no thought of his road
being w'anted for a tramway, much less a railway.
At 4 miles the valley opens out into meadow lands, and at about 5^ miles
a tributary named Meha falls in on the left bank, and the village of Kalch-i-
Soke Bulak is seen on rising ground on the left of the road.