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National Geographic : 1914 Dec
Contents
IMPRESSIONS OF ASIATIC TURKEY inspiring. I have seen while riding in the Adana plain at daybreak 15 snow-white peaks light up with the delicate tints of dawn. The atmospheric effects of early morning and sunset are entirely unique. Rich tints of purple, blue, and rose hover above the horizon at those mystic hours. Riding out over the Mesopotamian plain in the heat of summer, I have watched with wonder the phenomenon of the mirage. Beautiful groves of trees of shimmering brightness and grace stand forth on the level horizon; but when some new angle of vision is reached the fair scene grows hazy and vanishes. Again I have seen the distant part of the plain transformed into a vast lake, with many wooded islands. At such times it is almost impossible to believe that the plain has no such beauties, but is in reality a dull, level brown, with clustered villages, monotonously similar and color less. The mineral resources of that part of Turkey are as yet undiscovered; but it is known that there are rich copper veins in several parts of the Taurus and in the hills near Diarbekr. Coal has been found in ledges near the surface and extending many miles not far from Aintab and Behesne. Near Bagdad oil fields have been discovered. The Karamanian range west of Adana contains vast amounts of iron ore. Given an intelligent and liberal government, these natural resources will attract the attention of engineers and in vestors from all over the world. Out in the plain of Haran, where Abra ham sojourned, the surveyors have driven their stakes for the "iron road" within eight or ten paces of the well which by ancient tradition of the Arab tribes is the very well where Rebecca watered the camels at eventide. Soon the freight trains will be rushing by and the camel caravans will be forced farther back into the desert. The Arabs of the plain are perhaps the most primitive of all the inhabitants of Turkey. I have seen a group of Arab men di vide and devour a large watermelon and toss the rinds out into the dust of the village street. They were not thrown aside for the donkeys and camels, for by and by the women and children came skulking up, gathered the gritty rinds, and ate them with avidity! Probably not more than I per cent of these Arabs can read. The village dwellings are adobe huts, but the nomads live under goats' hair tents the year round. It is here in the north Arabian plain that the finest horses in the world are raised. Every year buyers from Bombay and Cairo come to the Aneyzeh and Shammar tribes to secure polo and riding horses of the purest breeds. These horses, when exported to northern and western countries, do not stand the cold, damp climates. DIFFICULTIES OF TRAVEL Journeys are usually made on horse back in these provinces, though the larger cities are all connected by a system of wagon roads. The roads get into such hopeless condition that it is no strange sight to see five or six Aleppo carriages up to the hubs in mire, the passengers all having abandoned them by wading through the stickiest kind of mud, fer vently wishing that they had had sense enough to start out on horseback. A good riding horse will get through anything except quagmire and quicksand; but the exposure of riding ten or twelve hours a day in the saddle makes traveling extremely difficult for aged people and those of delicate health. The heat of the sun in summer is so intense that the journey is very exhausting. Horseflies, mosquitoes, and the dirty conditions of wayside inns detract from the romance of life in the saddle. But the unfailing hospitality of the people, welcoming the traveler, no mat ter of what race or religion, to any house in any village, compensates for many of the inconveniences and hardships of vil lage life. When journeying by caravan, there is a continual din at night and sleep is well nigh impossible; for whether in an inn or in an open camp the pack-horses and mules carry great bronze bells around their necks which jangle resonantly as the animals move to and fro. The best way is to travel with little baggage, as the Turks usually do, and accept the hospi- 603
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