418 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Drawn by James M. Darley 



A MAP OF PKRSIA 



Consisting in the main of an arid plateau seamed with snow-capped mountains, Persia is 

 almost as large as France, Italy, Germany, and the British Isles combined. 



morrow — for God 

 "Allahu Akbar!" 



is 



indeed Great, 



THE GATEWAY TO KURDISTAN 



Leaving Bagdad by the little railroad 

 which ran almost to the Persian border, 

 by the second day we arrived at Khani- 

 kin. There is only one passable route 

 from Mesopotamia through Kurdistan 

 into central or northern Persia ; hence the 

 importance of the towns on the road used 

 by thousands of caravans and pilgrims. 



Let me present a brief sketch of the 

 setting as we were waiting to cross the 

 frontier : 



Tents pure white against the autumn- 

 toned uplands ; for, although it was May, 

 the coarse grass, thistles, and wild flowers 

 that carpet these desert hills in the spring 

 had already been scorched by the sun. 

 Behind, the dark purple ranges that bor- 

 der the Persian plateau were still spotted 

 with silver streaks of snow. 



Black lines were slowly moving — sup- 



