"تقرير عسكري عن جنوب غرب بلاد فارس، يتضمن أقاليم خوزستان (عربستان)، لورستان، وجزءًا من فارس" [‎٣‎٢‎١] (٤٦٦/٣٦٦)

321
41
From Rudbar river to
Deh -Diz, 12 miles ; di
rection west; terrible
ascent, but descent into
Deh -Diz easy. Supplies
scarce, except firewood.
stage 4, November ISth.—Om road lay up between the marl masses; it is
rough, steep, and slippery. We avoided the Shalil road,
which must be better than the one we traversed, as Mr.
Mackenzie, who followed it, writes thus : " Shalilio Deh-
Diz, altitude about 6,150 feet, easy and gradual descent
to a main feeder of the Karun at about 3,250 feet; cross
ed by a wicker bridge across a fissure in the rocks;
dangerous crossing for animals; old bridge above in ruins; thence ascend to
3,850 feet/'
Now although Mr. Mackenzie's description of roads are, for the most part,
the ^ 00 coui ' eur de rose, still evidently the route via Shalil
by is the beaten track, and is much better than the one we
took via Rudbar. On the high* ground the road is
good and decends by an easy gradient to Deh-Diz.f At
Deh-Diz there is an old fort roughly built of* unhewn
stone with mortar; around it are nomad huts and a few
houses, about 100, of poor people. The village is sur
rounded by a square wall surmounted by five towers; a
large open upland is in front of the village, dotted as
usual with oaks and patches of cultivation. A party of
Saiyids were here awaiting to welcome the Ilkhani who
was to arrive the next day. They were by no means friendly, and expressed a
desire to shoot us in the hearing of my Mirza, who showed much pluck, and
seizing one threatened to report him to the Ilkhani on his arrival. The ordinary
people were friendly enough and very unsophisticated; they ask curious
questions of Mr. Baring—for instance, how many wives he had, whether he and
I were brothers, what present the Ilkhani had given us, &c., &c.
Eed-legged partridges and ibex are to be shot in the vicinity.
4 (a). From the village of Shalil, 6,058 feet, prettily situated on a small
5tli Jul stream flowing amsidt the shade of fine plane, elm,
mulberry, willow, tig, walnut, and poplar trees amidst a
thick undergrowth of bramble and rose bushes into the Ab-i-Bazuft, the road
descends to the Ab-i-Bazuft, 4,220 feet, and crosses it by a rough and narrow
bridge thrown over it at a point where its steep and precipitous rocky banks
approach to 10 feet distance of each other. For a few steps the road is but 2
feet wide and cut out of the rock; here wide loads must be unladen. Ascending
the road gains the top of a ridge elevated 6,266 feet. During the ascent the
remains of the old road, the Rah-i-Sdltani, are seen. A series of ridges are now
passed in succession as below :—
This must be
bridge mentioned
Scliindler, as above tbe
present " Pul-^-Amaret ,,
and the Rudbar must be
Jiis ''Bazuft" river,--
vide notes on a journey in
•South-West Persia, 1877-
78—R. A. Society papers
for 1880, page 14.
♦ Altitude we made
6,400 feet,
f Altitude 5,221 feet.
Valley
Rid^e
Yalley ...
Kidge
Valley
Bidge
Valley
Kul-i-Muzarm
Ridge
Deh-Diz
Feet.
... 6,215
... 6,402
... 5,9H0
... 6,742
... 6,350
... 6,970 Kiih-i-Safid.
••• ] 6,000
... 6,902
... 5,780
The total distance from Shalil to Deh-Diz is 15 miles; the first three ridges
are crossed in its first 10 miles; the road is very difficult; the last 5 miles is
through a thick oak forest.