BITS ABOUT BAGDAD

Taranaki Daily News, 14 March 1916, Page 6

BITS ABOUT BAGDAD

ENCHANTED CITY OF ARABIAN SIGHTS. Immortalised by Haroun-al-Rasehid,in th« story of the' Arabian Nights Ragdad, which has a population of about 130.000, was built on the ruins of an ancient Babylonian city dating back to •2000 R.O. ' Records have been found on ancient bricks establishing its early date. - Ever since the days of Ilaroun-al-Ras-chid the Jews have been the leading figures in the commercial world of Ragdad. 'There are 30,000 of them, with about SOCO Chaldean or (heretical) Christians. The remainder of the population is made up of Persians, Turks, Armenians, Arabs and Kurds. Sinbad the Sailor was born at Ragdad, and all his marvellous adventures begin by his going down the Tigris to Russorah (the modern Basra), the way the British Expedition has come up. Militarily, Bagdad is of no great Importance, but the moral impression which its fall will make on the Arab and Persian frontier tribes will be very gioat. Of latp years many European houses have settled agents in the city, and Britain, France and Russia have Consuls there. Dates, wool, grain and timbae (a substitute for tobacco) are exported, and a number of horses are sent to India. The city stands on both sides of the Tigris, the two parts being connected by the famous bridge of boats, 230 yards long. A brick wall, five miles in circumference and 40ft high, surrounds Bagdad. The city contains upwards of 100 mosques, though barely twenty of them are in use. The houses generally are old, dirty and ugly outside, hut the vaulted ceilings, rich mouldings, inlaid mirrors and massive gildings bring back to the recollection of the traveller "the golden prime, of good Haroun-al-Ras-chid." The streets are narrow, crooked, unpved, and dirty, full of ruts and strewed %v:ih garbage, which, however, is for the most part removed by dogs, the public scavengers in the Fast. In 1002 an irade from the Sultan gave powers to p Germany company to 'construct a railway from Konieh' to Basra by Bagdad through the Euphrates valley, a total distance of 1330 miles. A company was floated at Frankfort in 1003. with a capital of £130.000, to construct the first section, and this was completed and opened in 1004. Since then several other important sections have been constructed.