'Reconnaissances in Mesopotamia, Kurdistan, North-West Persia, and Luristan from April to October 1888. By Lt F R Maunsell, Intelligence Branch. In Two Volumes. Volume I: narrative report, description of larger towns and routes leading from them. Simla: Intelligence Branch, Quarter Master General's Dept, 1890' [‎81v] (167/312)

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trpps and brushwood require clearing. The ascent of the pass follows a dry
i ocky ravine, and the road is paved in some places. The summit of pass is 8 415'.
lie road winds a good deal, but is never narrower than 8 feet, and bv
removing some of the larger stones and smoothing the places worn by the
rain, it could be soon made passable for artillery. Steep rocky crags rise on
either side; but the summit is a rounded clay slope and then a gentle des
cent down a broad spur. Deep clay ravines with very steep sides run
towards the Zawiheh Valley to the south of the Haitut Pass. There are few
trees now, but several large vineyards and wheat fields
2( . J5 e l ' 0cky r ;%e crossed at the Duriah Badah Pass extends in a direction
^b5 tor some 20 miles, and looks quite impassable along tills length, beino-
a steep bare wall of rock as far I could see. Eastwards it runs “
At 22 miles halted in Bada (3,0*5'), a Kurdish village, on the edo-e 0 f
a narrow ravine Mowing west-north-west. This is a very fertile district! pro
ducing large quantities of raisins for the Mosul market. Water-supply from
a small spring in the ravine, slightly sulpbu rous in taste.
^eather bright today, with occasional clouds. Temperature 60°at 4-30
a.m., and 70 at noon.
Of this stage there are two portions which would require improvino- for
6 passage of guns, viz., the first 3 miles on the left bank of the LW
(Jiyeh stream and some portions of the Duriah Badah Pass.
5th June. General direction, S.W. Left the village and descended
gradually in a direction nearly west, following the bank of a small stream.
U e passed .^ish vdlage of Sundur, and skirted round the end of a steep
ndge to the left ( 2 ,o 00 ); the slopes covered with vineyards. To the right is a
deep stream valley, ana on the opposite slope of the hill are three small Kurdish
villages—Zewa, Chista, and Guntak, all in the kairnmakamlik of Daoudiveh
1 lie road is broad and easy with a slight descending gradient.
Several jets of sulphuretted hydrogen along the stream bank which make
the water heavy and bad, but drinkable.
The grass on the hillsides gets more burnt up as we descend towards Dohuk
nnd trees entirely disappear. This is said to be a turbulent district and
parties o. men armed with long guns and “ hangars” were met, and in the
caravans every man was armed.
T iV^ At , 9 T le , s entM the Do| -K 1 ' Pass (1,650'), a dip in the rocky
Jabai Abiadh through which the stream passes.
in, T 11 ! c P , a t SS is 1 300 yards loYl £- The road follows the left bank, and is a ledo- e
10 to 15 broad cut out of the soft rock. The bridge at the south end of the
pass is broken, and the stream has to be ford.-d. This would be difficult in
spring when the water was high. A small cliff prevents the road keeping to
the left bank. 1 0
Dohuk.—F ord the stream again 500 yards lower, and reach Dohuk (L630')
} mi ^ s from Bada. It is a place of 1,000 houses, with a mixed population
of about 5,000, and is a sort of frontier town between the Kurds of the hills
and the Arabs of the plains. The population consists of Arabs, Kurds, Chris-
tians, Jews, and Yezidis Nearly half, that is about 2,000, are Jews; there
are 200 Christians, and the remainder Kurds, Arabs with a few Yezidis. A
e ure i, several mosques, a synagogue and a Yezidi shrine, all exist in this place.
1 here is a large well-supplied bazar for the size of the place. The chief
trade is in wheat and barley, dried fruits, and raisins with Mosul. '
kammiakam and 100 zaptiyahs are quartered here. There is a small
stone castellated building at the north end of the place, overlooking the outlet
tiorn the pass. It is now in a bad state of repair.