'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' [‎98r] (200/312)

Mar Virgin—ki 5| mllps, at 5-25 P.M., turned aside, a mile from the
road, and halted in the convent of Mar Girgis (St. George), or Deir, as the
Arabs call it. . .. .
There is a strong masonry building on an isolated mound, in which live six
hospitable monks. The upper portion of the walls are loopholed for defence
against Bedouin raiders.
There is a good spring in a ravine close by, but is choked by dead locusts
at present. They crowd into the water in thousands as fast as the surface
can be cleared. Several springs in this district were polluted in the same way.
Water had to be obtained from a smaller spring a mile off.
The Tigris is 2^ miles distant, and makes a sharp westerly bend here. In
the loop are four small Turkman villages surrounded by gardens and a thick
brake of low bushes. .
The monks here are of the Papal Chaldeans, the head priest being an
Italian.
Noon temperature 89° today; and the glare on the bare plain severe.
After midnight the air became much cooler, and at 4-20 a.m. temperature
fell to 62°.
17th June.—General direction, N.W. Left the convent at 4-20 a.m.,
and rejoined broad track across the plain.
The telegraph from Mosul to Diarbekr through Jazirah (two wires on
wooden poles) follows the general direction of the road.
The soil of the plain is a gravelly loam, and very fertile ; only a small frac
tion of it is cultivated ; although wheat grows without irrigation. Crops have
suffered a good deal this year from locusts; and some fields were seen with
nothing but a few bare stalks. A small worm called ce Sin or Sun which
gets into the grain is said to have done much damage also.
Numerous tracks cross the plain running towards Talkaif.
At 12^ miles passed through Filfil, a small village on a stream with
Tndian-corn grown in patches along the banks. The water of the stream is
slightly brackish; and for drinking, shallow wells are dug in the stream bed,
and the water from which is found quite sweet.
A good deal of lime is burnt in these villages. The kiln is a small circular
T . , . hut sunk below the ground, with a domed roof per-
L,meWn "' g - torated with large holes.
Dehistur). —At 22} miles pass Deiristun, where once stood a convent, now
a Kurdish village with a few Yezidis. The headman had a rough four-wheeled
cart, the only one seen in the whole countryside, which he used for drawing
stone, for lime burning : he used a pair of oxen for draught.
Batak Su. —At 23| miles crossed the Batak Su, a small stream flowing
west to the Tigris.
We met here a party of Delhi Musalmans on a pilgrimage to Mecca; they
were going by Jazirah, Mardin, Urfa and Birijik, fo Aleppo, from there to
Damascus, and then across the desert to Mecca, begging their way as they
went. The farther the round they took to reach Mecca, the surer were they of
finding salvation.
It was nearly two years since they left India. Their diary being roughly
5 months in Busra, 6 in Baghdad, 3} in Karbala, 1| inNedjef, 1 month on the
march Mosul to Baghdad, and 1 month in Mosul. Most of them knew Turkish.
They were happy and contented, full of religious zeal; and recognized the
rupee as an old friend.
Hattara .—A mile up stream is Hattara, a large village. Passed a caravan
of 500 camels returning empty from Mosul to Diarbekr.