"ملاحظات ميدانية: بلاد الرافدين. هيئة الأركان العامة في الهند. فبراير ١٩١٧". [ظ‎‎٨‎٢] (٣٥٠/١٧١)

156
Route No. T— contd.
sparsely covered with scrub, and is in dry weather, good going,
for all arms. No water is found until the next camping ground.
After heavy rain or as the floods begin to rise, this track is-
impassable, and an alternative track must be taken, following
the river bank more closely. The dry weather track leaves the
river about half a mile west of camp and strikes NA\. a passing
a square 4 -towered mud fort about 600 yards distant on the
left. From here the village of Ali Ash Sharqi is visible. Up to
mile 7 the going is good over a level grassy plain. From this
point Ali Ash Sharqi bears due west, at a distance of about 3
miles. The track still continues good but is dusty, and the
ground on either side is uneven with deep ruts and fissures.
These are caused by the fact that the country is low lying and
remains longer under water during the flood season. From mile
10 till the river is reached at mile 12 ^ the country is covered
with scrub, and is intersected fairly frequently by dry irrigation
cuts, but the going continues good. Camp is reached at mile 13
at the N. E. corner of the sharp bend in the river f of a mile-
E. of Sulaiman. Water good and plentiful from the Tigris.
Camel grazing and scrub plentiful. The flood track keeps close
alongside the river bank. It passes close to a 4-towered mud
fort at mile and a 2-towered mud fort at mile 1^. About
800 yards further on the track keeps just south of a patch of
nitre-covered mud. At mile 3 there is about 200 yards of very
so|t ground. At mile 4^ the track runs between the river and
an inundation, keeping along the river bank, and passing close
to a small mat village, opposite which the Dujailah canal takes
off from the right bank of the Tigris. In the loop of the river
here there is thick scrub jungle. At mile 5 the road runs for 80
yards along a bund between the river and an inundation; the
going is very rough. At mile opposite the ruined fort of
Husaiyah Salhi, on the right bank of the Tigris, the road runs
for 70 yards on a bund along the river bank. From mile 9
better going is found by keeping closer to the river than the
track actually runs. The track here enters a mud plain, wdiich
extends for about 1 mile and is crossed by numerous shallow
water channels. This plain is inundated in flood season, and
the river bank must be followed closely. At mile 9-| the
village of Ali Ash Sharqi and the tomb of the same name
standing in the middle of a conspicuous grove of trees, are
passed on the left. At mile 10J slightly higher ground is