827 



Itinerary from Yezd to Herat, from the Political Secretariat of the 

 Government of India. 



The distance from Yezd to Herat, is reckoned at 200 pharsacs.* 



The direction of the route is N.E. as far as the town of Toon, from 

 thence generally E. with a little Northing, if the road by Gownabad is 

 followed ; but if you pass by Birdjan, it is S.E. as far as that place, 

 and from thence N.E. to Herat. 



Caravans of camels use this route , they take from 35 to 50 days in 

 performing it; horsemen, however, do it easily in 12 or 15 days. The 

 road is in reality nothing more than a well-defined foot path, but as it 

 generally passes over a level country, it could be easily traversed by 

 wheeled carriages as far as the city of Toon. There are caravan serais 

 at each halting place, erected by pious persons for the accommodation of 

 Persian travellers, who go on pilgrimage to the tomb of Imaum Reza 

 in Mushed, the capital of Khorassan. You also meet with, at certain dis- 

 tances, wells that have been sunk for passers-by to allay their thirst ; but 

 owing to the want of care on the part of the Government, they are almost 

 all at the present day unfortunately filled up. 



The plains to pass over are dry barren deserts, and seem from a dis- 

 tance like a sea of salt ; of this description are those of Ali-abad, Shah- 

 Abbas, Shiardil, and Garidj, where one meets with considerable tracts of 

 country, the earth strongly tasting of nitre and salt ; the only vegeta- 

 tion to be observed are a few saline plants. You have also to cross some 

 low ranges of hills of an easy access as far as the sandy mountains, 

 called " Raig Shuturan," which are about fifty pharsac N.E. of Yezd. 



• The length of a pharsac, (parasung,) in this paper, must be much underrated. 

 In a work called the Durra Muktai, its length is computed as follows : — 

 6 Barley corns, say 1 inch, •• .. =1 finger's breadth doubled. 

 24 Fingers breadth doubled, • • • • =1 guz of 36 inches. 



4,000 Guz, =1 Mile, koh or koss. 



3 Miles, „ =1 Parasung, equal to 6 miles, 1 fur- 

 long and 4 yards. 

 But by examining the survey which accompanies this Journal, the distance from 

 Yezd to Herat cannot be more than 400 miles, and the pharsac must be taken at 

 2 miles only. 



5 B 



