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'Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol. III. 1917' [11] (20/432)
The record is made up of 1 volume (214 folios). It was created in 1917. 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
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INTKODUCTION
11
(&) the line of the Tigris to Mosul ; and (c) through the foot-hills of
the Kurdish ranges via Salahiyeh (Kufri), Kirkuk, and Altun Koprii
to Mosul.
(a) The Line of the Euphrates. —The Baghdad—Aleppo caravan-
route runs from Baghdad westward to the Euphrates at Fellujeh,
with a Decauville railway to Eidhwaniyeh to S. of it. It then follows
the r. (western) side of the river to Meskeneh, where it turns W. to
Aleppo. This road is passable for vehicles in all weathers, though
before the war it was unmetalled except for a few miles N. of Deir
ez-Zor, and was therefore liable after rain to become soft and heavy
for wheeled vehicles. A good many wadis, some of which are rather
difficult, have to be crossed. There was a fair amount of wheeled
traffic passing over it at all seasons, and the journey between Baghdad
and Aleppo had been occasionally made by motors before 1914.
Water is plentiful, chiefly from, the river. Supplies are limited,
though there is some cultivation along the valley. There is good
grazing in the neighbourhood of the river during spring. Fuel is
very scarce in some parts ; in others it is supplied by tamarisk, &c.
Whether transport could be obtained would depend on the atti
tude of the neighbouring nomads and semi-nomads. (See further,
llonte 46.)
On the 1. bank there is no regular route, but from the reports of
the few travellers who have ridden over parts of this side of the
Euphrates the country appears to be generally open and easy, with
the usual wadis, patches of soft sand and alluvium, &c. The Belikh
and Khabur tributaries are the chief obstacles on the E. side of
the river. (See Boute 47.)
As a water-way, the middle Euphrates has been much used for
down-stream traffic. Above Hit it cannot be ascended by sailing-
craft owing to the rapidity of the current. It has been occasionally
navigated up-stream by steamers and motor-boats; but even for
these it would be very difficult if not impossible to ascend the river
when it was at its highest or lowest. Blasting, &c., might improve
some of the places where rocks have formed rapids. (See further,
Routes IV F, G, H.)
(&) The Line of the Tigris. —The section of the Baghdad Railway
between Baghdad and Mosul will follow the r. (western) side of the
Tigris Valley. At present only the part of the line between Baghdad
and Samarra appears to have been completed.
From Samarra to Tekrit and from Tekrit to Mosul the land route
on the r. bank goes through very sparsely inhabited country where
About this item
- Content
This volume is A Handbook of Mesopotamia, Volume III, Central Mesopotamia with Sourthern Kurdistan and the Syrian Desert (Admiralty War Staff Intelligence Division, January, 1917), covering the Tigris and Euphrates from Baghdad and Fellūjeh [Fallujah] to Mosul and Meskeneh [Maskanah], the Lesser Zāb, the country east of the Tigris towards the Persian frontier, and the routes running westward from the Euphrates valley across the Syrian Desert. The volume was prepared on behalf of the Admiralty and War Office, and appears to be based on official and unofficial publications and maps which are cited in a bibliographical section in the volume. This volume was supplemented with corrections and additions in June 1918 (see IOR/L/MIL/17/15/41/5).
The volume includes a note on confidentiality, a title page, 'Note', 'Abbreviations'. There is a page of 'Contents' which includes the following sections:
- Introduction;
- River Routes (The Tigris and the Lesser Zāb, The Euphrates);
- Land Routes (The Tigris Valley with Region to East, The Euphrates Valley, Connexions between Tigris and Euphrates Valleys, The Syrian Desert);
- Gazetteer of Towns;
- Bibliographical Note;
- Transliteration of Names;
- Glossary;
- Appendix;
- Index;
- 'Sketch Map of Routes', which includes 'City Map of Baghdad' (f. 212) and 'Mesopotamia: Outline Map Showing Routes, Volume III' contained in a pocket.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (214 folios)
- Arrangement
This volume is arranged according to numbered routes. There is a page of contents and an alphabetical index. There are two maps housed in a pocket.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover and terminates at the inside back cover; 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 (except for the front cover, where the folio number is located on the verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. ).
Pagination: The volume also has an original printed pagination sequence.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/17/15/41/4
- Title
- 'Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol. III. 1917'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:i-v, 1:422, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence