time immemorial, in a very primitive way, which is described by Bellen,
in his description of his journey in 1872 from the Indus to the Tigris,
as follows:--

“For several miles our road led over a succession of salt pits and
ovens, and lying about we found several samples of the alimentary salt
prepared here from the soil. It was in fine white granules massed
together in the form of the earthen vessel in which the salt had been
evaporated. The process of collecting the salt is very rough and simple.
A conical pit or basin, 7 or 8 feet deep and about 12 feet in diameter
is dug, and around it are excavated a succession of smaller pits, each
about 2 feet diameter by 1½ feet deep. On one side of the large pit
is a deep excavation, to which the descent from the pit is by a sloping
bank. In this excavation is a domed oven with a couple of fireplaces. At
a little distance off are the piles of earth scraped from the surface
and ready for treatment. And, lastly, circling round each pit is a small
water-cut led off from a larger stream running along the line of pits.

“Such is the machinery. The process is simply this:--A shovelful of
earth is taken from the heap and washed in the basins (a shovelful to
each) circling the pit.

“The liquor from these is, whilst yet turbid, run into the great central
pit, by breaking away a channel for it with the fingers. The channel is
then closed with a dab of clay, and a fresh lot of earth washed, and the
liquor run off as before; and so on till the pit is nearly full of
brine. This is allowed to stand till the liquor clears. It is then
ladled out into earthen jars, set on the fire and boiled to evaporation
successively, till the jar is filled with a cake of granular salt. The
jars are then broken, and the mass of salt (which retains its shape) is