"العراق والخليج الفارسي" [ظ‎‎٣‎٣‎١] (٨٦٢/٦٦٥)

PORTS AND INLAND TOWNS
5 ^
Air. Imperial Airways in 1939 operated a bi-weekly service in each
direction on their route between England and the Far East.
Signals. There is a port wireless station, and the airport has
directional wireless equipment. The British submarine cables to
India connect with the land telegraph at Fao.
Fao
Fao is the dredger depot for the port of Basra. It is on the right
bank of the Shatt al Arab, 6 miles from the mouth. It is also the
telegraph station at the terminus of the British cables from India.
The village has no industries and owes its existence to the dredger
depot, which employs about 600 Iraqi labourers. Fao contains a
hospital, school, club, staff quarters, bazaar, police barracks, and
army barracks. It has a wooden pier 15 yards long and 5 yards wide.
Four floating pontoons form a jetty 70 yards long at right angles to
the north side of the pier. There is a 5-ton travelling crane on the
pier. Safe anchorage is available in the river for ships up to a length
of 550 feet and a draught of 22 feet, but there are no mooring buoys.
Drinking-water is settled from the river and chlorinated: Europeans
always filter their water. Electric light is supplied from the port
power station. A small stock of coal is maintained for the use of the
crane and for domestic purposes.
Tanuma
In 1941 there was already a military cantonment at Tanuma con
nected by ferry to Ashar. In 1942 a lighter harbour was dredged at
Tanuma on the left bank of the Shatt al Arab opposite Ashar and
linked by rail to the Persian system. Its purpose was mainly to
improve the line of supply through Persia to Russia. Cantonments
and extensive rail sidings were built, but it is improbable that the
harbour will serve any economic purpose after the present war. The
harbour is a rectangular basin called Kibasi basin, opening directly
upon the Shatt al Arab, provided with administrative offices, work
shops, and power and pumping stations for electricity and water.
There is also a small jetty below the lighter basin. No other details
are available for publication.
Communications
Standard-gauge railway to Hosseinieh junction and Ahwaz and
by metre-gauge over the Hull bridge to Maqil.