'Papers relating to transfer of Middle Eastern Affairs to the Colonial Office and creation of a new Department there, 1920-1921, with Cabinet notes of Milner, Montague, Churchill, self, and others' [‎12r] (23/136)

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tendency will be for elements of the nomadic and semi-nomadic population to settle
down and take to agricultural pursuits.
The Desert.
3. The desert is favourable for the operations of aircraft, and in most places
can be crossed by wheeled transport. The population is essentially Arab: nearlv
every man possesses arms. They have little in common with the Kurds, and are
unlikely to combine with them. The Arabs are the weightiest element in the
population of Mesopotamia. If they were united in pursuits, disposition, character,
religion and interests, they would constitute a very formidable body. The cleavage,
however, between Sunni and Shiah and between sedentary and nomad Arabs is very
marked. The Bedouin, or nomad Arab, is the most likely to give trouble; he is
used to a continual but fairly harmless warfare of raids, skirmishes and running
fights. In conflict with regular troops he confines himself in general to guerilla
methods; treacherous and unscrupulous, his attacks are seldom determined; he
possesses very little staying power, and his loyalty to any cause which he thinks is
lost soon wanes. The two principal Arab tribes are described below.
Bedouin 7 vibes .—The Anazeh, the largest group of Arab nomad tribes, occupies
the triangle of the Syrian desert, which has its base about 30° latitude and its apex
near Aleppo, about 36° latitude. On the east bank of the Euphrates the pasture
lands north of Deiz-ez-Zor and along the Khabur are also Anazeh country. The
Anazeh are not united under one head, but are divided into several large sections
which maintain towards one another an attitude generally friendly, though it does
not exclude marauding expeditions and private feuds among the smaller sheikhs
Their hereditary foes are the Shammer, and for the last 150 years the history of
nomad Arabs has been dominated by the rivalrv between these two groups. Their
geographical position gives the Anazeh command over some of the main
communications. Until 1911 the camel post from Damascus to Baghdad passed
through their area, and the trade in sheep and camels between Mesopotamia and
the west is dependent on their goodwill. The road down the Euphrates from Aleppo
to Baghdad is also largely at their mercy. The united Anazeh forces would number
about 9,000 men, if it were conceivable that they could ever be gathered together at
the same time—an exceedingly improbable contingency.
The Shammar .—Early in the 19th century the Anazeh forced the Shammar
northwards across the Euphrates and split the tribe into two parts, one part being
in Jezireh and the other in Jebel Shammar. The same sub-tribes are found in either
group, and though they do not ofler united resistance to their common enemy, the
Anazeh, they are always friendly with one another. Any small sheikh of the Jezireh
may bring down his flocks to Shammar if he wishes. The Shammar of the Jezireh
have been estimated at a maximum of 10,000 tents. They come down as far south
as Baghdad and extend to the west as far as Deir-ez-Zor. For many years they
paid no taxes, but in 1911 the Turks sent an expedition against theny and they
submitted without resistance.
The Mountain Country.
4. The mountain country to the north and east of Mesopotamia is one of the most
difficult in the world. The peaks rise to over 11,000 feet in jagged ridges, divided
by deep valleys covered with scrub oak. The country is most inaccessible for any
thing but aircraft, and offers little prospect of probable development. The population
is essentially Kurdish, of whom the nomad and semi-nomad sections give the most
trouble. With the Kurds, though they are all Sunnis, tribal cohesion and general
national feeling is even less marked than with the Arabs : blood feuds and inter
tribal enmities are strong obstacles to united action, and a general combination of
Kurds is extremely improbable, though individual sections or tribes may give trouble
Different groups of tribes differ widely in character, but they are normally superior
to the Arab in energy, enterprise and 'industry. They are better fighters than the
Arabs, but soon recognise the futility of opposing real force. The Kurd will
probably form the greatest element of unrest in Mesopotamia.
Population.
5. The following figures are merely a rough estimate of the population :—
Province of Mosul, 250,000.
Irak, 1,511,000.