"استطلاعات في بلاد الرافدين وكردستان وشمال غرب بلاد فارس ولرستان في الفترة من أبريل إلى أكتوبر ١٨٨٨، كتبها المقدم ف. ر. مونسيل، فرع الاستخبارات. يوجد مجلدان. المجلد الأول: تقرير سردي ووصف للمدن الكبرى والطرق المؤدية منها. شيملا: فرع الاستخبارات، إدارة قائد الإمداد والتموين، ١٨٩٠" [ظ‎‎٧‎٩] (٣١٢/١٦٣)

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There are no Christian villages among them ; and these tribes are noted
robbers and extremely fanatical, not permitting Christians to even pass through
their country. An instance of this may be quoted from our own experience. A
small caravan with 10 mideteers, all Christians, on their way from Amadiyeh
to Mosul joined us at Daoudiyeh, and asked leave to accompany us as
otherwise they would have to make a wide detour by Zakho to avoid the Dosti
country, through which they were afraid to pass. At the end of the stage
their mules being empty, they pushed on, but next day we overtook them by
the roadside in a pitiable condition having been waylaid and robbed mean
while. This is a common instance of the treatment the Christians are accus
tomed to receive from the Kurds.
The Dosti are partially nomad and have their “ zozan, M or summer quar
ters, in the hills east of Tkhoma and the Pinianish district. Some of these
were met on their way to the hills. They were in rags and had scarcely enough
baggage animals to carry their tents and scanty belongings. Most of it was
piled on the backs of the women.
Shaikh Muhammad of Bamurni in the Supna Valley is a man of consider
able influence among the Berwari and Bahdinan Kurds. He is a religious
Shaikh, possessing much political influence as well.
There were said to be 100 Kurdish villages in Bahdinan.
Misuri .—These Kurds inhabit the country adjoining the Zab valley
immediately east and south-east of Amadiyeh.
They are divided into two sections—Misuri Jori or Upper and Misuri
Geri or Lower.
The Upper Misuri are sedentary, and have their villages in the Gurajar Dagh
and mountains immediately north of the Zab Valley at Latka and Ashkufa.
The Lower Misuri live in the hilly districts of the Ghara Dagh south of
the Zab at Latka, and also in villages round Spindari.
A shaikh possessing considerable influence among this tribe lives at Birif
Khan, in the Ghara Dagh.
Nerwi .—These Kurds are in the mountain districts north of the Zab near
Rezan and Shirwan. They are sedentary, numbering 13 villages.
Rekani .—To the north-west of the Nerwi are Rekani, also sedentary, in 8
villages.
Beruz .—On the Shirindari Dagh immediately north of the Zab Valley at
Bila Keupri and Rezan are the Beruz in 10 villages high up the mountain slopes.
Zebari .—There were once a large and powerful tribe with head-quarters at
Bila Keupri.
They extend all along the Zab Valley in several scattered villages from the
Berdin gorge, Begil, the Piris Dagh, and Bila Keupri, to Alura and Latka, near
Amadiyeh. They are now much reduced in numbers, and said to have only
20 villages.
Shaikh Muhammad of Begil is a very influential man among the Zebari.
Futha Ala at Latka and Shaikh Nouii of Shinea are some of their Shaikhs.
At Kala Hukher was a strong stone fort, now dismantled, which belonged to
Zaro, a Zebari chief, whose robberies were the terror of the district 12 years
ago, after which the Turks captured and imprisoned him at Mosul.
Some Nestorian Christians, not more than 50 or 60 families altogether, are
scattered among the Zebari in the Zab Valley near Bila Keupri. There are
several Jews in Begil, Amada, and Akra.
There was a deserted church at Heren which bore many round shot marks
on the walls—a remembrance of the time when Muhammad Pasha of Mosul
overran the Zebari District, about 30 years ago.