"كتيّب بلاد الرافدين. المجلد I. ١٩١٨" [‎٢‎٥‎٢] (٥٦٨/٢٦١)

252 COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT
(ii) Nisibin— Mosul. By direct road across steppe Demir
Kapu Khan and Kesik Koprti ?), passable for motors in dry weather,
about 130 miles. Water scarce in summer; it appears that wells
have lately been sunk at some of the halting-places. Railway con
struction in progress.
(iii) Mosul—Samarra. By road, on right bank of Tigris, passable
for motors, about 165 miles. (Railway under construction; see p. 263.)
By river, about 190 miles. Keleks (large rafts on inflated skins)
navigate downstream only, taking 2-|-ll days: see further p. 287.
(iv) Samarra— Baghdad. By rail, 74 miles.
By river, 105 miles. Keleks take 1-4 days. Steamers drawing
about 4 ft. can ascend to Samarra in a high river: see further
p. 287.
(fc) Caravan-route via Diarbekr, Mardin, Mosul, and Kirkuk (750-
800 miles by road).
This route has a number of variations between Aleppo and Mosul.
(i) Aleppo— Diarbekr (250-230 miles). Passable for wheels. The
Euphrates has been usually crossed at Birijik (by ferry), but in the
years preceding the war more southerly crossings (Jerablus, Tel
Ahmar) were coming into use for caravans bound for Urfeh. From
Birijik there is a road to Severek and Diarbekr Hovek ; another
route passes by Urfeh and joins the more direct road between Hovek
and Severek. Aleppo—Diarbekr Birijik and Urfeh, about
250 miles ; via Birijik and Hovek, about 230 miles; Jerablus and
Urfeh, 240 miles ; via Tel Ahmar and Urfeh, about 235 miles.
[From Urfeh a direct route leads to Mardin by Veiran Shehr (about
110 miles). This is about 65 miles shorter than the detour from
Urfeh to Mardin via Diarbekr, but the road is not practicable through
out for wheels; it is in parts poorly supplied with water, and as it
leads through the Milli country it is insecure.]
(ii) Diarbekr — Mosul.
(1) Land-route via Nisibin.
Diarbekr—Nisibin via Mardin (95 miles). Road passable for wheels.
[A Decauville Railway is reported to run from Tel Helif (on the
Baghdad Railway about 24 miles W. of Nisibin) in the direction of
Diarbekr. It appears to have reached a point some miles on the
Diarbekr side of Mardin.
There is a broad-gauge line from Derbesiyeh Station (on the
Baghdad Railway between Ras el-Ain and Tel Helif; see p. 262 below)
to a point a few miles S. of Mardin.
From Diarbekr a pack-road leads across the Tur Abdin by Midiat
to Jezlret-ibn-'Omar. It is about 140-145 miles by this route from