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284 IMPROVEMENT OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL RANGELANDS
and that the entire tribe, therefore, IIlWIt move as a unit along this
route twice each year.1G De Morgan also describes only one Bakhtiari
migration route (it crosses the Rud-e Des by a bridge after descending
from the uplands via the pass at Badouch), but he gives no clear
indication that this is the only route utilized by the Bakhtiari. 20
In contrast, Cooper states that there are five routes through the
Bakhtiari mountains,21 a number cited by several other writers. Yet
Cooper traveled only one of those routes, the most rugged of the
five, one that is used by only a small portion of Bakhtiari, and his
description of that route is too vague to permit positive identification.
Sawyer nlso mentions five ways across the mountains, but he only
specifies four-the God-e Murda (a pass that fails to appear on most
maps of the area) and Cherri passes on the two main roads from
Shushtar to Esfahan, and Gili Shah and Pambakal passes across
Zard Kuh. 22
Despite the confusion present in the literature as to which routes
are followed, some definite conclusions about migration tracks can be
ascertained. The most commonly mentioned route, used exclusively
by the Haft-lang, is the old caravan route from Ahvaz to Esfahan. 23
This trail, called the Lynch Road, crosses the Rudkhaneh-e Jarrahi
north of Ramhormoz, passes over the outlying Zagros ranges, and
descends to the Karun valley. After cutting off a loop of the Karun,
the road continues to Dow Polan where a split occurs. Those groups
summering in Chahar Mahal cross the Karun and proceed westward
to Chagha Khur before turning northward, entering Chahar Mahal
via the pass (gadang) at Zirreh. 2 • The majority of the Haft-lang
continue up the Karun along the eastern slopes of Zard Kuh. In the
upper reaches of the Karun directly east of Gili Shah pass is a notch,
the remnants of an ancient attempt to divert the Karun into the
headwaters of the Zayandeh Rud, where it is relatively easy to cross
the last mountain barrier. 26 Once across this range, the Haft-lang
are in the valley of the Zayandeh Rud, which offers an easy passage
to the summer pastures in Faradan.
The other major Haft-lang route (there may well be others unknown
to Europeans) traverses the central portion of the Bakhtiari
area. 26 This road leaves from the Shushtar area, crosses the Karun,
and wends its way along mountain valleys and across numerous
passes to the tribal staging area in the Shambar valley. From here,
the trail crosses the gadang at Silm before crossing Zard Kuh at
either Pambakal or Gili Shah. 2T At this point, the Bakhtiari from