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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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Mesopotamia] I j AJBOI Hi
should be accepted with the greatest reserve. Any
influx of settlers into Mesopotamia would immediately
raise questions of great difficulty with nomadic or semi-
nomadic tribes, who claim a prescriptive right to large
areas in Irak and the Jezireh, and unless the settleis
are Arabs much unrest would probably result. 1 On the
other hand, there has been from time immemorial a
certain amount of immigration of the surplus Arab
population into Mesopotamia, and even to-day the
Shammar tribe, which is settled on the right bank ol
the Tigris south of Mosul, is looked upon as part of the
tribe of the same name which is found in central
Arabia. Immigration of this kind will no doubt con
tinue, and will provide some additional small sources
from which labour will be available.
The rates of wages for unskilled labour before the
war were from 3 to 4 G.S.P. 2 (6^/. U) Sd.) per day.
Skilled labour was paid from 5 to 10 G.fe.P. (10^. to
15. 8c?.) per day.
(2) Agriculture
According to Herodotus, the yield of the soil ot
Mesopotamia in his time was as high as 200 or even
300 to 1. Even to-day, although a great part ot the
country is an arid waste, the chemical constituents
of the soil are such that only irrigation and tillage are
necessary to bring out its potential fertility, and repro
duce former conditions.
In north Mesopotamia agriculture is in a less deplor
able condition than in the south and is improving, but
there the soil is more stony and less fertile, the rivers do
not lend themselves so easily to irrigation, and the
country suffers from drought. 1 he latter difficulty is
to some extent being overcome by the introduction d
centrifugal pumps driven by oil engines.
The decay of agriculture in Lower Mesopotamia has
been progressive since the beginning of lurkish rule in
1 For further observations on this question, se> above, p. 42.
2 Grand Seignmir piastres.
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' [42r] (83/152), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/C190, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023514036.0x000054> [accessed 10 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