国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

Qal'a-kōh, occupies the top of a steep rocky hillock rising about 250 feet above
the area of palm-girt fields to the south of the fortified residence of the local
chief, Sirdār Jān Muḥammad Khān (Fig. 29). The narrow crest of the hillock,
only about 12 yards across, bears remains of roughly built stone walls for a
length of about 60 yards. The scantiness of potsherds suggests that the small
circumvallation was occupied only occasionally as a place of refuge.

The place of another small fort, called Qalātuk, and situated about a mile to
the north-east of the main village, is marked by a mound some 20 yards in
diameter and about 15 feet in height, covered with stone debris. Among the
coarse pottery found on and around the mound, the rare painted fragments
showed patterns of the simplest kind painted dark red on a light buff or black
ground. Proceeding a short distance farther in the same direction, beyond the
eastern edge of the hamlet of Bōghān, there was found a stretch of waste ground
about a quarter of a mile across covered with debris from rough stone walls and
coarse potsherds of the same type. On slightly raised ground I found remains of
Muhammadan graves probably contemporary with the occupation of this area.
It appears to have been irrigated from a small canal, of which traces could be
followed to where the river emerges from the narrow valley leading down from
Chāmp.

The most direct route towards Bampūr would have led us up this valley, but
there were two reasons which decided me against following it. On the one hand
there was the risk of being held up in it by floods if rain, not unknown at this
season, fell and rendered the river impassable for days in any of its numerous
defiles. On the other hand, I wished to make sure by a visit to Geh that no early
remains in this, the only other oasis of some size to the west before reaching the
Bāshakard territory, should escape me. Our journey resumed on February 10th
towards Geh took us on the first march for some 15 miles down by the Kājū
river. At the hamlet of Hait, which was first passed at a bend of the river, ample
irrigation is provided by a kārēz said to be very old and to have its head some
4 miles away at the Damba-gāh site near Qasrqand. Then crossing to the left
bank of the wide river-bed I found above the village of Būg an extensive stretch
of ground known as Damba-gub, covered with the debris of roughly built stone
walls and abundant pottery. Most of the latter was plain coarse ware. Medieval
occupation was proved by glazed potsherds, including some with graffito design
under green glaze, and others with brown scroll patterns over yellow ground,
also a fragment of Chinese blue and white porcelain. A fragment of lustred ware
is ascribed by Mr. Hobson to a type of the tenth to twelfth century. The area
stretching for about half a mile from east to west lies well above the level of the
ground now capable of irrigation from the river. More cultivated ground and