'Military Report on S.-W. Persia, Vol. I. Bakhtiari Garmsir' [‎9v] (23/168)

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The oil-bearing strata, for which the district has long been
known, attracted the attention of a British Syndicate, which,
in 1907, commenced experimental borings at Mamatain and later
at Mai dan Minafthn, where the “ shows” of oil are best situated
for working. Oil was struck at the latter place in large quantities
on May 26th, 1908.
With the exception of the Malamlr plain, which in May 1908
with its broad alluvial expanse, and central lake, resembles closely
the plains of the Persian plateau, the district includes none of the
broad plains, composed of gravels and sand, which are the predom
inating feature of m st Persian landscapes. The plain of Kaleh
Tul and Bagh Malik are, it is true, alluvial, and probably were
once lakes; but the alluvial formation is not of great depth, and in
size they cannot compare with the great plains of Central Persia.
The paucity of vegetation and the absence of cultivation over
large areas facilitate conjecture by the traveller as to the formations
that he sees: each formation has its own typical contour and shape,
which can be observed unimpeded by trees or standing crops.
The gorge of the Karun, which winds tortuously between
steep hills and cliffs rising 1,009 or 1,500 feet sheer from the
water’s edge, would itself form an interesting geological study,
flanges are transected usually at right angles, and magnificent
sections of rock are thus displayed : the gorges are usually very
narrow, and the current varies from 4 to 8 miles an hour : no river
terraces are to be seen; being mainly snow fed, the water is fresh,
though augmented by countless tainted streams. It is subject to
great variations of level, and in March 1908 two or three days’ con
tinuous rain, coinciding with the melting of the snows, caused a rise
of from 50 to 60 feet above normal autumn level at Bard-i-
Qamchi. This, however, seems to be quite unusual, but it may
explain the numerous ancient broken bridges that occur at intervals
along the river.
(iii) Zoological.
The standard work on the Zoology of Persia is W. T. Bland-
ford’s contribution to Goldsmid’s “Eastern Persia,” Volume II,
1876 ; though much has been discovered and written on the subject
since this work was published, it remains, as far as is known, the only
work dealing exclusively with Persian Zoology. Neither his explora
tions, however, nor those of his predecessors, did more than touch the
fringe of South-Western Persia, and much still remains to be done.
Broadly speaking, the Bakhtiari Garmsir seems to lie, zoolog
ically, as geologically, in the Zagros Mountain zone, rather than