Notes of an Excursion to Kal'ah Sherkat, the U'r of the Persians, and to

Notes of an Excursion to Ḳal'ah Sherḳát, the U'r of the Persians, and to the Ruins of Al
Ḥaḍhr, the Hutra of the Chaldees, and Hatra of the Romans
Author(s): William Ainsworth
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Vol. 11 (1841), pp. 1-20
Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of
British Geographers)
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1797631 .
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PAPERS READ
BEFORE THE
ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.
I.-Notes of an Excursion to Kczl'ah Sherkat, t;he U'r of the
Persians, and to the Ruins of Al HadAr, the Hutra of the
Chaldees, and Hata a of the Romans. By WILLIAM AINS-
WORTII, Esq.
Tz1X: Royal Geographical Society has already published in its
Journal an excellent account of the ruined cities which forin the
subject of the present memoir. But so many are the questions of
site, structure, and historical revolution connected with those
ruins, that descriptions given of them by a traveller beset with
such (lifficulties as Mr. Ross (the author of the account alluded
to) had to encounter from the hostility or mistrust of the Arahs,
cannot be expected to satisfy curiosity, however fitted they may
be to awaken it in the first instance.
The accidental arrival of two English travellers, Messrs.
Mitford and Layard, at M(Ssul, enabled us to make up a strong
party to visit the sites in question; and the results thus obtained
by a more prolongell and careful examination, added to certain
inquilies into the comparative geography of these sites, will, it is
hoped, prove interesting to the Society.
The party consisted of the above-mentioned gentlemen, Mr.
Rassam and myself; and we were accompanied by an Arab of
Tunis, of whose courage we had had proof in crossing Northern
Mesopotamia, when he was in the service of Mohammed 'Ali;
but being worsted in an engagement between the ShammAr
Arabs (the men "without bon(lage") and the 'Anaidi, or irregular
trootxs of Ibrahim Pasha, uthich had recently taken place
near Ras al 'Ain, he had abandoned his horse to save his life,
and sought refuge at Mosul. We had also with us a khavass from
Mohammed Pasha of Mosul.
We started on Satur(lay, April 1 8th, travelling at first across the
cu]tivate(l alluw-ial plain S. of Mosul, named the KarAkojah. At this
season of the year barley was in ear, and beans in flower; fig,
almond, and mulberry trees were in full bloom, but the pis-
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2 Mr. AINSWORTH'S Excursion from Mosul * to Al HadAr. . .
tachio as yet only budding. On the sandy deposits of the river
the water-melon had put forth its cotyledons. Doves and quails
had returned a few days before from their migrations. As the
river was high we nere obliged to turn up the rocky uplands W.
Of the ruinous buil(lint designated as E1 Kasr in Lieutenant
Lynch's map, lout better known at Mosul as E1 Seramum, an
old country residence of its Pashas. The cliis which advance
at this point over the Tigris, form the south-eastern termination
of a low range of hills which stretch to the N.W., an(l are
known as the Jul)ailah, or " hilly range." They are composed of
g-psum and lacustrine and marine limestones, and are from 6 to
9 miles in width. On the banks of the Tigris there is a deposit
of sulphur in the gypsum of this range.
The rocky acclivities and stony valleys of the Jubailah were
now clad with a beautiful vegetation. Grass was abundant, and
the green sward was chequered with red ranunculuses and com-
posite plants of a golden-yellow hue, which enliven at this season
of the year by their contrast the banks of the Tigris and the
Euphrates, wherever they are stony. Crossing the Jubailah, and
leaving the village of Abu Jawari, " the father of female slaves"
(the E1 Bujiyari of Lynch's map), to our left, we descended upon
another al]uvial plain, such as, on the Tigris and Euphrates,
whether cultivated or covered with jungle, is equally desiCnated
Hawi. The present one was cultivated, and containe(l the villages
of 'Oreij (diminutive of A'raj, lame) and Kabru-l 'Abid, "the
slave's tomb." They are both inhabited br Arabs, now pastur-
ing their flocks on the Jubailah hills.
At the end of this plain the ground rises, and at this point are
the baths and village of Hammam 'A]i, the latter inhabited by a
few Chaldees, settled here by the Pasha of Mostll to cultivate the
land. The thermal spring is covered by a building, only com-
motlious for a half savage people, yet the place is much fre-
quented by persons of the better classes, both from Baghdad and
Mosul. The spring appears to have changed its place of exit,
as a ruinous building, beneath which once issued the spring,
is now 150 yards distant from it. The waters are abun(lant,
evolving hydro-sulphurous acid, and giving of much bitumen.
Their taste was vapid. The thermometer indicated a temperature
of 84 6 Fahr. The spring issues from a coarse granular gypsum.
Near Hammam 'A1; is a mound about 60 feet high, calle(l
Tellu-l Sabik, or " the mound of the victor," from a tradition of
an engagement having taken place in this neighbourhood. From
this Tell a range of low mounds extends about 300 yards to the
S.W., where it joins another line, consisting of two rows of low
moun(ls with an intervening fosse, and which extends in a N.W.
direction as far as to the Hawi. It would appear that these lines of

Hammam * 'Alz' Safatus-Wadi-l Kasab. * ?
circumvallation encompasse(l a vil]age or site of more importance
than the presentassemblage of poorhuts.* From Tellu-l SAbik
the high menarah of Mosul (A1 Tewltlah) I)(re N. 23 W.; Seramum,
N. 31 W.; monastery of Deir Sheikh Matt4, on the Jebel
Maklub, N. 32 ED.; Pyramid of Nimrud, S. 34 E.; Keshaf,
beyond the Great Zab, S. 17 E.
Sunday, April ]9tAl.- Leaving T-Tammam'Ali, we crossed an
extensive Hawl, near the centre of shich is the village of Safatus,
inhabited by the Arab tribe of Juhaish, or "of the ass's colt,'?
whence its name, Jeyush in Lynch's map. XVe then turned off
to the right to the ruined village of Jeheinah or Jehennem, " Hell
or the Lower Regions," which name excited our expectations,
but we only founel some old houses of a better class situate upon
the side of the hills which flank the Hawi to the W. Tellu-l
Sabik bore N. 10 E. 2 miles. Our road continued for 3 hours
over verdant prairies, on an upland of gypsum, with some tracts
of sandstone, when we arrived at Wadi-l Kasab, or Reed-
Valley, the banks of a sluggish stream beinX covered with that
plant. We roused an old sow from this cover, and captured a
young pig which it was obliged to leave behin(l. As the animal
went grunting clown the valley it stirred up several others with
their young ones, which we hunted down, catching two more, one
of which we liberate(l, as two were quite enough tor our wants.
Leaving WA(li-l Kasab, we approached the Tigris, a few miles
below tlle tomb of Sultan 'Ab(lullah, which was the extreme
point reached ljy the Euphrates steamer in 1839, and passing an
abllndant rivulet of waters which filled the air with the otlour of
hy(lro-sulphurous aci(l, we came to a level, nake(l spot, inclose(l by
rocks of gypsuIll, on the floor of which were innumerable springs
of asphalt or bitumen oozing out of the soil in little circular
fountains, from 6 to 9 inches in diameter, but often lluried beneath
or surrounded by a deep crust of in(lurated bitumen. These
fountains cover a space of land nearly 100 yards in width, and
500 long. To the W. are some low hills, named A1 Kayyarah,
or the Pitch-place (whence bitumen is derived), the Tel Ghaw-ara
of Lynch's map. These heights are continue(l inland in a northwesterly
(lirection, separating Wa(li-l Kasab from the plains to
the S., and rising to a height of about 500 or 60() feet, to form a
cliS bounded by two cones, and called Tell al Nujm, or Star-
Mound. A little beyond these pits we found other springs,
giving of an equal quantity of bitumen. These are the only cases
T know of springs of pure asphalt in Western Asia. The celebratetl
springs at Hit, and those of Dalaki in Persia, gis7e off
* This place may possibly coirtcide with the Tisalphata of Ammianus, which name
may be some corruption for a place of asphalt, just as Hit has been calle(l Is, Izzanopolis
and F,iopolis.
B 2

