"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" [ظ‎‎١‎٢‎٨] (٣١٢/٢٦١)

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in an antiquated sort of barouche from Urmia, and usually spends the summer
here in tents.
The garden is Avell kept, growing apricots, almonds, pears, apples, and vines,
besides cucumbers, melons, potatoes, badinjan, and other vegetables. The
apricots were ripe now, and the grapes just commencing.
The garden is irrigated by a stream from the valley, and for drinking
there is a large well. Water from an irrigation channel is never good to
drink, being flat and stale
On a mound above the village are the ruins of an old mud fort.
The village is just on the edge of the Urmia plain (UbOO 7 ). Eastward
to the lake is an extremely fertile country, with numerous villages and large
fruit orchards. The wheat and barley crops were being cut now.
The weather was very pleasant for marching; the sun was powerful,
although the noon temperature was not above 80°.
18th July.—General direction S.E. Left Hassan, and following a broad
track over the plain towards Urmia.
Nazlu .—At 3 miles passed through the large village of Nazlu, half
Armenian and half Persian. The houses were well built of sundried bricks,
each with an elevated wooden framework, on which the family sleeps at night.
Haifa mile further forded the Nazlu Chai, a large stream with two channels,
50 feet wide and 2 feet deep, in a gravelly bed 300 to 400 yards wide. In
winter this ford is not practicable, and the only means of crossing is at the
bridge at Shungar Ali, 3 miles lower down.
Carts are used on the plain, but only for bringing in corn from the fields,
&c., and never for journeys of any length; pack animals being invariably
employed for this.
From Nazlu is a broad easy track to Urmia, reached at 14 miles from
Hassan and 11 from Nazlu. Several large villages with orchards were passed
on the way. Most of these had large enclosures with high mud walls for
defence in case of Kurdish raids. In two villages they were at work building,
and evidently expected a repetition of the raids of 1881.
This route from Bashkala forms an important line of communication.
It is passable for field artillery throughout, with the exception of a short dis
tance in the valley of the Mihaila Gavvari stream just before reaching Gavvar
plain. A little road making would soon make this right.