'General information on Persia for any future edition, 1895' [‎102r] (193/211)

7
Aladeh, the next halt, is among hills, and is near the junction of the rivers
Shur and Hajiabad, which soon afterwards are lost in the plains of Tarun. and
Gakun,
To Tarun there are no difficulties. It is a big village with two citadels.
1 hence on to the Sahara of azd-i-Khast, just passing the insignificant hamlets
of Sayid-Jodah, Tashkat, Morz, and Baghin.
1 he Sahara of \ azd-i-Khast is considered to be the finest pasturage in Persia,
and stretches about 51 miles from north to south and 36 from east to west. It is
a standing joke in Persia when one sees a horse “ pig ” fat to say to its owner: “ I
suppose he was lost in the Sahara of \ azd-i*Khast.” Like most of this country,
there is only winter grazing, the Iliat tribes driving their herds up north to the grassy
uplands of Baonat, where as a rule they leave one-third of their number to occupy
the ground and sow their scanty crops. 1 heir perception of the law of meum and
tuum is not very delicate. The road there lay across to Juwun, the halting
places being Bondasht, God Mohk, and Talk-i-Bazurg, the last named place being
a big hill. Water was procured from rain holes, which^.re generally dry by the
end of February.
Juwun, the country town of the district, is a big village, the population of
which includes several artizans. It has also houses—the first seen for many
a league.
At this point the Governor saw that his pursuit of the brigands was rather
a wild goose chase, and so he decided to return home.
The first town he reached was Darab by Kosu, a big village with a fort.
Darab may be termed the family seat of the Kawam, who is also hereditary
Mayor of Shiraz. As will be remembered, the Shiraz riots of May 1893 were
occasioned by his exactions. The climate of the place is warm, oranges and
dates growing well.
The chief sight is a fort about three miles from Darab, where there is a hill
inside the fort, which is itself crowned by a second fort, now in ruins.
From Darab to Saidabad there is at first a very hilly tract of country, with
the Chashma Marwari and the Chashma Achog Chashma=spring) to Tul-Halal,
which is again in the low country. This is a biggish fort with a village inside it.
The surrounding country is famous for ghur, the wild ass. The natives declare
that there are two distinct species, but they probably refer to the male and
female, which are quite differently marked. They are very wary beasts, always
living in open country, and so very difficult to approach.
At Einobegal, merely a well of brackish water, Karman territory is re-en-
terech At Chashma Marmar there is also but little water, and so when the plain
of Sirjan with its numerous villages is at last reached, the contrast is truly delight-
tul. Saidabad is a really fertile district, and thence to Bahramabad the country
travelled over is very high.
Pariz, a town nestling among hills, is 7,000 feet. Thence over the lower spurs
of a range some 10,coo feet high to God Ahmar, a region of mineral wealth that
does not pay for the working. As a summer retreat it is, however, a pleasant
place, as there is an enormous garden, a good water-supply, and the houses
being built of pink mud are rather pretty. The climate is also very bracing.
Still continuing among hills, the highest, Badbaku, being of most fantas
tic shape, the pleasant village of Oraf is reached ; thence across a wide open
plain, with a gradual descent, to Bahramabad, not a nice residence owing to the
bitterness of the water and the scorching sand-dried wind.
Bahramabad is the centre of the cotton trade which is in the hands of our
fellow subjects—Hindus from Shikarpur in Sind. As a rule they have suffered ill-
treatment, but now under the enlightened rule of the Governor Sartip Asad
Khan, who has the humorous title ‘ Bajet-i-Mulk ’ or ‘ Guilty of the Empire, ’ they
have but small ground for complaint.
From, this point to Karman, Goldsmid, Gill, and Schindler amongst others
have described everything worth recording.