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MESOPOTAMIA. 



MESOPOTAMIA. 



7M 



d«diTitiM of the bitU luiTe been tnnafotmed into torraoes, which are 

 pUntad with fruit-tree* and irrigated. 



The Plain of Diarbekr iUalf it arid, much leu fertUe, and not culti- 

 vatad with auch car* aa thate ralleya. Ita turface may at the lower part 

 be about 1700 to 1800 feet aboTo the tea-lorel. There are many tracts 

 which arc quite level, and other* hare an undulating surfaee ; a few 

 are hilly. The riTen, capedally the Tigri*, rtm in bed* deeply 

 depreaaed below the general leTel of the country, which render* it 

 difficult and cxpcnuTe to uae the water* for irrigntiou ; nud as the 

 Bonunen are hot and dry, only thoae traota can be cultivated which 

 haTa a batter aoil. The othan are only uaad a* paatura-ground during 

 the wet aaaaon, and until the graat i* dried up by the heat. In some 

 part* the surfioe i* bare of mould, and conaiata of naked rocks. There 

 are no treea on this plain except mulberries and poplata, which are 

 planted in soma placea. Ck>m and barley are grown, and some cotton, 

 and also maiae. In the vicinity of the town of Diarbekr cultivation 

 is eaniad on with more vigour : flax is also grown. 



A few miles firom the ri^ht bank of the Tigris, where the river 

 runs from west to east, the plain is bordered by rocky masses, which 

 rise with rather a steep ascent to 2000 feet above the general level of 

 the plain. Though they appear to form a range, these masses oon- 

 ttituta only the outer border of a table-land which occupies the 

 whole country between the Euphrates and Tigris, north of 37° N. lat, 

 and oompels the Tigris to ran eastward and the Euphrates west, near 

 88* V. lat Tlieae two riven are hardly 80 miles apart ; but 60 miles 

 Cuther south, between Rumkalah on the Gupbrates and Jezirah Ibn 

 Omar on the Tigris, they are more than 220 miles from each other. 

 The highest part of this table-land runs from north-west to south- 

 east, forming the Karajsh-Dagh, which with its continuation the 

 Jebel Mardin, is described in the article Armenia, voL i., coL 516. 



Kear the banks of the Euphrates where the mouutaiu masses have 

 sunk down to 120O or even 800 feet above the level of tho river, the 

 edge of the masses is split and indented, and numerous small valleys 

 •re found between the high ridges. In tbeae valleys some com is 

 cultivated, but the largest part of them is, covered with orchards, con- 

 sisting of olivea, pomegranates, mulberries, pears, peaches, and quinces; 

 aU <« them have also excellent vine plantations. In some parts 

 cotton is enltivated. 



The country through which the caravan road between Bir-eh-jik 

 and Mosul runs, has great variety of surface and soil. Between Bir^ 

 ah-jik and Ur&h it is hilly, and contains many cultivated tracts. 

 Fattiiar east, at far as Mardin, cultivated and wooded tracts, mostly 

 •itaated in depressions, or valleys alternate with plains, which in 

 •OHM eaaea afford pasture, and in others are quite sterile. This tract 

 ia Ttry uneven, and the ridgea running south and north rise to high 

 una, ganerally of a oonical ahape. These ridges continue to Nisibin, 

 but are let* ffeqnent. Between them run some watercourse*, which 

 •IB ntad for irrigation, and soon lust in the desert country that lies 

 frrtber sonth. East of Niaibin cultivation ceases ; but as in this part 

 Umn are numeroiu vratercourset, the adjacent country has pasture 

 •van during the summer months. 



