‘GAZETTEER OF PERSIA VOL. I Comprising the Provinces of ASTARÁBÁD, SHÁHRUD-BÚSTAN, KHÚRÁSÁN, AND SÍSTÁN’ [‎320v] (647/722)

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Supplies are plentiful. It is situated on the left bank of a river, the water
of which is brackish ; but there is an c ab-ambar ’ of sweet water about
205 yards distant. This ab-ambar is dry in summer; for it is supplied by
rain only; the villagers then drink the salt water of the stream.— {Ferritr
Gi/l.)
SANG-I-SURAKH*— Lat. 37° 29' 0", Long. 58° 40' 0"; Elev.
{Napier).
A village in Daraghaz, Khurasan, 25 miles from Muhammadabad, on the
road to Kachan by the Dawand pass. It lies on the slope of a spur in the
north bank of the valley, through which the road runs, and closes a pass
leading from the Akhal settlements in the Atak.— [Napier.)
SANG-I-SURAKH— Lat. , Long. ; Elev.
A pass in the province of Astarabad, 23 miles from Jajarm, on the road to
Astarabad by Naudih. The pass is a narrow defile between masses of
trap rock. The ascent and descent are easy, and guns might be driven
through, except for half a mile; and at that point a little labour could
render the path practicable.— [Napier.)
SANGKHAS, or CHAIIAR DIE— Lat. 37° V 20 // , Long. 56° 48' 0" ■
Elev. '.
A village in Khurasan, 40 miles south-east of Bujnurd. It is a poor
place, situated in an uninviting-looking plain. It has 200 houses, and is the
chief of four villages, the other three being Khuda Shah, with 50 houses,
Safirabad, 30 houses, and Jurba, 60 houses. The village has evidently
been a much larger place, as there are the remains of its old wall
much beyond its present limit, and its gardens stretch for two miles round.
It is diilicult to trace the real cause of decrease of population in this
district. It cannot be attributed to the famine of 1871-72; for it fell lightly
on these villages. The spring forming the source of their water-supply
was not materially affected by the three-years' drought, but continued to
afford sufficient to irrigate the village lands, and to support the population.
In ten years the people have enjoyed absolute immunity from Turkuman
raids and a light and fixed revenue demand not exceeding 1,000 tumans,
or 10 per cent of the net value of produce. The corn lands are productive;
but only sufficient is raised for home consumption, a great breadth of land
being reserved yearly for cotton, which finds a ready sale in Shahrud for
the Russian market at a price of 25 krans = Rs. 10 per man. Much atten
tion is also paid to sericulture. Large quantities both of raw silk and silk
worms' eggs go to Shahrud for export to Europe and the Russian prov
inces in Asia. The people of Sangkhas are, accoi’ding to their own account,
Usbaks, brought from Bukhara at some former period, probably by
Muhammad Shaibani, who is known to have transferred a number of
Persians to Bukhara. They are now indistinguishable in feature from the
Persians and Kurds or Turks, with whom they have mingled.— [Mac Gregor,
Napier.)
SANGSALAH— Lat. , Long. ; Elev.
A halting-place in northern Khurasan, 100 miles from Bujnurd, on the
road to Nardm, which lies 20 miles west.— [Thomson.)
SANG U RANI—
A Baluch tribe, which has gained permanent location in Sistan since the eom-
mencement of this century, prior to which they were ‘ palas-nishm,' or booth-
* The “ Stone of the hole.”