Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1885-02-19
Ancient Lasgird
QUEER LOOKING VILLAGE SAID TO HAVE
BEEN FOUNDED nj 4 son oF NOAH.


Our special correspondent with the Afghan
Commission thus describes an extraordinary
looking village which he passed at the dis
lance of 100 miles from reheran:
We had not proceeded far on our way
when vestiges OF the former condition oil
things ME, our eyes. 1t was at place only
100 miles from feheran that We first realized
the dreadful state of danger in which the
people had lived We found mos, remark
abe village at which We encamped. Suppos-
ing no information could have been pro-
cured. and an archRologist had come upon
i; by accident, he would have had profound
puzzte TO unrayel and explain. The name
OF she village Is Iasgird. The people as-
cribe an immense antiquity TO It. and say
that Las or Last. son Of Noah, drew on
the ground the ''glrd," or circle which ~ the
plan Of the structure. The hero OF this ie-
eend i not very familiar to Biblical scho-
srs In the west, bat he is not unA IN
Afghanislan. The Coliseum at r. me, al
though an oval. would convey some idea Of
the general appearance Of Lasg.rJ, ouly i,
must be conceived built o. mud, which is
he oni, building material Of this country.
Ii should also be Fecoliected that the one be-
longs TO a period OF good architecture. Of
which il il j celebrated monument, while the
other ma, be- SAID 10 be entirely destitute OF
any pretsnsIoHs ot this kind
The rude mud walls are thick and solid
all around at the base, and rise some 30 or 10
feet, here is a line of doors, with here and
there a small window between them. By
means Of projecting beams, or branches Of
trees, over which smaller branches are iaid.
IA kind Of gallery Is produced, bearing
strong resemblance TO those simple forms of
birds nests which formed of sticks
placed on the upper branches Of trees. The
wonder IS how the eggs do not roll over, or
that the chicks do not tumble down to de-
stIuction. So 1t j. with the galleries of Las
grid there is no protection on the edge.
Yet We saw women and children, sheep and
goats. upon them. A more frail and danger
Gus looking arrangement 1t would be hard 10
conceive OF. There are two tiers OF houses
all around, and in some places there ap-
peared 10 be three. All had these galleries
IN front, either 20 communicate with the
next house, or, as some did not communi-
cate, they were only Of use to 90 out upon 10
sit or work. or for the children TO play upon;
to use these places seemed the brink of de-
struction, while to the women and children
1t all appeared as safe and comfortable as ii
they had been monkeys. Of course there
was no getting up to these galleries from the
outside that would have suited the Turho-
mans. The means Of going up was all on
the inside. In some cases there are rough
steps of mud, and ln Others there are inclined
planes, half ladder and half road, made ia
the same way the galleries. These lead
up 20 galleries communicating with the
houses, which are az exact repetition Of those
Oh the outside, the only difference being
that they we're not so high up, and there
were walls a; places which did duty as
parapet, hence the certainty Of falling over
did not seem quite SO great from the inside
as on the outside. While looking at this
strange structure from one of these upper
galleries, an old woman OF at least 10 years
of age passed me, with child stuck in
some primitive way on her back few
yards from me was one Of these means of
ascent formed of sticks with the remains of
mud hanging TO it. 1t would have done for
fowls TO go up 10 their roosts upon. She
clambered up on this to the gallery above, but
that was not her destination her house was
one up still higher in corner, and 10 reach
it she had to crawl up on the edge of rum
on her left hand was perpendicular descent,
enough to make one dizzy, and death at the
bottom of It, if fall should occur; al
though on the other side there was only
few feet, if the old creature had slipped the
chances are that she would have rolled down
and fallen over the gallery with the baby on
her back. The old lady went Up very stead !
lly. and reached her crows nest in perfect
safety. l could not help thinking that !
few generations Of this kind of thing would |
undo all our developnent,an that we would |
20 back again to our original Siman condi- |
ton,
The dwellings of the people were all in !
the upper part Of the great circle, and the |
centre was filled up with strange moss |
structures, which are now falling to decay, |
as there is no longer any danger from the /
Turkomans. These places we're for contain |
ing the grain of the village and for receiy- |
ing the livestock Of the villagers when a |
raid occurred. One of a number Of wells |
was pointed to US within circle, and we |
were told that they had three or four which |
we're always kept in good order in the days |
Of danger. There is only one entrance to |
this circle, and that is by small entrance
scarcely four feet in height, to which there
is stone door working with pivot and
socket similar to the ancient stone doors
found in the Haurah and other parts Of the
Soudan. This stone door Of Lasgird is
very rude one, being eight inches thick in
some parts, and it tells its tale Of the exis-
tence Of great danger and the necessity for
protection. Sir Peter Lansden had long
conversation with the Khet Khodah and |
some Of the principal villagers. and il SEEM
ed that they not only ascribed the origin of
Lasgird 70 the Son Of Noah, sNu,' IS they
called him, but they likened their strange
dwelling place 70 the Ark. !"