THE SEARCH FOR OIL — LEES 243 



Two deep wells are at present being drilled in Syria, one at Derro, 

 close to Deir ez Zor, and one at Dubeyat, east of Palmyra. As yet 

 no success has been recorded, but the work is continuing. Other 

 exploration wells are also contemplated as the result of extensive 

 geologic investigations. 



IRAQ 



The construction of the pipe-line system from Iraq to the Mediter- 

 ranean has been one of the most spectacular engineering achievements 

 of recent years. It connects the Kirkuk oil field, discovered and de- 

 veloped by the Iraq Petroleum Co.,^ with the Mediterranean terminals 

 at Haifa and Tripoli. The current rate of production is approxi- 

 mately 4 million tons per year, and the proved reserves of the field 

 were sufficient to justify the enormous outlay required for the pipe- 

 line construction. Against this successful result may be put the 

 fate of the adjacent concession of the British Oil Development Co. 

 in the Mosul area. This company drilled many wells in the exten- 

 sive area south and north of Mosul, and, although large amounts 

 of oil have been encountered, its quality, owing to high specific grav- 

 ity, viscosity, and sulfur content, proved such that its export is not 

 an economic possibility. In the early stages much of the finance and 

 material for this work was provided by Italian and German sources, 

 but after many years of discouragement these countries withdrew 

 their support and the further exploration is now being financed by 

 the Iraq Petroleum Co. The total expenditure to date, and so far 

 without economic return, amounts to several million pounds. 



During the past year a further concession has been granted by the 

 Iraq Government in the southern part of the country, but as yet its 

 investigation has been confined to the initial geologic and geophysi- 

 cal surveys. 



IRAN 



Iran ranks fourth among oil-production countries of the world, 

 and its current output is slightly over 10 million tons per annum. 

 The original concession was granted in 1901, but many drilling fail- 

 ures preceded the first success at Masjid-i-Sulaiman in 1908.* The 

 pipe line from this field is 120 miles in length and serves a refinery 

 and port at Abadan on the Shatt al Arab. In the northwest, a pipe 

 line connects the fields of Naft-i-Shah to a refinery at Kermanshah 

 which supplies local market requirements. The Haft Kel field was 



■The control of the Iraq Petroleum Co. Is shared between the Anglo-Iranian Oil Co., 

 the Royal Dutch-Shell, American, and French interests. 



* The history of the development of this concession has already been described to this 

 Society by Sir John (now Lord) Cadman under the title of "Middle East geography In 

 relation to petroleum," Geogr. Journ., vol. 84, pp. 201-214, 1934. 



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