"بعثة لإجراء عملية مسح لنهري دجلة والفرات، تم تنفيذها بأمر من الحكومة البريطانية، في السنوات ١٨٣٥، ١٨٣٦، ١٨٣٧؛ تسبقها إشعارات جغرافية وتاريخية للمناطق الواقعة بين نهري النيل والسند. في أربعة مجلّدات. مع أربع عشرة خريطة ورسمًا، ومزينة بثلاث عشرة لوحة، بالإضافة للعديد من الرسومات بالحفر على الخشب. المجلّد الأول." [‎١‎١] (٩٠٥/٥٤)

CHAP. I.]
ITS JUNCTION WITH THE ARAS.
11
running into it in a southerly direction from the same moun
tains.
The waters of the Cyrus and Araxes, at length uniting, The Kur joins
form one river, which makes a bold sweep northward, and the Araxes -
again another southward, through the plain of Moghan; when,
after having run a distance of about 110 miles, measured
along the windings, it falls into the Caspian Sea by three
mouths, being navigable for boats up to the point of junction.
Strabo 1 makes the Araxes larger than the Cyrus, which, he
says, augments the former; and at one time it had a separate
channel to the sea, merely communicating with the Cyrus by
means of a canal.
The name of the former river is supposed to be derived
from Araxes, son of Polusis, who was drowned in it. 2 Moses
Choronensis calls it Erashes; and other oriental writers give
it different terminations, as Arashe, Eaksi, Eris, Araksis, Ancient names
Arras, Eas, Eus, Arsinas, Cras, and Arras; but Xenophon oftheAraxes -
thinks it came from ar-ax, or holy water, and that it was
dedicated to the sun. In very ancient times it was called
Eaktos, 3 from a mercantile colony which came from the east
and settled on its banks. Owing to its rapidity, it is navigable
only for a short distance; but it no longer justifies the ex
pression of the poet; 4 for Shah Abbas constructed over it,
at about 60 miles north of Tabriz, a stone bridge, which is a
very fine specimen of architecture: there is a second, of
seven arches, each double, 5 of beautifully light construction,
by which I crossed the Aras at Koprf Keiu; 6 and there is
another at Hasan kal'eh, of two arches only. The river
itself, however, is occasionally fordable at some places in Description,
summer.
1 Lib. IX., p. 491.
2 Plutarch. See, also, Vol. II., chap. L It is called Arath andArasson
by some writers. 3 Aper§u, &c., p. 354.
4 Virgil, VIII., 726, 728.
" ibat jam mollior undis,
pontem indignatus Araxes."
5 The Persians are accustomed to construct two arches touching each
other, instead of a single one of greater solidity.—See the Chapter on Archi
tecture, Vol. II. 6 Thirteen hours from Erz-Rum.
* G 2