"دليل كرمانشاه." [ظ‎‎١‎٣‎٧] (٥٠٤/٢٧٩)

23E
184
tlian picturesquely, placed at the mouth of a gorge between two precipitous
hills. The houses, though small, are neat and built in terraces on the slops
or the gorge, with the naked and scarped rock rising abruptly above them.
Rich gaidens extend up the defile, and along the Lase of the mountain,
which produce a variety of fruits, including the celebrated stoneless grape,
known as that of Kerind (Asghari grapes). Ihe willow and lofty
poplar attain a considerable size on the margin of a mountain stream that
bisects the yidage, which is afterwards turned off into smaller channels for
the supply of the gardens in the plain. Several copious springs, issuing
from the plain, which is here about 3 mdes broad, add their water to
numerous mountain streams and form the sources of the Ab i-Kerind, the
north west tributary of the Karkah riverA
Kerind contains 1,200 houses. The people live by cultivation, and there
is a brisk trade on account of the constant passage of pilgrims. The women
weave some fine gilims.
Cutlery, metal work and gnn making are the principal industries of the
town. A rough imitation of the Peabody-Martini and Henry-Martini are
manufactured here, and bought np by the tribesmen Mo cartridges are
made here, but those imported, or smuggled through from Bagdad, are re
capped by hand, and used over and over again till v, orn out.
The inhabitants are all Aliullahis.
(2) The plain of Biwanij contains 14 villages.
The principal village is Sheikhan; elevation, 1,648 20 metres.
Governor: Taber Khan, a rich landed proprietor, to whom belongs all the
land between Rijab, Yaran and Zardeh.
Then we have the following villages :—
Walai (near the Gardaneh Baneban, which is situated between Tushami
and Biwanij), Cbia Mirekeh, Sartang, Deh-i-Jami, Deh-i-Litfeh (Litfeh is
the Kathoda's name), Deh-i-Ujak-Gidi (Ujakh Guli is the Katkhoda's
name), Kanahar, Biameh, Mamali, Birrehshabi, Kurchibashi, Assiab
Tanureh. In all about 400 houses. The Maliyat of the Biwanij district goes
towards paying the expenses of two companies of the Kerind regiment.
(3) Mountain villages such as Bijah (Riz-ab), elevation, 1,151*50 metres;
150 houses; plenty of gardens; maliyat, 450 tomans, which go towards
paying the expenses of the band of the Kerind regiment.
The villages cn the Tak-i-Gerra pass (Tak means arch, and Gerra is the
name of one of Knosroe Parvize^s odicers) are :—
Pai-Tak (PahTak-i Gerra, ?*.£., at the foot of the Tak-i-Gerra pass), lat.
34° 25' 12" K, long. 46° 12' 39" E.
20 houses. Pilgrims usually stop here, in order to avoid the village of
Mian Tak, the inhabitants of which are very extortionate and have the
reputation of charging 1 outrageous prices for fodder.
Mian-Tak the middle of the Tak-i-Girra pass), called by the Kurds,
Surkhadizeh ; 80 houses. There is here a large caravanserai m bad repair.
The villagers, as already mentioned, are very exacting towards the pilgiims.
Two or three of the villagers were hanged ; by order of Ala-ed-Dowleh, for
molesting pilgrims.