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'Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol. I. 1918' [278] (287/568)
The record is made up of 1 volume (282 folios). It was created in 1918. It was written in English, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Armenian, Kurdish and Syriac. 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.
278 COMMUNICATIONS AND TKANSPORT
The hire of these carriages before the war cost £T10-15 for the
Baghdad—Aleppo and Aleppo—Mosul journeys and £T5-10 for the
journey from Baghdad to Mosul.
(") Omnibus. A four-wheeled covered coach, without springs, made
of wood. It is drawn by 3 or 4 mules. It is square-shaped, and
has the appearance of a primitive hotel omnibus. The entrance is at
the back, and the seats, which run along the sides, can take ten or
twelve persons. This vehicle is suitable only for passenger traffic
and for routes on the flat.
These omnibuses ply on the roads from Baghdad to Kerbela,
Nejef, Hilla, Samarra, and Baqubeh.
(iii) Gharry (generally so called at Basra) or or aba (generally so
called at Baghdad). A four-wheeled carriage on springs, drawn by
1 or 2 horses ; it will take 2 passengers comfortably, can hold 4. It
is principally used in the larger towns, and is suitable for short
journeys only.
(iv) Carts of various types (two-wheeled or four-wheeled) are met
with in northern Mesopotamia, but infrequently. They are used for
heavy draught work and are drawn by bullocks or mules.
(c) Transport animals :
Almost all land transport in Mesopotamia was still carried on by
pack-animals before the war.
Camels are used for pack-transport in the drier parts of the plains,
especially in desert and open steppe, and also in the lower hill-
country. They are useless on marshy, muddy, or slippery soil.
The usual pace of a camel-caravan is 2-2f miles an hour, and its
daily march would be generally 10-15 miles.
The carrying capacity of the camel varies very considerably with
different circumstances—the length of the journey, the character of
the surface, the water and grazing obtainable and the bulk
of the load. Under favourable conditions a fairly strong camel may
be expected to carry 460-500 lb. (in two packages), and exceptional
animals will take up to 600 lb. On the other hand 330 lb. is said
to be the average for desert routes.
See further on the camel pp. 182-4.
Horses and ponies are used for draught or pack work on the well-
watered routes in the plains and on the less difficult roads in the hills.
Baggage-ponies will generally carry a load of about 300 lb. in two
packages, and under favourable conditions will move at about
3^-4 miles an hour. The usual day's march for these animals is
about 20-25 miles.
See further pp. 184-5.
About this item
- Content
This volume is A Handbook of Mesopotamia, Volume I, General (Naval Staff, Intelligence Department: November 1918). This is an updated and expanded edition of A Handbook of Mesopotamia, Volume I, General (Admiralty War Staff, Intelligence Department: August 1916) (IOR/L/MIL17/15/41/1). This is an introductory volume containing matter of a general nature giving an account of conditions in Mesopotamia, for the most part as they were before the First World War.
The volume includes a note on official use, a title page and 'Note'. There is a page of 'Contents' that includes the following chapters and sections:
- Chapter 1: Boundaries and Physical Features;
- Chapter 2: Climate;
- Chapter 3: Minerals;
- Chapter 4: Fauna and Flora;
- Chapter 5: Hygiene;
- Chapter 6: History;
- Chapter 7: Inhabitants;
- Chapter 8: Religions;
- Chapter 9: Administration;
- Chapter 10: Irrigation of Irak [Iraq];
- Chapter 11: Agriculture and Land Tenure;
- Chapter 12: Commerce and Industry;
- Chapter 13: Currency, Weights, and Measures;
- Chapter 14: Communications and Transport;
- Vocabularies;
- Index.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (282 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume is arranged in numbered chapters. There is a contents page and an alphabetically arranged index.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio; 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'. of the folio.
Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
- Written in
- English, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Armenian, Kurdish and Syriac in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/17/15/41/2
- Title
- 'Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol. I. 1918'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:i-v, 1:556, ii-r:ii-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence