"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎١‎٨‎١] (١٧٨٢/١٣٣٦)

1181
were Janissaries, and nearly 10,000 more in the vicinity. The wall
enclosing the city on the side towards Persia was at this time of burnt
brick; connected with it were many subsidiary works, including four
strong bastions on which heavy bronze guns in good condition were
mounted; and outside was a dee]) ditch. There was a mint at Baghdad
in which gold, silver and copper coins were struck; and a school of
archery and another of musketry were maintained by the government.
Trade was carried on with India by way of the Tigris and Basrah, and
with Aleppo across the desert; in ordinary times of peace there was also
a direct trade with Persia.
Karbala and Najaf were ordinarily subject to Ottoman authority. The Karbala-
Turkish garrisons were usually quartered in both those towns, and the t^r U, ^1604
nearest of the influential desert Shaikhs, Nasir-bin-Mahanna, was accus
tomed to profess allegiance to the Porte; but in 1604, on account of the
defeats lately sustained by the Turkish forces in Persia and of the with
drawal of the customary Turkish garrison, Karbala was in a state of
revolt; and during TeixeiiVs stay there the horses, clothing and arms of
some 30 or 40 Turkish soldiers, recently killed by Arabs of the place,
were sold in the open market. Both at Karbala and at Najaf the Shia'h
prejudice against Jews and Christians was at this time very strong.
The town of Basrah comprised in the same year about 10,000 houses,
many large but of poor construction, and others merely reed huts. The
fortifications were in ruins, but outside them ran a deep and wide ditch,
filled with water from the creek. The town and its dependencies were
governed by a Pasha ; the military garrison at headquarters amounted to
3,000 Turks, Kurds and Arabs; and a customs house existed, of which
the receipts, after defraying all administrative expenses, yielded a large
surplus. There was an arsenal containing some good artillery ; but the
armed vessels maintained by the Turks "for use in the river and there
abouts, to keep in order the rebellious Arabs, from whom they exact
heavy tribute JJ were described as " few, of small scantling, and ill-
built. " The Shaikh of 'Arabistan, to whom Hawizeh and Doraq—
the modern Fallahiy eh—belonged, claimed Basrah, and in 1604 he was
at war with the Turks ; and the Ottoman authorities, to restrain am
phibious Arab marauders, had built forts at numerous places on the
bank of the river. Among these posts was one on the ■'Arabistan
side of the river opposite to Saraji, three miles below Basrah, where was
the anchorage for large vessels visiting the port. Dates were in those
days, as now, the principal export of Basrah, and went to Baghdad, to
various Persian ports and to Hormuz; trade generally was with Baghdad,
Persia, Qatif, Hasa, Bahrain and Hormuz, all Indian goods being
Basrah
1604.
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