'Lord Curzon's Notes on Persia: About 1889-1890' [‎300v] (620/1486)

6
At 6 miles the village of Imam Kuli is reached. Both it and the Kalch
are very poor, and do not possess a blacksmith ; however cattle, fowls, and fod
der are to be obtained.
November jist, i 88 g.
4. Kouchati, miles\ total distance 75 miles.
The valley of the Sharek is followed for 2 miles, in fact almost to the
source of the stream, *>., south-east, when turning south south-west a spur of the
rounded mountains which exist in that direction is mounted by zig-zags, and when
the top is reached and a slight descent is followed to the foot of a steep hill, the
latter surmounted also by zig-zags, the summit being reached in 1 hour and 10
minutes; march from Imam Kuli, say, 4 miles.
Here is the rounded top of a high range of hills which keep a pretty level
altitude, apparently forming the watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. between the rivers flowing into Trans-
Caspian and those that flow into Persia, and is probably the second highest
point on the whole road. On passing it on the west is seen an extensive plateau
almost entirely under cultivation, rainfall being the only water supply; and
beyond, a range of hills which divides it therefrom, is seen the Kouchan valley
stretching east and west, and bounded on the south by rugged mountains of
4,500 or 5,000 feet elevation. The cart road makes a detour to the west to avoid
the deep depression which forms the drainage of the plateau and in which are
esconced some villages depending for their water supply on kanats driven at
the bottom of the valleys or depressions.
The old caravan track was followed, and the first depression crossed after
3I hours’ march from the highest point, and the village of Kaletch-i-Shah
Mohammad is seen on the left.
The main depression was reached 2 miles further on, and a stream was
seen flowing down it to the east, following the main depression almost to its
head, the rounded watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. between it and the ravine which flows south-east
into the Kouchan valley, was crossed.
It is down the sides of this last-named ravine which is rocky in character
that the new road is carried; often having to be excavated in rock and support
ed by retaining walls. The gradient is kept easy at the expense of here and
there short zig-zags such as no railway could negotiate. The road crosses
from the right to the left bank of the ravine at miles from the “ highest
point,” and a good spring of warm water was reached at 7^ miles. The mouth
of the defile where it opens out into the Kouchan valley was reached at 9J
miles from the “ highest point ” and then the caravan route was again followed
as being shorter than the cart road, which was seen however following the
slopes of the uplands on the left. These uplands extend from the mouth of the
defile to within 2 miles of Kouchan, and are almost all cultivated for grain, and
depending on rainfall, and unirrigated. The distance from the mouth of the
defile to Kouchan must be 8 miles.
Kouchan and the Khan thereof have been well described by the Hon’ble
George Curzon in his letter to the Times of December 6th. The Khan was very
hospitable to the writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. of this.
A halt was made at Kouchan for 3 days on account of ill health, which also
prevented the Telegraph Office of the Persian Administration which is estab
lished being visited.
KOUCHAN TO MESHAD.
5. The country traversed is well described in “ Routes in Persia/'
The journey was made on the 4th and 5th December in a good Russian