The climate of this region is much colder than that of Europe in 

 the same parallel. In January and February a great quantity of snow 

 falls. The spring hardly exceeds six weeks, and in May the dry season 

 hagin*, in which hardly any rain falls to the end of October or the 

 commencement of November. The thermometer rises to 00°, and all 

 grass and minor vegetation dries up. Psstura is then oUy found in 

 the vicinity of the pools and ciatams, which are common in many 

 parts of the table-land. Nature becomes reanimated in the month 

 of November, when vety heavy rain* fall Among the products of 

 this ragion are wheat, beam, barley, rice, lentilei, durrha ; cucumbers, 

 malona^ pumpkina; mulberriaa, pomegranates, walnuts, figs, cherries, 

 pliaia, applet, pean, quinces, almonds, chestnuts, Blberts, £c ; tobacco, 

 ■laamiiin, castor-oil ; hemp, flax, safflower, cotton ; capers, mustard, 

 liqoorioe, and asparagus. The four last grow wild. 



Sbecp, cattle, and goats, constitute the wealth of tho nomadic tribes. 

 Thar* are two kinds of sheep, the Tartarian, with the fat tail, which 

 cAan weight 15 lbs., and the Arabian, whoie tail is not much thicker 

 tlian that of our sheep. Horses are numerous ; assea are also kept in 

 great nnmbara. Camels are used on the caravan road. 



Tb* matt common wild animals are wild boars, deer of two or three 

 di&rtot kinds, wolves, foxaa, hycnaa. Jackals, besira, polecats, martens, 

 Mniots, hamsters (CVtestM vaf^urw), squirrels, poroupines, and harea. 

 J^*» •'• several kinds of Tolturat, falcons, and owls; ravens, crows, 

 jMiidawt, thrasbst, beooaOoot, and other amaller birds. Fish abound 

 ia both riven, the Eupkratea and the Tigris, and in tereral of their 

 eooaneata. Than an also aevatal kinds of tortltt, laakei, and 

 lixardsL ^^ 



The miy region of MeeopotauU constitutes the pashalik of Diai^ 

 bakr; bat tb* mort south-eartem distrieU of it are sometime* pUced 

 oadar tb* paaha of Moral The most remarkable phuies are situatwl 

 aitUr in tba plain of Diarbekr or along the caravan road between 

 Bir«b-jik and Moral In the plain of Diarbekr are— 



Diarhdcr. [Durbkkk.] North of Diarbekr, on the southern 

 declivity of [the KharraoTagh, are rich copper mine* of Arghana 

 Maaden. [Aaji«xia.J Tho towns of //.jVA and A'Aini are noticed 

 under Abhkjiu. 



Along the caravan road ara the towns of XJrt&t, or Orfih, Mardin, 



and mslbio. Urfih (Orfa, the ancient Edttwt), the most we*t< rn, ia 

 at the bate of a hill, and it a well-built large place, which ia frequently 

 compared with Damascus. It is surrounded by high and strong walls 

 7 miles in circuit, and haa between 40,000 and 50,000 inhabitants. 

 The most remarkable of its numerous mosquea is the grand mosque, 

 which in its exterior and interior exhibits a considerable degree of 

 magnificence. With this building are imited several medresses, where 

 young men are instructed in the Koran, divinity, and the law. Edessa 

 was the chief town of Osroene. It was also called Antiochia and 

 Callirrhoe (Plin., v. 21), and is snpposed to be the Ereoh of the Old 

 Testament. (Qen., x. 10.) Edetsa suffered greatly by an earthquake 

 in the time of Justinian, who rebuilt a considerable part of the town, 

 and gave it the name of Justinopolis. Orfa was plundered by the army 

 of Timur in 1393, but it soon recovered its former importance. South 

 of Orfa was the ancient town of Charra, the Haran of the Scriptures, 

 where Abraham's family dwelt after they had left Ur of the Choldees. 

 In the time of Hezekiah, Haran had been conquered by the Assyrians. 

 It is mentioned by Kzekiel as a place of commercial importance. 

 Oharrai is memorable in Roman history for the defeat of Crassos, 

 (Dion. CasaiuB, il. 25 ; Pliny, v. 21). 

 Mardin is noticed in a separate article. [Maboih.] 

 Nuibin (the ancient NitibU), farther east, had sunk down to the 

 condition of a miserable village, but in modern times the Turks have 

 partially rebuilt it. Nisibis, the chief town of Mygdonia, also called 

 Antiochia Mygdonica, was situated on the river Mygdonius, in the 

 midst of a fertile plain at the foot of Mount Masius. It was surrounded 

 by three brick walls, and was very strongly fortified. Sapor was 

 repulsed in three separate attacks upon the town, but it was ceded to 

 him by treaty in A.D. 363. The Zoba of the OU Testament (1 Sam., xiv. 

