FINAL SUMMARY: BUILDING STONE, ETC. 77 



jus, an inferior plaster for their houses, and as an ornamental 

 building-stone. The only place during my tour, in which I have 

 seen it used extensively for the latter purpose, is Mosul. I wonder 

 it is not more employed in this way by villagers. It is better 

 than mud, even as a flooring — for which it is somewhat soft — and 

 would be much cleaner. It makes serviceable and not unattract- 

 ive window-plinths. It is easily quarried and dressed, though 

 of small permanence and therefore unsuitable for buildings of any 

 importance and size. 



Gypsum is, of course, the source of Plaster of Paris, for which 

 unfortunately there is a very limited market. No other extensive 

 use for it has been found, so far as I know. Sulphuric acid can be 

 manufactured from it by the simple application of heat, but the 

 temperature requisite is comparatively high. This method of .sul- 

 phuric acid manufacture was, I believe, actually tried on a com- 

 mercial scale in Germany, but was apparently unable to compete 

 with supplies derived from iron pyrites. "Whether the association 

 of unlimited gypsum with large quantities of liquid fuel, aided by 

 the high cost of transport of imported sulphuric acid would enable 

 the Gypsum-process to compete more successfully — locally at any 

 rate — with the Sulphide-method, is a matter perhaps worth the 

 attention of industrial firms. Personally, I think there is more 

 chance of success in utilising the sulphuretted hydrogen emanations 

 for this purpose ; other things being equal it has at least the 

 advantage over the pyrites method in that no roasting is required 

 to obtain the sulphur dioxide. 



Building-Stone . 



The sandstones of the Kurd series are, with rare exceptions 

 too soft and incoherent for building purposes. The exceptions 

 are occasional thin bands, not more than 1 or 1£ feet thick, of 

 a fairly tough well-bedded iron-stained mudstone or fine sandstone 

 sometimes seen in the lowest zone. The cellular Fars limestones 

 are not very desirable material, but the more solid limestones, 

 especially the " Pelecypod bed," would do sufficiently well for 

 building. The latter is not very thick — a foot or two at the 

 most — but its upper and lower boundaries are parallel plane 

 surfaces, which would simplify quarrying ard dressing. 



