"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" [ظ‎‎١‎٣‎٦] (٣١٢/٢٧٧)

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A rieti tract of country, dotted over with numerous villages and cohered
■with vineyards, orchards, &c., extends eastward from here to the shores of the
lake.
Chjnar, poplar, ash, elm, sycamore and willow, besides pear, apple, plum,
apricot and other fruit trees, are principally grown on the plain.
The inhabitants of some of the villages are exclusively Armenian and
Nestorian Christians, while others are entirely Turks of the once powerful
Karapapak clan, who many years ago settled down here. Persian is only
imperfectly known, and Turkish or Syriac is the language of the people. The
Karapapak are all Shiahs.
The track keeps through the lane along the right hank of a small stream
we have followed since leaving Jundarli.
Chucha. —At 20f miles reach the village of Chucha, at the foot of a low
range of bare hills bounding the Baranduz plain to the south-east. Passing
through the village, the road enters a small valley | mile wide, down which the
stream we have been following flows.
Ckasimlar. —Follow an easy track, swampy in places from irrigation cuts,
and at 22 miles reach small village of Chasimlar (4,510'), where we halted.
Some bundles of fascines, easily procurable from the numerous willow
trees, would be very useful in crossing the muddy canals on the plain.
Bushes, teazle, and many English flowers grow along the stream banks.
The people in Baranduz seem, to be expecting another Kurdish raid.
Jundarli is a partially walled village, and there are mud forts at Chucha and
Dizei'techeh with numerous watch towers.
The orchards cease at the edge of the plain at Chuchaj and the hillsides
now are perfectly bare of trees. There is plenty of grass on these hills in the
spring time.
Wheat, barley, sesame and a little cotton grown in small patches round
Chasimlar. There was only one cart in the village. Very few carts could be
collected in the district, and are too heavy and clumsy to go any distance over
hills, or to be of much use to the transport of an army.
29th July—General direction, S. Left the village, and continued alono- a
broad track up the valley, here about ^ mile wide.
The valley narrows as we ascend, and the border hills are steep clay slopes,
getting higher as they recede.
The road is a broad track, easily passable for carts, and follows the windings
of the valley. A few small clusters of Kurdish huts were passed, and some
patches of ^ cultivation along the stream ; but the country looks very deserted
after crossing the rich plain of Baranduz.
There are several small springs on the hillsides noticeable by the patches
of green grass round them.
After winding up the valley for 11 miles, we emerged on an open undu
lating moorland (5,510'), measuring about 10 miles each way, quite bare of
trees, but growing good bay by the stream banks and in the valleys. It is
bounded by high rocky hills on either side, those on the west being the highest.
In that direction they merge into the snow-covered ranges along the frontier.
. ^ k roac i track leading from Sulduz to Mergavvar crosses our route here,
going 293° over some easy hills towards the latter place. Mergavvar is an
enclosed elevated valley some 12 or 15 miles to the west, and Sulduz plain is
one day distant to the east.
Aghbulalc. At 17 miles pass the head of a flat valley 1 to 1| miles
broad which extends some 5 miles among the hills to the west. At the head of
it is the large village of Aghbulak.