‘GAZETTEER OF PERSIA VOL. I Comprising the Provinces of ASTARÁBÁD, SHÁHRUD-BÚSTAN, KHÚRÁSÁN, AND SÍSTÁN’ [‎141v] (287/722)

KHtJR —Lat. , Long. Elev. _
A village in the Kara Dagh mountains, Khurasan, situated at the source
of the Khurchai stream. By an agreement arrived at between the
Russian and Persian (governments, the inhabitants of this village are
never to exceed the number of 300 families. The land allotted to them for
cultivation reaches from Knur fort northward as far as Darband, which
is situated south of the Naki fort. Only one-third of this land may be
cultivated every year. Shaltok* may be sown, but the amount shall
not exceed three kharwars. Til, cotton, and melons may be raised within
the same limits. No water may be taken to the level ground in the Khur
pass {vide u Klrdrehai ,y ). — {Perso-Bussian Agreement, 1884.)
KHtJR ALIA— Lat. , Long. ; Elev. T
A village in the Nishapur district of Khurasan. — {Thomson.)
KH0RASAN—Lat. 29° 45' to 38° 30', Long. 54° 45 / to 61° 45'; Elev.
/
A province of Persia situated on its north and east border. The bound
aries of this province are somewhat uncertain ; especially on the north
border, which was always vaguely defined on account of the imperfect
control exercised by Persia over the Turkuman tribes that inhabit the
line of the Atak. Since the occupation of the Tekke Turkuman country by
the Russians in 1881, anew delimitation of the frontier of Khurasan on the
north has been proposed by them, but has not as yet been carried out (1881).
The historical and geographical limit on this front is, doubtless, the river
Atrak from its mouth at Hasan Kuli Bay on the Caspian to its junction
with the Sumbar at Chat-i-Atrak, and thence along the course of the
latter river and the river Sunt to a point near Bami in the Atrak range.
Thence the Daman-i-Kuh, or Atrak, both signifying the skirt of a moun
tain range, would form the boundary in a south-easterly direction to
Sarakhs in the Tajand or Hari Rud river. From this point the boundary
turns sharply nearly due south, being well defined by the abovenamed
river as far as a spot near Tuman Agha in Afghanistan. Here the
boundary line leaves the river and continues to run south, passing through
the Dasht-i-Naumid to a point west of the Naizar lake. Here it follows
the Sistan boundary as defined by Sir Frederick Goldsmid— viz., the south
limit of the Naizar to the left bank of the Helmand, whence that river
forms the boundary as far as Kuhak ; after which it consists of a line
drawn from Kuhak to the hill known as Kuh-i-Malik-i-Siah in the range
dividing Sistan from the desert of Karman. From the Kuh-i-Malik-i-
Siah the line may be said to go to the fort of Nasratabad, and thence,
according to Khanikoff, the boundary goes to Dih-i-Saif on the road
from Karman to Sistau. It then crosses the desert called Dasht-i-Lut,
touching the hill Nakhiband and passing west of Pusht-i-Badam, which
belongs to Tabas. From this a line drawn through the Dasht-i-Kavir
to about Dih-Mulla, the north-west boundary of Shahrud, will give the
boundary in this direction; and the Astarabad southern frontier will then
form the junction with the Caspian.
The extent of the country thus described would be about 500 miles in
length from north-west to south-east and 400 miles in breadth, having an
area of about 200,000 square miles.
It will be noticed from the above description that Khurasan is sur
rounded in every direction, except a small portion on its north-west, by
deserts. On the north is the desert of Kara Kum (“ black sand ’ 3 ); on the