Coll 17/4 'Iraq-Syria & Syria-Transjordan frontier: delimitation' [‎17v] (39/788)

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,, 4. Kant of the Tigris. All this region
T “•" ”47 i r . s ajt-Mrassaft sa
of the Qara Chok range as far as the Tigris. .. ,
^ 1 • ■ ; nftipr hand the soil becomes more and more arid and
To the south of this massif, on the ot , , Tigris and the military post of Demir
pasturages are used only by a few tribes
on their way back to the north after the ramy season.
The most important line of communication 'L th ® ^J^^sXbut harblra^ade
skirting the southern edge of this region. ' , . t jg between Iraq and Syria. Parallel
practicable for motor vehicles, and is frequently used ^ tr nftc bcuveen ir q y ^
wa saasa-. <« u...». n-
state.
A number of lateral tracks coming from the north of the Qara Ch ® k \^ hlch skirt
western and eastern ends, join this great artery running from Mosul to Nisibm and Aleppo Some
of these tracks such as that from Jeziret-ibn-OmartoHasseche, are practicable for cars and loirles.
As for the Tigris, it cannot be regarded as a means of communication m the sector with which we
are concerned. Although it carries a very considerable volume of water at all seasons, its shi tmg
channel makes it unnavigable for boats of deep draught. In its present state it can only be use y
rafts carrying materials. The track along the right bank also does not seem to be much frequented.
We may conclude that the traffic in this part of the Tigris valley is small.
The next sector consists of the wide plain that lies between the last hills of the mountainous
region to the north and the chain of the Jebel Sinjar and its continuations. This region is charac
terised by a very great number of hillocks scattered about irregularly and rising abruptly out of the
almost level plain to a height of twenty or thirty metres or even more. One is tempted at first sight
to regard these as faults due to volcanic action, but recent excavations have revealed, inside t ese
tells, traces of human occupation which suggest that these eminences, with their typical comca
shape, are nothing but superimposed remains of ancient dwellings.
This desert region is situated on both sides of the watershed between the Tigris and the Kabur
— which cannot be seen on the ground and is not marked on the map.
Two watercourses serve as collectors for the numerous drainage-lines which descend from the
hills in the north and from the Jebel Sinjar in the south; these are the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. el Murr, which flows
into the Tigris, and the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. er Radd, which flows into the Kabur. There is water in these wadis
only intermittently, however, because the annual rainfall here is already much smaller than in
the Qara Chok region, and is barely enough to provide a meagre pasturage on this plain in winter
and spring. Consequently, there are no dwellings; only a few nomad tribes and their flocks
and herds come there from the Sinjar in the spring. Lines of communication are almost totally
lacking. Apart from the motor-track from Demir Kapu to Hasseche, there are only a few caravan-
tracks crossing this deserted area. Except during the rainy season, however, this arid steppe can
easily be used for motor traffic, provided always that one knows the difficult passages.
The Jebel Sinjar, whose steep slopes rise up out of the middle of this plain, is undoubtedly
the most characteristic geographical feature of the whole frontier zone. It is probably a unique
phenomenon in the world for a mountain chain of this size to rise so abruptly to a height of over
1,000 metres out of a flat plain. It can easily be understood that scientific expeditions have for a
long time been attracted to this impressive mountain.
The Jebel Sinjar proper is about fifty kilometres long, and its greatest width is a little less
than twenty kilometres. It is continued westward by the Jebel Jeribe and the Jebel Chembe,
and eastward by the Jebel Gaulat. This chain, which, taken as a whole, runs almost exactly
east and west, extends approximately from the banks of the Kabur to those of the Tigris. It is
doubtless the result of the formation of an immense fold in the sedimentary strata of Upper
Mesopotamia. Parallel to its southern base runs a line of small hills, the remains of a small
secondary fold, which is divided into sections by a series of lateral clefts. These clefts drain the
waters of the longitudinal valleys lying between the main chain and the secondary fold. On the
northern slope, similar but much deeper depressions have been produced by erosion. It is
doubtless the numerous springs in the valleys on either side of the main chain that have attracted
men to this isolated range from the remotest times and caused them to settle there. Throughout
the year, they have enough water for their families, their flocks and herds, their mills, and the
irrigation of extensive lands which afford valuable resources.
This relative abundance of water, due to the fact that the rainfall is much greater in the
Sinjar than in the surrounding plain, extends its beneficent effects to some distance from the
mountains, so that grain can be cultivated. Beyond these agricultural regions begin the pasture-
lands, which gradually fade off into the desert. The villages are naturally close to the springs. Most
of them are therefore situated in the valleys described above, or at the mouths of these gorges.