'Field notes: Mesopotamia. General Staff, India. February, 1917.' [‎40r] (86/350)

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in British occupation and in those at present controlled by the
Turks; but except in the case of two or three irreccncilables
their behaviour has on the whole been reasonable and intelligible,
and there is little doubt that they will all come into the fold
when they are satisfied that Turkish rule has vanished for ever
from the Basrah Wilayat.
Some part of the Muntafiq is still nomadic; the rest inhabit
tents, reed huts, villages, and even towns, cultivate the land
and breed sheep, cattle, buffaloes and camels. Many of those
who belong to the settled sections roam the desert in spring
with their flocks and herds for the sake of pasturage.
The tribes of southern Mesopotamia are better armed than
those above Kut and the Muntafiq are well provided with
modern rifles.
Above them, along the course of the Tigris almost up to
Kut, lie two large and powerful tribes ranging from the. river
to the Persian Hills. Of these A1 Bu Muhammad, a socially
inferior and possibly non-Arab people, are rice growers in the
marshes on either side of the Tigris and breed immense herds
of buffaloes, which are exported in great numbers to Syria.
Like all Marsh Arabs they have maintained a semi-independ
ence, and, down to the youngest member of the tribe, they are
well armed with rifles. The second big group, that of the Bani
Lam, have occupied the country above Amarah for the last
four or five hundred years. Their Shaikhs claim descent from
a famous pre-Muhammadan tribe of Eastern Arabia, but, in
spite of their pretensions, none of the Badawin of the inner
desert would regard them as equals or intermarry with them.
Their most prominent Shaikh, Gadhban, a great rebel against
the Ottoman Government before the war, joined the Turks
against us, but has now reconsidered his position and most of
his house came to terms with us as soon as we advanced up the
Tigris. The Bani Lam are cultivators of rice but none of them
have entirely abandoned nomad life. They inhabit tents and
are generally on the move with their herds from February to
June. Their horses and camels are reckoned the best in Meso
potamia. They are good shots, especially from the saddle.
Round Kut, both on the Tigris and on the upper part of
the great Hai canal, which flows out of the river southwards,
the Bani Rabi’ah bear sway, a tribe of ancient fame in Arabia.
They are a turbulent people, well known robbers and disturbers