"الطرق في بلاد فارس. (المجلد I.) (خراسان وسيستان.)" [ظ‎‎٧‎٢] (٥٣٦/١٤٩)

136
Route No. V— contd.
good water known as Hauz-i-Haft and is used as a halting
place.
Water. —Good.
6 PUSHT-I- 17 m. General direct ion
BADAM. NNE. Start as-
109J (SjSOO')- cending gently and
easily towards the mountains that bound the plain on the N.
Road hard and good. At 4f miles is a hauz containing very
good cold water. A low jagged black hill lies close on right.
At 7 miles altitude is 4,610 feet. Beyond this the ascent is
even more gentle than before, being only 100 feet per mile.
Leaving black hill behind the country is now broken, and rough
extending 3 or 4 miles to right, to bases of a rugged, red
mountain that gives the name to the Gudar. On left are
mounds of black limestone veined with quartz. Road runs
close under these, ascending a dry water-course, the limestone
mounds become larger, till they assume proportions of good
sized hills. After this road winds about amongst low hills
on both sides, and the summit of the Gudar-i-Surkh (“ the
red pass ”) is gained at 8| miles. Altitude 4,890 feet. Road
now descends a dry water-course; in some places imprac
ticable for wheeled artillery, as the track is narrow with steep
banks on each side ; but these are of clay, and it w'ould be
easy for a few men to make a road. Road winds about in a
general NNE. direction with clay mounds on both sides, des
cending the dry bed of a watercourse. Further on the country
gets more open, but still there are hills close on both sides.
Road stony in places. At 11 miles descend into Pusht-i-
Badam valley. Which opens out into plain. The road at
first is near the mountains on left, but the robdt lies near a
spur from those on right. From the Gudar, road at first
descends somewhat more steeply than usual; but soon
there is the usual gentle gradient. Plain is about 3 miles
wide. At 16 miles the villages of Mazra’eh Bala and
Hajiabad lie close under the hills on left about a mile away.
One of these villages has a tower. They both lie close toge
ther. At 17 miles arrive at the caravanserai or robot of Pusht-
-i-Badam. This is a good building of brick, new, and in
good order. The village has 200 houses. There is a good
deal of cultivation.