File:By Nile and Tigris - a narrative of Journeys in Egypt and Mesopotamia on behalf of the British Museum between the years 1886 and 1913 (1920) (14800211173).jpg

Identifier: byniletigrisnarr01budguoft (find matches)
Title: By Nile and Tigris : a narrative of Journeys in Egypt and Mesopotamia on behalf of the British Museum between the years 1886 and 1913
Year: 1920 (1920s)
Authors: Budge, E. A. Wallis (Ernest Alfred Wallis), Sir, 1857-1934
Subjects: Egypt -- Antiquities Egypt -- Description and travel Iraq -- Description and travel Iraq -- Antiquities
Publisher: London : Murray
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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dsmen at the same moment, and that Murad enjoyedthe sight! From December, 1638, until its capture bythe British on Sunday morning the nth of March, 1917,Baghdad continued to be a Turkish possession. The area of Baghdad varied at different periods.According to Ahmad ibn All al-Khatib, quoted byle Strange,^ the area of East Baghdad in a.d. 884 was26,250 jarzbs, and of West Baghdad 17,500 janbs. As-suming that 2,123 jarzbs equal one English square mile,the area of East Baghdad was i2; square miles, and ofWest Baghdad 8^ square miles, or a total of 21 squaremiles. This estimate of Al-Khatib supports the state-ment of Istakhri that the city covered an area which wasfive miles square. According to the measurements ofFelix Jones, East Baghdad covered 591 acres and WestBaghdad 146 acres, in all 737 acres, or i^ square miles,i.e., the size of the city has decreased to about one-twentieth of what it was in the eighth or ninth century. * Baghdad, pp. 323-326. To face p. 190, vol. i (see p. 194).
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Flood and Plague in Baghdad. 191 On the whole the cUmate of Baghdad is healthy, andmuch of the sickness which is prevalent is due to the waterwhich is left behind by floods, caused by the rise of theTigris and Euphrates. The flood water of the Euphratesdrains naturally into the Tigris, and because the authori-ties have neglected systematically the repair of the dykesand the clearing of the canals, sheets of water, manysquare miles in extent, lie round about the city for weeks,and even months, before they disappear. At such timesfevers are rampant, and though they yield readily totreatment, if neglected they often prove fatal. Epi-demics usually prevail from May to October. Baghdadhas suffered severely from visitations of the plague andcholera, and sometimes one-half of its population hasbeen wiped out. In 1831 a most destructive floodaccompanied the outbreak of the plague, and the calami-ties of that year were spoken of with awe when I was inthe city. According to Mr. A. N. Groves, th

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