"مخطط لمصب نهر شط العرب يُظهر الطافيات الضوئية الموجودة والمقترحة" [ظ‎‎٢‎٤‎٢] (٤/٣)

29
APPENDIX.
A brief note on the future development of the Port of Basra and its communica
tions by land and water, by Sir George Buchanan, Kt., C.I.E., Director of Port
Administration and Conservancy, Indian Expeditionary Force “ D.”
1 . On the assumption that Mesopotamia will become a British possession at
the close of the war, and that British relations with Arabistan will be strengthened
and extended, it does not require much imagination to foresee a great future for
the Port of Basra.
In this note, I will describe the port as it exists and outline my suggestions
for the future.
2 . The Port of Basra .—Basra is situated on the right bank of the Shatt-el-
Arab river, 70 miles from the Outer Bar Lightship, and is distant from neighbour
ing ports and towns as follows :—
Miles.
Bombay .. .. ». .. .. .. 1,573
Karachi .. • • • • • • • • • • 1,160
Port Said .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,951
Baghdad (by river) .. .. •. • • • • 502
Baghdad (by rail) .. • • • • • • • • 360
Mohammerah (by ri ver) .. . • • • • • • • 17
Ahwaz {via Mohammerah by river) .. .. .. .. 110
Ahwaz (in a direct line) .. .. . • • • • • 75
3 . In the days of Turkish rule, although the trade was considerable, port
accommodation was practically non-existent. All sea-going vessels laid at their
anchors in the stream, and imports for Basra were discha rged into country boats
and landed at the custom house wharves, where imports for Baghdad were dis
charged into river steamers and flats and taken up the river on a through bill of
lading. Exports consisting largely of dates were shipped into country boats
at various points on river, and thereafter conveyed to and loaded into the
sea-going vessels There were no wharves 5 and even m the busy season the
number of sea-going vessels in the port, at the same time, rarely exceeded half
a dozen.
The British occupation has already brought about a great change in the former
state of affairs, and, as will be seen later, there is nothing to prevent Basra being
made into one of the best equipped ports in the w orld.
4. Communications with the Port of Basra.—The following constitute the main
avenues of approach to the Port of Basra, by land and wa.ter .
{i) The river Shatt-el-Arab, from other ocean ports.
[ii) The Karun river, from Ahwaz and Southern Persia.
{Hi) The river Tigris, from Baghdad and surrounding country.
{iv) The liver Euphrates, from Nasiriyah, Suk-esh-Sheyukh, and Samawah.
(v) From Nasiriyah, by railway and various caravan tracks from Zobier
and villages in the desert.
I will now describe these various routes, and will preface my remarks by
pointing out that in the days of Turkish rule practically nothing was done in any
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