Annotated Copy of Persia and the Persian Question by George Curzon, with Inserted Papers [‎90v] (187/1814)

48
PERSIA
Baghdad, I experienced the greatest difficulty in obtaining an
authentic information in England upon the rival methods of react
mg that city. Owing to the peculiarity of its aiew
Means of 6 n ,f , T l • n J s RUatlon
reaching no place that 1 know is accessible to a European
Baghdad f rom a variety of quarters, or is at the same time
so difficult and so easy of access, the facility being only purchased
at the cost of a disproportionate expenditure of time.
Baghdad may be reached from the Black Sea by one of two
routes: either from Trebizond, via Diarbekir, Mosul, and the
i. Trebi- Tigris, 1 or from Samsun, via Diarbekir and the Tigris
slmsun 1 Tlie latter is tlle route tllat is taken by the Turkish post
routes to and from Constantinople ; and letters conveyed by this
route, at a speed which no ordinary traveller could emulate, have been
delivered in Baghdad twenty-four days after leaving London. 2 Sam
sun is one of the ports on the Black Sea at which most of the steamers
to and from Constantinople touch. In both the above cases the
outward journey to Baghdad may at certain seasons of the year be
expedited by raft upon the Tigris from Mosul, or even from
Diarbekir to Baghdad. But both are journeys which only the
hardy traveller should undertake.
Baghdad may be reached from the Mediterranean either from
Alexandretta via Aleppo, or from Beirut via Damascus • and in
each of these cases, after leaving Aleppo, and after leaving
Damascus, a further choice is open to the traveller. The ordinary
route from Alexandretta runs first to Aleppo, a distance of 4 stages;
1 For the route from Trebizond to Erzerum, vide, in addition to the authorities
before quoted, ‘Notes on a Journey,’ by H. Suter, in 1838, Journal of UeR.G.S.,
vol. s. p. 434 ; Mrs. Bishop (1890), Journeys in Persia, vol. it, Letters xxxiv.-xxxv.;
for the route from Erzerum to Diarbekir, vide Ditto by J. G. Taylor, Proceedings of
the R.G.S., vol. xii. p. 302.
2 The sta o es between Samsun and Baghdad are as follows, the figures in
rackets being the number of hours between :—Kawak (8), Eladik (6), Chifta
Khan ( 6 ), Amasia (7), Igna Bazar ( 6 ), Turkhal (7), Tokat ( 9 ), Yalduzdagh ( 9 ),
>aira (7), Sivas (7), Aolash (7), Deli Kali Dash ( 5 ), Kankar, or Kangal (4),
mT 1 ' (7) ’ HaSan Chelevi ( 6 h Hakim Khan (4), Sermeli (9), Gumush
Madan (9) Arpaghut ( 6 ), Kharput ( 6 ), Mullah Kai ( 6 ), Bakir Madan ( 9 ), Arghan
r^’ “ ( . 6) ’ Diarbekli ;( 6 )> Komur Khaneh ( 6 ), Shikhan ( 6 ), Gallieh, or Mar-
fw! 7 A NlSaibin ( 6 )’ Aznaghur ( 6 ), Dairund ( 6 ), Jazireh ( 8 ), Takian
Tpn ^ b -k mai1 (7) ’ Tel Eskif O)’ M osul (7), Zab (10), Arbil (7), Kush
K a ™ t ) ’ (6) ’ Kerkak (9), Taugh (9), Duz Khurmati (7), Salahieh (9),
oreatPr AbbaS Neherwan ( 9 )Medideh (5), Baghdad (5). The
GMds^iid^lSGl^T 7 bel 3 W o en Sivas and Baghdad, is described by Sir F.
Yisoounf P ir \ G e d la P l on d Travel, pp. 412-451; and the whole of it by
Viscount Pollmgton (1866), Halfway round the World, xii.
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