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

It was the same also at a far more conspicuous mound, known as Tappa-i-
Mauru. Situated about half a mile to the south-east from the last-named it rises
to an approximate height of 45 feet, and measures at the base about 230 yards
from east to west and some 170 yards across. Here, apart from coarse plain
ware, we found on the slopes only pieces of poor glazed ware, white, yellow, or
brown, and of late medieval look. A few fragments of painted pottery were
picked up at the foot of the mound; but these were quite small, and the traces of
black patterns left either on the light red ground or on a dark red slip covering
this were too indistinct to permit them to be definitely recognized as prehistoric.
Here, too, excavation might yet prove fruitful by revealing chalcolithic deposits
under the cover of debris left behind by occupation down to medieval times.
Even a prolonged search on the surface was made difficult by the escort, at-
tracted probably by the prospect of reaching Mīnāb and its town comforts
sooner, having moved on with the baggage to Birinti, the last inhabited place in
the valley and a considerable distance lower down. When we arrived there by
nightfall we found the place completely deserted—out of respect for our pro-
tectors. This portion of the Rūdān tract with its fertile soil may count as much
as a thousand households. But the people seemed all wretchedly poor and could
scarcely be expected to welcome official guests!

On November 29th a long march took us down to the town of Mīnāb at the
head of the fertile oasis which extends down towards the coast and once com-
prised the famous trading-place of Old Hormuz. The route lay all the way
through the narrow winding gorges in which the river, formed by the streams of
Rūdān and Manujān uniting close below Birinti, has cut its passage towards the
sea. It is a route affording ample opportunities for marauding exploits, still
heard of nowadays as in Marco Polo's time. They must be particularly easy to
carry out at two points where the track leaves the river-bed hemmed in by
precipitous cliffs and in narrow ravines clambers across projecting spurs. Only
at one point about 12 miles below Birinti does the track pass some cultivation in
the shape of some neglected date-palm groves, known by the name of Mīr 'Alī-
Dād. But numerous burial cairns seen a mile lower down on a stony terrace
suggested a former settlement of some size.

The small town of Mīnāb is situated close to where, some 8 miles farther
down, the river debouches on a wide alluvial fan. With its modest bāzār, Mīnāb
has nothing to show that might recall the great importance that Hormuz once
enjoyed as an emporium for the sea-borne trade of Persia and the regions
adjacent to the Gulf. 'Merchants come thither from India', so Marco Polo tells
us, 'with ships loaded with spicery and precious stones, pearls, cloths of silk and
gold, elephants' teeth, and many other wares, which they sell to the merchants