4 l\{r. AINSWORTHIS Excursionfionz Mosul ta Al .HadAr.
bitumen as a swimmint, product as at Hammam 'Ali. 'rhe
fountains of aslhalt on the Tigris are situate rsear the southern
extreme of the gyr)sum formation, where it is succee(ied by red
sanelstones; an(l their geolo,:,ical relations, notwithstanding the
upraising of the Hamrln tlpon a similar axis to the S.. are the
same as those of the fountains on the Euphrates and in Persia, or
nearly at the limits of a series of rock-formations, which become
more and more mo(lern from the Taurus to the alluvial plains,
which latter extend farther to the N. up the valley of the
Tigris, than up that of the ICuphrates; whence the (liagonal
position of the Median orall xrhich bountls the two forinations.
Evening ^Tas coming on apace. lAerds of wild boars were
feeding on the Flaw-i, and an occasional wo]f stole along the hillside,
as we approached a thick jungle with the view to encamp
there; lJut we found the banks of the river too hith to water the
horses. After travelling 4 or 5 miles in search of a good station,
we were obliged by darkness to lJrin,g up at the foot of a tell
(or mound) on the right bank o? the Tigris, and below the tomb
of Hajji 'All, from which it tore S. 30 W.
Mondcty, Spril QOth. Starting over a low range of hills of
red sandstone we entered upon an extensixre Hawin over which we
trasJelled 2 hours to a red cliS, l?earing S. 35 W. The banks of
tlle Tigris were well wooded and picturesque; extensive tracts of
mea(low-lalld were bounded by green hills, and terminateel in
islands of several miles in length, covered with trees and brushwo()el,
amid which winded the rapid Tigris, in a broal an(l noble
expanse, visible as far as the eye coul(l reach. The quantity of
large woo:l near it is greater than on the Euphrates, and the resources
for steam navigation are very great.
Passing the cliSs of red sandstone, from which point to the
Hamrin the Tigris follows a more easterly course, we came to a
valley with a brackish ri+rulet, cominC from the Wadi-l A'hmer
Steep cliSs advanced beyond this to the leanks of the river; and
oblige(l us to turn inwarcls upon the uplan(ls, from which we first
gaine(l a view of KaLtah Sherkat, situate in the midst of a snost
beautiful meadow, well wooded, watered by a small tributary to
the Tigris, washe(l by the noble river itself, and backefl by the
rocky ran>e of the Jel)el Khanukah, now covered with broad
and (leep shadows. In 3 hours' time we arrive(l at the f(Jot of
this extensive and lofty mounzl, where we took up our station on
the northern siden immediately below the central ruin, and on the
banks of a ditch formed by the recoil of the Tigriss
Although fAmiliar with the great Babylonian and Chaldean
moun(ls of Birs Nimru(l, Mujallibah an(l Orchoe. the appearance
o? the mass of construction now before us filled me with
wonder. On the plain of Babylonia to build a hill has a mean-

kal'ah aShertczt.
ing; but there was a stranffle adherence to an antique custom, in
thus 1liling brick upon brick, without regar(l to the cost an(l value
of labour, where hills innumerable an(l equally good and ele^Jated
sites were easily to be found. Although in places reposing upon
solid rock (red an(l brown sanelstones), still almost the cntire
depth of the mound, which +ras in parts upwards of 60 feet high,
an(l at this siele 909 yards in estent, was built u of sun-burnt
bricks, like the 'Alver Kuf and the Mujallibah, only without ir.teraening
laeers of ree(ls. Ons the si(le of these llfty artificial
clifEs nuinerous hawks anel crows nestled in security, while at their
base was a (lee) sloping declivity of crumble(l materials. On this
northern face, which is the most perfect as well as the highest,
there occurs at one point the remains of a wall built with large
square-cut stones, levelled an(l fitte(l to one anothel with the
utmost nicety, and beselletl upon the faces, as in man) Saracenic
structures, the top stones were also cut away as in steps. Mr.
Ross deeme(l this to be part of the still remaining perfect front,
which was also the opinion of some of the travellers now present,
but so great is the diSerence between the style of an Assyrian
mounel of burnt bricks and this partial facing of hen stone that it
is difficult to conceive that it belonged to the same periotl, an(l if
carriezl along the whole front of the moun(l, some remains of it
woul(l be founel in the detritus at the base of the cliff, which s-as
not the case. At the same time its llosition gave to it ml)re the
appearance of a facing, whether contemporary with the moun(l or
subsequent to it I shall not attempt to deci(le, than of a castle,
if any castle or other edifice was ever erected here by the Mohammedans,
whose style it so greatly resembles. On the same side
we visited the subterranean passage noticed by Mr. Ross; axld
WIr. Mitford found there the llead of a small urn.
Our researches were first directe(l towards the mound itself.
We follnd its form to be that of an irregular triangle, measuring
from the S. to the N. E. point, along the si(le which is waslled
by the river, 1 727 yards; along the N. side, exten(ling from
N. 72 E. to S: 72 W., 9()9 aar(ls. The mound then strikes off
in a nearly straight line 400 yards to the S. 38 W.; afterwards
curving round to the S. point, a (listance of 1750 yar(ls, making
a total circumference of 46835 yar(ls; whereas the Mujallibah,
the suppose(l tower of Babel, is only 737 yards in circumference;
the great mound of Borsippa, known as the Birs Nimrud,
76'2 yards; the Kasr, or terraced palace of Nebuchallnezzar,
2 1 00 -ards; and the mound called Koyunj uli, at N ineveh,
2.563 yards. But it is to be remarked of this Assyrian ruin on
the Tigris, that it is not entirely a raised mound of sun-burnt
bricks; on the contrary, sexeral sections of its central portions
displayed the ordinary pebbly deposit of the river, a common

