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The Turquoise. 229
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The next valley called the "Derreh-i-Sabs" the green valley, contains the old Ardelânï and Sabz mines, and the new Anjîrî mines. The Ardelânï was
once a very great mine ; more than twelve old shafts, now filled up,
are still to be seen; its present entrance is by a large artificial
cave with a dome-like roof; it has a vertical depth of 85 feet, and is
very badly ventilated, having several galleries with foul air. Such
galleries are called "chirâgh-kush," i.e., lamp extinguishers.
The Ardelânï Turquoises are not good. A " Jowâher nâmeh " (Book on
Jewels) written during the seventeenth century, mentions that
Turquoises of the most inferior quality were obtained from the Ardelânï.
The Sabz mine has, as its name implies, green Turquoises, and is at present filled up.
The Anjîrî mines,
which have their name from some fig trees growing in the valley
(Anjîr=fig'), are new mines. They produced during the last few years a
very great quantity of Turquoises, which had a fine colour, and sold
well. The colour, however, soon faded, and the possessors of these.
Turquoises are now far from satisfied with their purchases. These
stones were sent to Europe and kept moist in earthenware pots till they
were sold ; but when removed from the damp they lost colour, and in a
year or two became quite white.
The next and last, also the most westerly valley, is the one with the Kemerî mine.
This mine, which is full of water, has some thick veins of Turquoises,
but the stones are of no use for rings, being generally worked into
cheap jewellery.
There
are many more mines with names, perhaps a hundred, and more than a
hundred nameless ones, but they are either parts of those enumerated
above, or they
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