'XXII/8 Baghdad Railway' [‎67v] (130/194)

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Thence the railway follows the left
bank of the Tigris to Bagdad, a distance of
some four hundred miles; the fabled site of
the Garden of Eden—now a rolling desert.
his and sea of sand is to be reclaimed
and made fertile once again. That the
soil is exceedingly rich there is no deny-
ing. Sir William Willcocks surveyed this
region on behalf of the Turkish Govern
ment, and declares that it is possible to
reclaim no less than 2,800,000 acres of
land at a cost of £21,000,000, which
would be worth £60,000,000.
Archaeological Treasures
Not far from Bagdad lie the ruins of
ancient Babylon, where, for some time
past, a band of enthusiastic archaeologists
under the German Oriental Society, have'
been excavating. A large area of the
city has been laid bare already. Wide
paved streets have been cleared, private
houses uncovered and explored, while an
expert architect has traced the walls of
the city a long distance and has prepared
drawings to show just how Babylon once
looked. But the greatest of all has been
the complete excavation of the vast
palace of King Nebuchadnezzar. This
enormous building has a frontage of
1200 ft. and is 1500 ft. deep. Here was
discovered a stone lion of enormous size
Too heavy to remove, it has been mounted
on a pedestal built of bricks taken from
the palace walls. Beneath the lion’s
body is a prostrate human figure, which
ttie lion seems about to devour. In a
chamber was found a splendid bas-relief
m dolente of Nebuchadnezzar himself
His robe, sandals, and quaint kinky beard*
worn in tight curls, which we always
associate with pictures of old Assyrian
and Babyion kings, are all carved with
much skill and great attention to detail
Among the “ finds " is a stone goo^e,
hewn from some hard black rock and
polished like onyx. From the inscription
it is clear that this goose was a measure
of standard weight. Many tablets also
have been found which tell of the wonder
ful civilisation which flourished in Chaldea
thousands of years ago. They tell of
ie habits of daily life, marriage and
social customs, conditions of trade and
forms of industries which prevailed long
before the dawn of the Christian era
At present scarcely a dozen Europeans
visit the ruins in the course of a year
But when the railway comes along a
this may be altered ; the archaeologist,
m near future may have to mounl
guard over their stone lion and lock up theii
goose and tablets from the souvenir hunter
When the Gulf itself will be reached
it is impossible to say ; and certainly not
wise to prophesy. The Germans, accord
ing to the latest arrangements, cannot
go farther than Bagdad, and it is generally
understood that Great Britain will not
push the railway further south until the
country here is settled.
Will the Railway Pay?
Will the Bagdad railway pay ? Those
who tramped over the proposed route
during the building of the first section
some few years ago now, emphatically
declared it could not; at least not for
many years to come. But things are
rapidly changing, not only in Asia Minor,
but in Syria and Mesopotamia. Modern
methods are being introduced, and there
is no greater developing agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. to-day
than a railway to bring to the front the
nidden natural resources of the country.
Palestine is one of the richest touring
grounds in the world to-day. Hitherto
it has been accessible only by steamer,
ihere is an ever flowing stream of
pilgrims to and from its sacred cities !
Hordes of pilgrims visit it yearly from
Kussia. They come down to Constanti-
nople and travel thence by steamer to
Jana. They would much prefer the
railway journey from Scutari. It would
e quicker and safer. The better-class
tourists visiting Syria and the Holy
■Land irom the eastern countries of Europe
would also prefer the overland route.
11 ^ ^ mus ^ ^e remembered above
all thmgs that the Bagdad railway is a
political railway; a vehicle to carry
German influence into the East. Only
the buoyant enthusiasts ever think that
tins railway will earn sufficient revenue
from the country traversed to pay for
the axle-grease, so long as the Turk
nesitates to turn his sleeves up and follow
honest Governments. The Bagdad line
offers a short cut to India and beyond;
where Germany aspires to do business,
and to become recognised as a Great
ower. It is but another manifestation
ot Germany s commercial ambitions.