6 AIr. AINSWORTTI s Ewcursion fronz Mosul to SI HadAr.
allusium; and where swept by the Tigris, the mound appeared
to be chiefly a mass of rublule and ruins, in which blicks, pottery
and fragments of sepulchral urns lay embeddeel in humus, or
alternated with blocks of gypsum; finally, at the southern extremity,
the mound sinks down nearly to the level of the plain.
The side facing the river displaved to us some curious structures,
which, not being noticed by hIr. Ross, have been )robaluly lai(l
bare by floods subsequent to his visit. They consisted of four
round towers, built of burnt bricks, which were 9 inches deep,
and 13 inches in width outwTards, but on]y 10 inches inwarels, so
as to adapt them for being built in a circle. These tonrers were
4 feet 10 inches in diameter, well built, and as fIesh looking as
if of yesterday. Their -use is altogether a matter of conjecture:
they were not strong enough to have formed bllttresses against
the river; nor were they connected by a wall. The general
opinion appeared to be in favour of hydraulic purposes, either
as wells or pumps, communicating with the Tigris.
The south-western rampart displays oecasionally the remains
of a wall constructed of llewn blocks of gypsum, and it is every
where bounded by a ditch which, like the rampart, encircles the
wvhole ruins, so that we did not feel justifie(l in separating, as
Mr. Ross has done, the southern portion of the town from the
more elevated part.
All over this great surface we found traces of foundationsof
stone t?difices, with abundance of bricks and pottery, as observed
ltefore us, and to which we may add, bricks vitrifie(l with bitumen,
as are found at Rahabah, Babylon, and other ruins of the
same epoch; bricks wlth impressions of straws, Ac., sun-dried,
burnt, and vitrifie(l; and ainte(l pottery with colours still very
perfect; lout after 2 hours' unsuccessful search by Messrs. l\litford,
Layard and myself, Mr. Rassam was the first to pick up
a brick close to our station, on which were well-defined and indubitable
arrovv-headed characters.
The little mound which crorns the greater one ss cruml)ling
to pieces. Wea found it to be 218 yards round the base, 314
yar(ls roun(l the wall of gypsum, which in part incloses it, and
about 40 feet in height. This mound is situate near the centre
of the northern side, and is separated by a water-worn ravine
from another pile of ruins upon which are some Arab graves.
Further than these few facts, neither our researches nor those of
Mr. Ross furnish anything remarkalule.
By the character of its remains as well as by position, the ruin,
of Kal'ah Sherkat is associated with the Assyrian cities of Nineveh;
and of NimrG(l or Resen, the Larissa of XenoE)hon, at the
junction of the Tigris and the Great Zab. Ammianus Marcellinus
is the only authority who notices in the same neighbourhood

Kal'ah Sherkat.
IJ'r, a site, as its name would indicate, of great antiquity, an(l
which has by Rennell arld others lJeen identified with A1 Hatlhl;
but Ammianus, who calls it a castle of the Persiansn alescribes it
as at some (listance from that place. Cellarius (Notitia Orbis
Antiqui, tom. ii., p. 737), speaking of Ammianus. says: " Addit
superiori Mesopotamiae castellum Ur, inter Tigrim et Nisibin
positum quod nonnulli Ur Chald3eorum crelunt esse." Afterwards
the same author continues: " Deinde Hatram, wetus
oppidum, in media positum solitlldine, itidem inter stcparaorem
Tigrim et Nisibin.9' Hatra is here brought in after Ur by a
severe critic antl it is lzlaced betsveen ATisibln and the Upper
Tigris, while no such distinction is establistiecl for IJtr. There is
also another passage in Cellarius (p. 7z9), where, quoting Ammianus,
he sas: ;; Quum centesimo circiter lapide a Corduena
proxincia et Armeniae finibus Tigrim trajecissit et sex dicbus per
solitudirlem in qua Hatra sita erat, iter fecisset, ad Ur nomine
Persicum castellum venisse.^? This rather implies a journey of
6 days from the time the army passed the Tigris, travelling along
the banlis of the river, which they must have adhered to for water,
and through the deserts in which Hatra was situate(l) than
through Hatra itself. Ammianus himself says: (;Properantes
itineril)us magius prope Hatram venimus." Near Hatra, and
not at it ra view of the subject which is supported by his going
froIn U'r to Tisalphata, and thence to Nisibirl, if Tisalphata was
on the Tigris, as there appears every reason to believe.
The position of the Utr of the Persians corlsidered as the same
as the l:Jtr of tlle Chaldeans, with regard to Harran, anssvers as
well to the descriptions of the journeyings of Abraham given by
the inspired writers and profane historians as the modern 'Urfah,
if not indeed better "And they went forth from Ur of the
Chaldees to go into Haran and dwelt there," would scarcely have
been sai(l if Abraham and his family had only removed a few
hours from 'Urfah to Harran. The learned Spanheim, in his History
of Jol), describes Harran as upon the roal from U'r of the
Ghaldeans into Palestine, goint, from E. to W.; and yet identifies
the U'r of the Chaldeans in the time of Abraham with the U'r of
the Chaldeansof the Chaklaeo-Babyloniandynasty, the Urchoe
or Orchoe vf Ptolemy anfl Pliny. Bochart an(l others, accor(lin
to Cellarius, have sought to identify the country of Abraham
with the Ur of the Persians, but they have supposed it to be bey-ond
Hatra which is decidedly not the deduction to be ma(le
from the words of Arnmianus. In any attempt to identify the
U'r of the Persians, now called Kaltah Sherkat, with the U'r of
the Chaldeanss there is only, till farther evidence can be obtained,
the character of the remains, and the narrative of the historian
of Jovian's retreat, to be place(l in opposition to the
7

