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‘Persian Gulf pilot comprising the Persian Gulf and its approaches from Ras al Hadd, in the south-west, to Cape Monze, in the east.’ [‎172v] (351/404)

The record is made up of 199 folios. It was created in 1932. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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278
KARUN RIVER
[Chap. VIII.
Chart 2483.
From Kut Saiyid Amaieh to Wais, about 15 miles, the banks
and shoals become more numerous, and a few groundings may be
expected.
5 Wais is a large village about 24| miles above Ahwaz, at the
southern end of a long reach. From Wais to Band-i-Qir, there is
a straight reach in which it is stated that there are only two bad
places, where the river bed is of stone, namely at Helowdella and
Bait Senafie. At Band-i-Qir, the river divides into three branches,
named Ab-i-Gargar (Gargar river), Ab-i-Shatait (Shatait river),
and Ab-i-Diz (Diz river); the first two re-uniting above Shushtar
and resuming the name of Karun river.
At Band-i-Qir, vessels bound for Shushtar enter the Ab-i-Gargar,
the eastern branch, for the Ab-i-Shatait, the middle branch, is
15 completely barred about one mile above Band-i-Qir by a ridge of
rocks, which renders it impassable to a steam vessel, and nearly
so to native boats. A bridge spans the river at Band-i-Qir, but
it can be opened to allow the passage of the river craft. At Band-i-
Qir the stream is from a quarter to half a cable wide, with general
20 depths of from 3 to 6 feet (0 m 9 to l m 8); under the telegraph wires
there, a rocky ridge leaves a very narrow channel, barely permitting
the passage of the steamers.
Kyat peak, a triangular-shaped summit of the nearest range of
hills, is an excellent mark.
25 The banks of the river in this locality are from 30 to 40 feet (9 m l
to 12 m 2) high, and a few miles above Band-i-Qir, the remains of
an old ruined city are discernible, embedded in the cliff. The reach
between Band-i-Qir and Saiyid Hassan, situated about 6| miles
up stream, is the most difficult of all, by reason of the narrowness
30 of the channel and the depth available. The stern-wheelers and
barges are frequently aground, or else strike the banks every few
minutes. Above Saiyid Hassan, conditions improve, but progress
is slow as far as Dar-i-Khazineh, a distance of about 15 miles. The
steamers stop abreast of Shalaillyeh village, which lies about 2
35 miles from the river bank 8 miles below Shustar. At a short distance
farther up, navigation ceases.
Shushtar [Lat. 31° 48' N., Long. 49° 00' E.) is a large town
with about 10,000 inhabitants; it is the seat of the Governor
of Arabistdn, an official appointed by the Persian Government,
40 and has a considerable garrison. Cargo is conveyed to it from
the steamers' stopping-place by pack mules, the distance being
about 7 miles. The principal exports are grain, cotton, wool, gum,
and oil seeds; and the imports, piece and general goods from
Bombay, iron from Europe, and tea from India. Inferior carpets
45 and native fabrics are manufactured.
Diz river. —In August, 1891, the s.s. Shushan, a stern wheeler,
80 feet (24 in 4) long, 30 feet (9 m l) beam, and 21 feet (0 m 8) draught,
ascended the Ab-i-Diz, which, starting from Band-i-Qir, follows
a very tortuous course through flat uncultivated country and vast
50 jungle as far as Kut Abdush Shah, Entering by a channel 20
yards (18 m 3) wide, the vessel proceeded for 1| hours through a
winding channel, with a depth of 3 feet (0 m 9); it then deepened
to an average of 9 feet (2 m 7), except where barred by long sand
banks about every 5 miles; in the crossings there were depths of
55 3 feet (0 m 9).

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Content

Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. pilot comprising the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and its approaches, from Ras al Hadd, in the south-west, to Cape Monze, in the east. Published for the Hydrographic Department of the Admiralty by His Majesty’s Stationery Office, London, 1932. Eighth edition.

The pilot begins with a number of introductory sections:

  • Notice of caution when approaching British ports, including the closure of ports and examination of vessels entering ports (folio 1v, inside front cover);
  • Notations of supplements and annual summaries of notices to mariners relating to this book (folio 2);
  • Cautionary notes on the measurements, including those for (bearings, longitude, latitude, depth) given in the pilot, and the different methods of shading used to indicate colours of flags, tidal light signals and beacons in the pilot (folio 5);
  • Advertisement to the eighth edition (folio 6) providing an outline history of the pilot, and updates to the latest edition;
  • Contents page (folios 7v-8), referring to the pilot’s pagination;
  • A list of views (illustrations), with reference to the pilot’s pagination (folio 8v);
  • A glossary of terms (folio 9), organised alphabetically, and with an indication of their origin (Arabic, Baluchi, Hindustani, Persian);
  • Notes on the system of orthography (folios 10-11);
  • Information relating to Admiralty charts and other hydrographic publications and general navigation (folios 12-19), with sections on the correction of Admiralty charts, and their degree of reliance, navigational publications, including the Admiralty lists of lights and wireless signals, tide tables, and general remarks relating to practical navigation;
  • A map of the head of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , dated July 1932, indicating those areas covered by Admiralty charts (folio 20v);
  • A map of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and Gulf of Oman, dated July 1932, with an indication of those areas covered by Admiralty charts mentioned in the pilot (folio 21v);
  • An insert (folio 22) detailing those elements not included in the present volume.

The main body of the pilot is arranged in chapters and appendices as follows:

Throughout the main chapters there are illustrations of the parts of the coastline being discussed by the accompanying text. These illustrations, which are a mix of line drawing and reproductions of watercolours, indicate the profile of the land, and highlight distinctive topographical features such as trees and forts.

Extent and format
199 folios
Arrangement

The pilot is arranged into eight chapters (I-VIII) and five appendices (I-V). The arrangement of chapters is geographical, moving from the easternmost point of the Gulf in chapter II to the westermost point in chapter VIII. The contents page (ff 7-8) and alphabetically ascending index (ff 182-93) refer to the pilot’s pagination system.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 199.

Pagination: There are two printed pagination systems, which generally situate numbers in the top-left corner of versos and the top-right corner of rectos. The first, which uses Roman numerals, runs through the pilot’s introductory pages (ff 6-19). The second pagination system uses Arabic numerals, and runs through the remainder of the pilot (ff 23-197).

The number of each chapter is indicated throughout the chapter (expressed as ‘Chap.’ and the chapter number as a Roman numeral) in the top-left corner of rectos and the top-right corner of versos. The lines of text on each page in each chapter are numbered in intervals of five (i.e. 5, 10, etc.)

Written in
English in Latin script
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‘Persian Gulf pilot comprising the Persian Gulf and its approaches from Ras al Hadd, in the south-west, to Cape Monze, in the east.’ [‎172v] (351/404), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/C251, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023623199.0x000098> [accessed 19 February 2025]

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