'Routes in Arabia' [‎659] (690/852)

659
! Wisi
wtt®,.
R oute N o . 184— contd.
I saw grazing about 2,000 sheep, 400 kine, 50 horses on the
road. Water at Tank good and plentiful from river; the road
is nearly level the whole way and excellent going ; cultivation
on both sides almost throughout; country quite open except
on right, where there are hills. Tank has about 200 houses and
a population of 600 ; there is a Mudir here and a few officers and
reserve troops, but no soldiers of the active army : the revenue of
the Mudirate is about £ T.3,000 and the expenditure a little
over £ T. 2,000 ; more Shiahs than Sunnis.
The Daoudiyeh tribe of Kurds levy a sort of blackmail on this
road from passing caravans, nominally as a protection against
robbery by Arabs " or others." I saw two cases of this on the
day I passed ; they stoppd a camel caravan and would not let it
proceed until it had paid 6 Medjidies and given them some
dates ; 4 donkeys had to pay 6 annas. Ismail Beg is the head of
this tribe and lives in a village a few miles behind the hills on the
right.
9 KIRKUK ,, 25 m. At 21 miles pass
small village on left,
179 m . 3 miles off : a few
small water-cuts (very narrow palnvtree bridges) up to 2 miles
from leaving Tank: country open on both sides ; hills on the
right 2 miles off and 150 feet high : cultivation on both sides :
road good and quite flat. At 3 miles 2 more villages on the left
about 4 and 5 miles off; ground slightly undulating ; road
sunken in places about 8 feet below level of surrounding country.
At 5 miles the country was flat and open at both sides. At 6
miles pass village on right, 4 miles off, at foot of low hills. At
7 miles shght undulations in the ground. At 8J miles cross a
nullah 10 feet wide and 5 feet deep, and 200 yards further on
cross road at right angles leading to villages, on right and left :
4 miles off on each side. At 9 miles country still undulating,
at 91 miles cross nullah 100 yards wide, ground raviney; road
hollow after nullah for nearly a mile. At 1 Of miles, cross another
nullah 100 yards wide, banks raviney. At 13J miles pass
Taza Khurmatu on left, and close to it cross stream, bed 60 yards
wide, water 40 feet wide, depth 4 feet but not at crossing, where it
is only 12 feet wide and 2 feet deep ; bed pebbly. High mound
100 feet high, on right bank. Hills close in a little at this point
on the right, walled gardens on left and right, just after leaving
' f