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‘Persian Gulf pilot comprising the Persian Gulf and its approaches from Ras al Hadd, in the south-west, to Cape Monze, in the east.’ [‎169r] (344/404)

The record is made up of 199 folios. It was created in 1932. 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. .

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Chap. VIII.] TIGRIS RIVER 271
Charts 3846, 1265.
is an open sandy desert, and the western bank has a thin fringe
of date palms, beyond which is also desert that is sometimes flooded.
At about 2 miles northward of the canal, the river turns north-
westward, with general depths of 4 fathoms (7 m 3) near its north- 5
eastern bank; near the south-western bank it is shoal for the first
2 miles, after which it is steep-to on that side, with deep water
close to a prominent point, above which vessels should keep to
the south-western side of the river. Nahr 'Umar is situated in this
reach on the south-western bank of the river, about 10 miles above 10
Qarmat 'All.
For the next 17 miles there is no difficulty in the navigation.
Ash-shafi creek, with five brick kilns at its entrance, is conspicuous
on the western bank, about 12| miles above Nahr 'Umar, which
bank, northward of this, is open plain. . . 15
For about one mile northward of Ash-shafi creek the river is
shallow the depths being about 2 fathoms (3 m 7), but it soon
deepens again to 3 and 3^ fathoms (5^5 and 6^4). The river then
narrows somewhat, and curves round northward and north-north-
eastward, the western bank, which is there thickly planted with 20
date palms, being steep-to with depths of 4 fathoms (7 m 3) close
al( Shwaiyib river flows in on the eastern side, v/here the Shatt al
'Arab is narrowest; it is a deep river, which trends off north
eastward and northward, with many turns, and with depths of 25
2 or 3 fathoms (3 m 7 or 5 m 5) for the first 12 miles, but it is too narrow
for anything larger than a steam launch. After passing the
entrance of the Shwaiyib river, the main river curves north-westward,
and widens out into a broad reach miles long, most of which
however, is shallow, forming the bar of the combined Tigris and 30
Euphrates rivers. The greatest depths are close along the northern
shore, the channel being, however, very narrow, with a depth of
only feet (2m6) at high water low river. _
After pacsing the bar the river narrows again, and becomes deep,
there being depths of 6 fathoms (ll m 0) at the junction of the rivers. 35
Between Basra and Qurna the bottom is everywhere mud.
Qurna is a small town, situated on the point formed by the junction
of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. In the town is a telegraph
office.
TIGRIS RIVER.—General remarks .—This great river originates
in Turkish territory in two head streams which unite some 70 miles
from the northern frontier of 'Iraq. The united stream flows
south-south -eastward past Mosul, near which is the site of the
ancient city of Nineveh, past Baiji, Samarra, and Baghdad, whence «
it trends south -eastward, and past Kut al Imara and Amara to its
junction with the Euphrates at Qurna ,
The total length of the river is some 1,150 miles; its chief tributaries
are the Greater and Lesser Zab rivers, flowing from north-eastward
into the main river between Mosul and Baiji, and the Dailah river,
which, flowing from northward, joins the main stream jus t below
B Thertde is felt for about 30 miles above Qurna, but the current

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Content

Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. pilot comprising the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and its approaches, from Ras al Hadd, in the south-west, to Cape Monze, in the east. Published for the Hydrographic Department of the Admiralty by His Majesty’s Stationery Office, London, 1932. Eighth edition.

The pilot begins with a number of introductory sections:

  • Notice of caution when approaching British ports, including the closure of ports and examination of vessels entering ports (folio 1v, inside front cover);
  • Notations of supplements and annual summaries of notices to mariners relating to this book (folio 2);
  • Cautionary notes on the measurements, including those for (bearings, longitude, latitude, depth) given in the pilot, and the different methods of shading used to indicate colours of flags, tidal light signals and beacons in the pilot (folio 5);
  • Advertisement to the eighth edition (folio 6) providing an outline history of the pilot, and updates to the latest edition;
  • Contents page (folios 7v-8), referring to the pilot’s pagination;
  • A list of views (illustrations), with reference to the pilot’s pagination (folio 8v);
  • A glossary of terms (folio 9), organised alphabetically, and with an indication of their origin (Arabic, Baluchi, Hindustani, Persian);
  • Notes on the system of orthography (folios 10-11);
  • Information relating to Admiralty charts and other hydrographic publications and general navigation (folios 12-19), with sections on the correction of Admiralty charts, and their degree of reliance, navigational publications, including the Admiralty lists of lights and wireless signals, tide tables, and general remarks relating to practical navigation;
  • A map of the head of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , dated July 1932, indicating those areas covered by Admiralty charts (folio 20v);
  • A map of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and Gulf of Oman, dated July 1932, with an indication of those areas covered by Admiralty charts mentioned in the pilot (folio 21v);
  • An insert (folio 22) detailing those elements not included in the present volume.

The main body of the pilot is arranged in chapters and appendices as follows:

Throughout the main chapters there are illustrations of the parts of the coastline being discussed by the accompanying text. These illustrations, which are a mix of line drawing and reproductions of watercolours, indicate the profile of the land, and highlight distinctive topographical features such as trees and forts.

Extent and format
199 folios
Arrangement

The pilot is arranged into eight chapters (I-VIII) and five appendices (I-V). The arrangement of chapters is geographical, moving from the easternmost point of the Gulf in chapter II to the westermost point in chapter VIII. The contents page (ff 7-8) and alphabetically ascending index (ff 182-93) refer to the pilot’s pagination system.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: There is a foliation sequence, which is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 199.

Pagination: There are two printed pagination systems, which generally situate numbers in the top-left corner of versos and the top-right corner of rectos. The first, which uses Roman numerals, runs through the pilot’s introductory pages (ff 6-19). The second pagination system uses Arabic numerals, and runs through the remainder of the pilot (ff 23-197).

The number of each chapter is indicated throughout the chapter (expressed as ‘Chap.’ and the chapter number as a Roman numeral) in the top-left corner of rectos and the top-right corner of versos. The lines of text on each page in each chapter are numbered in intervals of five (i.e. 5, 10, etc.)

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English in Latin script
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‘Persian Gulf pilot comprising the Persian Gulf and its approaches from Ras al Hadd, in the south-west, to Cape Monze, in the east.’ [‎169r] (344/404), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/C251, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023623199.0x000091> [accessed 19 February 2025]

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