'Military Report on Iraq (Area 6 Lower Euphrates)' [‎22v] (49/452)

30
The above nre sv.rphu to local requirement* and are brought into
■ySsiriyab by tribal people.
The undermentioned transport is available :—
Camels • • • •
. Ml.
but 1,500 could be obtained locally from
tribes if they were in the district.
Mules . • • •
. eoh
Donkeys . • • •
. 100 [
These figures could be increased if
1
demands were sent to surrounding
Bellums , • • •
100 J
tribal shaikhs.
The town is connected by meh'e gauge railway with Baghdad and
Basrah ria Ur junction.
Land Communications—To Ur, Basrah, Darraji and Khamislyah
by Ford Car except during or after heavy rain. In all cases, except
to Ur and Khamisiyah, the going is difficult. There is no road to
Basrah, the best alignment is vid Khamislyah and thence close to the
railway line.
Water Communication. —All sea'ons with Darraji, Suq and Basrah
by the Euphrates vid the Hammar Lake.
Aerodrome. —There is a good aerodrome for all types of machines.
Surface rather soft but very level. Xo vegetation on aerodrome. It
is situated one mile south of town on right bank Euphrates. Size GDC
yards by 5G0 yards.
Tele graph and Telephone. —There is one telegraph line vid
Shatrah and QaFnt Sikar to Kut, one line to Suq ash Shuyukh and
the main lines to Baghdad and Basrah (see Chapter VII'). There is
telephone communication to Sbatrah and Suq ash Shuyukh (speaking
over the telegraph wire). There is telephone communication also with
Ur Junction and Nasiriyah city and camp (the latter being on the
rght bank of the Euphrates).
There are no outstanding industries in the town. The Arabs make
bricks and hubs, and weave abas. The fish industry is large and
flourishing. The water supply of the town is from the river and
drawn by hand. The maximum breadth of the Euphrates at
Nnsirlyah is 250 yards. It is crossed by means of a bridge of boats,
24 in number ; the bridge is 13 feet wide, 080 feet long and capable of
carrying motor lorries.
QaVat SHear. —Is situated on the left bank of the Gharraf midway
between Hai town and Shatrah. It consists of 500 houses of which
100 are of mud, the majority being brick built. There is a bazaar of
200 shops. The town has two large brick gates and is surrounded by a
mud wall with two fortified posts. The population is two-thirds Arabs
and one-third Kurds; the latter are actually Lurs, from Pusht-i-Kuh.
Fruit and vegetable gardens flourish for 600 yards downstream of the
town. Up to about 1860, according to local information, the land all
round the Gharraf was the haunt of the lion and the wild pig. The
few inhubi
on the pre
woman wl
Muntafiq
was eventv
H e was a
many Kui
flooded ar
of the Tui
routes am
therefore 1
Aerodr
1921) but
in this dis
approxim*
ground is
river.
Qurnah
of its jum
of which 1
bazaar wh
Qurnah w
20,000 gr
Tigris or 1
10-15 fe
tide, can
actually s«
facilities f
seasons an
upstream
is sufficien
generally
Owing to
Railway 1
led and a
or 45 men
tes. Thei
Aerodr
south of
is approx ii
Shatrai
the Shatt
Bad’ah Ct
populatior