IOR/L/PS/20/C202/3

A volume in a series of official publications entitled ‘Military Report on Mesopotamia (Iraq).’, compiled by the General Staff, British Forces in Iraq.

This volume covers an area referred to as ‘Area 6: Lower Euphrates’. This area contains the lower section of the Euphrates River, running north from Qalat Sikar [Qal’at Sukkar] to Muhammarah [Khorramshahr] and including Basrah [Basra] and the Hammar Lake.

The volume is divided into eight chapters:

1. ‘History’ – containing a timeline of key events in the ‘General History’ of Iraq and in the history of the ‘Muntafiq [al-Muntafiq] Confederation’ , from 1604 to 1915, and a history of the Muntafiq Confederation and its titular ruling family, the Sa’dun [Sa‘dūn], from its formation in the seventeenth century up to 1920

2. ‘Geography’ – defining the area covered by the volume and describing rivers, desert and cultivated areas, methods of irrigation, notable towns, and the supplies available in those towns

3. ‘Climate’ – describing the area’s humidity, rainfall, and the medical impacts of the climate, as well as giving statistical information on rainfall, wind, and temperature at Basrah [Basra] and Mahammarah [Khorramshahr]

4. ‘Ethnography’ – including descriptions of the ethnic makeup and distribution of the area’s population, languages used, educational provision, and professions

5. ‘Resources’ – including descriptions of imports, main agricultural products, agricultural methods used, livestock, labour availability, transport, and taxation

6. ‘Tribal’ – including descriptions of the tribes present in the region and the armed forces they have at their disposal

7. ‘Personalities’ – containing a list of notable individuals in the region, with biographical notes concerning their political affiliations and previous interactions with the Ottoman and British military authorities

8. ‘Communications’ – describing the communication routes in the area, including water, railway, and land, as well as existing telegraph, telephone, and postal services.

The report also contains nine appendices:

• ‘Appendix A- Local Weights and Measures’
• ‘Appendix B- Note on the Hammar Lake’
• ‘Appendix C- Water Storage Accommodation at Railway Stations’
• ‘Appendix D- Note on the Development of the Port of Basrah’
• ‘Appendix E- Note on Dates’
• ‘Appendix F- Comparative Time Table’
• ‘Appendix G- Bibliography’
• ‘Appendix H- Glossary of Arabic Terms’
• ‘Appendix J- Administration of Basrah Division’.

The report contains three maps:

• ‘Tribal and Communication Map of Area No 6’ (catalogued as IOR/L/PS/20/C202/3, f 222)
• ‘Key Map to Boundaries of Military Report Areas in Mesopotamia’ (catalogued as IOR/L/PS/20/C202/3, f 223)
• ‘Supplementary Map to Area No 6 showing Tribal Dispositions round the Hammar Lake’ (catalogued as IOR/L/PS/20/C202/3, f 224).

Amendments to the report created at a later date are inserted as loose folios at the beginning of the volume.

The report was compiled in 1922 by the General Staff, British Forces in Iraq, and was printed in 1923 at Calcutta [Kolkata] by Superintendent Government Printing.