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]26 



uin Account of Upper Kdsh-kdr. 



[No. 2, 



from the ruins of Persepolis, is the range of mountainous country 

 which separates Bakhtrianah from Hindustan and China, bounded on 

 the east and north by the desert of Kobi ; and, as we gather from the 

 first chapter of the Zand-awestah, is included in the country therein 

 called Eeriene — the supposed abode of the old Medo-Persian race. It 

 was celebrated for its gold and gems, and other precious productions, 

 which it continues to yield, in some degree, up to the present tkne. 

 It is also the legendary abode of the traditionary monsters, celebrated 

 in Oriental poetry and fable, now become familiar to the natives of the 

 west. 



In this mountainous range lies Kash-kar, or Chitral, as the lower 

 portion of the valley is also named ; it is what has been sometimes 

 called the country of Shah Kator. It is included in the valley of the 

 upper sources of the river best known as the Kamah, and the Kunar.* 



Kash-kar (concerning which, probably, less is known than of any 

 other part of Central Asia, not ip eluding even Kafiristan), is bounded 

 on the north by the high land of Pamir ; south by the Las-pur range 

 of mountains, bounding the Afghan district of Panj-korah to the 

 north ; north-east by the mountainous region to the west of the Yar^ 

 kand river, known to the people of these regions as Bilauristan or the 

 " Begion of Crystal,"f from the quantity of that substance with 

 which it abounds ; south-east by Qilgitt and Little Thibet ; and west 

 by the hills of Wakhan, bordering the left bank of the river Oxus, 

 and separating Chitral, or Lower Kash-k^r, from Badakhshan and the 

 eastern frontier of Kafiristan, running parallel to the right or northern 

 bank of the Chitral or Kash-kar river. It is a long valley into 

 which a series of smaller valleys and defiles open out, which, in the 

 northern part, act as water-courses to drain Pamir, It is oblong in 

 form, and runs almost in a north-east and south-west direction. It 

 resembles Kafiristan in physical appearance and coldness of climate ; 



# On looking over the pa/per on Kafiristan, I find the name of this river has 

 been printed u Kunir'' and" " Kuner." This spelling/ however, is not right: 

 *' Knnar" is the correct orthography. In the same paper also., " Bajawer" 

 appears instead of " Bajawrr/' 



f " There are certain other mountains called Bilor (Bilaur) in the country of 

 the tribe of Turks denominated Hamilan, In two days' journey you arrive at 

 another part of Tiirkistan where the Bhotyas and Dyan dwell.' Their king is 

 Bhot Shah, and their cities are Gilgitt, Asprah (Astor ?), Salas (Ohilas ?), etc., 

 and their language is Ttirki." Sir H. M. Elliot's Index to Muhammadan His, 

 tprians, page 31, vol. I, See also the extract from Khushhal Khan's Pus'htq 

 poem, in the "Account op Suwat ;"— Journal for 1862, page 278. 



