'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎77r] (158/610)

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500 B. 0. R. 1,5001. O. R. and 600 animals could certainly be
supplied without difficulty throughout the year and probably
many more.
Transport .—Any estimate of transport is impossible. A
fair number of animals are engaged in carrying trade between
Sari and Samnan. All villages have a considerable number
of pack ponies (yabu) for local use and sufficient transport
would be available to keep any force supplied with wheat and
barley from Hazar Jarib. Impressment, however, for military
transport would be very difficult. The owners are “ ra’ayat,”
(agricultural peasantry) not professional “ charvadars,” (mule
teers), timid and unwilling to leave their homes, and would
probably conceal their animals in the jungle, where it would
be almost impossible to find them.
Communications .—The badness of communications through
the Mazandaran plain is described in Chapter X, para, (c) and
in Chapter II under the heading of Strategical notes, p. 101/2.
The road from Sari to Barfarush is accounted the worst in the
province and becomes practically impassable in wet weather.
The road to Ashraf, on the other hand, is paved with “sang-
farsh ” over the softest sections, keeps on or near the slope of
the edge of the hills, and is the easiest route in Mazandaran.
It crosses the Tejen, which flows down a wide gravelly bed and is
easily fordable except in flood, by a good bridge of 17 arches. A
route to Samnan goes South up the Tejen valley, and Tehran
is reached by Elburz routes No. 1 or No. 2 (Chapter X, para-
(c) ).
Telegraph. —Mazandaran—Astarabad—Shahrud to Meshed
or Tehran. (Persian telegraph administration fine).
Water. Water for drinking is stored in Ab Anbars filled by
canals from the river Tejen, and is consequently particularly
liable to surface pollution. The only good supply is_a fine spring,
giving source to a considerable stream, at All Bagh, 3 miles
North of Sari. , , . 1
Camping Crowds.—The Bagh-i-Shah is a good camping
ground with plenty of room, but, owing to the excellence of its
water, All Bagh is probably the best camping ground in the
vicinity. There is much open grass and meadow land.
Administration.—The Governor of Mazandaran usually
resides at Sari and the Deputy Governor only functions during
his absence. There are the usual officials for finance, C endar-
merie (headquarter® of the Mazandaran battalion), justice
and education. Police were started about 1914, but they only
number 20 men and work in conjunction with the Gendarmerie.
There are 2 schools with about 220 pupils.