File 1356/1912 Pt 1 'Turco-Persian Frontier:- negotiations at Constantinople.' [‎407r] (823/885)

house and one of the caravanserais, and these were the
only bricks that were ever known in the place, reeds and
mud w ere the exclusive mat erials used in the other buildings.
The transit trade was no doubt flourishing at one time, but
a comparison, even in the proportion of their relative extent
between Mohammerah and our Indian capitals is preposterous
in the extreme. As for the lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of gold and silver money
n daily circulation, no one that 1 have ever conversed
with believe it possible that there could have been at any
one time a lakh One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. collected in Mohammerah. The
staples of export and import were respectively dates and
rice, and at all times three-fourths of the inhabitants were
Arabs.
Genaweh, Dilem, and Rishahan assembled at
Mohammerah and built bazaars, khans, caravan
serais, and coffee bouses. The place became so
flourishing that the rent of a single room in a
caravanserai A roadside inn providing accommodation for caravans (groups of travellers). amounted to 10 kurusb (ain) per
mensem, a sum equivalent to fifteen Shiraz rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. ,
and the merchants were only too glad to secure
accommodation at that exorbitant rate.
Wealthy and respectable merchants in fact have
certified that the condition of Mohammerah was at
one time so flourishing as to rival Calcutta and
Bombav, not considered in regard to its actual
extent, but as being more populous and celebrated
than either of the above-mentioned cities in refer
ence to the space which they relatively occupied.
Agha Abdul Mahommed, a merchant who visited
Mohammerah before the expedition of the Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. of
Bagdad on certain commercial affairs of his own,
has taken oath also that during his residence of
one month in the place lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of gold and silver
’his geographical description is quite unintelligible, the
d distance from the sea to Gtirdelams about 7o miles
vou ascend the river the isle of Abadan stretches for
,ut 50 miles on the right, and this is all Chaab territory,
, quite independent of Mohammerah ; then occurs the
uth of the Hafar Canal with about a mile of territory
the Shatt-el-Arab belonging tolfoh^nuerali Above you
re for two miles the date groves of Bujidee, e^tiv^ed by
, Chaab, but paiing revenue to the Bawee Arabs t h
ur for four nules the lands of lamur inhabited by the
aabies subject to Fellahiah, but paying revenue to
IS iband above that point the Muntifik and o her
rkish subjects possess the entire territory for 19 miles
o Bussorah.
The rivalry always subsisting between the two sub-
Sonrof the Chaab tribe, named Ed, is and Nasara
pears to have had but little effect on the condition ot
ohammerah. Hnjee Jaaber was ot neither one mbe nor
e other, and admitted few ot them ’ a8 *
rmed and supported his own garmon and as far a^l
a e been able to ascertain was well and faithful }
■ them.
his account of the capture of Mohammerah is strangely
erted. Treachery was never imputed to & ’
did Jaaber fly from his ownpeop.e but from the lu k
iery. helving in fact on support f; om Eeilahiah wl
withheld by Sheikh Thamir from jealousy of Lis rival
dkh Jaaber escaping m his boats by the ^ ^ere
>n the Turkish troops were occupied in plundering
olammerah ™ stormed on
troops were fairly in possession otthebreaclr^
ner. rnsi, ^town “d" -mtet of person!
southern wall ot the ,own ’ throwing themselves
were without the means ul L ( m of the
the canal were drowned - the on of
se when it was eaptured, 11 g always oceurs
ting m n may have been ^ogg^^Hfe^ was no
m a place is carried by ^ ab le, however, to
bt considerable. I have n point, nor can I
ect anv satisfactory mlormation on this p ^ of
tin an approximate estima 1 e ot the exte
plundered property.
money were in daily circulation.
On the eastern bank of the Shatt-el-Arab fiom
the head of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. as far as Girdelan,
opposite to Bussorah, the port of Mohammerah
occupies to the south a space of 4 farsangs. ^ The
whole of this tract produces dates and other limits,
and it also contains within its limits fourty-four
forts belonging to the Keab Arabs.
Amongst the Arabs of those parts there are two
particular tribes, named respectively Derissis and
Ansar, who have risen into great power, and to
whom is owing the ruin of Mohammerah, Jaaber
having been deputed by Sheikh Thamir Khan to
govern Mohammerah, appropriated to himself the
entire revenues which arose from the gardens
without admitting the Keab Arabs to any partici
pation. On the arrival accordingly of the Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
of Bagdad, and enmity having at the same time
broken out between the two tribes, a project was
formed for the assassination of Jaaber, who, how -
ever, obtaining information of the plot three days
after the Pasha’s arrival and before any slaughter
had commenced, fled away in a boat with his-
family and servants. On this intelligence getting
abroad, the whole population was seized with a
sort of panic and cast themselves mto the waters
of Shatt; women and children unable to swim
perished in the waves, about 4,000 s mis were
carried into slavery by the Arnaouts and Turkish
soldiers, others saved themselves by flight. The
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