 47 ; 2 Sam., viil 3) is supposed to be the same town as Nisibis, since 

 the Syriac writers frequently mention Nisibis under the former name. 

 To the north of Nisibis was Daras {Dara), which was fortified by 

 Anastasius I. (a.d. 506), who gave to it the name of Anastasiopolia. 

 (Procop., ' Pers.,' i 10). There are considerable ruins both of Niaibii 

 and Daras. 



The town of Suverek, or Severek, lies on the direct road between 

 Urfah and Diarbekr, in a depression in the midst of the table-land. 

 In the surrounding country wheat is raised to a considerable extent, 

 and orchards are numerous. The place contains 2000 famiUen 



The only place, except Diarbekr, built on the banks of the Tigris 

 which requires notice is Jezirah-Ibn-Omar (the Island of the son of 

 Omar), which was built on an island in the river. It was long the 

 seat of a rebellious chief of the Kurds, and contains a population of 

 about 1000. 



Tho Great Southern Plain, sometimes called the Desert of 

 Mesopotamia, extends fron^ the great caravan-road leading from 

 Bir-eh-jik to Mosul to the Median Wall, or from 87° N. lat to 83° 80' 

 N. lat., and between 88° and 44° E. long. At its northern extremity 

 it is nearly 800 miles wide ; but as the Euphrates and Tigris approach 

 nearer to one another in their course to the south, the country grows 

 narrower, and at its southern extremity it is hardly 50 miles wide. 

 The length from north-west to south-east may be about 250 miles, and 

 the avemga width about 150 miles. This gives an area of 37,500 

 square miles. 



The level of this region at its northern extremity and in the vicinity 

 of Mardin, is between 1300 and 1400 feet above the sea, but it decreases 

 as it approaches the rivera ; Mosul on the Tigris is only about 400 feet, 

 and Bir-eh-jik on the Euphrates 650 feet above the sea-level The 

 course of the riven and streams shovrs that it descends towards the 

 south. At its southern extremity near the Median Wall it probably 

 does not exceed 200 feet above the sea. 



The country is a plain, but there ara a few isolated ridges of high 

 hills, which however do not cover a great extent of country. The beet 

 known of these ridges are Uie Jebel-Makhul on the banks of the Tigris, 

 between 85* 30' and 35° N. lat. ; the Sinjar Hills, south of Nisibin, 

 north of 36° N. lat., and between 41* and 42° E. long. ; and the Abd-al- 

 oziz Hills, near 36° 30' N. lat, ond between 39° and 40° E. long. 



The most fertile portion of this region is in the north-western 

 comer, between the Abd-al-azis Hills and the Euphrates ; it is drained 

 by the river Belik, which runs about a hundred miles, and falls into the 

 Euphrates at Kacca. This region comprehends the districts which 

 are known by the names of Saruj and Harran. In Saruj alone it is 

 stated that there are more than forty large villages, inhabited by agri- 

 culturists, and that twenty of them cultivated rice. The country is 

 considered as the granary of Syria, and no part of the last-mentioned 

 province can vie with it in fertility and agricultural productions. 

 Harran, which lies to the east of Somj, is stated to contain a large 

 portion of alluvial land, and to be equally fertile. 



The country between the caravan-road and the Sinjar Hills is nearly 

 a level plain, which even at the end of the dry season is mostly 

 covered with coarse git** and prickly pUnts. In some placea there 

 ara tractt of manhy g^nnd, with long recda, and interspersed with 

 many large pooU of sweet water ; at a few jilaces the soft aoil is im- 

 pregnated with salt. There are in this part many Tells or mounds of 

 conical shape from 80 to 150 feet in height; they appear to be artificial, 

 and some of them mark the sites of ancient towns. The portion of 

 this tract which is under cultivation is small. 



The Sinjar JlilU mn east and west with a slight inclination to the 