8 Mr. AINSWORTH s Excu1sionfro7n Mosul to Al HedAr.
testimony of certain Oriental hIstorians (see my ;; Researches sn
Assyria,S' &c., p. 15t3) in favour of the identity of U'r of the
Chaldeans with 'Urfah, and the existing tra(litions which llave
consecrated that city as the birth-place of the father of Isaac.
The sentiment by which animals that are very low in the scale
of organization are attracted by light and heat is a simple physiological
phenomenon, their nervous system, as in tl}e medusa,
being influence(l directly by external agents; but st is more
curious in creatures in which there exists a ganalionic cerebral
system. This evening a young snake found hls way into the fire,
although we were sitting round it; and at Al Hadhr the same
thing occurred wsth regarfl to a scorpion, whiie hundreds of
coleopterous insects kept nsandering round the lTerge of the ashes.
After dark the frogs of the hAwl ming]ed their croaking with the
whoop of night birds and the howl of jackals, while thirsty musquitoes
hummed in our ears; but putting out the fire in oreler to
distinguish the horses better during the night, we (lisregarded the
melo(ly around and about us, and slept in security in our cloaks
till the earliest dawn.
Tgesday, Ajpril 21st.-Our khavass this morning, seeingthat vve
were about to penetrate the wilderness without a guide, took the
pretence of his horse having lost a shoe to withdraw himself from
the party, and to return by the river banks to blosul. On leaving
Kal'ah Sherkat we kept a little to tlle S. of Wadi el hIeheih,
in which there was now no running water, in order to avoid retracing
our steps to the S., as Mr. Ross had done. We travelled
at a quick pace oser a continuous prairie of grasses and flowering
plants, anel crossing the 'Ain el Tha'lel, having still a little stagnant
water, we arrived at a ridge of rocks which rose above the
surrounding country, and were constituted of coarse marine limestones.
:From a mound, upon which were a few graves, we obtained
a comprehensive view of tllat part of Mesopotamia which
extended to the W., but without being able to (listlnguish the
valley of the Tharthar or the ruins of A1 Hadhr. The country
near us un(3ulated much, and to the S.W. the Hamrin hills terminated
in a long bllt not very elevated range, upon which was a cone
called E1 Katr, which forms tlle westerly termination of the
Hatnrin; an(l as we afterwar(ls found, advanced over the valley
of the Tharthar. Mr. Ross has noticed this fact also; and it is of
importance, as Mr. J. Arrowsmith and other geographers have
traced across Mesopotamia a continuation of the Hasnrin hills as
far as this 'Abd al 'Azfz. The Hamrin are formed of tertiary
red sanzlstones, gypsum, anal conglomerates7 and the 'Abd al 'Aziz,
as far as I am yet acquainted with them, of chalk an(l superincumbent
limestones.
Opinions as to the probable position of A1 Hadhr were sn

'Asn el Tha'leb- the .Hamran htl ls-the ThartAlar. 9
favour of some mounds which were visible in the extreme distance
to the S. 95? W., an(l having great faith in the eyes of our
Bedwin, who also took this view of the subject, we starteel in that
dir?ction. although the com}rass in(licated a more northerly course.
After 2 hours' quick travelling, still over prairies and undulatin^,
country, we came to the sllpposed ruins, hich turned out to be
bare hills of sandstone, the southern ternunation of a low ri(lge.
Althugh pestered hy sand-flies, we stoppe(l a few molnents and
breakfast eel on l)rea(l and wikl leeks (A llium roseum ) , ulhich are
abundant every where, and frequently enarnel with their roseate
and clustereel umbels the lichen-cla(l s)ace that intervene(l between
the (lark-?rreen bushes of worm wood . From this point
the tell with gras-es bore N. Tz? E., and EA1 Katr S. 503 W.
Changing our route, we started to the N. '23? SV., in which
direction we arrived, after 14 hour's ride, at a valley bounde(l in
places by rock terraces of gypsum, which intlicate(l a wadi an(l a
winter torrent, or actual water. To our jsay we found the Tharthar
flowing along the bottom of this xtale, but only from 15 to 20 feet
in wi(lth instead of the 50 we had been le(l to expect; and to
our great comfort the waters lvere very potable. The stream
though narrow was deep, generally from 5 to 7 feet, an(l hence
with (lifficulty fordable; on its banks were a few reeds antl
scattered buslles of tamarisc We procee(led up the stream in a
direction N. 10? W. in search of a for(l, ^shich we found after
1 hour's s]ow and irregular journey, and we lost 1 an hour refreshing
ourselves with a batll. We afterwar(ls followed -the
right bank of tEle stream, being unwilling, as ev-erlint, was coming
on, to separate ourselves, unless ne actually saw A1 Hadhr, from
the water so necessary for ourselves an(l horses. The river soon
came from a more wester]y (lirection, flowing tllrough a valley
every where clad with a luxuriant vegetation of grasses, sometimes
nearly ff a mile in wi(lth, at others only 300 or 400 yards, and
again still more narrowe(l occasionally by terraces of gypsum.
This rock was very casrernous, and furnished from its recesses
many subterranean springs. At one place we observe(l a part of
the waters of the Tharthar absorbe(l by a fissure in the rock.
The gypsum is also ol)served at some points to rest upon red
sandstones, which here present chloritous beds. We stopped
1 hour before sunset in ortler to ha^7e time to collect wood before
dark, and dinefl upon rock partridges (per(lix petrosa) kille(l at
Kal'ah Sherkat.
*
@
Wednesd cl?y, April 22nd .-Raln overtook us in our sleep,
which was otllerwise unl)roken even by dreams of Arabs, still
less by their presence; indeed we had been hitherto as quiet as
if traselling on the downs of Sussex. After holuling a short COl1sultation
over Mr. Ross's memoir, we deeIned it best to keep on

10 Mr. ATNSWORTH s E.rcursionfrom Mosut to SI Hadhe.
up the river, but to travel a litt]e inwards on the heights. This
plan was attended with perfect success; and we ha(l rid(len only
112 hour, when we perceiveel through the misty rain mounds
still to the N.W., which we felt convinced were the sought-for
ruins. Mr. Rassam and myself hurried on, but soon afterwardsd
perceis-ing a flock of sheep in the distance, we became aware of
the presence of Arabs, who could be no other than the Shammar,
so we mraited for our friends an(l rode all together into the kinel of
hollow in which A1 Hadhr is situated. Here we perceived the
tents of the Bedwins extending far and wide within the ruins
and withorLt the walls to the S.W. The ruins themselves presented
a magnificent appearance, and the distance at which the
tall hastions appeare(l to rise, as if by enchantment, out of the
wilderness, excited our surprise. Comparing the feelings expressed
by Mr. Ross, on first seeing these ruins, with the drawings
engrased by the Society, we had before smiled involuntarily,
but we now entered fully into that gentleinan's sentiments and
were fille(l with a similar sense of wonder an(l admiration; no
doubt in great part (lue not only to the splendour of the ruins,
but also to the stranffle place where the traveller meets with them
-" in media solitudine," as Ammianus so briefly but so correctly
expresses it.
Inquiring of a shepherd for the tent of the sheikh, which we
soon afterwar(ls distinguishe(l by its two spears, we ro(le directly
up to it, and in a few minutes found ourselves seated by a spare
camel-dung-fire, and surrountled by members of the Laml'ld
branch of the Shammar Arabs. Happily for us there was at
this moment in the encampment an Arab of Mosul who recognise(l
Mr. Rassam, and the reception given to us was at once
hospitable and tolerably frank. The finding Arabs here is in ;leed
what ma7 generally be relied upon by any traveller in search of
these ruins. The number of halting-places which present what
is actually necessary for the Arab, water an(l grass, are not so
numerous in the plains of Mesopotamia and Arabia as are
generally imagined. Hence the reason of their changing localities;
and hence the traveller rnay almost be as sure of meeting
Arabs at Palmyra as at A1 Hadhr. For the same reason that
cities were built on these oases in the wilderness, the wandering
Arab now resorts to situations where tllere are waters, and with
them pasturage. To M. de Lamartiness work on the East, there
is appended a very valuable memoir, purporting to be an account
of the residence of Fat-h-allall Seghir amongst the wandering
Arabs of the great (lesert. Tllere are a number of facts which
convince me of the authenticity of this *locumellt, but I shall content
myself with noticing what refers to A1 Hadhr. Leaving
Nain el Raz, evidently meant for Ras al 'Ain, the party which

