IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
| |||||||||
|
| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Southern Tibet : vol.9 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Citation Information
CROSSING THE PASS OF KANDAHAR.
75
114
k:
next camp, Kochkur-Bek-Bai, was at 3,331 m. In a distance of I I km. we had therefore to make the enormous descent of 1,731 m. The rate here was steep, or as I •6.3.
Regarding the pass in front of us, its name is usually pronounced as Kanda'r
or Kanda'ar. During the winter it is often impracticable on account of snow. Even at the Rabat there is much snow, and flocks grazing in the high valleys are sometimes lost. The region is regarded as sarhad or cold. The earthquake of which we had heard so much, had been felt the whole way to Tong. In the district of
Ütslle-Tang-ab nearly all houses had been destroyed and only lately rebuilt. Here the shock had been very strong. In Tong only two or three houses had been damaged.
From the Rabat the ascent is steep, but regular and without difficult passages
on the top of ridges and slopes. Near the pass a pool is formed every summer; it had now dried up. The snow made the ascent easier by covering the sharp-edged gravel. On a few short stretches the ground is nearly horizontal. The last bit of the ascent is very steep.
The Pass of Kandahar is of quite a different type than other passes we had
crossed. It is sharp as a knife. At the very crest the green schist stands nearly vertical, or falling 700 N. 50° E. On the eastern side the descent is difficult and could hardly have been accomplished with laden ponies. Our luggage was carried by yaks. One has to glide down through one foot of snow on an extremely steep slope between projecting rocky teeth. It is like the Uacg-art. The difficult passage is, however, short, and was made in 15 minutes. Then the slope is less steep, and the gravel was covered with more snow than on the west side. It snowed even now and continued until we reached the camp.
The gravel is followed by soft wet slopes, good yeilaks and finally a valley,
narrow between rocks and with a brook. To the right opened the tributary Labdilush without a road but with yeilaks. The rock was the same green schist falling N. 200 E. and nearly vertical. We camped in the narrow valley at a rabid consisting of a stone wall under a block, and called Kochkur-Bek-Bai. Here we met the Bek of Tong; who said that the flocks of his district in the late summer grazed on these high yeilaks; when the snow began they were brought back to Tong. Kandahar-davan is, if possible, also used in winter by the Tong people, as it is the only pass to Sarikol in the neighbourhood. If it is closed one has to take the long roundabout road by Yarkand and Tagharma.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright (C) 2003-2019 National Institute of Informatics and The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.