"كتيّب بلاد الرافدين. المجلد III. ١٩١٧" [‎١‎٦‎٧] (٤٣٢/١٧٦)

KOUTES 25 a, b
167
Miles from
Bagflxdad
274i
278i
290i
292i
winter and spring, even when the river is fordable, its
depth and current make the passage difficult. There are
some small villages down-stream.
Continue over open plain of good soil well cultivated.
The road passes close to the S. extremity of the hilly-
country of the Maqlub and Zardak ranges.
Pass Targulla, 1^ m. to the N. of road. It lies at the S.
extremity of the Zardak Hills (or Jebel 'Ain es-Safra).
Large spring in these hills.
Keremlis. Christian village of 120 well-built stone houses
near a mound. The main road passes close to it, but
there are several parallel tracks all equally good. Water
from stream and from wells. A few vegetable gardens
and an olive-grove. Birtulla is another large Christian
village, 4 m. to the NW. One track goes through it.
There is a track running along the 1, side of a stream-bed which
leads S. by W. to ITimrud (tl9 m., see Tigris, III E, m.
ISOJ). From Nimrnd there is a track along the 1. bank of the
Tigris to Mosul (f22 m. from Nimrud).
From Keremlis the post-road runs across the open
plain to Mosul, which lies W. by N. of Keremlis.
Euin-mounds of Nineveh (Qoyuujiq and Nebi Yunus).
Mosul.
ROUTE 25 b
BAGHDAD— MOSUL (230 m.)
Via Right Bank of the Tigris
Authorities •.—-Military Report on E. T. A., vol. iii, 1904 (route report of Feb. 1908) ;
a report of a journey in autumn 1903 ; and other sources of information.
Baghdad—Samarra.—Before the present war there was a route
passable for wheels as far as Samarra. This was followed by the
large pilgrim-waggons which plied between Samarra and Baghdad.
The road appears to afford good going in dry weather, but is likely
to be very heavy after rain, and in the neighbourhood of Baghdad the
country traversed is more or less flooded in spring. Numerous^ water-
channels are crossed. The palm-tree bridges described in the itinerary
below as occurring near Baghdad do not appear to be suitable for
heavy wheeled traffic, and it appears that the pilgrim waggons did
not follow exactly the course here detailed. At many places there
fe.