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'Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol. I. 1918' [252] (261/568)
The record is made up of 1 volume (282 folios). It was created in 1918. It was written in English, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Armenian, Kurdish and Syriac. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
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252 COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT
(ii) Nisibin— Mosul. By direct road across steppe Demir
Kapu Khan and Kesik Koprti ?), passable for motors in dry weather,
about 130 miles. Water scarce in summer; it appears that wells
have lately been sunk at some of the halting-places. Railway con
struction in progress.
(iii) Mosul—Samarra. By road, on right bank of Tigris, passable
for motors, about 165 miles. (Railway under construction; see p. 263.)
By river, about 190 miles. Keleks (large rafts on inflated skins)
navigate downstream only, taking 2-|-ll days: see further p. 287.
(iv) Samarra— Baghdad. By rail, 74 miles.
By river, 105 miles. Keleks take 1-4 days. Steamers drawing
about 4 ft. can ascend to Samarra in a high river: see further
p. 287.
(fc) Caravan-route via Diarbekr, Mardin, Mosul, and Kirkuk (750-
800 miles by road).
This route has a number of variations between Aleppo and Mosul.
(i) Aleppo— Diarbekr (250-230 miles). Passable for wheels. The
Euphrates has been usually crossed at Birijik (by ferry), but in the
years preceding the war more southerly crossings (Jerablus, Tel
Ahmar) were coming into use for caravans bound for Urfeh. From
Birijik there is a road to Severek and Diarbekr Hovek ; another
route passes by Urfeh and joins the more direct road between Hovek
and Severek. Aleppo—Diarbekr Birijik and Urfeh, about
250 miles ; via Birijik and Hovek, about 230 miles; Jerablus and
Urfeh, 240 miles ; via Tel Ahmar and Urfeh, about 235 miles.
[From Urfeh a direct route leads to Mardin by Veiran Shehr (about
110 miles). This is about 65 miles shorter than the detour from
Urfeh to Mardin via Diarbekr, but the road is not practicable through
out for wheels; it is in parts poorly supplied with water, and as it
leads through the Milli country it is insecure.]
(ii) Diarbekr — Mosul.
(1) Land-route via Nisibin.
Diarbekr—Nisibin via Mardin (95 miles). Road passable for wheels.
[A Decauville Railway is reported to run from Tel Helif (on the
Baghdad Railway about 24 miles W. of Nisibin) in the direction of
Diarbekr. It appears to have reached a point some miles on the
Diarbekr side of Mardin.
There is a broad-gauge line from Derbesiyeh Station (on the
Baghdad Railway between Ras el-Ain and Tel Helif; see p. 262 below)
to a point a few miles S. of Mardin.
From Diarbekr a pack-road leads across the Tur Abdin by Midiat
to Jezlret-ibn-'Omar. It is about 140-145 miles by this route from
About this item
- Content
This volume is A Handbook of Mesopotamia, Volume I, General (Naval Staff, Intelligence Department: November 1918). This is an updated and expanded edition of A Handbook of Mesopotamia, Volume I, General (Admiralty War Staff, Intelligence Department: August 1916) (IOR/L/MIL17/15/41/1). This is an introductory volume containing matter of a general nature giving an account of conditions in Mesopotamia, for the most part as they were before the First World War.
The volume includes a note on official use, a title page and 'Note'. There is a page of 'Contents' that includes the following chapters and sections:
- Chapter 1: Boundaries and Physical Features;
- Chapter 2: Climate;
- Chapter 3: Minerals;
- Chapter 4: Fauna and Flora;
- Chapter 5: Hygiene;
- Chapter 6: History;
- Chapter 7: Inhabitants;
- Chapter 8: Religions;
- Chapter 9: Administration;
- Chapter 10: Irrigation of Irak [Iraq];
- Chapter 11: Agriculture and Land Tenure;
- Chapter 12: Commerce and Industry;
- Chapter 13: Currency, Weights, and Measures;
- Chapter 14: Communications and Transport;
- Vocabularies;
- Index.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (282 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume is arranged in numbered chapters. There is a contents page and an alphabetically arranged index.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of the folio.
Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
- Written in
- English, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Armenian, Kurdish and Syriac in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/17/15/41/2
- Title
- 'Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol. I. 1918'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:i-v, 1:556, ii-r:ii-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence