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

1913. Two triangulated points on either
side confirm its position as here shown.
The plane-table traverse along the route has
been adjusted to the fixed position of Tāsh-
kurghān and to the position of Toile-bulung
(Sheet No. 2. D. 4). For this an astronomi-
cal value of latitude is available and a longi-
tude value representing the mean between
two values obtained by interpolation between
(a) Kāshgar and Tāsh-kurghān, and (b)
Yangi-hissār and Tāsh-kurghān.

An alternative route towards Kāshgar
used chiefly during the winter months fol-
lows the narrow gorge which descends from
the Chichiklik-maidān (Sheet No. 2. C. 4) to
Shindī below the sharp eastern bend of the
Tāsh-kurghān R. The portion of this route
falling within this sheet has been shown
from Rai Rām Singh's plane-table work of
1906 and from notes kept by myself when
following it early in June of that year.

The snow-line on the high ranges which
enclose the Sarikol valley could be but
approximately indicated, as it was actually
approached only on the Wakhjīr pass lead-
ing to the Oxus (Āb-i-Panja) source and on
the Kilik and Ming-taka passes. From my
observations when crossing the Wakhjīr pass
in July, 1900, and the Ming-taka pass early
in September, 1913, I was led to take the
elevation of about 16,500 feet as the ap-
proximate limit of permanent snow-beds on
the range which forms the watershed be-

Astronomically observed latitudes.
1900-01. Dafdār, Camp 1 (C. 2) ... ... ... 37° 22′ 26″
Taghlak-gumbaz, Camp 2 (C. 1) ... ... ... 37° 34′ 38″
Tāsh-kurghān, Camp 3 (near British Ak-sakāl's house; C. 1) ... 37° 46′ 58″
1906-08. Chushmān, Camp 1 (C. 1) ... ... ... 37° 51′ 28″
Udurghuk, Camp 5 (D. 1) ... ... ... 37° 50′ 38″

NOTES ON SHEET No. 4 (YAI-DÖBE)

The area shown in this sheet was sur-
veyed from two routes, both followed by
R. B. Lāl Singh only. The one of 1907 led
from Uch-Turfān and the Taushkan river
along the foot of an outer range of the
T'ien-shan to the Terek-dawān (Sheet
No. 1. D. 4); the other, followed in 1915,
lay over previously unexplored ground from
Kelpīn (Sheet No. 7. B. 4) via the Kirghiz
grazing grounds of Yai-döbe and Chong-
kara-jol to Kalta-yailak (Sheet No. 5. B. 1).
On the latter route the position of Tunguz-
luk had its latitude fixed by astronomical
observation. No other fixed points being

tween the Hunza and Tāsh-kurghān rivers.
The same snow-line was adopted also for
the range to the east of the Sarikol valley
which divides the drainage areas of the
Tāsh-kurghān and Raskam branches of the
Yārkand river. On the range to the north
and west which separates Sarikol from the
Pāmīrs proper the snow-line seemed to me to
lie distinctly higher, a circumstance fully
accounted for by the reduced amount of
moisture which penetrates north of the
Hindukush and Kara-koram ranges. It has
been conjecturally shown on the 17,000 con-
tour line, but may in really be somewhat
higher.

Grazing of the scanty sort usual on the
Pāmīrs is to be found over most of the
ground at the bottom of the main valley and
in the lower portion of those joining it from
the ranges on either side. This has not
been specially indicated. But in a few areas
(as at Rang; C. 2) yellow tint has been used
to mark the presence of riverine loess soil
allowing of more luxuriant vegetation.

Some account of the physical features
of the ground shown in this sheet will be
found in my Ruins of Khotan, pp. 57 sqq.
and Desert Cathay, pp. 83 sqq. Its historical
topography has been fully discussed in
Chapter II of Ancient Khotan (i. pp. 22-40)
and some additional information about its
old sites furnished in Chapter III of Ser-
india, i. pp. 72-76.

available within the limits of this sheet, its
delineation was determined by adjustment
of the details to the fixed places of the ad-
joining sheets. The result was satisfactorily
checked by comparison of the position thus
obtained for the Bilöti-dawān (Sheet No. 4.
D. 3) which was found to agree very closely
in latitude with that observed by Colonel
Trotter, viz. 40° 40′ 20″.

Though scarcely any of the streams
coming from the outer T'ien-shan ranges
shown in this sheet ordinarily carry water,
yet springs found in various places at the
foot of the northern one, combined with