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0406 The Pulse of Asia : vol.1
アジアの鼓動 : vol.1
The Pulse of Asia : vol.1 / 406 ページ(白黒高解像度画像)

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doi: 10.20676/00000233
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extreme aridity renders recovery well-nigh impossible, ex-
cept along the Helmund. Kirman lies so remote behind its
barriers of deserts and mountains that it has suffered from
war much less than any of the three other provinces. Yet
its ruined cities and its appearance of hopeless depopula-
tion are almost as impressive as those of Seyistan. If war
and misgovernment are the cause of the decay of Persia, it
is remarkable that the two provinces which have suffered
most from war and not less from misgovernment should
now be the most prosperous and least depopulated; while
the two which have suffered less from war and no more from
misgovernment have been fearfully, and, it would seem,
irreparably depopulated. It is also significant that the
regions which have suffered the greatest ruin are those where
water is least abundant, and where a decrease in the supply
would most quickly be felt. War and misgovernment do
not seem invariably to cause depopulation, nor has the
process gone on most rapidly where war has been most
prevalent.
It is often asserted that with proper irrigation methods
Iran might support a population much larger than that of
to-day, and the people are taken to task for not utilizing
their resources. They do utilize them, however, and it is
true of the Persians, as Holdich says of the Afghans, that
they "have, from time immemorial, been great practical irri-
gation engineers. Every acre of rich soil is made to yield
its abundance by means of every drop of water that can
be extracted from overground or underground sources. It
would be rash to say that the cultivable area of Afghanistan
could be largely increased." Goldsmith, who knew Persia