'Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol. III. 1917' [‎168] (177/432)

168
LAND BOUTES
are several possible tracks for pack-animals. Near Baghdad the
tops of the canal-banks and riverside dykes niay sometimes be used
in order to avoid flood or marshy ground. For railway see Appendix
Water appears to be plentiful, from canals, wells, or the Tigris
There is a fair amount of cultivation and at least two flourishing
villages (Sumeikeh, m. 39, and Beled, m. 51) are passed: a certain
amount of supplies for small bodies of men could therefore perhaps
be obtained. As regards grazing, there is some camel-thorn, and '
apparently some grass here and there in spring. Fuel probablv
scarce.
Samarra—Mosul. —Beyond Samarra the character of the route
changes. Before the present war it was just passable for wheels
(though with difficulty) throughout. Light carts had occasionally
traversed it, and a few years ago a motor-car was brought by this
route from Baghdad to Mosul, but it broke down on the return
journey. For most of the way there would be no serious difficulties
in road-making. The track passes sometimes along the floor of the
Tigris Valley (for description, see III E) over stony ground or
alluvial soil, crossing fairly numerous wadis : sometimes it leaves the
river-trough and ascends the low plateau or hills bordering the valley :
here it generally runs through open rolling country, but in places has
to traverse broken ground (as near Tekrit: see m. 100|). At one point
(see m. 134) it makes a long detour from the river, about 84 m. in
length, where the r. bank becomes impassable owing to the Hamrln
Hills. These hills though low are very rugged and broken, and the
river flows close under their NW. side from Qal'ah Sherghat to the
Fet-hah gorge by which it breaks through them. The track by which
the route eventually crosses the hills to rejoin the river near Qal'ah
Sherghat would need in places considerable improvement before it
could be made easy for wheels (see m. 157). The authority whose
report is here chiefly followed made the journey on horseback in 1903.
Between Samarra and Mosul water can generally be obtained from
the river, but on the detour of 34 m. already mentioned drinkable
water is very scarce. Between Samarra and the cultivated area near
Mosul, patches of rather poor cultivation occur at intervals along
the Tigris Valley, but there are few permanent villages and those
are usually small. In peace time camps of Shammar and other
nomads were occasionally to be found near the river. Unless the
flocks and herds of the Jezlreh nomads could be drawn upon, no
amount of local supplies worth considering could be found on the r.
bank of the Tigris, except for a limited quantity at Tekrit. There is
much good grass grazing in spring in places between Qal'ah Sherghat
and Mosul (see note under m. 168, m. 173, m. 206, m. 210 below):