Folding Map in Pocket
Lower Mesopotamia & Upper Gulf Area

For Official Use Only

FIELD NOTES

MESOPOTAMIA 1917

By:
 GENERAL STAFF, INDIA
 

CALCUTTA:     February  1917

Publisher/Year: CALCUTTA, Superintendent Government Printing, 1917. Binding: Original Cloth Hardcover, 18x13 cm. Pages: 326 Illustrations: Folding Map in Pocket. жжж    Please see book CONDITION at end    жжж

EXTREMELY SCARCE

MILITARY GUIDE BOOK

of  MESOPOTAMIA (IRAQ)

including
KUWAIT & ARABISTAN (PERSIA)

WITH
LARGE COLOUR MAP
from over 90 Years Ago

From Introduction ...  

THE political situation in Baghdad and Mesopotamia is intimately connected with that in the Persian Gulf. During the 19th century the British gradually built up for themselves a special position in the Persian Gulf and in Lower Mesopotamia. Great Britain undertook and maintained single-handed :-
1. The suppression of the slave-trade and piracy.
2. The preservation of peace and the development of trade in the Persian Gulf.
3. The opening up of the Tigris and Euphrates to navigation.
4. The survey of the coasts and rivers and the production of navigation charts, sailing directions, etc.
At the end of the 19th century the British occupied a paramount position at Baghdad and held practically a monopoly of the navigation of the Tigris. Almost the whole of the trade of these regions was in British hands. In 1910, 87 per cent. of the trade of the Persian Gulf was still British. Since the beginning of the 20th century, however, great changes have come about—changes so great that our position at Baghdad has been seriously challenged. The main factors which have produced these changes have been the building of the Baghdad Railway and the advent to power of the Young Turkish Party.
In 1908 the Young Turkish Party rose to power and embarked on a policy in the Baghdad region and in the Persian Gulf, which was most markedly aggressive and inimical to British, interests. Although in 1901 the Turkish Government had agreed to recognise the status quo in the Persian Gulf, it now proceeded to intrigue with the Shaikh of Kuwait, and tried by many offers to induce him to accept Turkish nationality. The Shaikh, however, stood loyally by his agreements o£. 1899 and 1907 with the British Government. Turkish intrigues against the Shaikh of Muhammareh, culminated in open use of force in April 1910, but this affair was tided over. Not content with this the Turks pursued an aggressive policy in the Qatar peninsula and the Trucial coast, occupied. the island of Zakhnuniyah, and even went so far as to put forward shadowy claims over the 'Oman peninsula, Masqat, and even Gwadar on the Baluchistan coast. These intrigues were coincident with the efforts of Germany-to strengthen her commercial position in the Persian Gulf. Nearer home the Turks seized every pretext to pick a quarrel with the British.
 

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Route No. 1 : from Kuwait to Basrah

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Contents ...

Chapter I
History

The Political Situation in Mesopotamia

Neighbouring Principalities

• Kuwait

• Al Hasa : Recent History and Present Politics

• Najd : Recent History and Present Politics

Outline of the Operations of British Forces up to May 10th, 1916

Chapter II
Geography

Boundaries

Geographical Features

The Shatt-al-Arab

Distances by River from Fao to Baghdad

Arabistan

Basrah and Vicinity

The Shaiba Bund

The Tigris Valley (from Baghdad to Basrah)

Towns on or near the Tigris

Towns on or near the Euphrates

Baghdad

North-western shores of Persian Gulf (Fao to Kuwait)

1. Approach to Umm Qasr

2. Kuwait Bay and Territoty:
   Sabiyah - Extent of Kuwait - Kuwait Harbour - Kuwait Town - Population - Resources - Administration - Currency - Water-supply - Climate - Trade - Jahrah

Climate : Rains - Winds - Health

The Physical and Climatic Difficulties of the Mesopotamian Theatre of War

Chapter III
Population

Inhabitants

The Arab Tribes of Mesopotamia

The Muhammadean Religion

Chapter IV
Resources

Water

Supplies

Transport

Trade

Chapter V
Notes on the Turkish Army

Introduction

War Organisation

Armament

Kuwait : Kuwait Forces

Arabistan

Chapter VI
Maritime

Turkish Naval Strength

Tigris Navigation

Euphrates Navigation

Navigation in Arabistan

Umm Qasr

Kuwait Bay

Chapter VII
Administration

General

Arabistan

Eastern Shores of the Gulf

Chapter VIII
Communications

Arabistan

Baghdad Railway

Routes in Mesopotamia

LIST OF ROUTES

1. Kuwait to Basrah

2. Umm Qasr to Zubair

3. Fao to Basrah

4. Basrah to Baghdad (river route)

5. Basrah to Qurnah (land route)

6. Qurnah to 'Amarah (land route)

7. 'Amarah to 'Ali Gharbi (land route)

8. Kut-al-Amarah to Baghdad (land route). (Notes on _above routes)

9. Basrah to 'Illah

10. Ahwaz to 'Amarah

11. 'Amarah to the Tib River (ruins of Kuwait)

12. 'Ali Gharbi to Baksai

13. Shaikh Sa'ad to Baksai

14. Baksai to Sayid Hasan

15. Ahwaz to Badrah

16. Basrah to Nasiriyah

17. Nasiriyah to Kut-al-Amarah

18. Najaf to Basrah

19. Najaf to Tawairij

20. Karbala to Najaf

21. Karbala to Hillah

22. Baghdad to Hillah

23. Baghdad to Karbala

24. Baghdad to Kabwaisah

25. Baghdad to Fallujah, routes from Baghdad to Armenian Syria

26. Notes on routes north, east and west of Baghdad

27. Routes between the Shatt-al-Hai and the Tigris

28. Routes between the Tigris and Pusht-i-Kuh

29. Routes in Pusht-i-Kuh

30. Route between Dizpul and 'Amarah

31. Summarised Reports on communications in country between the Baghdad-llamedan Road and the oil-fields

32. Water communications in marsh area of Tigris between Mudailil and Amarah

33. Report on the Butairah marsh area

34. Route Report from Muhammareh to Ahwaz (via' right bank of the Karun)

35. Route Report Basrah to Ahwaz by land route

36. Mâhidâsht to 'Ali-al-Gharbi

Appendix A : Important Personage

Appendix B : Table of Distance in Miles

Appendix C : Weights. Measures, Currency, Chronology

Appendix D : Some Notes for Officers Proceeding to Mesopotamia

Glossary of Terms

Index

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