Ruins of All Hadh} .
* .
the narrator accompanied pitched their tents on the banks of the
Khabur, frol-n ^hence they proceedecl to the mountains of Sangiar
(Sinjar): they then (lrew tonxar(ls what the writer (lesigrsates
a river, or rather arm of the Euphrates, which joins the Tigris.
This is esri(lentlv an error foundell upon the mysterious origin of
the Tharthar. He then descriles the enormous tr.ays use(l by
the Be(lwins of A4esopotamia, and of which a specimen was
measured by Mr. Ross. The Arabs procee(led from the Tharthar
to the territory of Atterie, near the ruins of the castle of Attera
(Hadhr), where they encamped for eitht days, the rastura(te heing
xrery al)undant. The coursc here followed by the Arabs is in
every respect the same as that pursue(l every year by the Shammar,
in their migrations to an(l from their winter quarters on the
plains of Seleucia to their summer quarters on the Khslbur and
in the Sinjur.
At the present moment, Sufuk, the chief of all the ShamtnAr,
was, with a large body of horsemen, at Ras al 'Ain, from which
he had driven the 'Anaidi of Ibrahlm P,isha, while the main bo(ly
of the tribes remaine(l part on the Khabur anfl part near the Sinjar,
where they were also at ellmity with the Yezidis. Having breakfasted
upon newly made brea(l and fresh butter, the latter a luxury
not to be ol)tained at WIosul, X7e made our first xisit to the ruins,
during ^shich some of the Arabs gave us much annoyance by their
rudely anxious and almost imperious inquiries as to the exact spot
where the money was, which, as in our predecessor's case, they
felt quite certain we had come to seek for. At length, having
returned to the tent, Mr. Rassam ad(lressed them upon the folly
of the ideas which they entertained regarding finding treasures,
and endeavoured to explain the real object of our researches, in
which he ^^as backe(l by the sheilih an(l the merchant, anel ^7e
were left the remain(ler of the day among the ruins pretty well
to ourselves a circumstance which, however, was also in great
part owing to a rumour which got abroad that an army ras following
in our steps, anal in consequence of which the tribe judged
it connenient to take their immeliate departure WithOUt sound of
drum or trumpet; and, three hours after our arrival, there were
only the tent of the sheikh an(l a small one near it remaining of
the whole encampment.
The ruins of A1 Hadhr present the remains of a principal buil(ling
which apparently was at once a palace and a temple, and which
surpasses in extent anel in the perfection of its style the ruin knoxvn
as the Taki Kesra, or Arch of Cllosroes at Ctesit)hon, and which
vvas the residence of the kings of Persia of the Arsacidan dtnasty.
It consisted of a series of vaulted chambers or halls, of differerlt
sizes, all opening to the east, or towards the risinC SUI1 and planets,
and regularly succeeding one another from north to south.
ll

12 Mr. A INSWORTH'S Excurion from Mosul to AI HccdAr.
and was (livided into two parts by a wall; while in fIont was
another row of edifices, guar(l-houses, &c., at the southern end
of which was a great hall, with ornamented -ault and tall columns,
similar to what is okserved in tlle chief edifice. The
whole of these buildings were enclosed within a wall about ] 360
yards square, which left a consi(lerable space open in front, and
this oen square was in the exact centre of the town, which, as
figured in Mr. Ross's map, is nearly a perfect circle, surrounded
by a ralllpart, about 3 miles 180 yards in circumference. Portions
of the curtain, which was ]0 feet 3 inches in width, still remain
on this rampalt; and there are also the ruins of 32 bastions,
placed at unequal intervals, and not, as Mr. Ross supposed, every
60 paces. The space occupied by the tc)wn still contains the
ruins of tombs and other edifices, and is everywhere coxTered by
moun(ls of ruined buildings. 'rhere is also a spring, and a channel
for water, not straight but tortuous, which crosses the town:
and there were apparently four gates, having straight and paved
roads leading from them to the central e(lifice.
I7lle whole of the buildings are constructed of a coarse granular
limestone, al)ounding with marine shells, more especially osta acites
and anomiae, apparently. for the most part, recent species. There
is a tra(lition preserved at NIosul, that the stones for the construction
of A1 Eladhr were brought from Sinjar, where I hope on a
future occasion to seek for this formation. The stones have lJeen
hewn with skill, and are well adjusted.
Every stone, not only in the chief building but in the walls and
bastions, an(l other public monuments, when not defaced by time,
is lnarked with a character, which is, for the most part, either a
Chaldaic letter or numeral. But some of them could not be deciphered
eitller by Mr. Rassam or by a Jewish Rabbi of Jerusalem,
whom we consulted at Mosul, for it is necessary to remark
that the Chaldeans, or Chaldees, since their conversion to Christianity,
have uniformly adopted the Syriac- letters which were used
by the apostles and fathers of the church, regarding the pagan
writing (or Tergl'lm, as they call it) as an abomination. The
Jews, however, who learnt it in their cativity, have retained, except
in their Talmud, and some other works written in the Hebrew
character, the use of Chaldean letters. Some of the letters
at A1 Hadhr resembled the Roman A, and others were apparently
astronomical signs, among which were very common the
ancient mirror and handle i, emblematic of Venus, the lNfylitta
of the Assyrians, and Alitta of the Arabians, according to Hero(lotus,
an(l the Nani (Hyde, p. 92), or Nannaia (Rawlinson,
Journal of R. G. S.) ix. p. 43), of the Syrians. Mr. Ross makes a
mistake, wllich it is important to correct, shen he says that these
letters are only seen in the midst of broken walls where they

. % . o A .A . . + .T.J .t.D.
could not hase been exposed when the structure was perfect. It
is quite evident, from the prominent situation whieh they occupy
in the interior of the great halls an(l sanctuaries, thattheir object
was much more important than a mere arran ement of the stones.
The characters alone indicate their antiquity; an(l, as to their use,
they appear to have a (listant relation to practices carried to a
further extent by the Assyrians an(l Babtlonians, and by the
Egyptians. In whatever obscurity the meaning of these signs or
letters may be now involved, they still possess great interest to
the archaeologist, as provillg the Chaldean origin of the buildings
ln questlon.+
. . ..
Ruins of Al Hadhr.
* .
ff.R. .Y. {h. h * A.w. Yl . i * Y .
SLU&.+.Yt5.T
>.f .X.s.W.

