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Sec. III, Ch. 11: Turquoise

Sec. III, Ch. 11: Turquoise Page of 366 Sec. III, Ch. 11: Turquoise Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
The Turquoise.                              227
The Turquoises of the " White Valley " though very good, are not so fine as those of the Abdurrezzâgî. Many Turquoises, generally small, are found in the rubbish of the old mines ; and are much prized for their colour.
In the lower Zâkî, now a vertical shaft of 60 feet in depth, and about 250 feet in circumference, it may be plainly seen how the mines have got to their present ruined state. Vertical shafts were formerly cut into the rock for lighting and ventilating the mine, while the entrance of the mine was by lateral galleries driven in on the slopes of the mountains. Schindler thinks it very probable that the mines were, as late as the first quarter of the last century, worked by the Government. When the Sefâvîeh dynasty came to an end, the mines were neglected and left to the people of the village, or perhaps, as now, farmed to them. The farmers thought of only getting a quick return for their money, and cut away the rock wher­ever they saw any Turquoises, exactly as they do at the present day. As a result the supporting pillars and the rock between the different shafts were cut away, and the roof, so to say, of the old mine, fell down, filling it up. The three above-mentioned mines have been filled up in a similar manner,
The mouth of the Mirza Ahmedì mine, which was probably once a part of the Zâkî mines, lies about 80 feet lower than that of the Zâkî mine, and goes down about 80 feet vertical. It also has very good Turquoises, but working in it is very precarious on account of the bad state of the galleries, and the amount of loose rubbish they contain.
The next valley is the Derreh-i-Dar-i-Kûh. In it are several important mines, the Kerbleâi Kerîmî, the Dar-i-Knh, and others. The Dar-i-Kûh mine is very deep, going-
Sec. III, Ch. 11: Turquoise Page of 366 Sec. III, Ch. 11: Turquoise
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