"كتيّب بلاد الرافدين. المجلد II. ١٩١٧" [‎٤‎٦‎٦] (٥٤٢/٤٧٧)

466
APPENDIX C
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it is diy in sonio parts and V6ry shallow elsewhere. At its southern
outlet near Shinafiyeh is a bar. Below the lake ? about 12 miles
down-stream of Shinafiyeh, the navigation channel leaves the old
main arm of the Hindiyeh Branch, and makes a detour to N.,
passing through marshes by the Shatt Khansar, a difficult and
tortuous channel 80-100 yds. wide. The Shatt Khansar leads back
to the river about 5 miles above Samaweh.
The Hilla Branch has a better defined bed, but one very liable to
silt up quickly, as the current is slow. As explained above, the main
stream of the Euphrates used to pass this way, and has left a broad
river-bed, at least as far down as Diwaniyeh : but the present channel
of the Hilla Branch, within the old bed, is narrow. It is only
90—95 yds. wide near Diwaniyeh, and only 40-45 yds. wide between
Imam Hamzeh and Samaweh.
The GouutTy yVsst of the Hiftdiych JBTdftch, —From the barrage to
about 5 miles above Kufeh the right bank of the Hindiyeh Branch
(or Kufeh Channel below Kifi) is bordered by a belt of plain, at
first about 20 miles broad, but narrowing to about 6-7 miles in the
neighbourhood of Tawarlj (Hindiyeh) and below. On the W., the
plain is bounded by the desert. It is well watered, and in parts is
liable to be flooded, by some large canals from the Euphrates, and
probably most of it is below high flood level.
From about 5 miles above Kufeh to a point about 10 miles below
that town the right bank of the Kufeh Channel is bordered by a long
wedge of desert plateau, on which Nejef stands. On the farther
side of this promontory of desert is the depression known as the
Bahr-i-Nejef. Below the southern end of the promontory the right
bank of the Kufeh Channel sinks again, and water in flood-time
passes from it into the Bahr-i-Nejef to NW.
About 18 miles south of Kufeh lies the northern end of the
Bahr-i-Shinafiyeh. On the western side of the hahr, near the oases
of Eahbeh, Ain Biyar, and c Ain Ederi, the ground seems to be fairly
low, but it is not known how far a high flood might reach. SW.
of ihelahr the adjoining ground seems to be higher.
Below the Bahr-i-Shinafiyeh the desert plateau is not far from
the old main arm of the Hindiyeh, which, as explained above,
lies south of the present navigation channel, divided from it by
marshes.
. The Countfy between the Branches. —This country is a plain which
is apparently commanded almost everywhere by the flood levels of
the Hilla and the Hindiyeh. As far down as Shamiyeh and
Diwaniyeh, the two branches are on about the same levels (both
diopping from 81—32 metres to 18—19 metres): and the intervening