14 Mr. AINSWORTH s Excursion from Mosttl to i11 HadAr.
Layar(l has enable(l me to forward to the Society, drawings of the
most remarkable faces remaining in this and the other halls.
While the style of these sculptures appears to be pretty nearly
uniforrn, it is irnpossilule not to recognise costumes difiering much
from one another. In(lee(l, it requires but little imagination to
figure to oneself in these sculptures tlle representations of the
successive powers who rule(l the City of the Desert. The simple
turban-like head-dress represents the Chaldean; the bear(led
physiognomy and scattered hair, the Persian satrap; the laurelleaved
ban(l, supporting eagle's wings, the Roman; while the
bin(lin, round the. heatl, like a double fol(l of rope, as it is also
described by Mr. Ross, appears the oritinal of the present Arab
hea(l-dress. It mav be azlsanced against this view of the subject,
tllat if the buil(lint is all of one style, this style must also be carried
through all its details, and that we cannot espect that any of
the elecorations can be illustratis-e of (liCerent perio(ls; but there
is no reason why, if the Parthians or Persians borrowed their style
from the Romans, they still might not hase introduced their own
sculpture, as at Persepolis: or, if the Romans built the great
monument of A1 Ha(lhr, they might equally have been influenced
by a conquere(l people to introducen as well as letters, forms
sacred to their religion, or gratifying to their pride anfl to their
natlonal remlnlscences.
On the face of the wall of this great compartment, besides the
signs before mentione(l, are two inscriptions, one in Chaldaic, the
other in Arabic, I)oth cut in the stones, but which run along from
one to another, and are evidently more mo(lern than the l)uil(ling.
The first, translateel by a Jewish Rabbi, appears to be the lament
of some Jews of the captivity; for ancient Chaldeans would
scarcely use the lanuage of David: " In justice to thee who art
our salvation, I hope from thee, O God, for help against mine
enemies." The general opinion artlong the Jews is in favour of
this inscription having been written during the captivity. The
Rabbis cannot decipher t}le signs of older (late; some are Cilaldean
numerals, *,thers they consi(ler to be astronomical signs, not
a few appear to be Parthian cjr Armenian. The Arabic inscription
was copied an(l translateel by Mr. Rassam; its purport
is as fcallows: '; Mes'ttd Ibn Mau(lutl Ibn Tamanki, the just
king*, prc)tector of reli^ion, and defen(ler of the faith, in humble
service, and seeking mercy from his Lor(l, caused this to be repairetl
in the tear cxf the Hijrah 586 " (A.D. 1190). It is remarkalule
that the name inscribed here* is the same as that we met with
at Stllt.an Khan, in Koj-hisoir, and is that of a king whom I have
de?scribe(l in a former memoir as having established a great road
* nAzzu-d-dirl, Mes'ild ibll Maudud, Atabek of Irak, who reigned at Mosul from
A.H. 576 to 589 (A.D. 1180-1193).-ED.

Rzins oJv AI Hadha * . .
from Bagh(lad through Asia Minor. It here apparently followed
the same line as that used by the Greeks and Romans--
Seleucia, Sitace, Ur, Hatra, Tisalphata, Nisibis; in the time of
the Khalifs, Baghdad, Sherl'at el Bei(lha (Sitace), Akbara on the
Babilin (Opis*), Samarrah, 'rekrit, kal'ah Sherkat, A1 Ha(lhr.
It is remarkalule that Ptolemy, in enumerating the sites upon the
Tigris, after noticint, I)erbeta (Diyar-bekr), Saphe (Hisn Keifa),
anel Deba (Bezablleh Jezireh), starts off by Sinjar to Batnae
(Betuna) and Birtha (Bir), which has misle(l even Cellarius.
With the assistance of lights we examined the subterranean
rooms connected with the first great hall, lJut did not find anything
of interest.
In the rear of the same great hall is another compartment, surrounded
by a lofty vaulted passage, 96 yards round. From its
beautifully ornamented doorvvTay, an(l complete seclusion from the
other parts of the edifice, it may lle conjectured to have l)een a
religious sanctuary. Over the doorway is the most beautifully
sculptured relief in the whole building; it represents griffons supportint,
heads, human and others, and in the centre is the head
of Apollo, or Mithra, supported by eagles with scrolls in their
mouths; beneath is some beautifully sculptured foliage. Mr.
Layard has furnished a drawing of a portion of this frieze. It is
evideiltly of Roman execution M. Texier, who passed through
Morul shortly after our returtl, gave his opinion also to that eSect.
It would appear as if the Romans had contributed to adorn a
temple consecratedl to the worship of a (leity in whom they recot,niseel
thexr cuwn Apollo, adding the Roman eagles to the insignia
of Mithra, who was the same as the Bel of the Chaldeans.
At the first small hall of the northern division (No. 4), the
sculptures over the arch of the entrance are among the most perfect
of the out-of-(loor sculptures. They appear to be alternations
of male and female heads, the first having the peculiar headdress
noticed in No. 1, svhile the latter present a remarkable
similarity to the present style of dress in Western Europe. Some
of the ladies have dresses like corsets, terminating in a point
The bust is neatly and only partially displaye(l. Most of them
wear tiaras of jewels, some have necklaces. The hair falls on the
shoul(lers of some in a profusion of ringlets, in others is trimmed
up in large curls, and again in some puSed out behind, as was
once the case at the French court. On the wall between Nos. 4
and 5 is the sculpture of a monstrous animal, of which I send a
copy by Mr. Layard.
* If Akbara was, in the time of the Khalifs, as we know from the Oriental geographers,
upon the present Old loigris, how much more likely is it that Opis, lvhich was
anterior to Akbala, was there also, than at the present jurletion of the Physcus alld
Tigris, where Lieut. Lynch has placed it in his map !
15

