P. 117) observes: "Yule complains that he was not able
to find any modern information regarding the famous Caucasian Wall which
begins at Derbend. I may therefore observe that interesting details on the
subject are found in Legkobytov's Survey of the Russian Dominions beyond
the Caucasus (in Russian), 1836, vol. iv. pp. 158-161, and in Dubois de
Montpereux's Voyage autour du Caucase, 1840, vol. iv. pp. 291-298, from
which I shall give here an abstract."
(He then proceeds to give an abstract, of which the following is a part:)
"The famous Dagh bary (mountain wall) now begins at the village of
Djelgan 4 versts south-west of Derbend, but we know that as late as the
beginning of the last century it could be traced down to the southern gate
of the city. This ancient wall then stretches westward to the high
mountains of Tabasseran (it seems the Tabarestan of Mas'udi).... Dubois de
Montpereux enumerates the following sites of remains of the wall: - In the
famous defile of Dariel, north-east of Kazbek. In the valley of the
Assai river, near Wapila, about 35 versts north-east of Dariel. In the
valley of the Kizil river, about 15 versts north-west of Kazbek. Farther
west, in the valley of the Fiag or Pog river, between Lacz and
Khilak. From this place farther west about 25 versts, in the valley of
the Arredon river, in the district of Valaghir. Finally, the
westernmost section of the Caucasian Wall has been preserved, which was
evidently intended to shut up the maritime defile of Gagry, on the Black
Sea." - H. C.]
There is another wall claiming the title of Sadd-i-Iskandar at the S.E.
angle of the Caspian. This has been particularly spoken of by Vambery, who
followed its traces from S.W. to N.E. for upwards of 40 miles. (See his
Travels in C. Asia, 54 seqq., and Julius Braun in the Ausland, No.
22, of 1869.)
Yule (II. pp. 537-538) says, "To the same friendly correspondent
[Professor Braun] I owe the following additional particulars on this
interesting subject, extracted from Eichwald, Periplus des Kasp. M. I.
128.
"'At the point on the mountain, at the extremity of the fortress (of
Derbend), where the double wall terminates, there begins a single wall
constructed in the same style, only this no longer runs in a straight
line, but accommodates itself to the contour of the hill, turning now to
the north and now to the south. At first it is quite destroyed, and showed
the most scanty vestiges, a few small heaps of stones or traces of towers,
but all extending in a general bearing from east to west.... It is not
till you get 4 versts from Derbend, in traversing the mountains, that you
come upon a continuous wall. Thenceforward you can follow it over the
successive ridges ... and through several villages chiefly occupied by the
Tartar hill-people.
