IRAN 47 



Arabia are graced by clumps of date-palms. The moun- 

 tainous southern portion of Baluchistan and Mekran 

 continues the narrow coastal shelf which stretches at the 

 foot of the wall of Iran. Outside the oases, the vegeta- 

 tion is limited to poor and scattered scrubs of thorny, 

 leafless bushes, among which the acacias are now charac- 

 teristic. 



While the high plateau of Shiraz occasionally affords 

 a meagre fodder to passing camels, and is pleasantly 

 diversified by oases, the desolate plains of Khorassan 

 are unfit for anything. The valleys of Afghanistan 

 radiating from the Hindu Kush are peopled by villages 

 dispersed along the bottoms only: the slopes are singu- 

 larly devoid of vegetation. 



In the chain of Zagros, which continues the Taurus 

 and forms the south-western escarpment of Persia, the 

 climate still retains a mediterranean character but to- 

 wards the east becomes increasingly dry. The limestone 

 rock, by its sheer slopes and the porous nature of its 

 rubble, adds greatly to the aridity of the country. In 

 many respects the Zagros chain strongly recalls the 

 barren region of the Illyrian Karst. Most of the steep 

 slopes are entirely denuded ; and it is only on the ter- 

 races and in the depths of the secluded longitudinal 

 troughs, sheltered from winds and favoured by local 

 accumulations of ground-water, that vegetation appears. 

 The live oak and other evergreen, hard-leaved trees and 

 shrubs give it a decidedly mediterranean stamp. Loose 

 formations of low shrubs fringe the valleys on the gentle 

 lower slopes ; at times there is enough water to allow 

 the trees to close in and even to crowd as light woods. 

 Frequently, indeed, these secluded troughs and terraces 

 reveal a veritable luxuriance in their fruitful orchards 

 of olive, apricot, apple, peach, almond, pomegranate, 



