"استطلاعات في بلاد الرافدين وكردستان وشمال غرب بلاد فارس ولرستان في الفترة من أبريل إلى أكتوبر ١٨٨٨، كتبها المقدم ف. ر. مونسيل، فرع الاستخبارات. يوجد مجلدان. المجلد الأول: تقرير سردي ووصف للمدن الكبرى والطرق المؤدية منها. شيملا: فرع الاستخبارات، إدارة قائد الإمداد والتموين، ١٨٩٠" [و‎‎٣‎٨] (٣١٢/٨٠)

57
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Rul-i-Sullan Defile. —At 3 miles a narrow Y-shaped ravine called the
Kul-i-Sultan Pass (3,015') is traversed, the track winding among large boulders
with a steep gradient.
Tang-i-Gulam .—At 5 miles is another narrow defile, 200 yards long, and
barely 20 feet wide, and bordered with cliffs 200 feet high, called the Tang-i-
CJolam.
The track follows the bed of a small stream among boulders, and during the
floods in spring the road is quite impassable.
The line of cliffs through which this forms the only opening extends all
along the hillside for 4 to 5 miles on either hand.
Below the slopes become easier, and the lower spurs of the range are more
rounded. We follow the line of the small stream which flows at the bottom
of a deep gorge on the right.
A few stray patches of cultivation were seen on. the upper part of the
descent and the country is quite bare and deserted as we descend.
Gusdana Plain .—At 6| miles the lowest spur of the ridge is passed, and
we enter the plain of Gusdana (2,615''), crossing it in on a bearing of 177°
heading towards the Tang-i-Gnnjianchun.
This is the usual encampment of Hassan Ghuli Khan’s people for the win
ter months. The remains of old camps were seen ; there is plenty of grass in
winter and spring on the plain and the low hills adjoining, while everything is
now burnt up.
Some strata of gypsum were crossed containing patches of a flaky trans
parent substance whijh proved to be Selenite.
Tang-i-Gunjianchun .—At 19 miles the Tang-i-Gunjianchun (1,490') was
reached. A river of the same name emerges from the Kerrapi Kuh through a
deep rift called the Tang-i-Dakhursa, and follows the south-west side of^the
Gusdana Plain.
The Tang-i-Dakhursa bears 24° from here, and is 5 miles south-east of the
Kerrapi pass along the ridge. No road is said to lead through it.
The lower part of the plain near the Tang is called Bahnrowan.
The river runs in a deep bed, 200 to 3CO yards wide, bordered by earth cliffs
80 to 100 feet high. We descend a small ravine to the water level.
On either side of the pass are low ranges of a clay formation streaked with
gypsum, cut up by numerous small ravines. To the right the range is called
the Kuh-i-Kuluk, and runs and north-west in the direction of Tursakh, and
south-east is the Kuh-i-Kafirgah, which forms the extremity of a long spur
from the Kuh-i-xAnnoran, a high mountain range parallel to and south-west
of the Kebir Kuh.
The Kuh-i-Kafirgah increases in height from the Tang, and a few miles up
is covered with low trees and shrubs.
The water of the Gunjianchun and the other streams of this plain is sli o- ht-
ly brackish, but drinkable. They become salt only when they reach this line of
gypsiferous strata and are quite sweet before leaving the hills. The same thing
occurs with all the streams along the western slope of the Pusht-i-Kuh. These
gypsum strata extend all the way from Mosul to the Persian Gulf as an out
lier to the main ranges.
No vegetation was visible now except a few reeds and tamarisk bushes
along the river banks.
The road follows the river bed through the pass, fording twice. Conse
quently if the river is high in spring, this road would be impassable.
Another track leads over the Kuh-i-Kuluk, said to be very rough going,
crossing several small ravines.
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