16 Mr. AINS\VORTII'.9 Excursionfrom Mosut {o X1 .HadAr.
The walls were measured in all their details of bastions, &c.,
and were found to be 5460 yards round, whicti, as the space was
paced and not measurecl off, can only be an approsimation; but
which comes remarkably near to the amount in yar(ls of the
Persian farsakh, the Jewish parsah, and the Greek parasang, if (as
Major Jervis has (lone after Jomard and others) we assume that to
be an integral portion of the earth's meridional circumference,
or the eight-thousandth part, whicll com)uted to the ellipticity
-1-, will be equal to 5468 668 yards English. The exactness of
the forms observed in the construction of A1 Hadhr-a square
within a circle and in its exact centre-certainly point out that a
system was ol)served in its construction; and it is a striking corroboration
of the facts observed of the circumference, that the
sides of the inner square are 340 or 341 yards in length, or the
TIBth of the circumference of which the whole square is at or near
xth. Had all the a(imeasurements been taken with care, probably
a similar satstem woul(l have been found to pervade the
whole of the details.*
Within the circuit of the walls were many ruins of doubtful
character. It could only be the result of a veryi hasty examination
shich would confine the dwelling-houses merely to the
western part of the city, and assign to the eastern a continuous
necropolis. Some of these buildings are square, and tbey are of
diSerent sizes. I transmit a sketch of one ornamented with pillars,
which had two interior xaulte(l chambers with an outer vaulted
hall, and a stair leading to the top as if to sleep upon it, as is the
custom at Mosul and Bagh(lad. The openings to let in light are
more like loopholes than ^indol1vs, but this may have been for
coolness and from want of glass, as is observed in the cottages of
the peasants in the East. A large square buil(ling, with one
vaulte(l chamber, which appears to have been a small temple or
mausoleum, occurs on the northern side. It is built upon a handsome
basement, with a projecting but simple cornice. I ought
not to omit to mention that the pear-shape(lcavities common in
Syria are also met with amid the ruins here.
It only remains for me to make one or two observations upon
the history of this remarkalule city.
It is evielent from the character of the letters or si(>ns inscribed
on the hewn stones, that whatever style was a(lopted as a pattern
or for imitation, or whoe+Ter were the architects emplayed in the
construction, that the chief persons in the city were Chakleans or
Chaldees.
* In laying down the plan I find I have also two admeasuremellts taken olle from
the S.W. corller of the inller wall to the outer wall, and the other from the N W. comer
to the outer wall; these ginTe, one 625, the other 620 yards, ar] excess over the probably
real distance of 615, which might result frotr, the inequalities of the soil. I have
consequently adopted the theoretic distance in the plan as most correct.

Ea} Zy History of H1 .HadAl*. 7
Moelern historians (Heeren/ lV[anual, &e., vol. i. p. 38) admit
the existence of the Cha]deans as a northern natiorl anterior to the
foun(lation of the Chaldaeo-Babylonian dynasty. No mc)lluments
of this very aneient pec>ple have as yet, llowever, been diseovered,
whieh can be aseertained to belong to a period anterior to the
Balylonian eonquest; an(l it appears from the few eities supposed
to have belonged to them, and of whieh remains are extantS
as Orehoe and Borsippa, that they eonstrueted huge mounds or
lofty temples to their deity Bel, in the same manner as the Babylonians.
But some latitucle must be allowed to this statement in
the north; for although there is every reason to believe that
U'rfall was one of the U'rs of the Chal(lees, yet no remnants of
this kind are there met with, and were it not that we finzl that eustom
preserved where there are rocks and stones for building, as at
Kalah Sherliat, one would have felt inclined to confine it to the
country for which it was best suited, and where it sprang partly
from necessity. From what is known of the ancient style of the
Chaldeans, as well as from tlle peculiarities observed in the construction
of the monuments now to be seen at A1 Hadhr, there is
evely reason for believint, that city to be of a comparatively recent
date.
The first period when A1 tTadhr comes under the notice of
history is at the titne of the conquest of Trajan, who first reluced
A+esopotamia into a Roman province. lthe fragments of Dion
Cassius, preserved by Xiphilirlus, notice the people of A1 Hadhr
as 7A72ptaoln which, as Valesius pointed out, should be ZATP%VO.
For Dion, relating the campaign of Severus, writes Ta'A'rp4:, and
Heroelianus (iii. cap. is.) z 'A'tgzz. Aminianus writes it Hatra,
as c3oes also Cellarius. The Pelltint,erian tables, almost alvays
in error, call it Hatris. Zonaras (p. 216) names it 5r0xso Apa,lSsoY,
an Arabian city. Stephanlls merely says that it is situated between
the Euphrates and the Tigris.
Hadlian, it is well known, relinquished the conquests in Mesopotamia
shortly after the death of Trajan; but eYen if Trajan di(l
not embellish the city of Hatra, the connexion established between
that place and Nisibis, where there also exist keautiful friezes
somewhat similar to those at A1 Hadhr, must have had consilerable
influence upon the taste of the Atrenians.
From the time of the cession of the Mesopotamian proxrinces,
about A.D. 118 to the conquests of Septimius Severus (200), there
reigne(l Chosroes, Arsaces XXVI. (Vologeses II.) and Arsaces
XXVII. (Vologeses tII.), who no doubt held A1 Hadhr in
subjection. It \\7aS in the time of Arsaces XXVIII (Ardawan)
that $e6erus made his first and unsuccessful attempt to reduce
EIatra; but the second attelllpt was attended with success in the
time of Arsaces XXIX. (Pacorus). The resistance made b;y
VOL. XI. . G

18 Mr. AI?{SWORTH S Excursion from Mosul {o AZ .Hadhr.
Elatra against the Roman arms is amon^, the most remarkable
features in its known history, anel affords evidence of the high elegree
of military skill and great internal resources which were
possesse(l by the Atrenians, as well as of a(lvantages of position.
The conquest of Severus (loes not appear to have been preserved
by the Romans and although some of the monuments seem to
have belonged to the time of the Sassani(le or Sasanian dynasty
of Persian kings, still it would appear that, from causes now involved
in obscurity, the City of the Wilderness was abaneloned in
the early perio(l of that dnasty, for we find that on the retreat
of Julian's army under Jovian, tllev passed by Ur, leaving Hatra
to the left as before elescribe(l, noticinX, the city as having been
deserte(l before that time, " olimque desertum."
This period of the history of Hatra is succeeded by another
interval of impenetrable obscurity. No sculrture nor monuments
of any kind indicClte the existence of a Cllristian community
within its walls, which is the more remarkable, as Nisibin became
the scat of a patriarch, and A1 Hadllr was in the centre of a
newly-converted and esninently Christiarl people; but a single
inscription comes to inform us that in the year 1190 (586 of the
Hijrah), one of the Khalifs of Bagh4a(l, undeterred by the colossal
images, which infringe the laws of !\f ohamme(l, attempted to
restere the fallen grandeur of this ancient city. Nor was that
inscription merely the espression of capricious vanit; it was an
indes to a great roa(l, as previously noticed,sestore(l from ancient
times. There are, however, no Saracenic monuments at A1
Hadhr, antl the Khalifs appear to have held that place by a brief
and unstable tenure.
It only remains to be remarked respecting the name of A1
Hadhr, which appears at first to be a corruption of Hatra or
Hatre, that it has a very distinct Arabic meaning the sord
l)eing particularly use(l tv elesignate the (lwel]ers in toxvns or
cities, in opposition to the Be(lwins, or roving tribes. This woul(l
agree with Zonaras's view of the subject. But it has also a more
antique Chaldean xneaning, EI utra or Hatl a signifying in tllat
language a sceptre, and figuratively the seat of government. A1
Hadhr and Hatra or Atra may hase been equally (lerived from
this source, which some may perhaps consider the more likely,
as the city appears to have had a Chal(lee origin.
The river Tharthar, which gives life arld verdure to the
prairies of eastern Mesopotamia, has its origin from sources in
the hills of Sinjar. Its waters are brackish, but not unpleasant
at some seasons of the year, and it is kno+7vn to lose itself in the
salt lake calleel A1 Milh. The red sandstones of lbIesopotamia,
W. of A1 Hadhr, {also furnish rock salt. Accoreling to some of
the Oriental geographers, there was forlnerly an artificial com-

