580 Notes on the Geography of Western Afghanistan, [June, 



The N. E. corner bastion was called Uleeusud, — the N. W. cor- 

 ner the Ful Khanah ; the S. W. the Khakestur and the S. E. the 

 Khoojuh Abdal Misree. The separate citadel, originally built by 

 Mulek Fukhroldeen Kord in a temporary form, was reconstructed of 

 great strength and solidity by Shah rookh Mirza in 818 H. 



In the Ebne Huokul, translated by Sir W. Ouseley, Herat, as the seat 

 of a governor from the Khalif of Bokhara, is not described as a place of 

 any very great beauty, fame or importance ; the only building mentioned 

 being a celebrated mosque ; as I have before proved, the canals then 

 bore nearly the identical names of the present day, and with a little 

 trouble I believe almost every proper name of that work could be 

 traced in a place of modern times. Edresee adds — " that ere Herat 

 rose to its present importance, a town called Khorasanabad, 9 miles 

 west in the direction of Pooshung, was in greater estimation." 



Ebne Huokul mentions a mountain producing neither grass or wood, 

 or any thing but stones, which serve for mill stones. " Here is a place 

 inhabited called Sekuh, with a temple or Church of Christians." This 

 is no doubt a portion of the mistaking of Herat for Heeruh, on the 

 Euphrates, where many hermits would have selected barren spots of 

 the sort described for their earthly place of mortifying the flesh. 



The moment that the river fairly emerges from the mountains at 

 Oobuh, its waters are by dams forced into various canals, which running 

 parallel to the stream, by degrees diverge from it and irrigate the entire 

 valley, which thus in times of prosperity form one extended mass of 

 gardens, vineyards, orchards and pleasure grounds. 



Many of these delightful spots are by their fruit known and cele- 

 brated over all Persia. When Herat was the capital and emporium of 

 commerce, and had large funds to employ on agriculture, and ample 

 armies to defend its possessions, these gardens flourished ; but when 

 commerce failed by the introduction of new routes and sea voyages, 

 and the country was overrun by hostile armies, the water courses were 

 destroyed, the trees cut down for military purposes or fuel — and the 

 face of the valley reduced to its original feature of a ston y upland. 

 Such destruction would be but the work of a season, but the re- 

 storation one of many years. 



The various divisions with their canals are thus recorded : — 



Guzaruh or Malan, to the South of the river and city ; Sultan 



