Page 77 - PERSIAN 2 1879_1883_Neat

RESIDENCY AND MUSKAT POLITICAL AGENCY FOR 1879-80. 65

APPENDIX A TO PART III.
Report on ilie salt caves and mines and trade in salt in the Persian Gulf by
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Assistant Surgeon Adder Raueem, dated Bassidore, 20th March 1880.
From what is at present known of the existence of rock salt in
this part of the Persian Gulf, it would appear that the area lying
between latitudes 2G° 10' and 27° 10' north, and longitudes 53° 50' and
50° 30' east, is an extensive area, abounding in a large deposit of salt,
which crops out at various places on the earth's surface, rising up into
ranges of rocks of no little magnitude. *
The following are the principal places from which salt is obtained in
the salt area noted above:—Kowin on Kishm Island, Hormaz, Larak,
Pobal (near Kbamir), “ Sir-bu-Nafair," Jabal Bostana, and Ilameran on
the Persian Coast. The general appearance and character of the salt-bear­
ing rocks here being that they are of a reddish colour from red ochre,
varying from earthy consistence to stony hardness, which covers the salt
deposit and is more or less mixed with it, imparting it a red tint. The
ochre is associated to a small extent with specular iron ore. The associ­
ation of this ochre with salt is so constant in this salt area that the ex­
istence of the former is almost a sure indication of the presence of the
latter. Indeed, from the general appearance of the rock at Hameran, I
suspected it to contain rock salt, long before its discovery by the
natives.
About sixteen miles from the Bassidore Station in a south-easterly
direction and three miles from the village of Kowin on the Island of
Kishm, is a range of rocks bordering the sea, and consisting very largely
of rock salt, covered in some parts by red ochre, while in others large
masses of salt of stony hardness aud reddish tint are seen to compose
the surface and mass of the rock, giving it the appearance of a structure
made of red bricks and mortar.
The salt cave with its briny stream, described by Mr. W. Johnston,
is situated in the western end of the range. Besides this there are several
other places in this range where briny water issues forth, and collecting
in hollow ground close to or removed from these rocks, deposits beauti­
ful crystalline masses of salt by spontaneous evaporation. It is stated
that some forty years ago the salt was largely procured by this method;
numerous shallow pits were excavated, where as the brine evaporated, it
deposited salt, which was then collected for commercial purposes. But
since the people took to quarry the salt the pits were neglecred, as the
process was tedious, and the salt obtained being small in quantity and
not good in quality for commercial purposes. However the streams of
brine and some of the pits still exist, and yield a portion of salt for
home consumption.
The working of these salt mines during the past thirty or forty years
has given rise to large caverns in the bowels of the rock. In almost all
l