THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



67 



asked him whether the mines had closed 

 because the mineral was worked out. 

 'Whew,' he replied, with an expressive 

 gesture, 'the mountains are full of it.' 

 He did not speak with scientific informa- 

 tion, but he had had the experience of a 

 practical miner." 



These are a few of the statements 

 made by trained Americans who have 

 spent their lives in the regions of which 

 they write. And all that they tell and 

 more is abundantly substantiated by the 

 reports of the German engineers who 

 have been making extensive surveys for 

 their government. 



The question arises, How has it been 

 possible for these riches to have remained 

 undeveloped at the very door of Europe? 

 It does seem impossible, but the true 

 answer is given in this sentence from one 

 of the missionary reports : "There are 

 hopeful indications of various other min- 

 erals at other places also ; but the Turks 

 have always discouraged attempts at de- 

 velopments." 



PETROLEUM DEPOSITS 



It is well known that the extensive pe- 

 troleum deposits along the Persian fron- 

 tier were a principal cause of England's 

 desire to participate in Persian politics 

 not many years ago, and the possession 

 of these oil fields has been one of the 

 chief objects of military contention be- 

 tween the Turkish and British in their 

 Mesopotamian campaigns. 



There are other rich prospects for oil 

 in widely separated parts of the Empire. 

 After careful examination one expert 

 reports : "German engineers have made 

 very thorough surface examinations of 

 this district and had great anticipation 

 for developing large oil fields throughout 

 Mesopotamia. There have been found 

 favorable indications for the develop- 

 ment of petroleum areas in several parts 

 of Asia Minor, especially in Syria and 

 Mesopotamia. The indications in Syria 

 are perhaps as promising of rich oil de- 

 posits as any in the world." 



But here again one comes against that 

 stone wall that has blocked all progress 

 of development, for the report quoted 

 above concludes : "The complete determi- 

 nation of the petroleum supply of Asia 

 Minor must await the return of a stable 



government, upon whose permanency and 

 good faith capital can rely and which will 

 be capable of establishing law and order 

 throughout the territory in question." 



WATER POWER 



The Abana, one of the rivers of Da- 

 mascus, in beautiful cascades, falls from 

 the Anti-Lebanon Mountains to the plain 

 below. A few years ago these waters 

 were gathered into conduits up among 

 the highlands and passed over water- 

 wheels. Now they are not only irrigat- 

 ing the groves of apricots which surround 

 the city, but, doing double duty, are also 

 lighting the great mosque and the city 

 streets and moving electric cars through 

 the oldest city in the world. 



What has been done with this moun- 

 tain stream can be repeated over and 

 over again throughout the land. Turkey 

 possesses an unmeasured power that 

 could be developed from the rivers that 

 rush from the highlands to the sea. 

 Often these streams are great rivers — the 

 Tigris, Euphrates, or Kizl Irmak — flow- 

 ing through narrow gorges, surging along 

 with mighty force, fed by the eternal 

 snows of Ararat, Taurus, or Lebanon. 



Turkey has never been a manufactur- 

 ing country, but has shipped abroad her 

 raw materials — silk and wool and hides — 

 and has received them back in cloth and 

 shoes. With this water-power harnessed 

 in its mountain valleys the future gener- 

 ation might see their land not only a 

 source of agricultural and mineral prod- 

 ucts, but also a transformer of these into 

 forms all ready for the markets of the 

 world. 



COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES 



But perhaps the greatest resource, after 

 all, of this country arises from its geo- 

 graphic position. Three arms stretch out 

 in three directions — one to "the continent 

 of the past," one to "the continent of the 

 present," and a third to "the continent of 

 the future." 



Can there be found anywhere else in 

 the world a position so naturally suited 

 for commanding the world's trade ? And 

 in the development of the people who 

 have been nurtured in this land this char- 

 acteristic of trading ability has been bred. 



The Phoenicians sailed to the farthest 



