'Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol. I. 1918' [‎60] (69/568)

60
MINERALS
Company has its producing field at Maidan-i-Naftun 26-30 miles SE.
of Shushtar ; (ii) the Kirkuk—Qasr-i-Shlrln—Mandali region: here oil
is known to exist on the Turkish side of the frontier in or close to
the hills near Kirkuk, Tuz Khurmatli, Kufri (Salahiyeh), Chlah
Surkh, and Mandali, and on the Persian side of the frontier oil and
bitumen occur at many places in the area between the Turkish
frontier on the west, the Mahidesht neighbourhood on the east, the
Sirwan (upper Diyaleh) on the north, and the border of Luristan on
the south. Though production has not been attempted on any large
scale in the Kirkuk—Qasr-i-Shlrin—Mandali region, some experts are
inclined to think that it may prove richer than the Shushtar area.
The Neft Khaneh or ' Mandali' field, between Khanikin and Mandali,
has been lately examined and has been found to be most promising.
Paraffin base oils are present here, and the geological conditions are
favourable to the existence of an abundant supply. The field lies at
about lat. 34° 2' N., long. 45° 27' E., just on the Turkish side of the
Turco-Persian frontier.
Between the two areas above mentioned much of south-eastern
Luristan and Pusht-i-Kuh is probably petroliferous, and oil is found
on the surface in a number of places (e. g. Dehhuran and Dalparri).
(6) The Middle Tigris Belt —This belt extends along the Tigris from
south of Mosul to the Fethah gorge in the Hamrin hills. At present
oil is worked only at Kaiyara about 50 miles by river and 40 miles by
road below Mosul. North of Kaiyara there are oil-oozings in the
warm springs of Hammam Ali (15 miles S. of Mosul); and at the
Pethah gorge there are oil-oozings and bitumen on the rocks near
the river. It is possible that the line of the Hamrin hills to north
west and south-east of this gorge is also petroliferous. The economic
prospects of this area are quite uncertain, but a favourable opinion
has been passed by one observer on the possibilities of the Fethah
gorge. The area could be made easily accessible from Mosul in the
north and from Baghdad in the south along the line of the Tigris.
There are indications of oil in the plains W. of this section of the
Tigris. Thus there are said to be oil-oozings in the streams flow
ing S. from the Toq hills between Tel A'far and Beled Sinjar, and
farther south there is an oil-spring at El-Hadhr some 30 miles WNW.
of Qal'ah Sherghat. It is uncertain whether the petroliferous area
extends across the JezTreh from the Tigris to the Euphrates, and in
any case its value is unknown.
(c) The Euphrates Belt. —A petroliferous area extends along the
Euphrates from the neighbourhood of Ramadiyeh up to an undeter
mined point above Deir ez-Zor; there is an indication of oil on the
right bank above Lubtar Island 12 miles above Deir. The principal