'Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol. I. 1918' [‎19] (28/568)

BOUNDARIES AND PHYSICAL FEATURES 19
into the Lesser Zab, which cuts its way through the ranges from the
Persian plateau. The mountain-slopes are well timbered in some
regions (for example, in the Avroman, Khoshik and Bamu ranges
E. and SE. of Suleimaniyeh); and elsewhere patches of trees and
scrub (largely oak) are found in the valley-bottoms and on the slopes,
and many of the villages are surrounded by orchards. There are
high pasture-grounds, especially on the eastern side of the mountain-
belt, which are frequented in summer by nomadic and semi-nomadic
Kurds. As elsewhere along the edge of the Persian plateau, the
ranges run generally NW.-SE., and the tracks for pack-animals
which cross them are all more or less difficult. Their passes are
blocked by snow in winter.
The high mountains of central Kurdistan cover an area which
measures about 80 miles from south to north. On the Mesopotamian
side this region may be roughly described as beginning N. of
Zakho and Amadiyeh. It stretches up to the southern shore of
Lake Van, which lies in the south-eastern corner of the Armenian
plateau, at an altitude of over 5,000 ft. above the sea. Central
Kurdistan is the most difficult section of the mountain-barrier cutting
off Mesopotamia from Armenia and north-west Persia. The highest
and most rugged part of this region is that which is traversed by the
Great Zab between the plain of Bash Qal'ah on the north and its
junction with the Rudbar-i-Shln (E. of Amadiyeh) on the south.
Here the mountains E. and W. of the Zab rise to heights of
11,000-14,000 ft. ; their sides are generally barren and sparsely
wooded ; the valleys and lower slopes contain patches of cultivable
ground, but they are often narrow and rocky gorges. To the north
and east of this extremely difficult country the heights of the ranges
decrease, and there are many open grassy plains and plateaux used
as summer pastures by the Kurds. West of the Zab basin is an
intricate complex of mountains rising to 9,000-11,000 ft., watered
by many streams, which help to form a number of considerable
mountain-rivers—the Khabur, the Hazil, the Rohsur, the Bohtan,
and the Bitlis; these latter drain southwards and westwards to the
Tigris. The valleys in this country are often well wooded and
fertile. There is a good deal of high pasture-ground on the
mountains.
(d) The Highlands North of theJesireh of Biarbehr.—
The northern hill-country between the Euphrates on the west and
the line Jezlret-ibn- Omar—Bitlis on the east falls into three divisions :
(i) the hill-country of the Tur Abdin and the Qarajeh Dagh ; (ii) the
upland plain of Diarbekr; (iii) the eastern Taurus ranges between
the Euphrates and the valley of the Bitlis Su, SW. of Lake Van.
b 2