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'Report on the Development of Mesopotamia with Special Reference to the Regeneration of the River Systems' [‎2] (8/50)
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'Report on the Development of Mesopotamia with Special Reference to the Regeneration of the River Systems' [‎2] (8/50)

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'Report on the Development of Mesopotamia with Special Reference to the Regeneration of the River Systems'
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Ref: IOR/L/MIL/17/15/53

The record is made up of 1 volume (23 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. .

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2
action on the proposal, more especially as works being carried out for military
purposes would have largely interfered with the scheme.
Subjects dealt with in this Report.
(4) The country discussed in this report is the whole of the area within the
delta of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates known as Irak or Mesopotamia, and I
propose to deal with the case under the following heads :
(a) Mesopotamia as it was.
(b) Mesopotamia as it is.
(c) Reasons for the deterioration of the country since ancient times.
(d) Description of the Tigris and Euphrates as they appear to-day.
(e) Sir William Willcocks's Irrigation Projects.
(/) Suggestions for river regeneration.
(g) Agriculture in Mesopotamia.
(h) Navigation on the Tigris and Euphrates.
(i) Conclusions and recommendations.
The report is accompanied by the following plans and photographs
(i) Reproduction to a reduced scale of Sir William Willeocks'sconceptions
of the ancient Tigris-Euphrates delta.
(it) Cross-sections of the Tigris.
(m) Photographs of the Tigris between Baghdad and Kurnah.
(w) Survey of .the country between Amara and Kurnah.
(v) Survey of the country between Kurnah and Nasiriyah..
(vi) General plan of Sir W. Willcocks's irrigation scheme.
(a) MESOPOTAMIA AS IT WAS.
(5) I do not propose to attempt a description of Mesopotamia from earliest
times ; it is sufficient that we are told by historians and others who have made a
study of the subject, that in this region civilization has succeeded civilization,
and kingdom has succeeded kingdom, from the earliest records of the human race'
and that for thousands of years Mesopotamia was one of the richest countries in
the world -in a high state of cultivation, with giant canals taking off from the
livers Tigris and Euphiates, the remains of which can be seen to-day, prosperous
cities in great number, and a population which was calculated by millions.
Babylon was at the height of its prosperity about 2,000 B.C., and Baghdad
833 A. D. when its population numbered 2 million souls and the city was 5 miles
across within the walls.
The general configuration of the country must have greatly changed since the
beginning of the Babylonian Empire . we know that the delta has extended seaward
130 miles since Eridu was the principal seaport of the Sumerians, with the result
that the slopes of the rivers must have flattened considerably, whilst at that
period the Tigris and Euphrates entered the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. as separate rivers with
their mouths a full day s journey apart. The country was also covered with
dense forests and probably had a larger rainfall and more equable climate than
obtains to-day. Accompanying this report is a reproduction of Sir William
Willcocks's conception of the ancient Tigris-Euphrates delta

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Content

The volume is Sir George Buchanan KCIE: Report on the Development of Mesopotamia with Special Reference to the Regeneration of the River Systems (Simla: Government Monotype Press, 1917).

The report contains preliminary remarks, and sections on:

  • Mesopotamia as it was;
  • Mesopotamia as it is;
  • Reasons for the deterioration of the country since ancient times;
  • Description of the Tigris and Euphrates as they appear today;
  • Sir William Willcocks's Irrigation Projects;
  • Suggestions for river regeneration;
  • Agriculture in Mesopotamia;
  • Navigation on the Tigris and Euphrates;
  • Conclusions and recommendations.

The report is accompanied by seven illustrations consisting of photographs of the River Tigris at various points (folios 16-18); and five maps illustrating the courses, delta and country surrounding the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates, and proposed irrigation works (folios 20-24).

Extent and format
1 volume (23 folios)
Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the front cover and terminates at 25 on the pocket attached to the back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, are enclosed in a circle, and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. page of each folio. Folios 20-24 (maps) are contained within the pocket (folio 25) and need to be folded out in order to be examined.

Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence, numbered 2-21 (folios 4-14).

Written in
English in Latin script
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Reference
IOR/L/MIL/17/15/53
Title
'Report on the Development of Mesopotamia with Special Reference to the Regeneration of the River Systems'
Pages
front, front-i, i-r:ii-v, 1:32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, back-i, back
Author
East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
Usage terms
Open Government Licence