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

ó   BY TONG BACK TO KASHGAR.

As shown above, several of the geographical names in the valley are Turki

by in spite of the Tajik population. The natives explained this b the fact that their neighbours to the east were Jagataï Turkis, and to the west Kirgizes, and that there was much communication between the two. Yakub Bek and other rulers had also been of Turkish origin. The Tajiks all speak Turki quite fluently, though Persian is their own language. The pass of Arj5a-talak was regarded as the boundary east of which only Sunnites live. In the village of Tong there were six Shiah families. There is no enmity between the two sects, and they often intermarry. The Tajiks had a memory of having come from the Sarikol.

They preferred the rule of Yakub Bek to that of the Chinese, as he was a

Mohammedan and a padshah. But the taxes were much heavier in his days. To the Chinese they had only to deliver a certain amount of fuel and hay. In the valley of Tong there were no Chinese officials. On the other hand, merchants often visit the valley with different wares. Chinese travellers to T ash-kurgan usually prefer the road of Kok-moinak.

The inhabitants of the valley are sedentary and live to a great extent from agriculture. Most of the day's march we had passed along fields of wheat or barley, watered from ariks at the sides of the river. Rain is common during the summer. The wind is not hard, as the valley is protected by the high mountains all around. In the winter there is much snow and it is cold, but there is any amount of fuel. Of ordinary animals they mentioned wild goat, wolf, fox, marmot, ular or snow-pheasant; but no bears. The palank or panther was said to attack even the yaks.

From Lang-ar the Tong- valley runs i 3.4 km. N. E., S. E., and N. E. to our next camp Kandalaksh, descending to 2,102 m. or 3 i 8 m., being at a rate of r :42. To begin with, the valley assumes the direction which is the medium of the directions of the two component valleys Ulug-- and Kichik-östäng-. Where the two valleys meet, the rock is granite (or perhaps syenite) in 40° N. 600 E.

The whole way down the valley is inhabited, and we pass along a series of villages; Topaòin, Sheik-nzasar, Barkhun, Belangedek, Turdideh, Shäravian, Sankyar, Purkshman and finally Tong proper with the large, comfortable house of Mohammed Kerim Bek, the chief of Tong-, whom we had met on his way to Tashkurgan. The title and function of Bek is here hereditary.

All the villages are surrounded by fields where the harvest had been just

brought in safety, and by gardens and groves. The houses are built of stone, earth   r.

and clay. There are cows and donkeys; the yaks have disappeared, and no camels are seen. The villages with the picturesque surroundings and luxuriant verdure between the high grey mountains present very pleasant and fascinating perspectives. The road runs along the river, past the irrigation canals, stone walls, houses, fields

of wheat, barley, maize, »porchak» peas, melons, etc., and groves of walnut, apricot,   1,
and apple trees. Everything is said to grow here except grapes.