"كتيّب بلاد الرافدين. المجلد II. ١٩١٧" [‎٣‎٥‎٦] (٥٤٢/٣٦٥)

366
LAND EOUTES
Miles from
Baghdad
79
79i
79i
84i
89
89i
901
974
Kifl. Surrounded by water in dry season; large sailing-
boats come right up to village.
On leaving Kifl road goes through marshy country, with
some cultivation and fine grazing. Frequent grass huts
and square forts of Beni Hasan Arabs on the r. to within
about 12 m. of Nejef.
Cross canal, 22 ft. wide, 4ft. deep (autumn, 1903), by dam.
Cross Hindiyeh Channel by ferry-boat. Channel (autumn,
1903) 240 yds. wide, 3-8 ft. deep; current 2 m.p.h.
Eoad goes along r. bank of Hindiyeh Channel about
9-10 m. through fertile cultivated land and_pasture.
In this neighbourhood lies the village of'Amran, which the
road passes about ^ m, to E.
In this neighbourhood the road turns W. for ^ m., leaving
the bank of the Hindiyeh.
Shatt el-Mulla is crossed, here running 50 yds. wide and
2 ft. deep (autumn, 1903). The canal here has easy
sloping banks. Road again trends southerly. Marsh to
1. apparently passed.
The Si'adeli (ATbu Ruyeh?) Canal, empty and broken, is
crossed without difficulty.
The country becomes desert.
Nejef.
Note .—When the route is followed from Nejef to Kifl, the minaret
of Kifl comes into sight soon after leaving Nejef, and Khan
Mosalla on the Kerbela—Nejef road becomes visible to westwards
soon after the r. bank of the Hindiyeh is reached.
ROUTE 22
BAGHDAD—FELLUJEH (43^ M.)
A iitkorilies:— Field Notes on Mesopotamia, 1915; 1904;
Bury, Report on Baghdad — Aleppo Road, 1907; and other sources of information.
This is a good though unmetalled driving-road, presenting no
difficulties in dry weather, though the sand and sandy clay is in
places rather heavy. In wet weather the going is probably heavy
throughout. In spring the 10 or 11 miles between Baghdad and