'Mesopotamia' [‎54r] (107/152)

Mesopotamia]
TOWNS
97
The chief imports are cotton goods, iron and copper,
carpets and gunnies.
At present the trade of Mosul suffers from the
drawbacks of its geographical situation, to which are
added the insecurity of the districts thiough which
caravans must paws, especially on the routes between
Baghdad and Aleppo. In consequence there is hardly
any direct dealing with Europe. The building of the
Baghdad Railway will no ckmbt stimulate the trade
of Mosul and remove the chief obstacle to its com
mercial development.
Suleimanie is situated 60 miles east by north of
Kirkuk, on the Turkish side of the Turko-Persian
frontier. No accurate estimate of the population is
available. The town consists of about 2,500 houses.
It was formerly a large centre of trade with Persia,
but in recent years the trade has diminished, partly
owing to an imposition of 15 per cent. Customs duty.
An important local industry is the manufacture of
firearms, especially rifles; about 9,000 are manufac
tured per annum. Shoemaking and saddlery are also
important occupations.
The following list gives the remaining towns of any
importance:—
Communications. Industries, ie.
1. Caravan route 5 Cultivation of
(a) Haglulad- cereals, fruit,
Aleppo route dates.
(4) Track to Export of wool,
Mosul across butter, dates,
the desert
2. K i v e r E u-
phrates
3. Telegraph I
1. River Eu- Cultivation of
phrates wheat and bar-
2. Land routes to ley. Trade in
Aleppo,Diar- olive oil, grapes,
bekr, &e. butterandsheep.
3. Telegraph Boat-building.
1. I'ara van routes Cultivation of
(a) Mosul- quantities o f
Baghdad wheat and bar-
H
Ana
Situation.
Estimated
Population.
On the Euph
rates, 119
miles above
Hit, 192 miles
below Deir
About 1 .),000
Sunni Arabs
Uirijik
Erbil
On the Euph
rates, about
15 miles above
the railway
bridge at
Jerablus
18 miles east
by south of
Mosul
[285—66]
About 10,000 '
mixed Turks,
Arabs, Kurds,
Armenians, I
and Jews
About 25,000,
mostly Kurds