'Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol. III. 1917' [‎373] (382/432)

SAMAKKA 373
buildings of old Samarra, the most important lie to the N. of the
present city. A few hundred yards outside the walls lie the ruins
of the great Mosque (260 yds. x 170 yds.), a large rectangular enclosure
(middle 9th century a. d .), surrounded by a ruinous wall, with four
large angle towers, with smaller rounded bastions at intervals of
about 20 ft. The longer sides run N. and S. There is a large gate
in the middle of the southern side. The E. and W. walls are
broken by numerous doors. The wall above the larger doors has
in every case fallen away. There are 5 gates to the N. "Windows
occur irregularly. Near the centre of the N. wall stands a minaret
called the Malwiyeh, about 160 ft. high, which is ascended by an
external spiral path. From the top there is a wide view over the
town of Samarra and the neighbouring country. To the X. of the
Malwiyeh, between it and the ruins called the Beit el-Khallfeh, a
space of nearly 3,000 yds. is covered with the remains of walls and
streets.
Supplies and Commerce. — Local supplies are described in general
as limited, but before the war the town must have had sufficient
provisions for the numerous Shiah pilgrims who visit or pass through
the town. Melons and vegetables appear to be the chief agricultural
export. The Baghdad supply of melons comes mainly from
bamarra. There are no wells in Samarra containing drinkable water
but the water which is obtained from the river is said to be excellent.'
The pilgrim-waggons (capable of carrying about 20 men) which ply
between Samarra and Baghdad are owned in Kazimain, but in the
pilgrim-season there are usually 10-20 of them in the small village
which lies opposite Samarra on the r. bank. Large sailing boats
(boghalehs and saflnehs) can ascend to Samarra, except, apparently
when the current is strongest at flood-time, and quffehs are still in
use (see vol. i, p. 166). Before the war a small steamer made weeklv
voyages to Samarra from Baghdad.
/nAaMante.—Probably about four-fifths of the inhabitants are
bmahs, and there is a Persian community in the place. Persian
is said to be more spoken here than Arabic, and Persian coinage
prevails. A few Jews are settled here, and there is a small British
Indian colony, mostly Kashmiris.
Administration and Authorities. —Samarra is the headquarters of a
Kaza in the Vilayet of Baghdad,
Histoiy.—-Samarra, was a small town for many centuries in the
Assyrian, Persian, Greek, and Sassanian periods (here the army of
the Roman Emperor Julian halted in its retreat from Ctesiphon
fLk D "- • a , 1 near the toW11 Julian died of wounds); but at
egmning of the ninth century there seems to have been little
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