"العراق والخليج الفارسي" [ظ‎‎٣‎٦‎٥] (٨٦٢/٧٣٣)

570 COMMUNICATIONS
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(274) Great Zab at Eski Kellek, three bridges: (a) 35 yards (one
Hopkins span 105 ft.); (b) 84 yards (20 R.C. spans); (c) 440
yards (15 stone arches and 5 Hopkins spans on steel concrete-
filled cylinders) (fig. 86).
(280) Khazir Su at Manguba, 107 yards (3 Hopkins spans with
Fig. 86 . Bridge over the Great Zab at Eski Kellek on the
Erbil-Mosul road
R.S.J. spans at either end), superseding suspension bridge,
no yards, now probably dismantled.
(304) Tigris at Mosul, 330 yards (8 Hopkins spans on steel concrete-
filled cylinders (photo. 200).
There are also about 30 lesser bridges.
General Description
This is the main road between Baghdad and Mosul. The new
alinement runs through Diltawa and crosses the Injana or Abu
Ghuraib pass over the Jabal Hamrin east of the Adhaim defile to
Tuz Khurmatli, thus avoiding the detour by the Diyala and Qizil
Ribat. It is gravelled to within 10 miles of Kirkuk and thence has a
tarmac surface to Mosul. The old direct road between Altun Kopru
and Mosul crossed the Great Zab by the Quwair ferry, but the tarmac
road makes the detour by Erbil and crosses the Great Zab and Khazir
Su by modern bridges at Eski Kellek and Manguba. Before the
railway between Qaiyara and Mosul was completed in 1940 (p. 583),
there was a diesel-engined bus service for Simplon-Orient passengers
between Mosul and metre-gauge railhead at Kirkuk, but the service
has been suspended and the road is less used than formerly. It is fit
for heavy motor traffic throughout and is rarely interrupted.
Kirkuk, Erbil, and Mosul are important road centres,