"النقل الآلي الطرق في بلاد فارس. المجلد ١ - الطرق الرئيسية. ١٩٤٢" [ظ‎‎١‎٦‎١] (٤٩٨/٣٢٧)

ROUTE VIII—SECTION C.
MESHED to ASKHABAD via QUCHAN.
Distance. —177 miles.
Reference sheets. —22-P, 22-L, 22-K.
Authorities. —M. A. Tehran, 1937. Routes in Persia, Vol. I.
Intelligence Reports, 1939-41.
GENERAL REPORT.
1. Classificaiion. —B. 1. throughout in all weathers; possibly
A. 1. from the Iranian frontier to ASKHABAD.
2. Alignment and Brief Description. —The route is best
considered in three stages.—
(a) MESHED to QUCHAN (22 K/Y. 5000), 97 miles.
Maps 22-P, L, K.
As far as CHINARAN (22 P/E. 1158) the motor road
follows the cart road as shown on the map. The roadway is some
22' wide with lateral ditches; but the surface is very cut up, and
in olaces is covered with inches of dust. Apart from culverts the
onlv bridges crossed are a stone bridge at Mile 3, a wooden one
at Mile 37, and two small stone bridges at Miles 38 and 42.
Two miles west of CHINARAN the route leaves the road
marked on Map 22-P and runs west to the edge of the map at
about E. 0257, continuing on the edge of Map 22-L (where
“ Meshed 42 miles ” is printed). This track is the present motor
road for about 30 miles to a point some 3 miles west of KAR-
ACHAH(22L/C. 1. Old map). The road is without bridges
and culverts, and undulates all the time into and out of nullahs.
The surface is very corrugated, but as the surrounding earth is
gravelly, there is a sort of natural metalling in the road. Heavy
rain would score the surface of the road in the nullahs, but else
where would not affect it.
From three miles west of KARACHAH the road runs
slightly to the east of the track marked on the map, to a point
where the track on Map 22-K from QUCHAN reaches the edge of
that map at D. 5287. It then follows the line of this track into
QUCHAN. ^
Map 22 ( -K QUCHAN t0 BA J GIRAN (22 K/Y. 3356), 50 miles.
For the first 5 miles after crossing the ATREK river (where
a new bridge is being built), the road runs northwards, graduallv
ascending over undulating ground towards the hills. Here the
surface is good and the width of the roadway some 30', with