'Kurdistan and the Kurds' [‎21v] (42/122)

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§ 3 .—The Kurds on the Tur-el- 1 Abdin and in the plain round Nisibin.
The Kurds of the Tur-el-‘Abdin are all settled in the district between Sor
(Sa‘our) on the west, and Azekh on the east; on the north they reach Deraf,
and on the south Nisibin, which lies low down in the plain. Thus Midiat is
the natural centre of their country. Midiat and all the surrounding villages
depend on rain for their water-supply ; normally, this is sufficient both for
the inhabitants and for the cattle; in the villages of Kefr Joz, Erdi, ‘Ain
Kag, Habasbaniyeh, and Kerboran, there are perennial springs, to which
the people resort in times of drought; there is also at Daline a perennial
spring of brackish water.
The soil, which is largely composed of red clay, is generally fertile,
except in the neighbourhood of Middo and Azekh, where it is black and
rocky. The country generally is hilly; the hills are formed of limestone
rocks which are extensively employed in building houses. In Midiat, for
example, which is the seat of a Kaimmakam, all the houses are built of stone,
and are mostly of one story only ; there are, however, many larger houses
of two or three stories, which belong to the richer chiefs and merchants.
Previous to the war there were three hundred shops in the town, but not
more than ten are still open.
The summer is rather warm and mosquitoes are plentiful in the hot
weather; malaria, however, is rare; and the town of Midiat is generally
considered far more healthy than Nisibin. The Kurds in this region are
farmers and shepherds. They grow wheat and barley for local consump
tion ; they cultivate also rice and cotton in Challek, Kefr Joz, and Deraf,
lentils round Midiat, and peas in the vicinity both of Midiat and of Azekh.
The whole country is rich in figs and vines, while pomegranates and melons
are grown at Midiat. Sheep and oxen are especially plentiful, donkeys are
numerous, and mules also are reared. Camels, however, are almost
unknown. A large quantity of native butter is sent for sale in the market
at Aleppo; sheep are sold in the markets at Nisibin and Mardin ; tbe
merchants of Mush and Sairt buy raisins, honey, and molasses.
The Kurds in this part of the country are divided into many tribes,
of which the following are the most important; in each case the
approximate number of villages, houses and men are estimated:—
Tribe.
Chief.
Capital.*
Number
of
Villages.
Number of
Houses.
Number of
Men.
1. Sa‘our
Nurullah Bey
and Ham-
dullah Bey
Sa‘our
10
1,000
1,500
* The boundaries and exact locality of each sub-tribe have not been shown on the map.