'Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol. I. 1918' [‎20] (29/568)

20
BOIINDAEIES AND PHYSICAL FEATURES
The Tur Abdin and the Qarajeh Dagh country may be compared to
the chord of an arc formed by the eastern Taurus ; between the chord
and the arc lie the plain of Diarbekr and the open rolling country
which adjoins it. ,,, ,, m
(i) The plain of the JezTreh is bounded on the north by the Tur
Abdin plateau (E. of Mardln) and by the hill-country which has its
centre and highest point in the Qarajeli Dagh (W. ot Mardln).
The southern side of the Tur Abdin rises abruptly from the plain.
East and north of the plateau lies the valley of the Tigris. On its
western side, between it and the spurs of the Qarajeh Dagh country,
there is a depression running N. and S. which affords an important
line of communication between Diarbekr and the great Mesopotamian
plain ; Diarbekr lies at the northern end of this depression, Mardin at
the southern.
The summit of the Tur Abdin is 3,000-4,000 ft. above the sea and
1,600-2,000 ft. above the plain. It is traversed by rocky ridges,
mostly basaltic, covered with low oaks and brushwood. The soil,
though much overlaid by stones, is often fertile, but water is scarce
in summer. The least stony and best watered part of the plateau is
the north-western, towards Diarbekr.
North-west of Mardln are the Mazi Dagh and the larger and more
important Qarajeh Dagh (alt. 6,070 ft.) with their rocky spurs and out
liers. On its southern side this region presents no such abrupt con
tinuous wall as does the Tur Abdin; its spurs run out in rocky
parallel ridges which separate from each other the fertile districts of
Yeiran Shehr, Urfeh-—Harran, and Seruj. The surface of the Qarajeh
Dagh is basaltic, and the basalt extends southwards to the neighbour
hood of Veiran Shehr; to the south-west the underlying limestone
comes to the surface in the ranges of the Tektek Dagh and the
Nimrud Dagh, the one E., the other W., of the Urfeh plain. The
slopes of the Qarajeh Dagh afford pasture-grounds for Kurdish
tribes, but this country contains practically no settled population.
Its water-supply is rather scanty in summer.
(ii) North and east of Diarbekr lies a country of flat or rolling
plains and open downs, watered by the Tigris and by tributaries of
that river flowing from the hills on the north. The soil of this
country is mainly clay and gravel. Near Diarbekr there are alluvial
flats along the Tigris. At present this region is far from being
cultivated in proportion to its fertility.
An extension of the plains towards the east gives easy communica
tion with Zokh, Sairt, and the valley of the Bitlis Su.
(iii) The ranges of the eastern Taurus run in a crescent -shaped line
between the Euphrates and the valley of the Bitlis Su, SW. of
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