É. Apor (ed.): Stein, Aurel: Old Routes of Western Iran. (Budapest Oriental Reprints, Ser. B 2.)

Chapter I.—In Westernmost Färs

48 IN WESTERNMOST FA RS [Chap. I now occupied by a gendarmerie post. It commands a wide view over all parts of the tract and obviously marks a site occupied during prolonged periods. But only little of coarsely painted sherds could be picked up near the foot of the mound, while higher up on the slopes all ceramic fragments on the surface, like the traces seen of mortared walls, looked late. A report received of ancient bridges made me proceed from Küpün to Bäsht, not by the usual track which crosses the Köh-i-Yakün in a due westerly direction, but by following down the picturesque winding gorge of Tang-i-Brln in which the united waters of the Tang-i-Shir and the Deh-i-nau streams break through that hill range. After about miles on emerging from the narrow gorge, which is clothed with fine oaks and other luxuriant tree growth at its bottom, I was surprised to come upon imposing remains of two ruined bridges at a short distance from each other spanning the river where it debouches into an open grassy plain. The river flowing in a deeply cut bed would be difficult to cross when in flood, and this explains why, since the successive destruction of the bridges once affording a safe passage, traffic had got diverted to the present route which avoids the river-bed. This in turn accounts for those remarkable bridges of distinct architectural interest having apparently remained unnoticed. Their examination provided quite a fascinating antiquarian task. Several architectural features, such as the semicircular vaulting of the arches carrying the approach on either bank, the large slabs used for the facing of the piers and small vaultings found over some of the arches of approach, soon proved that the upper bridge was the older and probably