Skip to item: of 312
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

'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' [‎84r] (172/312)

The record is made up of 1 volume (152 folios). It was created in 1890. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

Transcription

This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.

Apply page layout

MOSUL.
Mosul is the principal town of Upper Mesopotamia and capital of the
"Waliat of that name. Its position both strategically and commercially is
very important. Towards it converge several important routes—(1) from.
Baghdad through Kifri and Erbil ; (2) from West Persia through Rawan-
duz; (3) from Sulaimaniah and south-east Kurdistan through Kui Sanjak; (4)
from Van and Bashkala by the Zab valley and Amadiyeh; (5) from Erzerum,
Mush and t he Armenian plateau by Bitlis, Sairdt, Jazirah, and Zakho; ( 6 )
irom Diarbekr either across the desert from Nisibin or through Midiyat and
Oazirah or Nisibin Jazirah and Zakho.
From Diarbekr an excellent cart road exists through Kharput and Siwas
to the Black Sea at Samsun, and easy roads lead to Aleppo and Sakanderun on
the Mediterranean.
Thus as a commercial centre Mosul presents advantages of no common
order, and were its old position on the main route between India and the
Mediterranean restored by the construction of through railways it would
again rapidly increase in size and importance. Ail important schemes for
railways from west to east are projected to pass through Mosul.
It is a town of about 40,000 inhabitants on the right bank of the Tigris ;
some estimates giving 50,000. The inhabitants are mostly Musalman of the
Sunni faith. There are Christians of various persuasions estimated as
follows:
20 liouses of Protestants. I 500 of Jacobites.
500 of Catholic Syrians. j 350 of Jews.
600 of Chaldeans, both Papal and New sects,
making a total of about 7,000 Christians and 1,500 Jews. There are no
Nestorians except a few who come in to pick up work and then return to
their villages. About 50 years ago they were very numerous in the town.
The English Consul was removed in 1887; since then there is an Agent,
Mr. Nimrod Rassam, a nephew of the well-known explorer of Nineveh and
assistant of Sir A. Layard. The Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. is under the Baghdad Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. .
There are also Consuls for Russia and France. The houses are built of a con
crete of stone set in cement made of the gypsum and lime which is procurable
from the country round. But little wood is used, the ceiling being usually an
arch turned in the concrete. The best houses are built round a courtyard
in the centre into which the rooms and the diwan open.
The doorposts are often made of ornamented carved gypsum looking like
marble. There are “ Serdabs,” or rooms under the ground floor, where the
people retire in the midday heat in summer.
Water-supply is either brought from the Tigris in skins on the hack of
ponies or from small wells in the courtyards of the houses. The wells are
brackish and the river water is the best for drinking. It is very muddy, but
when filtered it is sweet and wholesome and is several degrees cooler than the
air in floods because of the melting snows in the mountains. Ice or rather
pressed snow is brought in from the hills and sold in the bazar.
The bazar is a large and bustling one, but not arched over with brick
like Baghdad and Kermanshah. Leafy boughs only are placed across overhead
to keep off the sun. As u=ual ; each trade has its own place. A very mixed

About this item

Content

Narrative report on surveys conducted in Mesopotamia [Iraq], North-West Persia [Iran] and Luristan [Lorestān]. The preface provides the following information:

'The object was to explore various tracts of little known country through which roads lead north from the head of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. to the Waliat of Van and North-West Persia near Urmia. To accomplish this, two routes through Luristan from the Tigris valley were travelled. In southern Kurdistan the roads from Kifri to Sulaimaniah, from there to Rawanduz, and Rawanduz to Amadiyeh, were gone over in Turkey, and Suj-Bulak to Karmanshah through Sakiz and Sihna in Persia. The country south of lake Van to Mosul was traversed in the routes Amadiyeh to Mosul, Mosul to Jazirah, Jazirah to Bashkala, Bashkala to Urmia, and Urmia to Suj Bulak through Ushnu.'

The report contains the following illustrations:

  • Tak-i-Girra, looking east (f 42).
  • Sketch showing the Town of Rawanduz [Rāwāndūz], (f 63).
  • Sketch showing the bridge at Rawanduz. (f 66).
  • Sketch showing Amadiyeh [Al 'Amādīyah] from the north-east, (f 76).
  • Sketch showing the bridge of Mosul (f 85).

The report contains the following maps:

  • Pass of Tak-i-Girra, on the Baghdad-Kermanshah Route, December 1889 (f 41).
  • Country in vicinity of Rawanduz, May 1889 (f 64).
  • Plateau of Amadiyeh and surrounding country, June 1888 (f 74).
  • Plan of Mosul and surrounding country, corrected from Jones' survey, August 1889, (f 87).
  • Country between Feishkhabur [Fīsh Khābūr] and Zakho, June 1888, (f 101).
Extent and format
1 volume (152 folios)
Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 154; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.

Written in
English in Latin script
View the complete information for this record

Use and share this item

Share this item
Cite this item in your research

'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' [‎84r] (172/312), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/144, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100035451478.0x0000ad> [accessed 27 March 2025]

Link to this item
Embed this item

Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.

<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100035451478.0x0000ad">'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' [&lrm;84r] (172/312)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100035451478.0x0000ad">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000912.0x00004d/IOR_L_PS_20_144_0186.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000912.0x00004d/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image