Desert of S 1 HG6d h} KhidAr lZyas-J%ovl?1. 19
munication cxisting between the Khaltir and the Tigris, or this
river and the Tigris; lout I regret only teing able to call attention
to the fact7 not havin, the authorities at harl(l.
Thursdayj April 23} c!.-- We left A1 Hadhr (6h. 451n. s. M.) in a
drizzling rain, lvhich continlled more or less all day. The Sheikh
guided us to a ford of the Tharthar, a little above the ruins of an
ancient lari(lge; frc)m whence continuing our route in a direction
from N. 30 to aI0 E., we struck right across the grassy plains
towards Mo.sul. The sharp eye of the Arab distinguished
.
Bedmrins on the extreme srerge of the horizon, when almost un(liscernible
by an unpractised observer. 1 2 hour's journey broufflht
us to Wacli-l Ahmar or Halnran the Red Valley, where the retl
sandstones beneath the gypsum are denuded, but we found there
stagnant pools of bitter water. At mi(l-elay we stopped to give
the horses a feed. At 2h. 30m. we passe(l by a low range of
litnestone hills, forming the extreme westerly prolongation of the
Tel Nujm. 2 hours froIn this, always travelling at a rate of
about 5 Iniles an hour, we came to the Wadl-l Kasab, the plain
aroun(:l which was coverell far and near with the tents of agricultural
Arabs, who as a reward for their intlustry, in a eountry
where the administration is so powerlessn have to pay tribute at
once to the Sultan and to the Shammar Arabs These tribes
were the Khayaliyin, c; the deceivers ;" the Jubur, " the restorers ;"
antl Hadllliyin, ;; (the men) of iron." Passing this plain we
entered upon the Jubailah hills) in a valley of which, calle(l A1
'Adhbah, or the " fresh waters,X' we foun(l encaInped the Juhaish,
prev-iously noticed, the Duleim, and the Na'aimn " the benevolent,"
-- agricultural tribes. Night overtook us s(on after entering upon
the hills; being clouded we could neither see the compass nor
the stars, and soon lost our way, wandering al)out up rocks and
dolvn into xralleys till we hear(l the larking of (logs. While
following the direction of these SOU11dS, we stumbled upon a pathway,
and keeping to st with a careful tenacity, we reache(l the
brook ancl ruins of Khidhr Ilyas, from whence the road to Mosul
vas familiar to me. We arrive(l at the gates of the town, after a
journey of about 60 English miles, a little before m;(lnight, but
coul(l not prevail upon the Kapujl* to open them, so we were
obliged to loiter in our wet clothes under a deserteel vault till the
break of day. S;nce our return to Mosul several of the Silammar
Arabs have repail our visit, upon which occasion we presented
them with pieces of calico for shirts an(l kerchiefs of British
manufacture, and have established friendly relations with them,
which will much facilitate our further journeyings in Mesopotamia.
The geoU,raphical botany of tlle great tracts which we travelled
* Kapfijl or Kapwljini.e. dool*-keeper illtlllXkish.-ED.

20 Mr. AINSWC)RTH s E(uraionfrom Afo.iut t} Al Hcldh.
Over on this excursion can be describe(l in a few wortls, an(l may
therefore fin(l a place in the present report. There are scarcely
any spots that are actually deprive(l of all vegetation. The most
naked have a few Lichens, among which are prominent a grey
Lecidea with black raised apothecia or fiuctification; next to this
in frequency is a pink-coloured Cetraria; on the extreme verge of
these grow a few pseudo-lichens, more particular]y Verruearia
maura and V. epigea. Oat grass is bv far the most al;)undant of
the gramineous plants. This single species covers whole uplands
of miles in extent. to the exclusion of everything except a few
flowering plants, which at this season of the year were the Ranunculus
Asiaticus, and certain species of Hieracium and Crepis.
The beautiful Chrysanthema and Gnaphalia, belonging to the
same family, which also, with a few Centaureae, aelorn the wildelnesses
in summer, had not yet come into bloom. Other grasses
were also met with, among which \ Hordeum pratense and a delicately-panicled
Poa advanced upon t-hes most sandy spots.
4 In the drier parts of the plains, grasses became more rare an(l
lichens more common, but these tracts were clothed with a more
prominent lJegetation of under-shrubs of wormwood; among which
the most common species were Artemisia fragrans and A. absinthium.
In these unfavoured spots there were few flovering
plants, and they were mostly gathere(l round the vast ants' nests,
or had sprung up where cattle had been pasturing, or the Bedwins
had bivouacked. Among the social plants certain vagabond
species were met with here and there, esp-ecially where there was a
pathway. Such were the gay Aster pulchellus, Alliuln roseum
(everywhere), Papaver dubium, Campanula glomerata, and Gentiana
campestris, common everywhere. Romeria hybrida, Mathiola
taria, Matricaria chamomilla, and Anthemis nobilis, aIt(l
two species of Erodium, on the more fertile spots. The family
caf the Leguminos was also represented by the genera Cytisus
and Vicia, and that of Caryophylleae by a few species of Sal30naria
and Silerle.
On passing the Wa(li-l Kasab and coming into the country of
cultivating tribes, new species, unknown in the svilderness, immediately
make their appearance, even on plains in other respects of
similar characters; among the?se especially Trollius Asiaticus and
a-yellow variety of Ranunculus Aslaticus, but rare, Adonis flava,
Ornithogalum 1lmbellatum, Gladiolus segetum, and G. Byzantinus,
Iberis saxatilis, Calenclula oicinalis, Malva rotundifolia,
Convolvulus, Althwoides, NcS It is curious to observe how many
of the Phanerogamous plants wllich gronv in these countries are
:Eritish species: of about 40 vhich I have collected this spring
near Mosul upwards of 30 are familiar meadow or waysi(le plants.