326 Topographical Remarks regarding Affghanistan. 



the range : on the banks of this river, along the base of the 

 mountain, and a spur off-shoot from it, the city of Cabul is 

 built. At the extremity of the spur is the Bala Hissar, from 

 which, up the crest of the spur and top of the mountain, a 

 wall has been built, which extends along the mountain top, 

 and has been continued by means of a bridge (now in decay) 

 across the Cabul river, and over the crest of the hill on the 

 northern side of the gorge, terminating on a spur of the hill 

 at the extremity of which Deh-Affghana, a considerable 

 suburb forming a part of Cabul, is situated. Deh-Affghana 

 and the Bala Hissar are the extreme points where the hills 

 terminate, and thus form a sort of semi-circle enclosing the 

 city of Cabul. On the south-west and south-east between 

 those points, and without the city, is an open plain well 

 watered and cultivated, and studded with mud forts, villages, 

 and gardens. The gorge on the mountain range opens 

 towards the west, and leads to the fine valley of Chardeh. 

 On the right bank of the river, and partly occupying the 

 gorge, is the Kuzzilbash, or Persian quarter of the town ; on 

 the left bank are gardens and cultivated fields; and lower 

 down is Deh-Affghana, and the Morad-khana quarter of the 

 town : the latter also inhabited by Persians. On the right 

 bank, between the Bala Hissar and the river, is the principal 

 mass of the buildings of the city of Cabul. With the ex- 

 ception of the great bazar, choukh, the town has a mean, 

 dirty, tumble-down appearance ; the houses are mostly two 

 storied, built of wood and sun-dried bricks ; the streets narrow 

 dirty lanes, where no attention is paid to cleanliness, drain- 

 age, or ventilation. 



The Bala Hissar is built on a detached spur of the hill, 

 and is situated to the east of Cabul. It is surrounded by a 

 loop-holed stone wall about 30 feet in height, and consists of 

 the Upper and Lower Hissar. It is 800 yards across in any 

 direction, and is surrounded by a wet ditch 40 yards in 

 width, and \\ mile in circumference outside of the ditch. 



