"إضافات إلى دليل بلاد فارس، المجلدات II إلى IV." [و‎‎١‎٥‎١] (٣٧٠/٣٠١)

2
M A K RAN— contd.
undulations of the foreshore, or through the defiles and rents of the
turnbled-up mountains, there is always freedom from the weariness of
stones. Titus camels can move anywhere. They are the universal method
of conveyance, and are always found sufficient. As may be readily
imagined, much of the mountain scenery within 50 miles of the coast is
very magnificent. Jebel Hinglaz, a 7,000' peak, and the buttresses
which support it, may be accepted as a representative Makran mountain.
Its stupendous cliffs shine in the sun with a gleam like that of white
marble, and they are banded in tiers by the successive growth of strata,
as if they were the rising architectural grades of a mighty Babel. Effects
such as these are common through the whole Makran system.
Below the Hinglaz cliffs, hidden away in a deep recess, is the Hinglaz
Ziarat, dedicated to the goddess Nani. Whether “Nani” (possibly the
“ Bibi Nani” of the Bolau) is a relic of the ancient Persian goddess
Nanaia, or whether it is but the Hindu version of Kali (or Sita) seems
to matter little. Crowds of pilgrims of all denominations, Hindu and
Muhammadan alike, visit this shrine at every season of the year, passing
chiefly through Karachi and Sonmiani, and following the coast line to
where the Hingol river splits the Makran mountains, dividing them, after
the fashion of frontier rivers generally, with a broad band of deep steel
blue. They follow the course of this river for about 10 miles, and then
turn sharply into the narrow defile thickly set with oleanders, which leads
to the ziarat, about a mile or so from its entrance. No one who is but
acquainted with the coast, and who notes the barren sterility of the hills as
seen from the sea, would imagine the green beauty of some of the small ways
intersecting the mountains. The Hingol is a very fine river, and its mud banks
are fringed with tamarisk, often in quantity and quality enough to form a
respectable jungle. The * bher' or wild plum is common, and grows to
a great size, whilst various shrubs and flowering plants are always a plea
sant feature in the river scenery. Near the Ilinglaz Ziarat there is verdure
enough to make glad the heart of a pilgrim even from Southern India.
To the Punjabi it must be a veritable garden of Eden. The ziarat itself
possesses no special features of interest. It is a mud-built enclosure with
in a natural cave.
A steep and slippery climb from the neighbourhood of the ziarat leads to
one of the minor steps of the great Hinglaz. Here there is a sloping
plateau about 4,000' above sea-level, draining off into another series of narrow
rock-bound valleys which possess a perennial supply of muddy water, and
are the favourite haunt of herds of ibex. From this plateau the grandeur
of the scarped flanks of the true Jabel (the mountain head) can be well
appreciated, for they tower up straight and inaccessible, even to ibex, for
another 2,000' or 3,000'. The ravines and gullies intersecting the flanks
of the mountain are most picturesque. Wild olive, oleander, and sweet-
scented shrubs fringe their sides, and above the line of green on either side the
honey-combed and contorted walls of cliff present features of geological
eccentricity at every turn. Jebel Hinglaz is only a representative peak of
the Malan system. Southern Makran is full of such mountains. From
the coast line to the desert of Kharan the general character of the
country is mountainous. Within the mountains lie the comparatively
narrow valleys of Punjgur, K^j, Bolida Dizak, and others, all following