"كتيّب بلاد الرافدين. المجلد I. ١٩١٨" [‎٢‎٥‎٣] (٥٦٨/٢٦٢)

COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT
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253
Diarbekr to Jezlret-ibn-'Omar, or 20-15 miles shorter than by the
route via Nisibin.]
Nisibin—Mosul (170-180 miles).
On the direct route from Nisibin to Mosul Demir Kapu Khan
(about 130 miles) see above, p. 262, B II (ii).
There is a caravan-route from Nisibin to Mosul Jezlret-ibn-
'Omar (bridge over Tigris), Zakho (bridge over Khabur), and the
Zakho Pass across the Jebel Abyadh to Mosul (170 miles). It is not
passable for wheels throughout.
Another route goes by Feishkhabur (ferry over Tigris) and joins
the Zakho—Mosul road at Simel (total distance about 145 miles).
This is passable for wheels between Nisibin and Feishkhabur.
(2) River-route.
About 335 miles. Downstream traffic only. Rafts are said
to take 4-20 days.
(iii) Mosul—Baghdad.
On the direct route by the right bank of the Tigris (about 240
miles) see above, p. 252, B II (a) (iii)-(iv).
Route via Erbil, Altun Koprti, Kirkuk, and Kufri (about 295 miles).
Passable for wheels. Before the war wheeled vehicles had to be
ferried across the Zabs. The Turks have now a temporary bridge
on the Great Zab, and apparently another on the Lesser Zab. The
stone bridge over the latter river at Altun Kopru is impracticable for
vehicles.
From this route branch roads leading to the Kurdish highlands
and across the Persian frontier. See pp. 274-5 below.
✓
(c) Aleppo—Mosul via Deir ez-Zor, Tel es-Sawwar (or Shedadi),
Ain el-Ghazal (or Beled Sinjar), and Tel Afar. About 400 miles.
The route by Tel es-Sawwar and 'Ain el-Ghazal is passable for light
wheeled vehicles. The Aleppo—Baghdad road is followed down the
Euphrates valley to Deir ez-Zor, where there is a stone bridge across
the river, believed to have been completed since the war. There are
ferries across the Khabur at Tel es-Sawwar and Shedadi. Water is
scarce in summer on the steppe between the Euphrates and Tigris.
[Damascus—Mosul via Deir ez-Zor, about 600 miles. Compare
B 1 (b) above.]
C. Feom the Direction op Anatolia and Armenia
The ranges of the Taurus here form a barrier across which there
are at present only a few routes of any importance.