"كتيّب بلاد الرافدين. المجلد II. ١٩١٧" [‎٤‎٠‎٧] (٥٤٢/٤١٨)

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KUFEH—KUENA
407
KURNA. On the r. bank of the Tigris at its junction with the
old channel of the Euphrates.
Pop. about 2,000. P.O. T. (the lines from Fao and Basra to
Baghdad here threw off two branches, one following the Tigris valley,
the other the Euphrates). Bridges across Tigris and Euphrates.
River Routes.—
(i) To Basra and Pao. (See I A, B.)
(ii) Up the Tigris. (See Boutes III A, B, 0.)
(iii) Up the Euphrates. (See R IV A, B, 0, D.)
Land Routes.—
(i) To Basra. (See Boute2.)
(ii) To Amara and Ali el-Gharbi. (See 4, 5 a, b.)
General Description. —The town stands at the angle formed by the
Tigris and the Euphrates, which flow past its E. and S. sides, its
main front being on the Tigris. For the details of the rivers at this
point, and of the bar in the Shatt el-Arab below the town, see
Boute I B. On the N. and W. town and adjoining gardens are
surrounded by the remains of mud-wall fortifications said to be very
old and now hardly more than mounds. To the N. of the town is
the suburb of Nuheirat, stretching about If m. along the r. bank
of the Tigris. This is the head-quarters of the Sheikh of Kurna.
Kurna has a frontage on the Tigris of about 1,000 yds. There are
a few fairly good houses on the front and several more in the town
back from the river. Near the centre of the river front is the
or late Turkish Oovernment offices. There is a small bazaar in the
town, part of which is roughly roofed in.
The date-gardens of Kurna and most of the space within the old
fortifications are below Tigris flood-level, the water being kept out
by artificial banks. There are thick date-groves opposite Kurna on
the farther banks of the Tigris and Euphrates.
Climate and Hygiene. —The climate is damp, unpleasant, and
unhealthy in summer. Malaria is prevalent: mosquitoes and other
water-bred insects swarm. In winter the climate is said to be cold
and bracing.
Supplies and Commerce. —Dates, barley, wheat, and rice are grown.
The chief manufacture of the town is that of the ordinary Arab
cloaks {'(ib(is) and of light summer cloaks Before the
war sheep and cattle from Amara used to be driven in droves through
Kurna on the way to Basra. There are numerous buffaloes in the
neighbourhood. The inhabitants of Kurna and the district own
a large number of maheilehs and cargo hellams, used chiefly for
transport between Amara and Basra. There are also in the district
some thousands of danajcs and mashhuf (canoes).
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