"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" [ظ‎‎٨‎٨] (٣١٢/١٨١)

6th Stage .—Went twenty miles across plain, perfectly levd broken by occasional watercourses,
reaching at the end of it a salt stream working its way through some low sandhills to the Tigris,
which had just broken through the Hamriu Hills ; 5 miles farther on halted in a camp of Jebour
Arabs close to the ruins of an ancient castle called Kala Mekrun.
7th Stage.—'R'ught hours’ marching took us to Tekrit, the road for the first half lying along
the low land near the river and then rising about 70 feet to the higher level.
Several small parties of men were met, marching north, who had come down on rafts and were
carrying the skins of the rafts on donkies’ backs to Mosul,
Tekrit was once an important place at a ferry over the Tigris, but is now a quantity of confused
ruins and a few mean houses built of bricks from Roman ruins. Kouffahs seen here for the first
time.
8th Stage .—Marched across an alluvial plain now. Passed the first grove of date trees near
Dur. Plain quite level, except some distant hills to the north-east.
Halted with some nomad Delim Arabs.
9th Stage .—Marched to Samara, or rather an island opposite it; passed some extensive ruins
called Ashik. For miles along the left bank of the Tigris extend ruins of ancient buildings
called by the Arabs Eski or old Baghdad.
On the right bank opposite Samara is a. certain amount of cultivation carried on in a primitive
fashion by Delim Arabs. Three or four cuttings for fodder are obtained from the wheat crops
before it is allowed to form its ear.
Samara is a place of pilgrimage for Shiahs: there is a mosque over the tomb of one of the twelve
Imams with a gilded dome.
A new wall of mean appearance surrounds the town, and inside three-fifths of the space is
devoted to camping-ground forJPersian pilgrims, of whom about 30,000 annually visit the shrine.
10th Stage .—Leaving Samara we passed the ruins of Istabilat and then through a level country
intersected by many canals at different levels: crossed the Dujail canal by a bridge lately con
structed by Ferhan Pasha. Halted in a small Arab settlement.
11th Stage .—Crossing a canal on a bridge called Tiso Harttea and entered a country with several
villages, all surrounded by date groves and fig trees, watered by numerous canals. Halted at Sumi-
schah. Population was only 175 males, yet it exported 20,000 okes annually of dates, besides figs
and corn.
12th Stage.—To Khan Suediyap, 6 hours’ distant over a bare uncultivated country with green
grass in the hollows where the rain water lodged.
13th Stage.— Started and soon reached the Tigris, passing much cultivation all watered by bul
lock lifts.
At Kathimain reached gardens which extended all the way to Baghdad, some 4 miles distant.
The chief trade route with Baghdad is through Kifri, Altun Keupri, and
Erbil and not by the river bank. It is 12 stages for caravans, the total dis
tance being 299 miles :
(1) Kulak
Miles.
... 33
(2) Erbil
•••
... 22
{3) Altun Keupri ...
• ••
•«»
... 30
(4) Kirkuk
.. 4
‘ ... 27
15) Taouk ...
• ••
... 25
( 6 ) Tuz Khurmatu ...
• ••
• ••
... 21
(7) Kifri
... 24
( 8 ) Kara Tapa
•••
... 22
(9) Dalli Abbas
rat
• ••
•••
... 28
(10) Zedaida ...
• *a
• ••
... 33
(11) Jadaida ...
• ••
... 16
(12) Baghdad ...
• ••
• ••
... 18
It is an easy road passable for troops and artillery, with supplies in abundance
obtainable at the various stages. Mr. Tart, Chief Engineer for Lynch Bros.,
•drove along this road in a four-wheeled carriage, reaching Mosul from Baghdad
in 11 days. From Mosul he went through Nisi bin and Mardin Diarbekr and
from there along a good cart road to Samsun, driving all the way. The post
from Mosul to Baghdad by this road takes from 2| to 3 days, horses being
•changed at each stage.