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File 2764/1904 Pt 2 'Baghdad Railway: General negotiations 1908-10.' [‎64r] (136/799)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (391 folios). It was created in 1908-1910. 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. .

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thirty cavalry. My doing so was not without satisfactory result as on the very day
w? r * amve d at Suleimanieh, an immense caravan (which had been gradually accumu-
latmg tor months but afraid to venture on the road) left for Kerkuk, Mosul, and Bagdad.
^Lhree days later the telegraph was again working. The circumstance is only worthy of
^rote as showing the wholesome effect upon the local authorities of the presence of
Europeans who are in a position to report disinterestedly upon the state of affairs.
I here can be no doubt that a determined effort would have sufficed months before to
restore communications and keep them open.
. -During my stay at Kerkuk I was the guest of the municipality who most
kindly put the whole of their charming building—quite the prettiest of its kind in
Turkey—at my disposal. There are 7,000 houses in the town and the population is
probably not less than 40,000, of whom about 2,500 are Jews, and only 630 Christians.
The rest are Moslems of Turkoman origin. The language of the place is consequently
Tuikish, but Kurdish and Arabic are generally understood. The position of Kerkuk is
remarkable, surmounting an immense artificial mound over 100 feet high, at the foot
of which flows the river (Kasra Chai) which is spanned by a fine bridge. The
approaches to the various gates of the ancient citadel are steep and winding and from
the flat roofs of the houses, which are built up to the very edge of the mound, there is a
magnificent view oyer the surrounding country. Some of the older buildings are
attributed to a certain Cicallazadd, the renegade son of the Genoese Admiral Cicalla;
and in former days the place was, according to Niebuhr, the residence of a Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. of two
tails. A modern town is springing up and spreading in every direction from the foot of
the mound. Kerkuk being the meeting-place of the Tabreez, Mosul, and Bagdad roads,
and a convenient centre for a very large (partly shifting, partly sedentary) Arab and
Kurd population, its bazaar is of great and increasing importance.
81. The surrounding land is said to be of wonderful fertility but, in recent years,
has suffered from the fact that the mountain streams on which it depends are constantly
being tapped or diverted by the Kurds. A village called Tis-a-in w r as visited which till
recently is said to have been one of the most prosperous but is now almost ruined by
lack of water. There is an idea that, if a canal were cut from Altun Kipri, the
superfluous waters of the Lesser Zab might be utilised for the irrigation of this
district. At the request of some of the leading inhabitants, I brought the matter to
the notice of Sir William Willcocks in an unofficial letter last August, but I have no
means of knowing whether it is a practical proposition.
82. From a confidential souree, I happen to know that the present mutessarif has
approached the Ottoman Bank with a view to a loan for the purpose of starting a flour
mill and ice-making machine. The security offered is apparently certain municipal
property.
83. From Kerkuk to Suleimanieh the road passes through the Bazian kaza,
formerly one of great wealth but which has suffered—and is suffering—much from the
overlapping of various undefined spheres of warring interests. The Hamawand are
referred to at length in a despatch No. 19 of the 17th October. They are divided into
three “ kabyle’s,” viz., Hamawand (proper), Besari,and Sitabasar, and number perhaps
altogether 450 families. Others in this neighbourhood are : The Sheikh Bezeini (500),
Shonan (1,000), Gil (400), Talabani (2,000), Hadidi (600), Abu Hamed (100), El Abed
(500). The last three are Arabs. The figures given refer to households and may be
multiplied by at least five in estimating the full members of each tribe.
84. A halt was made at Chemchemal, the centre of the kaza, where the governors
of Kerkuk and Suleimanieh were found taking counsel with the Kaimakam (a leader
of the Sheikh Said clan) as regards “ operations ” against the Hamawand; and
the journey was continued via Kan-i-Shaitan and the Bazian Valley to Suleimanieh.
85. Suleimanieh (16th/23rd August). —351° North ; 45East. Altitude
2,800 feet. Founded in 1783. Population (in 1909) 30,000. Distance to Mosul,
7 days; Bagdad, 8 days; Senna, 4 days ; Kermanshah, 5 days ; Tabreez 12 days.
86. The above figures seem to speak for themselves; Suleimanieh, founded by
Babanzade Suleiman Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. barely 130 years ago, is a centre which has grown—and
must obviously continue to grow—in importance as fast as the security of the district
allows, while its altitude and geographical position give it advantages of climate not
possessed by any other considerable town in the province. Lying unobtrusively in
the folds of the hills, Suleimanieh is apt to be overlooked by passing tourists, who
have even been known to dismiss it as “ an overgrown village ” ; but a closer inspection
discloses an extensive covered bazaar or <c kaiseria,” out of all proportion to the size
of the town, and supplying the wants of a very big district. In August 1909 this
bazaar was thronged from sunrise to sunset with a mixed crowd of Arabs, Kurds,

About this item

Content

The volume comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, newspaper cuttings, maps and notes, relating to negotiations over the proposed Berlin to Baghdad Railway in the period 1903-1907.

The discussion in the volume relates to the economic, commercial, political and military considerations impinging on British strategy for the international negotiations over the development of a railway to Baghdad in particular.

Further discussion surrounds the motivations and strategies of British competitors in the area; included in the volume are four maps.

The principal correspondents in the volume include the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Lord Lansdowne, Sir Edward Grey), His Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople (Sir Nicholas O'Connor), the Under Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Charles Hardinge, Sir Thomas Henry Sanderson), and for India (Earl Percy, Sir Arthur Godley), the Viceroy of India (Lord Curzon of Keddleston), the Secretary to the Political and Secret Department of the 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. (Sir Richmond Richie) and the London Manager of the Imperial Bank of Persia (George Newell).

Extent and format
1 volume (391 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.

The subject 2764 (Bagdad Railway) consists of five volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/56-60. The volumes are divided into five parts with each part comprising one volume.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 392; 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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 329-358; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out. The foliation sequence does not include the front cover.

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File 2764/1904 Pt 2 'Baghdad Railway: General negotiations 1908-10.' [‎64r] (136/799), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/57, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100026492731.0x000089> [accessed 30 March 2024]

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