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The record is made up of 1 volume (76 folios). It was created in Feb 1919. It was written in English. 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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06
ECONOMIC CONDITIONS [No. 92
occupation, and have been built for military purposes.
.With the exception of a small 2ft. 6in. line between
Sadiyeh on the Tigris and Shahroban on the Khanikin
road they are all of 1-metre gauge.
Proposed railways. —As has already been said, Sir
William Willcocks, in connection with his irrigatioi.
schemes, proposed the construction of a considerable
system of railways in Lower Mesopotamia, and of a
trunk line, connecting Baghdad by the Euphrates
valley with either Homs or Damascus and the Medi
terranean. Commercially all these proposed lines
depend upon the development of Mesopotamia and
the adequacy or otherwise of the rivers for the
conveyance of goods; and upon these points it is
at present impossible to arrive at any useful con
clusions.
In the event of a line being built to connect Mesopo
tamia with a Syrian port, probably the best route would
be Abu Kemal—Tadmor—Homs, and thence to Tripoli,
as the line between Tripoli and Homs is of standard
gauge, and has comparatively easy gradients and good
alignment. Such a line would no doubt attract a large
traffic of pilgrims to Mecca.
Of even more importance to British trade with Persia
is the building of a line from Baghdad to the Persian
frontier, and if possible to Kermanshah. The imports
to Persia via Baghdad have in recent years averaged
£1,000,000 annually, of which 75 per cent, have been
British or Indian goods. Pussian competition in Per
sian markets was increasing before the war; and, in
the future, British trade in Persia is likely to meet
with strong opposition from the north in German, if
not in Russian, goods. Apart from the goods traffic,
a very large revenue would be obtained from the pil
grim traffic to and from the shrines of Mesopotamia.
(d) Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones
The Turkish postal service in Mesopotamia was
extremely uncertain; special messengers, travellers.
About this item
- Content
This volume is a confidential handbook on Mesopotamia prepared under the direction of the Historical Section of the Foreign Office, dated February 1919. There is a table of contents which includes the following chapters:
- I: 'Geography Physical and Political', including 'Position and Frontiers', 'Surface, Coast and River Systems', 'Climate', 'Sanitary Conditions', 'Race and Language' and 'Population';
- II: 'Political History', including 'Chronological Summary', 'Introduction', 'Early period of Turkish Occupation, 1638-1834', 'Later period of Turkish Occupation, 1834-1914', and 'Commercial Developments';
- III: 'Social and Political Conditions', including 'Religious', 'Political', 'Public Education' and 'General Observations';
- IV: 'Economic Conditions', including 'Means of Communication', 'Industry', 'Commerce', 'Finance' and 'General Remarks'.
There is also an appendix which includes tables of 'Exports to Principal Countries from Baghdad', 'Imports from Principal Countries to Baghdad', 'Principal Exports from Basra' and 'Principal Imports to Basra'. This is followed by a section entitled 'Authorities' which is a bibliography of references used for the preparation of the volume. This section is divided into 'Historical' (including 'Confidential Sources'), 'Economic' ('Official' and 'General') and 'Maps'. There is a pocket at the back of the volume to house maps, but there are no maps present.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (76 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Pagination: The volume contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; 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'. side of each folio.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'Mesopotamia' [38v] (76/152), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/C190, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023514036.0x00004d> [accessed 24 August 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/20/C190
- Title
- 'Mesopotamia'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:75v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence