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0041 Southern Tibet : vol.9
Southern Tibet : vol.9 / Page 41 (Color Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000263
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THE I2EGI.ON. OF CHIlMGAN AND- GAJEK: "

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in a Wild deep-cut gorge, sometimes bounded by vertical rock walls and so narrow that a passenger can touch both sides at the same time. In the summer this road is impossible, as the gorge is filled to i 2 m. or more. Only in the winter it can be used on the ice, and if the gorge is not quite filled with snow. If at the same time the Gäjek-davan is closed by snow, the Kirgiz of the region may be cut oft for some time. When I asked what they did under such 'conditions they answered: »yatamis», we sleep. Still, at some broad places in the Khan-terek valley there were said to be pitched some 3o or 40 tents at the time of our passage. The watercourse of Khan-terek continues down to Kamj5er-karaul, Tebes and Yangi-liisar.

Two lash from the entrance to Khan-terek's gorge the latter receives a left tributary called Chimgan. It is large and of importance, as 50 or 6o tents are pitched in its lower part during the winter; in its upper part during the summer. Even some barley is grown in this valley, where there is a good deal of tokai or forest. It has a road to Tur-bulung and Ike-bel-su, and in its upper part are two glaciers. A right tributary to the Cziìngan is called Teres-ösö, and has a bad and difficult road up to Kara=lash-divan; practicable only on foot or with yaks. There are no inhabitants in Teres-ösö.

On October 15th we travelled 9 km. E. N. E. to Gäjek-divan, 3,975 m. high, thus being an ascent of 1,099 m. and at the rather steep rate of i : 8.2. On the other side we had r 4.3 km. E. N. E. in zigzags to the mouth of Sarik-kis-jilga a and up in its valley to the au where we camped at an altitude of 2,762 m., or 1,213 m. below the pass.

To begin with, the L'liat jilga is comparatively broad and has good grazing-grounds. On both sides the mountains are snow covered. From the north or right side of the valley enters. the Yainan jilga, uninhabited, with small yeilaks and a bad roundabout road to the lower part of Gäjek jilga east of the pass. Opposite it is Yöruluk jilga, uninhabited and with a footpath to Chumbus and Keng-kol. Kisilteken, a right tributary, has no road, Taigan-üshlü, a left tributary, is also without importance. Sor-kisil-teken and Kisil-bulak enter from the right or north. At Kisilbulak, where springs crop out, three valleys meet; between the two from the N. E. is a thin ridge of schist across which our road goes. This place is called Tekesekerik, and from here the valley is an extremely narrow gorge gradually leading to rounded hills of yellow clay and sand and black fine gravel of schist. There is some grass, and the place is called Sanik-el.

From Gäjek-beles nothing could be seen, as all the valleys were filled with impenetrable fog. From.. the pass our road goes very steeply down in hundreds of zigzags on a sharply modelled ramification from the range of Gäjek-beles, and situated between the Belden jilga to the right and Sar-yalang to the left. At the foot of this precipitous slope the altitude is 3,602 m., or a descent of 373 m. At this base