BRITISH RULE IN MOSUL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19141, 6 October 1925, Page 9

BRITISH RULE IN MOSUL.

•• ♦ • ' ■ "■ * '"r' • - . ' yzyj IMPRESSIONS OF THE TOUR, REMAINS OF NBNEVEH8T L. J. MOKB.TS. Very few of the present day osw muslin realise that that very useful material derives it» name from the plac® ® which it was first made—Mosul—a town on the northern frontier of Irak, capital of the vilayet or province of the same name, which at the present time is the bone of contention between Great Britain, as the mandatory guardian of Irak, and th» Turk. Before the war, Mosul was one of the dirtiest towns in Asia. At the tima of the armistice with the Turks, our troops, who had successfully forced the Fatteh Gorge and captured what was supposed to be an almost impregnable position, were encamped on the surrounding bills, but had not actually entered fee town- The story is told of how Colonel Leadsman, a gallant and intrepid British officer of the Political Department, accompanied only by a eoaple of orderlies, rode into the town. On arrival he saw the Turkish flag still flying and although almost singlehanded, and a long way in advance of the British troops, he soundly boxed the ears of the Turkish commandant, ordered him to haul down his flag, hoisted the Union Jack in its place. Upon the arrival of the British troops Colonsl Leachman was made political officer in charge of Mosul, and in a very short time accomplished wonders. The hitherto filthy town soon became one of the cleanest sn Mesopotamia, and a broad roadway, cut right through the town from side to side, took the place of its former tortuous highway, and made traffic easy. On the Road to MosuL In former times tho best- known routes to Mosul were either from Aleppo by caravan, or from the latter route being usually chosen by Europeans as being more convenient. To reach Bagdad, one travelled via India and the Persian Gulf—the journey taking several weeks to accomplish. Nowadays, however, thanks to the Xairn Brothers, two enterprising New Zeslanders who have overcome the difficulties of the desert, and who run aa up-to-date motor service from Haifa, on the MiMiterranean coast, via Beirut, across the Lebanon Mountains to Damascus, and thence through the dissert to Bagdad, the journey from London can be accomplished within ten days. The iourney f.-om Beirut to Bagdad takes alxrat 30 '.ours hard going, travelling both by daj and night. Upon reaching Bagdad one may take train the same night for Moral As far as Samarra one travels on that portion of the " Bagdad railway*" built before the war by the Germans —with tha view, no doubt, of Unking up the East with Berlin. From Samarra on war els the line, which was builu during the British advance on Mosul, continues as far as One reaches Sherghat in the morning and is still about 85 miles from Mosul. However, a fleet of cars is in readiness as the train arrives and after about two hours' run one sights a place called Kiara—where the Germans daring the war had sunk oil wells, and from which oil still runs in a black, smelly stream, eventually disappearing m the Tigris, a mile or so away. After another three hours* run over the hills one strikes a fine metalled road about 20 miles out from Mosul, and the remaining part of tha journey is accomplished in comparativa comfort. Tiic Town of Mosul. At last one reaches the end of the hills and away in the valley, nestling by the River Tigris, which shows up like a silver streak, is the town itself. By this time it is getting dusk—a hazy mist hangs over tha town, out of which stand numerous minarets silhouetted against she setting sun. If the journey has not taken too long, and one is fortunate enough to arrive just before dusk, one is thrilled by the Muezzin calling the faithful to prayer —and as one Listens, the monotone chant comes through the air—Allah Akhbar—Al —lab Akh—b—ar w—la —i—la —a —ila Allah. {God is great, and there is no God but God.} The town of Mosul is situated on the right bank of the upper reaches of the River Tigris. Directly opposite on the left bank is a series of mounds —the remains of Nineveh, one of the four corners ,of the ones mighty Assyrian Empire. Extensive excavations have been carried out here, as also %t Nimrud, Khorsabad and Kala Shfirghat, the other three corners, and the museums of the world have been enriched thereby. Jonah and the Whale. One mound alone, at the southern extremity of Nineveh, has escaped the impact of pick and spade, for on it stands the Mosque of Neb hi Tunis—the Prophet Jonah. Within is a tomb, said by devout Mohamedans to contain the remains of Jonah, and hanging up inside the tomb is a portion of a skeleton of a fish," declared to be the fish that swallowed Jonah. The visitor who is fortunate enough to gain admittance to the Mosque must swallow tha above information with a serious countenance. According to Dr. Wigram, in his book, " The Cradle of Mankind," this mosque I was formerly a Christian Church, and the ; tomb that of m Assyrian Christian bishop. It is, however,, neither polite nor politic to mention this in Mohamedan company. Only mounds and excavation tanne s can be seen at Nineveh, but at Jvimrud, 20 miles to the south-east, the excavator has left behind a few relics. A halfburied statue of Nimrud--the " Mighty Hunter"—fallen pillars with winged bulls in bas relief and siabs of granite with cuneiform characters engraved thereon lie scattered on the grassy mounds. About 70 miles to the north-west of Mosul is the town of Nesibin, in Turkish territory. Nesibin is the railhead of the line from Aleppo, and it was evidently the German plan to connect up Mosul on the same line, ar, the route has been carefully prepared, smd even the culverts built. Turkish Cruelties. Many of the present inhabitants of Mosul have fled from Turkish territory in order to find refuge under British protection, and Armenians, Chaldeans and Syrians alike bear testimony to the fiendishnesa of Turkish cruelty. One, a Chaldean, was still a boy when his home in Diabekir was raided by Turks—his parents being murdered and flung down the well in the garden. Another —an Armenian gir'k—told of how she hid in a cupboard while Turkish soldiers ware searching the house, and locking through a crack saw a Turk run his sword through her baby sister asleep in a cradle, biting her fingers nearly through in order to stifle the agonised cries which would have betrayed her own presence. But these stories are legion, and still the same thing goes on —murder and t*k& burning of villages, wherever the Turk has the upper handIf one has the leisure the return journey to Bagdad can be made via Erbil and Kurku.k, t>n the Kurdish frontier. One may even strike off from Deli Abbas and visit a quaint town on the Persian frontier. Mendaii is a long day s motor journey from Bagdad, but the country is well worth a visit. On tie way one crosses the Abbi Nulod—petroleum stream —and here again the verv air smells of oil, and tho water is so impregnated that it is unfit for drinking. Naturally these rich oil-tiearing districts are looked upon with covetous eyes *by many who are jealous of. British and influence. The p»rt 0 | £«rV »i ffiSK-* glibly 0' the "••'"J *8 Britain in her fpiard anship of Perhaps they would like us to give up our Persian oilfields also.