‘GAZETTEER OF PERSIA VOL. I Comprising the Provinces of ASTARÁBÁD, SHÁHRUD-BÚSTAN, KHÚRÁSÁN, AND SÍSTÁN’ [‎204v] (415/722)

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and Eupliratas. South of the Karan the Jarahi and Tab rivers have with
it, formed the delta of Persian Arabistan, the most extensive and fertile
After this not a single stream unfordable at all seasons bars the passage
of "the traveller along the coast till he reaches the Indus, eighteen degrees
of longitude to the east and five degrees of latitude farther south—a stretch
of riverless waste, perhaps unequalled, save on the neighbouring shores of
A-abia and the Red Sea. The lofty hills south and west of Shiraz originate
several streams, which are discharged into the gulf by two mouths-one
at Ru-hillah, north of Bushahr ; and the other formed by the Kar-agach
and Ffruzabdd rivers a little south of Kogan. , „
There appears to be no valid authority for the extent and direction of
any streams delineated on the maps between the last-named and the Mmab
river which again is of far more importance than the maps would lead the
observer to suppose. So little is known of the quadrilateral between the
Shiraz and Karman road on the north, the sea on the south, and the Smraz-
Fimzabad and Karman-Bandar Abbas roads west and east, that we can
pronounce nothing with certainty about its streams, except that all aie quite
insignificant. On the other hand, the Minat) creek receives the drainage of
all the wide plain across the hills north of Bandar Abbas.
In Persian Baluchistan the Aimmi and Kir torrents drain very narrow
valleys. The former is remarkable, as being the on ly watercourse in
Baluchistan, which pierces the plateau, rising amid low hills on the plain
of Bampur. The uncertainty whether this latter has an outlet to the sea
has already been adverted to. It is possible that the flood waters oc its
stream, after joining the Jfruft or Rudbar torrents, find a way along ie
north of the Bushkurd hills to the Mmab. For my own part, I incline to
the belief that no such outlet exists. ,,
The Dashtiari river is more considerable than either tee Kn 01 me
Aimini; but is less than the Dasht or Nihing, whose course has been fully
described in the narrative portion of this work. Its erroneous connection
by geographers with the Mashkfd and Rakshan torrents has a so een men
tioned elsewhere. wu .
We now come to the streams, which have no outlet to the sea. v» neie
all are so inconsiderable, and moreover vary so much at different seasons,
and have as much as possible of their water drained off in cana s, i is
difficult to signalise the most prominent. The general character is every
where much the same, and may be described as follows. Lefoie t e roo ’S
have left the hills, part of their water is taken off to irrigate the mountain
sides, and when they unite in the wider valleys larger canals lei ic ' ra
channel. As long as the slope is rapid and the bed stony, a great ea^ o
the precious liquid manages to escape; but when the. open alluvia P
between the ranges is reached, it is soon exhausted in irrigating t e an
and, but for constant affluents from the never far distant hills, won soon
present an empty bed. As it is, many rivers struggle on for a consi era e
distance from their sources, till they end in salt swamps or lakes. 1 ear ^
all are brackish in the latter part of their course, being tainted by t xe sa
com mon in the gypseous strata so universally occurring throng ion
Persia. /
Tire principal of these inland streams are—the Aji-Chai and Jaghatu,
flowing into the salt lake of Urmia ; the Hatnadan Rud, or K aia an
the Shorab, flowing eastwards to the salt desert; the Zaindarud, teiti ismg