'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME I' [‎259v] (535/820)

498
MAD-MAD
In 1882 the Mukhbir-ud-Dauleh, the Telegraph Minister, formed a com
pany, rented the mines from the Persian Government for 15 years on a
fixed rent of 9,000 tumdns for the first and 18,000 tumdns for each succeed
ing year, and retained them till 1884. Full particulars regarding this are
given in this Gazetteer (page 496).
In 1885 the Malik-ut-Tujjar again obtained the mines at 9,000 tumdns
a year, and held them till 1893 (during which period he is said to have
made a fortune out of them) when he was ousted by the Naiyir-ud-Dau-
leh, Governor of Nishapur, who increased the rent to 11,000 tumdns per
annum and had the mines for two years.
In 1894 the Timuri Chief and the Herat! Bankers, Haji Muhammad
Hasan and Haji ’AH Akbar, rented the mines for a term of ten years at
an increased annual rent of 13,200 tumdns 'per annum.
This contract was signed by the late Shah himself and was confirmed
by the present Shah. Despite this, it was cancelled after two years, as at
the end of the year 1896-97 the rent was suddenly raised to 23,200 tumdns
a year by the Malik-ut-Tujjar, who now holds the mines. The instability
of the engagements of the Persian Government has been the cause of the
ruin of the mines, and has prevented the contractors from working the
mines systematically or carrying out any improvements.
The concession for working the turquoise mines (as mentioned above)
includes the Government of the Ma’dan district, comprising territory about
40 miles square, which contains 13 villages and a few small hamlets called
kaldtehs with a population of about 1,500 families. The concession also
includes the working of the salt and lead mines and the millstone quarry.
Besides the two Ma’dan villages called Kaleh-i-Bala and Kaleh-i-Paln,
there are the following villages in the district :—
Sar-i-Chah (a large village situated to the north of the turquoise hills),
Garmab, Marzan, Nusk, Pehna, Ardlan, Tuznadar, Tiran, Burz-i-Nun,
Karakul and Khairabad.
1 The lead mine and the millstone quarry, situated in the Batau h 11s to the
south of the turquoise hills, are not important, and the present contractor
does not consider it worth his while to work them.
The salt mines (situated about 4 or 5 miles to the east of the turquoise
mines)* on the road to Nishapur, are sub-let by the contractor for 250
tumdns a year. ^
Full information is given above regarding the different mines in the
turquoise hill.
Stated briefly they are situated in seven different ravines called the—
1. Darreh-i ALu ’Ishq.
t 2. Darreh-i-Ssfid.
3. Darreh-i-Kuh.
* The salt is excavated from these by blasting with powder from the solid rock-salt
of which the hill is composed. This salt is very white and clear, and at the pit mouth
there was only a layer of some 20 or 30 feet of earth above it. The shaft runs straight
into the hill in the form of a cave or tunnel, and requires no propping up or supports
of any sort. The salt is considered superior to that obtained from salt lakes, and the
mines here supply the Sabzawar, Kuchan and Bujnurd districts, the price at the pit
mouth being 1 krdn (4 d.) per donkey load of 130 to ICO lb .—{C E. Yate )