Proceedings
of the
Royal
Geographical Society (Great Britain)
Norton Shaw, Francis
Galton, Clements Robert Markham, William Spottiswoode,
Henry Walter Bates, John Scott Keltie
Published 1879
The Basin of the Helmand.
By C. E. MARKHAM, C.B., Secretary K.G.S.
(Read
at the Evening Meeting, February 24th, 1879.)
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Page 192
descendants are said to have founded
the dynasty of Ghor, in the wild recesses of the
Siah-Koh. Zal was a prince who dwelt on the banks of the
Helmand, and the story of his love for Rudabah, a
princess of Kabul, is one of the most romantic episodes
in the “Shahnamah." They were the parents of
Rustam, the great hero of ancient Persian history; whose
castle is said to have been on an island in the lake of Seistan.
The mountain masses continuing westward from the Hindu Kushare
furrowed by the river valleys. They thus form a series of
ridges running west and south-west from the western
extreme of the Hindu
Kush, -where that name ceases to be used.
The main continuation of the Hindu Kush is called
the Koh-i-Baba, and runs
due west, separating the drainage of the Oxus from that
of the Helmand. It is only known at its eastern end,
where there is a magnificent view of three snow-clad
mountains, and of a succession of lofty peaks as far as
the eye can reach. Here the peak known as the
"Koh-i-Baba," is 18,000 feet above the sea.
This scenery has been enjoyed by travelers who have taken
the route to Bamian. Dr. Griffith ascended the Koh-i-Baba Range in
August 1840, to 13,500 feet, and he estimated the height
of the peaks at 15,000 feet, the upper portions being
entirely bare, and consisting of angular masses of rock.
The general character of the range is great barrenness.
Ferrier mentions a lofty snow-capped cone called the Chalap
Peak, which is probably about 18,000 feet high, as
towering above all the others. The eastern end of the Koh-i-Baba Range is
crossed by three passes leading to Bamian from the upper
valley of the Helmund, namely, the Irak, the llajikhak,
and the Pusht-Hajikhak. The road from the Helmand Valley
winds up a zigzag defile to the summit of the Hajikhak
Pass, an ascent of 3000 feet, which is dangerous and
difficult in winter on account of snow-drifts. The height
of the crest is variously given by Burnes, Wood, and
Griffith, but the mean of their observations is about
12,000 feet. The
descent into the Kalu district and thence to Bamian (Bamiyan)
is between a ridge of high hills on the right, and a
rough irregular valley on the left. The
Pusht-Hajikhak, to the south, offers a better road, but
can only be traversed by caravans from July to September.
The Irak Pass is approached, from
the Bamian
(Bamiyan) side, by a good road with a gentle
ascent, and the summit is a bleak table-land whore the
snow covers the ground, and high winds are almost
continuous. The summit is about 13,000 feet above the
sea. The descent is equally gradual and easy. A valuable
description of the route from Kabul to Bamian
(Bamiyan) over the Irak Pass, by General
Kaye, who traversed it during the first Afghan war, will
appear in the next number of our ' Proceedings.'
Westward of these passes to Bamian
(Bamiyan), the
Koh-i-Baba Range is entirely unknown. The Koh-i-Baba
extends, from the point where the Hindu Kushends,
westward for about a hundred miles, when it separates
into two ranges, one continuing westward and called
| JBOC Note: |
Rustem
meeting Kay Qubad on Mount Elburz
We tend too think of Afghanistan and Iran/Persia
as two seperate countries. We should never ignore
that Persia has ruled Afghanistan and Afghanistan
(Herat)
has ruled Persia. That they are now seperate has
more to do with British and Russian politics than
anything else. Above we see a detail of a page of
a Shahnama. The great hero of Persian Culture
Rustam is the child of Zal and Rudabah who were
from what is now called Afghanistan.
Interestingly enough the people who now live in
the area of Bamian are Shia and speak Persian. |
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