'Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol. III. 1917' [‎69] (78/432)

THE TIGRIS—KOUTE III E
69
Inter
im mediate Left Bank
|| distance
Miles
The gab rises in the hills of Kurdistan in the region of Bash QaFah
(about T 150 m. N. by E.). On the course of the river through the
mountains from Bash Qal e ah to the region of Amadiyeh (about T 85 m.
to N.) see route from Mosul to Van.
Below the comparatively open valley of Amadiyeh it flows in a SE.
direction, through a fertile, well-wooded district bordered by rocky
ridges, and the S. side of the valley is followed by the route from
Amadiyeh to Bireh Kafra (or Zibar). But below the junction of the Zab
with its tributary the Rudbar-i Shin the valley narrows again, and is
left by the above-mentioned route, which turns southward away from
the river. Some *11 m. to the SE. of this point the Zab passes by the
small plain of Bireh Kafra or Zibar on its r., and then enters very
difficult gorges. About T 19 m., *28 m., below the plain of Zibar,
some way above its junction with its tributary the Rowanduz Chai, it
turns S., and shortly below Rowanduz takes a general SW. direction.
Below the gorge near Berdin ( T 65 m. from the Tigris) it enters
a broader valley, and flows between low hills on its r. bank and
on its 1. hills which steadily decline in height. About 2 m. above
Grirdamamik ferry (*42 m. from the Tigris) the river bends in a general
SSE. direction to the Tigris. The largest tributaries of the Zab join
its 1. bank between Amadiyeh and Berdin, but in its lower course it
receives many affluents on both banks, the most considerable of which
on the r. bank are the £ Aqreh Su (about 54 m. above the mouth of the
Zab) and the larger stream of the Ghazir Su (about *18 m. above the
mouth of the Zab) : between these two rivers the Achair Dagh hills run
along the r. bank of the Zab. The chief tributaries on the 1. bank are,
between Zibar and the mouth of the river, the Rukuchuk, the
Rudbar-i-Baras-glr, the Rudbar-i-Rowanduz, the Darabikush Chai,
and the Bastoreh Chai. All these rivers are themselves fed by
numerous smaller streams.
The Zab between the Berdin gorge and the Tigris flows in a broad
shingly bed with outcrops of rock here and there, and enclosing a con
tinuous network of islands which break up the river into many
channels. Below the mouth of the Ghazir Su this bed appears to be
2-3 m. wide, but its channels are not entirely covered except in the
spring floods. The amount of water in the Zab and its tributaries
varies much according to the season : rain and the melting of the
snow on the Kurdish hills in spring fill them with a torrential flood.
But even in the l.w. season the Zab contains much water, though the
width of its bed in this lower part of its course makes it run shallow.
Its current is always swift, so that apparently even in 1. w. it is
difficult to ford.
The Zab between the Berdin gorge and its mouth is crossed by
four ferries. These are (i) at Quweir (described as 2 hrs. above the
mouth of the Zab ; (ii) at Eski Kelek (about 25 m. from the mouth)
where the Erbil—Mosul route crosses the Zab ; (iii) at Girdamamik
(about 42 m. from the mouth) and at Qandil (raft ferry) (about 65 m.
from the mouth).