"كتيّب بلاد الرافدين. المجلد IV .١٩١٧" [و‎‎٢‎١‎٤] (٥٣٠/٤٣٢)

atif)
ALEPPO—AMADIYEH 423
With the increase of the Turkish power in Syria Aleppo revived,
and before the war it seemed likely to receive great commercial
benefit from the new railways which were being built or planned.
It is situated at the point where the Syrian railway system meets
the system of the Baghdad railway.
It was said before the war that the Turks have regarded Aleppo
as a possible capital if they should be driven out of Europe.
AMADIYEH. About ^ 55 m. N. by E. of Mosul. Pop. 2,000-
3,000. P.O.
Routes.—
(i) To Rowanduz. (See Eoutes 62 b, 62 a.)
(ii) To Mosul via Ba Idri and Sheikh Adi. (See 67 a.)
(iii) To Mosul via Dohuk. (See 67 b.)
(iv) To Feishkhabur via Zakho. (See Boute 90 c ; for continua
tions to Jezlret-ibn-'Omar from Zakho or Feishkhabur see
Routes 90 a and b.)
(v) To Van via Shiv Shalil and Marwanen.
(vi) To Julamerk. (See Boutes 68 a, b ; for continuation to Van
see Boutes 69, and 74 a and b ; for continuation to Urmia see
Boutes 69, 75, 66 a and b.)
(vii) To Oramar. (See-Rowfe 62 b.)
General Description. —Amadiyeh lies just below the southern edge
of the high mountain country of Central Kurdistan. The country
to S. of it, though hilly, is much more open, and the ranges are
much lower than those to N. The town is built on a rocky
plateau, an outlier from the southern side of the steep and loity Ser
Amadiyeh. The plateau, which is connected with the range to JN.
only by a narrow rocky col, is oval in shape, 1,400 yds. long and
550 yds. broad. Its summit inclines slightly to the W., and ^ almost
entirely of rock. Its slopes in their upper part rise in clifts 50-«U tt.
high, and in their lower part, which is clay, are steep and strewn
with boulders. Two narrow roads lead up to the town, and enter it,
the one by a gateway on the W. side of the plateau, the other by
a gate to the NE. The town itself lies at the K end of the plateau.
It"is now for the most part in ruins, only 400-500 houses being
inhabited. The remainder of the plateau is occupied by a cemetery.
At the E. gate is a large building in a dilapidated condition, but
solidly built of stone, used as the offices of the administration and
as a zaptieh barrack. An old, solidly-built minaret rises above t e
town.