‘GAZETTEER OF PERSIA VOL. I Comprising the Provinces of ASTARÁBÁD, SHÁHRUD-BÚSTAN, KHÚRÁSÁN, AND SÍSTÁN’ [‎53r] (110/722)

f the green spring from Mashad is 12 farsakhs; the best road from Nisba-
o the green spring is urn Buzan, 3 farsakhs ; then to the spring 4 far
sakhs. The 7 lake is most probably the lake Sovbar 5 ubr, which is mentioned
in the “Bundehesh” (XII and XXII) as being situated on the mountain
Kundurasp, near Tus.
There is said to be an ice cave on the Kuh-i-Kuzehi, somewhat north
of the Taq-i-sabz, which is never, even in the hottest summer, free of ice.
A few hundred paces from the waterfall at the Taq-i-sabz and about 200
feet lower down the Taq-i-sabz stream is joined by the stream which flows
from the Quruneh mountain. The river then forces its way through the
rocks, cutting a narrow bed at a right angle through the strata. A mile
and-a-half above Bar the valley and the river-bed get wider, and receive
the Gunju stream. Close to the source of the Gunju stream and on the
Ardeghan mountain are some old copper mines which have not been worked
for many years.
The village Bar lies at an altitude of 5,425 feet in a fine fertile valley.
On an isolated hill, south of the village, are the ruins of a cattle, which was
constructed about thirty years ago by the Amarlu Chief, Kurdo Khan I.,
the then proprietor of the village. On another hill, north of the village, are
some older ruins, said to have been the site of the old village, which was
destroyed by the Afghans. The village had 1,700 houses then. Barbas
at present a population of about 500 souls, who pay a yearly revenue of
400 Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. (£125). Most of the inhabitants of Bar are bigoted Sayads
who belong to the three families Rezavi, Iluseini and Ali Asgheri, tracing
their descent from Imam Reza (buried at Mashad), Husein (the third
Imam), and Ali Asgher (a descendant of Imam Zein-ul-Ab-din). The
Tigh-i-pish Asiab (literally the chain before the mill) mountain forms the
limit of the Bar valley in the south. A small distance to the west of Bar and
to the left of the Kaj-stream. is the Kaj pass, 6,100 feet high, and leading
into the valley of the Safid-rud and the Marus plain. Some of the
villages on the eastern side of the pass, like Sineh-i-asp bala and pain.
Reran and Siah bala, belong to the Bar sub-district; the others belong to
Marus. The western limit of the Bar sub-district is just behind the village
Qantquchi, where the salt quarries are situated. From the Bar valley the
Bar river flows in a southerly direction towards the Nishapur plain. On
the river lie the villages Arieh, Damenjan, Duzdabad (at the junction
of the Taghum stream with the Bar river), Chaharbagh, Malakhderreh-i-
bala (pronounced Merekbtereb) and Khanluq. i he sub-district laht-i-
iulgeh begins at Khanluq. Some of the villages have, like Bar, ruined
towers and castles, former strongholds of the Amarlu Chief, Kuido. Khan.
The village Malakhderreh-i-pain lies in the Taht-i-julgeh district, but
belongs to”the Bar district. The eastern limit of the Bar district is formed
by the high mountain chain with the abovementioned peaks, and a second
chain with the Serbi peak, 10,400 feet in height; near the Tahiri and
Serbi peaks are some old lead mines. A foot-path leads from Bar to Firizi,
4 farsakhs north-west of Bar, where there are said to be some coal beds. In
the Mojem-el-beldan of Yaqut Bar, is mentioned as a little town near
Nishapur.
(2) Bar-i-Maden.—Hhxs sub-district lies to the west of the Bar sub
district and north-west of Nishapur. Its limits are, on the north the Kuh-i-
Garmab (6,550 feet), and the chain with the Turquoise mines (6,675 feet) ;
on the south the Batan mountain (6,420 feet). Bar-i-Maden has very
little water; it has 16 qariehs and some Mazvahs and would be without
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