"دليل بلاد فارس، الجزء III، وهو يتضمن محافظة فارس، لورستان، عربستان، خوزستان، يزد، كرمانشاه، أردلان، كردستان" [و‎‎١‎٧‎٨] (٦٨٦/٣٦٠)

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“ The Bahr-ul-Mashir is not navigable in certain places at low water
for vessels drawing more than 7 feet of water, and is little used for traffic.
It appears to be getting shallower year by year, while the volume of
water passing through the Hafar increases. The rise and fall of the
tide in the Bahr-ul-Mashir being about 9 feet, most vessels could, by
taking advantage of high water to get over the shallow part, reach
Muhammarah by it.
‘‘ Passing up the Karun, we arrived at sunset at the village of
Kasbah, about 8 miles above Muhammarah. Date groves end; and for
the next 20 miles the soil is impregnated with saltpetre, and sparsely
covered with low bushes. A couple of miles above Kasbah, on the
eastern side of the river is the Shakha (?) or Dorak canal, which con
nects the rivers Karun and Jarahi: it is now so filled with sand as to
be navigable by such boats only as can be occasionally dragged over
the mud.
“ From this to Ahwaz the navigation of the river presents no
difficulty, beyond a strong stream in the winter and spring, and a
minimum depth of 3 feet of water opposite the deserted village of
Ismaili in autumn. From the tomb of ■’Ali-ibn-el-Husain upwards, the
banks are wooded with poplar and tamarisk. Ruined villages occur
frequently, but, with the exception of 'Amairi, 9 miles from Ahwaz,
none are now inhabited. Reached 'Amairi on the 4th, and Ahwaz
on the 5th April (about 200 inhabitants at each place).
“ Here, i.e. } at Ahwaz (q.v.), the river passes at right angles
through a range of low sandstone hills, and four ledges of sandstone
cross its bed more or less completely.
“ On one of these are the ruins of an artificial dam of masonry, which
constitutes the only impediment to a steamer’s ascending the Karun to
within 5 miles of Shustar. In its present condition the dam is clearly
impassable, except perhaps at great risk for a few weeks in the spring ;
but there are so many ways of overcoming the difficulty that it hardly
constitutes one.
“ To cut a channel through the soft sand on which the dam is built
in the,autumn, when the river is low, would be easy; but it is feared
that if a free passage were allowed to the water, the river above
Ahwaz might become inconveniently shallow. A canal, with a
lock, might be made at little cost.
“ Left Ahwaz on the 5th, and arrived at Wais on the 7th. Here
ends the jurisdiction of HajI Jabar Khan.
“ At sunset on the 7th reached Band-i-Kir, where the two branches
of the Karun (which separate at Shustar) and the river Diz come
together. I proceeded on by the easterly branch of the friver. This
branch was originally a canal, dug to irrigate the adjacent country.
“ We progressed slowly by dragging the boats from branch to
branch of the trees, where other modes of proceeding were impractic
able.^
The water system of Shustar was long a matter of doubt. Sir Henry
Rawlinson was probably the first to explain it correctly. Schindler
also made important observations on the subject.