'Reconnaissances in Mesopotamia, Kurdistan, North-West Persia, and Luristan from April to October 1888. By Lt F R Maunsell, Intelligence Branch. In Two Volumes. Volume I: narrative report, description of larger towns and routes leading from them. Simla: Intelligence Branch, Quarter Master General's Dept, 1890' [‎39r] (82/312)

The soil becomes more alluvial as we go on, and a well cultivated belt of
crops now appears on either bank of the river. Cross several irrigation cuts,
10' wide and sunk 6' to 8', generally bridged.
Zorbatiyeh .—At 144 miles entered Zorbatiyeh, a Turkish frontier town.
Our escort of Lurs from Dehbala would not come in, but left us outside, being
afraid of the Turkish authorities. They were a fine set of men, armed with
Martinis, and well mounted. They di-d not like Hassan Ghuli Khan's rule,
saying he ground them down too much. They asked if it were not possi
ble to take them with me to India, and enlist them in Her Majesty's army.
The Turkish authorities thought I had dropped from the clouds when I
entered Zorbatiyeh alone.
Bedrai .—Passing through Zorbatiyeh, we struck across the plain and reach
ed Bedrai (350') 8 miles further on, where we camped on the bank of the
Gunjianchun.
Zorbatiyeh is a place of 500 houses and Bedrai of 700 houses, both being
surrounded by date gardens. A Mutasarif with 100 zaptiyahs are quartered
in Bedrai, and a frontier guard of a Yuzbashiand 50 men in Zorbatiyeh. The
country around is said to be unsafe,—on the one side Lur robbers from over
the frontier, and on the other “ ghazus " or raiding parties of the Beni Lam
Arabs, who roam over the country towards the Tigris.
There is a good deal of trade with Kut-T-Amara, also with Mendali,
which lies two stages distant to the north. The stages are—
( 1 ) Tursakh ... ... ... 10 hours, 26 miles.
(2) Mendali ... ... ... 10 hours, 25 miles.
Total ... 51 miles.
The distance was also given as 14 farsakhs.
It is a barren road at this time of year with only a ruined fort at Tursakh ;
and the water is all brackish. No supplies available.
The chief traffic is in dates, fruits, rice and corn.
A route leads along the outer spurs of the Pusht i-Kuk to Dizful from here.
The stages were given as—•
( 1 ) Mal-i-Katabi.
(2) Changolan.
(3) Zarkrani.
(4) Kafilaja.
(5) Kishaduruk.
(6) Dehluran.
(7) Pattak.
( 8 ) Tak-i-Abbas.
(9) Iferkhah Elver.
(10) Dizful.
This route is not much used by caravans. The villages are few, and only
nomads are met with ; most of the streams are brackish.
In spring when there is grass on the desert, there is more trade between
Dizful and Kut.
The Lurs over the frontier and the Beni Lam Arabs are always at feud
with each other. The summer is the most favourable time for Arab raiding
parties, when caravans travel by night.
Large herds of cattle and sheep were grazing on the plain now, picking up
anything green they could find by the canals.
The date gardens of Bedrai extend some 2 miles inland on either bank of the
liver. The town lies on the left bank, and the stream is now fordable at all points,
flowing in gravelly shallow bed 500 to 600 yards broad. Dates, pomegranates,
figs and grapes are grown, and along the river bank melons, hemp, beans,
onions, bamias, bajra and badinjan.
1 2