National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

IGIS-YAR.

7

village of Kara-bash, surrounded by low hills of sand, clay and gravel, continuing

some distance to the east. Our road then crosses a steppe of sparse plants. To the right or west of our road is the region of Tebes-östäng. The largest villages were said to be Yar-bag, Ötäsh and Bos-yulgun. Suget is a village on the road. Some 8 km. due south of Igis-yar is an iron mine called Kok-bainak; the iron is found in layers of earth and clay. From Kashgar to Igis-yar we had travelled 94 km.

From Igis-yar our road runs S. S. W., S. W. and S. S. E. 47 km. to Tokai-bash,

where the altitude is 2,668 m., or an ascent of 932 m., and a rate of 1: 50.4. Leaving the square karaîil-khaneh or fort of Igis-yar, we soon entered the broad mouth of the valley to the S. S. W. From it comes a brook in two branches called Tasgun, watering several villages, gardens and fields on the plain of Igis-yar. The valley becomes narrower and has some forts and walls on the hills. Here the brook was called Shahnas, and higher up Keng-kol. Two mills are passed before we reach Sar-unkur. On a hill at the left or western side is a fort called Kichik-karaul or Öräk. Just above this point the left tributary Ordulung comes out. In one day's march it leads to yeilaks or summer grazing-grounds of Kirgizes. The mountains are greyish-brown, naked and weathered. The road is good, the valley rises gradually, its ground is grass-grown or sometimes gravelly and here and there poplar trees are seen. A little higher up the tributary Kefsh-kakti enters from the west. Such is also the case with Gäjek jilga, which has a road to Little Kara-kul, and with which we should make nearer acquaintance on our return journey. The mountains opposite the junction are called Kisil-tau.

Leaving Gäjek jilga at our right or north, we continue up the main valley of Keng-kol which becomes narrower and steeper. From the east enters the little right tributary of Mahmud-terek jilga. At the opposite side of the valley there is a very steep massif called Kis-kiya. There still are groves of poplar trees.

At the point from which our direction becomes S. S. E. there is a new junction:

from the left or west comes the Chumbus valley and from the right the Keng-kol, which we follow. There is a brook in each of them. Arka - terek is a tributary from the east. At Tokai-bash the Keng-kol River was 9.5 m. broad with an average depth of 0.2 m. and a velocity of nearly 3 m., giving a volume of 5.7 cub. m. per second. Here is a little rest-house of stone.

On June 2 7th we made a short journey south i 2 km. to Pokhtu, where the altitude is 3,017 m. or 349 m. above the previous camp, the ascent thus being as I :34. At the right side of the valley we notice three small tributaries, Köturma, Mogur and Shilbile. The rocks are crystalline: granites, syenites, porphyry, pegmatite, etc. From the left or S. W. comes the valley of Käj5ch-kol to the junction of Tokai-bash. A large part of the water comes from the Kääch-kol. The main