LAND BETWEEN RIVERS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 66, Issue 5595, 22 March 1943, Page 6

LAND BETWEEN RIVERS

IRAQ, CRADLE OF MANKIND

OUR YOUNGEST ALLY

(By J.P.P.)

When on 16th January last the kingdom of Irak declared war on Germany, Italy, and Japan, the United Nations gained a valuable ally. Leaving aside all material considerations, of which the uninterrupted flow of oil is the most important, it is clear that among the Arab countries Irak is the first to recognise not only where its interests lie. but also the spiritual obligation to help the right side.

The effect of the decision of the Iraki Government on the peoples of Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and the other Moslem, though nonArab, nations, such as Turkey, Persia, and Afghanistan, is likely to be far-reaching, and Irak’s decision may come to be regarded as a definite turning point as far as the complicated politics of the Middle East are concerned. Mesopotamia—to use the old name, which means “ land between the rivers ” —is our youngest ally, not only because she is the latest addition to the growing list of the United Nations, but also because her nationhood dates back not further than 1920. In the last war Mesopotamia—the “Mespot ” of the Diggers—was the scene of a lengthy and difficult campaign which required great sacrifices. Although the whole land had been part f the Turkish empire, the population for the most part was sympathetic towards the British, whom it regarded as liberators. With the coming of peace the loyalty of the Iraki nation was rewarded by a recognition of its claim to independent nationhood, ‘ subject to the rendering of administrative advice and assistance by a mandatory until such time as the Arabs are willing to stand alone.” Britain accepted the mandate, and set up a temporary administration which terminated as oon as Irak indicated such willingness. At the outbreak of the present war ’ -■ capital. Bagdad, became a hotbed ' German intrigue, espionage, and propaganda, so that the British were -ce more obliged to move in and suppress a revolt, but as soon as order was restored civil powers were handed back to the reformed Governi ent. The recent declaration of war the part of that Government was ?n unequivocal vindication of British policy, which aimed at all times at maintaining cordial relations, while recognising the vital importance of the Middle East to the Allies. AT THE CROSS-ROADS The position of Irak is truly a central one in relation to the countries of the Middle East. It lies on the crossroads leading from Europe to Persia and India, and from Russia through the Caucasus toward Egypt and Arabia. Although itself possessing only a few miles of sea front, on the Persian Gulf, Irak is linked by ancient routes with four other seas—-the eastern Mediterranean and the Red, Black and Caspian Seas. Its great twin rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, collect the waters of many thousands of square miles before they unite to become the Shatt-al-Arab—the River of the Arab—to empty them into the Persian Gulf. These two great rivers enclose a strip of land which, more than any other spot in the world, can be regarded as the cradle of mankind. According to several sources the Garden of Eden must have been somewhere

near Basra; Abraham lived at Ur of the Chaldees, and it is .said that Noah’s Arkfloated over a flood caused by the two rivers, although Mount Ararat is about 400 miles further north, on the frontiers of Turkey and Persia. Quite apart from Biblical associations, what is now Irak is certain to have been even in prehistoric times a centre of culture from which racial and religious customs penetrated far into other lands, as witnessed by the inscriptions of the Great Pyramids • n Egypt. It includes the sites of <-he two great early civilisations of Assyria and Babylonia, amply substantiated by the ruins and excavations in the Mosul and Bagdad regions respectively. It saw the conquest of the Medes, the Persians, of Alexander the Great, of the Romans; t was in turn part of the empires of he Caliphs of Arabia, of the Mongols, and, finally, for full four centuries. of the Turks. RUINS OF BABYLON Of the buried cities of Assyria and Babylonia very little remains, at least as far as the layman is concerned, although archaeologists have found the ruins invaluable. The greatest among the ruins, both in extent and in significance, is the city of Babylon itself, some forty miles south of Bagdad. Here, according to some historians, stood the tower of Babel, and here reigned King Hammurabi, founder of the Babylonian empire, and originator of the code which bears his name, and which is well remembered by every student of law and commerce as the foundation upon which later political and financial codes were built.

Babylon is the best preserved of the buried cities, but its ruins date back not more than 4000 years or so. One or two others, such as Ur of the Chaldees, were already venerable cities before Babylon .was thought of. Ur, hich is about half way between Bagdag and Basra, has yielded many treasures, most of which are preserved n the British Museum. Tn the northern part of Irak, in what was once Assyria, there are many more ruins. Those of Nineveh, Nimrud, and Asshur are quite spectacular, as all three of them served it different times as royal residences, .1 their outlines are on the whole till traceable. MODERN BAGDAD Compared with these ancient cities, the present capital, Bagdad, appears as a new-comer; yet Bagdad itself is about eight centuries old, in its present form, and was re-built about half a dozen times after the destruction wrought by the Tartars, the Mongols under Tamerlane, the Persians, the Turks, and so on. Some mediaeval fragments of walls, and a few ancient mosques and gates, survived the ravages of conquerors, and are still to be seen, interesting landmarks to the seeker of relics of the Orient of the Middle Ages. Modern Bagdad is divided by the River Tigris into two principal sections. On the east bank is the socalled European , quarter, although Europeans are in a minority even there; it contains all the Government offices and the principal shops and bazaairs, as well as the residences of the well-to-do. The West bank is

occupied by the Persian and Arabian quarters, where even to-day all buildng is carried out in clay, and hardly any brick is used. The two sections are connected by a bridge of boats. The population of Bagdad is utterly cosmopolitan, and in that respect reflects the heterogeneous character of the Iraki nation. Irak is never allowed to lose sight of the fact that Z . . he home of the Tower of Babel: its 3,000,000 people include Arabs, Persians, Kurds, Turks, Jews, and sev?ral small tribes. Curiously enough, the classification by religion is considered far more important than racial ties. The Moslems are, of course, in a majority, but they are split into the two main groups of the followers of Islam, Sunnites and Shiahs, liberal and orthodox respectiveGREAT OIL CITY Economically speaking, the most important city in Irak to-day is not Bagdad, but Mosul, the centre of the great oilfields of Kurdistan. Here begins the 600-mile pipe-line which conveys the precious liquid to the Mediterranean, where it is refined and either pumped direct into ships’ oil tanks or conveyed by tankers to other parts of the world. Mosul is the best designed, cleanest, and most westernised town of Irak, mainly due to the discovery of oil in its vicinity. It is also more cosmopolitan than Bagdad, for here one meets the mountain folk of Kurdistan, Kurds. Armenians, Bedouins, Chaldoean Christians, Yazidis or devil worshippers, Turks, and Syrians. There are few Europeans, apart from the staffs of the oil companies, for Mosul is handicapped by a lack of railway communication with the rest of the world. This is truly an irony of fate, for the city has been for fifty years the coveted aim of Germany’s traditional “ B.B.B.” campaign, the three letters standing for Berlin, Byzantium, and Bagdad railway. This railway reached as far as Nisibin, 100 miles to the west on the TurkishSyrian border, with which Mosul is connected by a good metal road; and less than 100 miles to the south are the railheads of a standard-gauge and a narrow-gauge railway respectively, leading to Bagdad and thence to Basra. No doubt this strategic railway will be completed after the war, but not by Germany, the originator of the campaign. Bismarck’s pet plan, the “ Drang nach Osten,” or eastern drive, has never been more completely frustrated than at present, and our Iraki allies deserve our appreciation for their help in turning back that drive.