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ROUTE , : SUQ ESH-SHUYUKH—HATL 87
ROUTE 7
SUQ ESH-SHUYUKH—LEESTAH—HA’IL
[uthoritiea : For the first part of the route, from Suq esh-Shuyukh to Bir Belegh-
blyah, Leachman, 1910, and native information. For authorities for the
section Bir Beleghblyah-Ha’il, see Route No. 3.
direction: SW.
yUtance : Crow-fly, 358 miles ; road, 391 miles.
Character and Supplies : see p. 29.
miles,
atal. stages.
StJQ ESH-SHTJYtTKH, important town of Turkish ‘Iraq,
on the Euphrates, the greater part lying on the
r. bank ; pop. about 12,000. The river is here
spanned by a bridge of 12 pontoons, increased
to 15 or 16 when the river rises. The town,
which is frequented by Bedouins for purposes
of trade, possesses a bazaar of about 200 shops.
There are numerous fruit gardens, and the date-
plantations extend up the 1. bank of the
Euphrates, meeting those of Nasirivah. The
neighbourhood is marshy and the climate un
healthy. Single telegraph lines to Nasiriyah above
and to the village of Hammar on the river below ;
post-office.
Dir. SSW. across gravelly undulating desert.
21 21 Qasr Bir Shaghrah, ruined fort overlooking water, which
lies in a hollow.
Dir. SW. across similar countrv. From here onwards
%/
the grazing is excellent and fuel abundant, but
there is no water until Bir Arkamiyah is reached.
Between the thirteenth and fortieth miles from
Qasr Bir Shaghrah, the isolated hill Jebel Haniyah
is seen on the E. of track.
101 80 Bir Arkamiyah, many wells in a wadi ; a well-known
camping ground for Bedouins in summer. Bir
Amghar, well with plentiful supply of water, lies
about 8 m. to the N.
Dir. SW. across a gently undulating plain of sandstone
or limestone, strewn with gravel; there are occa-