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0367	Innermost Asia : vol.2
極奥アジア : vol.2

or Maulāī sect of Islām, which is widely spread in the Hindukush valleys from Hunza to Chitrāl
and worships its spiritual head in H.H. the Aga Khān of Bombay. Hence frequent intercourse
is maintained across the snowy range to the south, notwithstanding the close watch which was
said to be maintained by Afghān posts below all the more accessible passes. Thus I found it easy,
while halted for one night at Zang, to arrange for the transmission of a mail to India via Chitrāl.
My letters were carried across the difficult Wūst pass to Shuyist by two hardy Wakhis who had
swum the Oxus on skins at night-time to escape Afghān attention, and reached Peshawar safely
within little more than a week.

My march of September 2nd down the valley illustrated throughout that frequent interchange March to
of shingle-covered fans, rocky promontories, and stretches of riverine sands with fields and meadow Warang.
land to which Hsüan-tsang's description of Wakhān refers.⁸ Four miles below Zang we passed
in full view of Kala-i-Panja (Fig. 398), the seat of the Mirs of Wakhān in modern times and now
occupied by the chief Afghān post in the valley. Counting only some 15 households and situated
by the side of a huge fan of detritus, this 'capital' of Afghān Wakhān looked a very desolate
place. But here, as farther down opposite Ishmarg (Fig. 397) and at other points of the valley,
grand vistas opened to the south. Towering above narrow side valleys, and seemingly quite near,
magnificent ice-clad peaks of the Hindukush main range could be seen, looking just like peaks
of jade or silver, as Sung-yün and his fellow pilgrim Hui-shêng describe them, on their passage
down the 'kingdom of Po-ho' or Wakhān, A. D. 519.⁹ After passing verdant patches of cultivation
at the hamlets of Shergin, Daresh, and Nichgar, separated by stretches of rocky or sandy waste,
we reached a pleasant camp at Warang (Fig. 399), about 9,700 feet above sea-level.

From there I visited on the same day a reported 'Kāfir' fort situated high up on a spur to 'Kāfir' fort
the north-west, which overlooks the cañon-like debouchure of the Warang stream. The fort, also of Zangibār
called Zangibār, was found to consist of a roughly built line of wall defending the narrow southern
end of a rocky ridge on those sides on which unscalable cliffs falling off towards the foot of the
Warang gorge do not afford protection (see the sketch-plan, Pl. 46). Within the enclosed area,
which measures about 108 yards with a width of only 20 yards, crumbling walls, built, like the
enclosure of unhewn stone, without any plaster, divide small quarters. The remains of a much-
decayed square tower and a narrow oblong platform with several small mounds on the top were
also observed within the enclosure. Some hundred yards to the north, a modern looking tower,
known as 'Tōp-khāna', was said to have been used down to recent times to watch a track leading
across the spur against raiders from the Shughnān side.

On September 3rd I visited a series of small cave-dwellings carved into the conglomerate rock Cave-dwell-
face which overlooks the debouchure of the Warang stream about three-quarters of a mile west ings near
of the village. They extend in irregular groups for about half a mile, most of them situated on Warang.
levels but little above the top of the talus slope below more or less vertical cliffs. The approach
to them lies either over 'Rafaks' or little galleries built with sticks, &c., now almost all broken,
or through narrow passages cut in the rock and connecting them. All these caves are rough excava-
tions, and none that I was able to examine exceeded 15 feet or so in depth or width. Many have
partially fallen in, owing to erosion proceeding along the deep ravines which cut up the face of the
cliffs. That these caves were occupied down to quite recent times was evident both from local

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