‘GAZETTEER OF PERSIA VOL. I Comprising the Provinces of ASTARÁBÁD, SHÁHRUD-BÚSTAN, KHÚRÁSÁN, AND SÍSTÁN’ [‎56v] (117/722)

(2) Zaferani, IS miles; (3) Sabzawar, 22^ mifes ; (A) Rfvad, 21^ mifes
(5) Mihr, 13 miles ; (6) Mazinan, 20 miles ; (7) Abbasabad, 27
(8) Miandasht, 21 miles ;;(9) Meiomei, 23 miles; (10) Shahrud, 39^ miles;
(11) Deh-i-Mulla, 17 miles; a small village, Haddada, lies 2 miles to the
south-west ot Deh-i-Mulla. Rvery now and then a post-house is opened
between Meiomei and Slmhrud, either at Rahmetabad, about half-way
between the two, or at Armian, which lies 6 miles south of Rahmetabad.
Rahmetabad was fromerly called Ferrashabad. The caravan stations are
the same, but the distance Sabzawar-Mazinan is generally done in two
stages. The total distance from Nishapur to Haddada is thus 246$ miles,
or 86^ farsakhs. The old stations were as follows :—
{section I. Nishapur to Khosrogird, 5 miles west of Sabzawar, four days*
march, CO mil, = 20 farsakhs = 76 miles. The first|station was Bel-veshtkend,
or Beheshtabad, at the foot of the Tag-hun-Kuh, 15 mil or 5 farsakhs,
from Nishapur ; the second station was Nahna-abad (some say Saglidar),
18 mil, or 6 farsakhs; the third station was Jisrabad, 15 mil, or 5
farsakhs ; the fourth station was Khosrogird, 12 mil or 4- farsakhs ; total
60 mil = 20 farsakhs. An alternative third station was Husseinabad.
The village Sanglidar lies to the south of the present high road ; the old
road thus made a curve towards the south and was a few miles longer
than the present road. At the entrance of the present road in the lulls
there is the small village, Dahneh-i-Sanglidar, or Ualah-i-Dahneh-i-
Sanglidar, “the village of the pass of Sanglidar;” it started into life
about 50 years ago when the Asaf-ed-Dowieh was Governor of Khorasan.
The pass was at that time in the hands of Kurdish robbers from Bujuurd,
and the Asaf-ed-Dowleh ordered 30 families of the village Sanglidar to go’
and live at and keep clear the entrance of the pass.
See! ion //. — Khosrogird to Haddada, seven days’march. (1) Albug,
also \ ahyaabad, 18 mil, 6 farsakhs; this village lies somewhat south of
Mihi ; (2) Bahmanabad, 18 mil, 6 farsakhs; Bamanabad is a ruined village
2 miles north-west of Mazinan ; (3) Asadabad, called by others Deh-i-
Kurdan and Hashkideh, 18 mil, 6 farsakhs; this is the present Abbasabad
which received its name from Shah Abbas I., who there settled a hundred
Georgian families from the Caucasus as a guard against Uzbegs and
Turkomans. Half-way between Bahmanabad and Abbasalad is the Pnl-
i-Abrishum (the silk bridge), formerly called the Pul-i-ro&han ; (4) Qobendiz
or Kohen-diz (Idrisi calls it Mabrar), 21 mil, 7 farsakhs; this is probably
the present Miandaslit; (5) Maymal (now Meiomei), 7 farsakhs; (6) Bazesh
or Badesh (now^ Bedesht, 5 miles east of Shahrud), 12 farsakhs ; (?)
lladdada, 21 mil, 7 farsakhs ; altogether 51 farsakhs or 194 miles. The
distances are too small between Khosrogird and Asadabad, viz., 18 farsakhs
(C61 miles) instead of 75£ miles, and too great between Asadabad and
Haddada, viz., 33 farsakhs, (122 miles) instead of 102^ miles. From
Maymal to Bedesh the old itineraries give 46 miles instead of
There were some alternative stations, as Haftdar, perhaps the present!
Zeidar, 7 miles east of Meiomei, and Marfan or Murjaa, between Maymal
and Bedesh. Idrisi gives the distance from Mabrar or Qobendiz to
Murjan as 12 farsakhs. Murjan must have been near the present
Rahmetabad ; the name still exists at two ]>laces, first, 4£ miles west of
Meiomei, where there is a garden called Ab-i-Marjan, and then 8 miles
further (18^ miles from Zeidar), where there is a valley called Band-i-
Marjan. Up to within a few years ago, and certainly for several centu
ries before that, the stations fiom Shahrud to Mazinan were exposed to
10