'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎241r] (486/610)

435
Route No. 1. Prom Tehran to Meshecl-i-Sar.
General Direction East to stage 5, thence North.
This is the easiest, longest, and least interesting route over
the Elburz. It crosses the watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. between the Persian
plateau and the Caspian by the low and well defined Firuzkuh
pass and presents no very serious obstacles to the construc
tion of a cart road. Native 4 charvadars ’ prefer route No. 2
as it is shorter, 139 miles in 8 stages, as compared with 171
in 10 stages.
As far as Damavand village in stage 2, a road has already been
made by the Postal Administration, which is passable for
Fords except in winter from February to March, and for Army
Transport carts at most seasons.' (See Route No. (h) above
page 417).
Several valleys running from North to South are crossed in
stages 1 to 5, and the Firuzkuh Pass in stage 6 . Beyond this
pass the road descends a ravine which lower down becomes
the valley of the Talar. The road is rarely less than 1' wide.
The gradients are easy, and the surface better* than the
average as far as stage 6 , but deteriorates in stage 7 and be
comes abominable through the forest in stage 8 .
Vegetation begins immediately North of the Firuzkuh Pass
in stage 6 and the transition from “ yailaq ” to “qishlaq” is
in stage 7.
Facilities for defence and for destroying the road exist Tactical,
chiefly in the Dalichai valley in stage 4, and in the defiles of
stage 6 .
Supplies are scarcer than along most routes as roadside Supplies
villages are few and far between. No supplies are obtainable
in stage 4, but the fertile districts of Varamin and Khar are
accessible by camel tracks in stages 1 to 5 via Damavand and
Firuzkuh. At stages 6 and 7 they must be fetched from
villages within 4 miles of the road. At 7 days’ notice, 1 day’s
supplies for 2000 men and 1000 animals could be collected at
these stages from the hill villages of Savad Kuh, provided
the inhabitants were friendly.
{a) From Damavand, stage 2, to the Tehran-Meshed road Communica-
at Aivan-i-Kaif, 3 stages. tions.
( 6 ) From Firuzkuh, stage 5 down the Hableh Rud to the
Tehran-Meshed road at Khar, 2 stages.
(c) From Firuzkuh to Samnan via Gur-i-Safid and Aftar,
2 stages.
{d) From Firuzkuh to Ask in Larijan joining Route No. 2
at Rahneh, in 2 stages.