Merv, the Queen of the
World;
and the Scourge of the Man-stealing Turcomans. With an
Exposition of the Khorassan Question:
By Charles Thomas Marvin, Published by W.H. Allen, 1881
CHAPTER III. THE ORIGIN OF THE Turkmen.
WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE MINOR TRIBES.
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A LAND RUSSIA IS NOW ANNEXING. 59
covering them with trees give the Goklans water in
abundance.' In another place he observes of the Gorgon, '
For the traveler who, like me, has spent many years in
Central Persia, consisting of barren mountains and desert
valleys, the northern slope of the Elburz mountains,
crowned with magnificent forests, and varied with
delightful dales, watered by numerous streams and
embellished with splendid vegetation, must possess a
special charm. During my many and prolonged journeys in
the East and West, I have never
cast my eyes on a country equal in beauty to that of the
Gorgon. There the loveliness of an English landscape
blends with the grandeur of Caucasian scenery.' This
glowing description is not exaggerated. The position of
the Cis-Gorgon region, protected from the cold north and
north-east winds by the mountains, and lying close to the
sea, is favorable to the growth of the most luxuriant
vegetation. "
In order to better explain the favorable position of the
Goklan district, it may be well to give a topographical
description of the adjacent region. From Krasnovodsk and
Balkan Bay runs for 300 miles, in a straight line to the
south-east, a long mountain crest, broken in two places.
A part of the ridge between the first break and Balkan
Bay, into which once ran the Amu-Darya, bears the name of
the Great Balkan. The second part of the ridge, situated
between the two breaks in the range, is known as the
Little Balkan. Beyond the second break, further to the
south, to half the entire length of the mountain system,
the ridge is called the Kuren-Dagh. Finally, the
remainder
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