"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" [و‎‎١‎٣‎٨] (٣١٢/٢٨٠)

The wheat and barley crop has just been harvested, but is not yet gather
ed in for threshing. , , . , , , ,,
Cotton, castor oil, and sesame are the chief crops, while round tne villages
are small patches of tobacco, hemp and melon.
Several small muddy irrigation channels were crossed, and most of the
villages have watch towers near them.
At 3 miles pass Kurishawa, and at miles Khaltawar, both small villag-es,
and at miles reach the left bank of the Jerrata Su, a river 30 yards wide
and 2 feet deep, flowing down the centre of the plain from the hills to the west.
The upper part is known as the Gadar Chai.
On the right bank several deep irrigation cuts and some swampy beds were
crossed before fording the river. On the opposite bank was a long gravelly
mound, on which was the village of Kirkhlar, with a half ruined fort.
These villages are all Kurdish, and they look much smaller than those of
Baranduz and Sulduz.
The soil becomes now a rich loam, overlying gravel, improving as we go on.
At 11 miles the hills narrow in, forming a sort of strait about a mile
wide, and separating the Ushnu from the Sulduz plain, which we now approach.
The Ushnu plain is some mile» long and miles wide.
The Sulduz plain widens out rapidly, and extends to the east to the shores
of lake Urmia. It is dotted over with numerous large villages surrounded by
orchards, and it forms a very rich and prosperous-looking district.
All this end of the plain is cultivated with rice for about 5 miles down.
After passing the village of Derband (12 miles) at the entrance to the pif in
(4 680') we turned south, and kept along the foot of some undulating hills
which bound the plain in that direction. It is a broad gravelly road, crossing
some muddy irrigated bits here and there. . , , .
Gornawa.—kt 16^ miles pass the large village of Gornawa m the plain,
| mile to the left. •,
Chiana.—kt 184 miles another similar village called Chiana, 1 mile
to the left. Near this is a large rectangular-shaped fort, 400 yards by 200,
with mud walls 30 feet high, loopholed, and in good repair having bastions
at the corners and along the walls ; some with small embrasures.
The fort can be commanded at about 2,000 yards range from some low
rounded spurs, along the foot of which we skirt. . . „ ,
Gvzigailan, —At 23 miles turned to the left from the main road for 2 mi e
into the plain, and halted in the village of Guzigailan (4,495 ), a place
of 150 houses with a small mud fort, surrounded by a grove of fruit orchards,
vineyards, poplars, elders and willows. Drinking-water for the village is from
the canals, and consequently not good. Water m irrigation cuts is always
unpleasant to drink, and liable to bring on fever. j VQWr .
Some carts were drawing the wheat from the fields. ey aie y
two buffaloes, and have small solid wooden wheels bound with a ring tire.
Nagirdeh. —Bearing 322°, and 24 miles distant is Nagirdeh a place of
500 houses, scattered round the base of a gravelly mound, 500 y ar( J s *
diameter. There are some good two-storied houses, and gardens and orcha d
round o£ p ers i ans passed through here on their way to hawk quails.
They had a pack of six couple of hounds looking like a cross between a porn ^
and spaniel, used for hunting hares also. This is a favourite amusement
among the upper classes, both Kurds and Persians.
31 st July.—General direction, S.E. Rejoined the main track along the
foot of the hills to the south of the plain.
2 f 2