'Reconnaissances in Mesopotamia, Kurdistan, North-West Persia, and Luristan from April to October 1888. By Lt F R Maunsell, Intelligence Branch. In Two Volumes. Volume I: narrative report, description of larger towns and routes leading from them. Simla: Intelligence Branch, Quarter Master General's Dept, 1890' [‎16v] (37/312)

18
Ctesiphon.
At 152 miles above Kut-'l-Amara a long bend of the river near Ctesiplmn
is reached. The steamer takes three hours to get round it, while I walked
across the narrowest part of the chord in an hour.
The well known arch of Ctesiphon, the Tak-i-Kesra or “ Throne of Chros*
roes, stands in the chord of the bend, overlooking the mounds and crumbled
ruins of Seleucia on the right bank and Ctesiphon on the left. The arch,
said to be the largest masonry one still in existence, is the last relic of the
palace of the Sassanian kings. It is a good landmark visible three hours off.
i here were two facades, supporting the arch, but the eastern one fell down in
18S6, and the bricks are being removed to Baghdad for building purposes.
1 he othei facade is considerably out of the perpendicular, being undermined
from the base. Looking at the bare treeless plain extending in every direction
one could scarcely imagine that here stood the capital of the Persian
Empire.
There is a large ziarat and place of pilgrimage, the Imam-i-Salami Pak,
near the arch on the east side.
d.here is no permanent settlement of Ctesiphon, except a few ruined huts,
the lemams of a former attempt at colonization. Some tents were here,
mostly refugees driven from the districts round Hillah, who will probably
settle here. The loop of the river and a large portion of the surrounding
distuct grew line crops of barley and wheat, the former just coming into
earin April. &
The fields were irrigated by water-lifts called “ churds.” They are similar
to the Indian well with sloping bullock lift, and were worked by ponies,
these are numerous along the banks from here to Baghdad, and the prin
cipal taxation of this district is levied on the number in use.
The banks become much higher now, being from 10 to 12 feet high in
the low season. ^
Seleucia Abr/'.—There is a small mud fort on the right bank standing on
one of the mounds of the ruins of Seleucia, in which 50 zaptiyahs are quartered,
there is a small gunpowder factory An East India Company trading post. in the fort, saltpetre being plentiful in
the vicinity. Opposite the fort is the widest reach of the river, about 1,000
yards. ’
Diala River.
we ab r e ^u Ut ^- Amara and 19 miles ^y river below Baghdad
we passed the mouth of the_ Diala river which enters on the left bank.
the . of rivers the date plantations and the
either Lnl m ^ h . L . Several small mud villages were passed on
ei her bank, and the fringe of cultivation along the banks was nearly conti-
uuous. ^
There is a boat bridge of eleven pontoons over the Diala close to the
Boat bridge. junction. The boats are the same description of bitumen-
BagMad-Kut-'l-Amarroutf 0 " 100118 " a ‘ ^ This “S 6 is “ th *
islnmll .‘l 1 ,! If “il ° f tl 'r stl ] 6am | wW Baghdad are several thickly-wooded
bank^and hftvon^ 8 f. e J med 7 th date gardens, extending 4 to | mile from the
bank and beyond which is a large extent of cultivated country Each date
whUe e “ S everai U s r mall d, dl ^ a h, g h wall, and is irrigated by water lifts,
bend of the -i.e, V1 lag ,f a Pf ar r an ’™g the gardens on the banks. A sharp
bend of the over brmgs the city of Baghdad into view, and the city of the