"كتيّب بلاد الرافدين. المجلد II. ١٩١٧" [‎٤‎١‎٧] (٥٤٢/٤٢٨)

NASIRIYEH—NEJEF
417
Land Routes.—
(i) To Baghdad via Kerbela. (See a.)
(ii) To Baghdad via Hilla. (See 21 b.)
(iii) To Tawarij. (See Boute 16,)
(iv) To Basra. (See Boute 12.)
(v) To Ha'il. (See under Rout 24 a.)
(vi) To Kufeh on the Hindiyeh arm (t7 m.). No details.
Horse-tramway.
General Description. —Nejef stands in the desert on a ridge of reddish
sandstone gravel, and overlooks from the NE. the Bahr-i-Nejef,
to which the ridge falls away to the hahr in cliffs about 40 ft.
high. The hahris now quite dry near the town and contains
several date plantations. On the plateau surrounding the town
on every side except to the SW., irregular earthen mounds rise
in different directions: some of those to N. and E. are 30 ft. high
with narrow summits. A mound of rubbish, also narrow topped,
but commanding the town, is situated on the SW. side between the
town and the bahr. On the S. is open ground, where the Turkish
Nejd Expeditionary Force was encamped (1904, 1905). The
Hamldiyeh (or Bakrlyeh) Canal from the Hindiyeh runs in the bed
of the iahr, skirting the foot of the cliffs. Opposite the town its bed
is 12 ft. wide and 12 ft. deep, but at l.w. it shrinks to about 6 ft. wide
and 6 in, deep, and is liable to be filled with drifting sand.
The cemeteries adjoin the N, and E, sides of the town : the
environs generally contain market-gardens and recent plantations of
date-palms.
The town itself, which is roughly quadrangular, is surrounded by
a wall about a century old, built to defend it against the Sunni
Wahhabls : it is about 30 ft, high with circular bastions, about 50 in
number, each 50 ft, in diameter, at intervals of 100 yds.: this work
is now in a state of decay. There are two main gateways, one 12 ft.,
the other 9 ft. wide, on the E. face of the town: on the SW. side,
towards the Jxihr, is a third gate. In the W. wall is an aperture,
known as Thilmeh, a passage large enough to permit field-artillery to
pass. At the NE. corner, near the military barracks, is a fourth gate.
The shrine which contains the tomb of Ali rises in the centre of
the town, and is the richest and most splendid of all Shiah holy
places. The sanctuary lies in the middle of an enclosed court: it is
double-storied, and the gold plating of the minarets reaches almost
to the ground. Christians are not admitted to the shrine.
The main bazaar runs from the shrine to the larger E. gate, and
in it are situated the Turkish Government buildings The
municipal buildings are over the larger gate on the E. side. There
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