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

to the west. For when, after a long ascent along the gravel glacis of a barren outer range running
parallel to the Karlik-tāgh, we dropped down into the valley westward, we found village lands
abundantly watered by lively streams. They come down straight from small glaciers and permanent
snow-fields that crown the crest of the Karlik-tāgh down to about 12,000 feet above sea-level. The
amount of drainage they carry is sufficiently indicated by the fact that the small river formed below
Atürük, after breaking through the outer range, contains enough water to irrigate the fields of
Nōm, a village situated at the foot of the outer range some thirty miles farther down. The abundance
of grazing on the northern slopes of the Karlik-tāgh was brought home to me by the admission of
Abdul Niāz, our host, the headman of Atürük, that he kept there some three hundred ponies of his
own, besides a large flock of sheep. The number of sheep belonging to the Wang of Hāmi that are
grazed there was put at over ten thousand. It was said that snow lay at Atürük for close on four
months to a depth of two or three feet, and that rain was fairly frequent during the summer. During
the winter months all the flocks and herds move down to the valleys of the outer range northwards,
where the snow-fall is sufficient for their watering and vegetation is abundant. The comfort,
amounting almost to rustic luxury, that we found under Abdul Niāz Dōgha's hospitable roof well
illustrated the wealth derived from conditions so favourable to grazing.

March to Next day we continued our journey westwards towards the basin of the lake known as Tur-köl.²
Tur-köl. Passing in full view of the snows of the Karlik-tāgh (Fig. 289), we found abundant scrub and short
grass even on the stony plateau of Kara-singir (Map No. 57. A. 2), close on 7,000 feet above sea-
level, which separates the basin from the Atürük valley. I received the same impression of nomadic
ease and wealth when halting that night at the camp of the 'Dōgha' (Darōgha) of the Tur-köl
'Tāghliks', which lay at that time above the Turgan-gol stream. His people were also growing
oats on patches of cultivation lower down towards the lake. But the mud huts built near these
were not permanently occupied, and the whole little community was by November moving its
'Ak-ois' to the valleys north of the outer range for winter pasture. Winter was evidently close
at hand, and the Turgan-gol was half-frozen when we left this pleasant Turkī encampment.

Across On the long march of some thirty-two miles, which on September 30th carried us across the
watershed watershed dividing the basins of the lakes of Tur-köl and Barkul, we had striking proof of the
towards abundant grazing that this ground affords and of the changed climatic conditions that account
Barkul. for it. A wide belt of rich grass land encircled the lake and its fringe of spring-fed marshes, and
horses belonging to the Wang of Hāmi were grazing here in large numbers. The wide valley of
Ölügoi (Map No. 34. D. 1, 2), which was seen descending from the north-west towards the lake,
was stated also to provide ample grazing. Its streams drain the southern slopes of the previously
mentioned outer range. This rises at the head of the valley to heights of well over 11,000 feet, and
the highest portion of its crest was said to retain snow all through the summer. At the time of our
passage, fresh snow covered its slopes to a much lower level, as it did those of the Karlik-tāgh to
the south. The watershed towards the basin of Barkul is formed by a broad spur jutting out from
the Karlik-tāgh to the north-west (Map No. 34. D. 2), and as we moved up to it over a stony Sai
on which scrub grew in plenty, conifer forest was seen to clothe the slopes down to about five
hundred feet above the almost flat saddle (7,290 feet). Such forest growth, which probably consisted
in the main of firs, remained within constant sight on the subsequent marches to Barkul and also
for a considerable distance beyond, as seen in Map No. 34. It here covers the northern slopes of
the T'ien-shan between the elevations of about 9,000 and 7,500 feet and offers ocular demonstration
of the great climatic divide that is formed by the crest of the range ; for no forest growth whatever