"العراق والخليج الفارسي" [و‎‎٦‎١] (٨٦٢/١٢٦)

DESCRIPTION OF THE LAND 77
Sinjar in the north and from 800 feet near Abu Kemal in the west to
about 250 feet above sea-level west of Baghdad. Thence it falls fairly
abruptly to less than 150 feet along the head of the delta lowland in
the neighbourhood of the Saqlawiya canal.
Certain features break the uniformity of the Jazira. In the north
there are occasional low ranges of hills formed by the folding of the
strata, the most prominent being the Jabal Sinjar west of Mosul and
the Jabal Mak-hul which extends the Jabal Hamrin to the north-west.
From these and other hills the rainfall is collected in streams, a few of
them perennial, which either find their way into the Tigris or collect
to form the Wadi Tharthar, a remarkable depression which traverses
the length of the Jazira of Iraq and finally empties into the salt de
pression of Umm Rahal in the south. The riverain belts on either side
of the Jazira are rarely more than 3 or 4 miles wide, and often less,
except between Samarra and Baghdad, where, as already mentioned,
the Abbasid courses of the Tigris and Dujail canal were considerably
west of the present course (p. 46).
The Riverain Country between Samarra and Baghdad
A general outline of this district has been given with the description
of the course of the Tigris. Towards its western edge the banks of the
ancient Dujail canal and of its distributaries rise above the plain
(fig. 13). The railway makes use of the canal banks and is thus raised
above the level of possible floods from the Tigris. Most of the country
between the railway and river is cultivated (fig. 21). Sumaicha, the
only large village at any considerable distance from the river, lies
among palm-trees and gardens. It was once watered by the Dujail
canal west of the old course of the Tigris, but is now dependent
on the water of numerous wells. The region here is identified with the
fertile district of Maskin in Abbasid times.
The Wadi Tharthar and the Southern Jazira
The Wadi Tharthar rises in the eastern half of the Jabal Sinjar west
of Mosul from a number of springs, the chief of which appears to be
the Ain al Hisan (Ghassan) about 20 miles east of Balad Sinjar.
Other springs near Balad Sinjar also contribute some water, to which
is added the run-off from the Jabal Sinjar and Jabal Shaikh Ibrahim
during the winter. The streams unite before passing within 2 miles
of the ruins of Parthian Hatra (Hadhr). The principal wadi north of
Hatra is perennial though slightly saline, but there are several wells
of sweet water in its neighbourhood. Much grass grows in spring