'Report on Sistan and the Country Between It and Mashad' [‎34r] (72/118)

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Basht-i-Lut. The valley of Birjand and Khusf, 6 to 15 miles in breadth, is
separated from the bare plain below the Kavir-i-Muharnmadabad by a band of
16 to .20 miles of mountainous country, conspicuous peaks of which are the
Kuh-i-Ark and the Kuh-i-Shu-shu. Immediately south of Birjand is a
massive and lofty range of over 8,000 feet, called the Kuh-i-Bagheran, separ
ating the buluk of Narjun from Arabkhana, which consists of a barren region
of hill ranges and narrow valleys running north-west and south-east. South
of this again is the buluk of Neh-bandun, a bare stony country, interspersed
with low hills, and sloping gradually down towards the clay flat of Sistan.
The only rivers in the whole of this district are the Bud-i-Shur
Rivers and the Bud-i-Khusf. Both of them are more or
UVG1S ' less salt. The former rises in the hills near Kain.
From Kain it flows in a general north-easterly direction, passing bet
ween the Kuh-KKaibar and the Ahingeran range, and thence to the
.Namaksar. Ordinarily its stream is from 10 to 15 feet broad and a few
inches deep, but the river bed varies from 50 to 150 yards in breadth. The
latter, rising in the hills north-west of Birjand, flows through Khusf, and on
-south-west till it is lost in the Basht-i-Lut. At the time I crossed it in
February, 23 miles below Khusf it was 30 feet broad by one foot deep.
In this part of Persia one often passes a dozen dry riverbeds and broad
watercourses in a single march, but it is very rarely that one detects any
moisture in them; so one is inclined to think that there must have been a
greater rainfall formerly than is now the case. The hills are so bare of trees
and any vegetation that when it does rain all the water runs off at once, and
the watercourses are dry again in a few hours.
According 1 to Br. JBeliew, the district of Kain or Birjand is divided into
nine buluks—Neh, Sunikhana, Zerkot, Khusf, Alghor, Narium, Kain, Nim-
buluk, and Shahwa.
With the exception of Shahwa, about which I could learn nothing, and
Khusf, which certainly does not include Duruksh,they seem to be very correct.
They do not, however, appear to include the little explored country to the
south-west of Birjand. I had no access to any official sources, and found that
the villagers themselves were extremely vague on the subject, so that I cannot
exactly state what the buluks are. The following divisions will, however,
include the whole district. In order to form an estimate of the population
and resources ol the whole district, where I have no information, I have taken
Dr. Bellew's, which will be stated wherever it occurs :
Nimbuluk.
Nimbululc.
Nimbuluk contains the following villages —
Name of village.
Houses.
Cattle.
Sheep.
Kemarks.
?)?: Dasht-i-Piaz
130
80
3,000
2 mills.
^Kidri
100
60
6,000
3 mills.
# Sagliuri
5
...
# .Marked on the map.