'Routes in Arabia' [‎731] (762/852)

731
1,1115
'o'us reacwiijijj
' ^istop^u
liOBSCS. Ito'iijfc
R oute N o . 201— contd.
low hills there have been fine crops alongside the road. The
town of Kirkuk stands up boldly as one approaches it; part of it
is built on a large hill which is probably artificial in spite of its
size. The population of Kirkuk is estimated at 40,000 to 50,000
souls; and, out of 4,000 houses, 200 are said to belong to Jews
and 200 to Christains. The exports are wool, gallnuts, wheat,
barley, gum tragacanth, and a little wine.
baba gurgur.
{25th April 1915.)
Baba Gurgur, which was visited during our halt at Kirkiik,
is in some low hills a little to the right of the Kirkuk-Altun
Koprii road at 4 or 5 miles from Kirkuk. The place itself is a
slight hollow on some high ground; it is about 60 yards
long and 20 yards broad, and there are some 20 vents of natural
gas in it. At the time of our visit these were alight, as they
generally are, unless artificially extinguished. If one of the
vents be stopped with earth, the gas usually escapes at some
other place near by, where it can be lighted with a match. A
kettle can conveniently be boiled on any of the burning vents,
and Baba Gurgur is said to be a favourite picnic place ^ in spring
for the merchants and military garrison of Kirkuk. J here is a
strong smell of sulphur about. ....
A little further on in the same direction, but quite near the
road, is a group of 4 or 5 oil pits called Biar (wells); they are the
property of Salih Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , absent at Constantinople at the time
of our visit, and are said to yield 8 donkey loads (say 32 tins)
of crude oil daily. The pits are situated on a slight hill and are
12 to 15 feet deep. The water is separated from the oil at the
wells and the oil is afterwards refined at Kirkuk. There is a
sulphurous spring in the hills, a little further in than the oil
PltS Closely adjoining the official suburb of Kirkuk on its north side
on the way to Baba Gurgur, is the considerable village of Shatarli
with about 200 houses. It has an old leaning minaret.
At Kirkuk the date tree has already ceased to occur, and the
olive has made its appearance. We are approaching the tem
perate zone. Vines, limes, figs apricots, mulberries, willows,
etc., are to be seen.