Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-04-09
In the Murghab Valley.


and the inequalities in it are SO light
that it may be described as level.
Abbott estimated it's breadth as nine
miles, but to get this he must have
taken a line which included the
Kushk valley at its junction with the
Murghab, where there is very broad
open space; but the Murghab itself
may be about the half of that distance
at Penjdeh. At Bala Murghab, where
we are now, it is over mile wide.
The hills bulge inward, in many
places narrowing the space, but that
is only at points. Where this is the
case it does not continue for any dis
lance, SO that the VALLEY presents
generally broad plain capable of cul
tivaHon. The hills on each side are
not high; in many places they look
like heaps of sand which have been
accumulated by the wind; but there is
some qualification of rock under
them, and it appears here and there.
About eleven miles above Penjdeh
there is a remarkable projection of
rock on the top Of one of the hills on
the eastern side. When seen first
on coming up the valley, it has all the
appearance of being tapa, or artificial
mound. but it is rock, and is called
Daldul Akhor The first of these
words IS the name Of Ais horse, and
the second may be translated ''stall.'
On the top Of this projection are two
marks, believed to be the footprints of
Ais horse, ana hence the name. In
the early spring these marks are said
to become green before the rest of the
ground, and at that season all who
are i'll visit the spot in hopes of being
cured. These hills can not be cult
waited, but focks find grazing on all
| the higher ground. 1t is only where
the water of the Murghab can be led
by canals that crops can be raised.
For this purpose there is large and
ample space: there are the fifty miles
of the valley from here to Penjdeh,
and it is about 12G from Penjdeh to
Merry, where there is a small delta
! formed by the spreading out Of the
water by means of canals. Above
Bala Murghab, judging from the
mountains, the valley is probably
narrow, but in other directions, judg-
ing from what we have seen, the
Murghab valley is capable of support
ing q large population; the Kushk
valley is much narrower, but the two,
| together with the water to fertilize
them, will explain how the district
may have had the celebrity in the
days OF Vim for It's myriad to WINS and
cities.
We have certainly found the re
mains of towns very close upon each
other; from Ak Tapa to Penideh the
mounds were so extensive and con-
tinuous that it must at one time have
been at least a succession of towns or
villages nearly all the way. Ak Tapa
was in all probability large place,
and the same has to be repeated of
Penjdeh. There is a mistake in my
last letter regarding the Latitude of
Penjdeh; It's position ought to be
moved about twelve miles to the east
frOm where 1t is now represented on
| the maps, and about five miles to the
north. This is altogether opposite
| what gave IN a former letter. On
our way up the valley we passed
other mounds and remains, but the
next place Of Importance is Maruchak;
it is on the east bank of the river.
Here, although the walls are in very
ruined state, yet there is something
standing which makes more appear
snce, merely as remains, than what
we have previously seen. The walls
are Of mud or suD>dried bricks, which
is alm0st the same thing. with great
gaps in it. The wall is quite a quarter
Of a mile on each side, forming q
square IN plan. Except the ruins of
some mud walls there is no town.
Within is large mound, which is
supposed to have been the citadel Of
the place in ancient days, and q cir
cular enbankment OF earth goes round
to the north and east, thus forming
an inner Enclosure. The Afghans
have built barracks within this circle,
and are restoring some ruined walls
on the top Of the mound. Their OBJ
jecr is TO keep a garrison here, prob
ably in connection with the new
frontier, and also on account Of the
return OF q population to the valley.
[ learned that Maruchak was believed
to have been first founded by Afrasiab,
q Turan legendary King or hero. Sir
Henry Rawhnson says that Baghshur
was his Strengthening we were told
that Baghshur was the old name Of
Kala-i- MaUr, on the Kushk, another
large and important place of the past.
All that can be evolved from these
legends is that q Turanian population
most probably predominated here at
some early date. In the Shah Nomeh
It is told That Rustem came to the
Shahd Rud, or the Murghab, on a
hunting expedition, with his seven
hero friends. While there they were
attacked by Afrasiab; battle easued,
IL which Rustem was the victor, and
Akoos, a great hero of Turan, was
killed. Here we have the great con-
test between Iran and Turan carried
back even to the era when all was
legendary, for Rustem is probably
quite as mythical as Afrasiab. This
SHOWS, st least, how very old the
struggle has been. There are tie re
mains of a bridge over the river