LOFTUS — TURKO-PERSIAN FRONTIER. 271 



called Ban-i-Zardah, was broken off from the main chain. [This 

 will be miderstood by referring to fig. 2, p. 327.] It stands in the 

 form of an elongated trough, eight miles in length from S.E. to N.W., 

 and about four miles wide, separated by a deep valley from the broken 

 south-western escarpment of Dalahii. Towards the N.W. the Ban- 

 i-Zardah projects in a semi-oval snout, considerably beyond the rest 

 of the mountain, and presents a perpendicular escarpment of 2000 

 feet on the N.W. and S.W., the stratification dipping from the edge 

 to the centre of the trough. 



The Ban-i-Zardah is one of the finest specimens of the numerous 

 natural fortresses which exist in Persia ; and, from its strong posi- 

 tion, it was chosen by the weak and unfortunate Yezdijird, the last 

 of the Sassanian kings, whereon to make his final stand against the 

 conquering arms of the Moslem invaders. 



The distant outline of these ranges is straight and uniform, some- 

 times presenting a few protuberances, but never rising into lofty and 

 picturesque peaks*. 



The summit of a *'Diz," or natural fortress, is usually flat or but 

 slightly undulating, owing to the vertical elevation of the mass, and 

 consequent horizontality of the bedsf. 



The great ranges composed of the limestone of this formation 

 everywhere present a formidable barrier to access from the west. All 

 the passes from Turkey into Persia are carried over them ; and, as 

 those in the interior are reached by gradually mounting higher and 

 higher, step by step, they were described by the Greek historians by 

 the appropriate name of KXlfxaKcs or ladders. In some instances the 

 passes follow a zigzag path up the precipitous face of an escarpment, 

 and are paved with, rude blocks, but generally they are little better 

 than goats' tracks and almost impassable. The surfaces of these 

 dome-shaped mountains, which in the distance look smooth and easy 

 of ascent, are upon nearer acquaintance found to be covered with huge 

 blocks and sharp broken pieces of hard limestone, or a breccia with 

 a yellow calcareous matrix. This breccia frequently conceals the 

 superposition of the gypsum-deposits upon the skirts of the lime- 

 stone-dome. 



From the base to about 6000 feet above the sea dwarf Oaks 

 abound ; but beyond that height they gradually disappear ; at 8000 

 feet the Astragalus only grows. The nummulitic rocks attain an 

 elevation of from 9000 to 10,000 feet. 



Exposed to the weather, the limestone assumes a warm ochreous 

 tint ; but on fracture it is yellowish or grey. 



In close proximity to the igneous axis of the whole chain of the 

 Frontier are highly crystalline blue limestones, some of which are 

 undoubtedly an altered condition of the nummulitic limestone, the 

 fossils being destroyed. 



In consequence of the rarity of fossil remains throughout the whole 



* The outline of the ranges as seen from Dizful is represented in Section VIII. 

 of the original Memoir. — Ed. 



t A diagram-sketch of a portion of the Mungerrah Mountain geologically co- 

 loured, and showing this configuration, accompanies Mr. Loftus's MS. — Ed. 



