File 1356/1912 Pt 1 'Turco-Persian Frontier:- negotiations at Constantinople.' [‎19v] (47/885)

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natural frontier line, not liable to disturbance ^ ^
for Dractically the whole of its length from the ^ hatt Arab t0 sht 1 ^uh,
whether through uninhabitable marshes, or uninhabitable deserts, thus rendering
collisions between the tribes on either side of the border unlikely : this, m view
of the religious hostility that exists between them is of considerable importance.
The adoption of any frontier east of that locally recognized by Persian
tribes would appear to be unjustified by anything in the present condition or
past history of the frontier, and to be most strongly to be deprecated.
Copy with enclosures handed to His Majesty’s Consul, Mohammerah.
Enclosure No, i.
Diary.
From June 2ist to July 3rd, 1912.
On J une 21st I left Mohammerah en route for Ahwaz in company with
Lieutenant H. Digby Beste, R.I.M., after waiting six days for the S.S.
“ Malamir ”, which had been under repair at Basrah. We arrived at Ahwaz on
June 22nd and left for the Turko-Persian frontier on the 24th at 9 P.M., a dust-
storm having prevented our crossing the river earlier.
The Karkheh was struck at Kut Hawashim ’Atiq at daybreak the next day,
and a halt made till the afternoon, when we moved on to Kut Saiyid ’Ali, some
six miles downstream, a start being made at this point with planetable triangula
tion. Kut Saiyid ’Ali is a community of Saiyids living on the North bank
of the Karkheh practically independent of the Bani Turuf, and subject to the
rule of the Shaikh of Mohammerah.
On the 26th at daybreak we left for Khafajiyeh, the headquarters of Shaikh
’Asi, chief of the Bani Turuf: the track lay parallel with the Karkheh, across low
tying ground intersected with canals, some of them four feet deep, watering
extensive rice fields and finally emptying into the belt of marshes which lies
some miles south of the river. Shaikh ’Asi was very friendly, put me up in a
mat hut, and preferred me every assistance : he has been nominated this year as
chief of the tribe, and has accepted responsibility to Shaikh Khaz’al for the
revenue of the tribe, which amounts to about 40,000 Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. or nearly ^"8,000.
We left at daybreak next day for Bisaitin, some 18 miles distant ; I rode,
the rest of the party going by bellam : the ground on both sides of the river
was very marshy, and the land route crossed the river at Khafajiyeh and kept
some mdes north of it, only touching it again opposite Bisaitin. Shaikh Salih
and Shaikh Aufi of the Bam Turuf rode with me, as well as Shaikh ’Asi.
Bisaitm is a long straggling settlement of Bani Turuf, covering three miles or so
along the southern bank of the Karkheh ; the huts are well built of reeds, and
are airy and roomy, whi st the marshes all round keep the temoerature down by
ay and nig t, even in the height of summer. Mosquitoes, strange to say, were
conspicuous by their absence, and the inhabitants, a fine healthy looking race,
“ ' If, 1 he y were . seldom troubled with fever. At this point the existence
multitude of h !Ln S if Sln ^ e St f e T P ract 'cally ends, and it divides up into a
multitude o small channels which serve to water the rice fields and finally
discharge their waters into the marshes, which are penetrated only by narrow
f~ rible reTdfi t0 n 3 ‘T® t0 P ass between the baaks of al ”° st
Thi Jh The n-ee fiTf Sen a rally f ° Ur fe6t ° f Water and ab ° ut nine
marsh?scoJm?nre tn fi ds t - end "T®! e ' ght miIes we3t of B^tin, and the
aboreffasrahf there U c ° ntl 1 ue “"hrotandy till the Shatt-al-Arab is reached
The Arabs nf n l„ T" throu g h the marsh north of Shwaiyib.
can in this wav reach • d u P on boats t0 m 0 ™ about the country, and
Sh, "thron-h y the mai Va,y L d l rect by a canal runai "g across country without
’Alf^rextX^b/ihtt"?' 7 -’ 3t Shaikh^AfilThe ChtTIhlikh