国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

BULAK-BASHI.

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Some distance above the springs the Tengi-tar gorge is extremely narrow, only a few meters broad; here the deepest basins in the bed have been filled with stones for making the passage possible. The landscape is very wild and picturesque, and the foaming water of the brook fills the whole bottom of the gorge. At the left or northern side we climb a little mountain shoulder, Tarning-bashimoinak, very steep, with a commanding picturesque view, and saving us from a difficult part of the gorge below. Its altitude is 3,441 m., whilst Isik-bulak had 3,278 m. Tarning-bashi-moinak or »The Threshold of the Beginning of the Narrow Passage)) forms a boundary between two different types of valley. Here we leave the narrow and difficult gorge behind, and see in front of us to the west a comparatively broad and comfortable valley. The rock is here granite or syenite in a very weathered and rotten state. To the south rises at some distance a double peak with eternal snow, called Kara jilga-baski. The water from its melting snow reaches the Tengitar by Kara-jilga. The junction is called Chi/-ötök. The main valley from the little moinak and westwards is called Tar-bashi. The morphological characteristics of the valleys are, therefore, clearly distinguished by the Kirgiz. So, for instance, is keng = broad, kol = a broad open valley. Tengi is a narrow gorge and tar is narrow. Tar-bashi is the Head or Beginning of the Narrow Passage.

We camped at Bulak-bashi where cold springs are numerous. From the south enters the tributary Mus-aling with a road 31 lash in length to the Pass Musaling-davan and good yeilaks. The pass is difficult in winter on account of snow. On its southern side the road continues to the Shinde valley. At Bulak-bashi the snow reaches to the knees in winter. The last snow disappears in the beginning of April; in the beginning of November it again begins to fall. The winter is very cold, and all water freezes. The name Mus-aling or »Catching Ice» indicates that one has to melt the ice for getting water. Even the springs freeze. In the middle and end of May is the maximum of rain. The brook rises and falls regularly in the course of 24 hours if there is no rain. At 9 o'clock p. m. it has its maximum, at noon its minimum. At 3.30 p. m. we saw a curious phenomenon in the brook which had been small and clear so far. Now suddenly we heard a mighty roar from above and in a minute the brook increased to a large foaming and very muddy river. This, of course, was due to rain somewhere in the high regions. By far the greatest part of the water in the Tar-bashi brook comes from the Mus-aling valley; only a small quantity comes by the Chichiklik valley.

At Bulak-bashi we found six tents with 3o inhabitants of the Kesek tribe; they do not understand the Tajik language. Two of them were bais or rich men, possessing about i 000 sheep, 200 goats, i oo yaks, 3o ponies and 3o camels each. At Bulak-bashi is a karaul-khaneh with some watchmen who have to assist travellers and be responsible for the conveying of the Chinese post between Yangi-hisar and