'Routes in Arabia' [‎663] (694/852)

663
Route No. 184— contd*
Ivush Tapa k an ordinary Kurdish village on the top of some
rising ground ; about 100 houses, mud walls; water from two
karezes, good and plentiful.
General character of country between Altnn Kupri and Kush
Tapa is undulating to hilly, open and cultivated ; road easy but
stony in places ; no trees.
12 ARBIL • • 15 m. Leave Kush Tapa in a
north-north-east direc-,
249 m. s tion and go 3 J- miles,
when the main road between Altun Kupri and Arbil is reached;
country open, slightly undulating and cultivated, road a little
stony. At 3?. miles reach Arbil road and change direction half-
left; telegraph line of two wires on right at 300 yards, road a
little stony. At fij miles cross small stony nullah and then
mound on left; 00 feet high; telegraph line on right, alongside
road, which is still a little stony, village on right 2 miles off. At
71 miles on right a small village 1,000 yards off : telegraph at 300
yards. At 9| miles on left small village 1,000 yards off with a
square mud-walled enclosure, 50 yards square and 12 feet high ;
telegraph line 400 yards on right. At 10 miles small village on
right 900 yards off, walled enclosure of same kind and size as
last • telegraph 200 vards on right. At 12 miles telegraph line
crosses road, which is good. At 14 miles, cross karez 25 feet
deep, 20 feet wide, brick bridge, 1 foot water ; then broken ground
on right and left till Erbil is reached.
Arbil has 3,000 houses and about 15,000 inhabitants: the
main town and public buildings are on a high mound in the centre
about 300 feet high and about 400 yards in diameter : the rest of
the town, consisting of the poorer houses, clusters round the base
of this hill; the mound appears to consist of mud, the sides are
precipitous: it is visible from about 7 miles and forms a sort of
citadel with one gate in the direction of Altun Kupri. The
houses here are mostly of brick. Water-supply is sufficient, but
it is collected from a karez into a tank, the surroundings of which
are filthy. The best water is from the karez outside of the town
on the Altun Kupri side. The khan is indifferent, a two-storeyed
building with a lot of little rooms all pound, very dark ; stabling