Constantinople to Trebizond, calling at Samsoon, steamers depart twice a week, and arrive at Samsoon on the morning of the second, and at Trebizond on the morning of the third day. (Trebizond is described in Rte. 37, Erzeroom in Rte. 33.) The shortest route to Busrah is through Trebizond, Erzeroom, Moosh, Bitlis, Sert, Jezirah, Moussul, and Bagdad; but it is not practicable in winter; and, except between Trebizond and Erzeroom, there are no regular posts established, though, provided with a firman, horses can be procured at the villages, or they may be hired from town to town. See also Route 61. The road most commonly taken by tatars and travellers passes through Samsoon, Amasia,Tokat, Diarbekir, Merdin, and Moussul. There is military road from Samsoon to Diarbekir, which offers great facilities to the traveller. The journey on either route for men in good health presents no particular difficulties beyond rough roads and bad accommodation. For ladies, taktaravans (similar to the Sicilian lettiga), carried between 2 horses, or rather mules, may be engaged, which can convey them comfortably from Samsoon to Bagdad, but not by the other route. The rate of horse-hire was a piastre per hour; but, owing to the depreciation in the value of that money, it is raised to 2½ piastres, or about 5d. sterling per hour. There is no danger whatever on the journey when the Bedouin tribes are quiet; but if the traveller learns on inquiry that they are at war, either with each other or with the Sultan's authorities, he should consult the Turkish officers and modify his plans accordingly: for instance, instead of taking the desert route between Merdin and Moussul, he may proceed through the Jebel tour, out of the reach of Arabs. There are vice-consuls at Samsoon, Moussul, and Busrah ; and a consul-general at Bagdad, who is also the resident of the East India Company. A consulate has been established of late at Diarbekir.

Moussul, the scene of Mr. Layard's invaluable researches, will of course offer a paramount interest to the traveller by this road. At Nimroud and Moussul, with that distinguished explorer's works in hand, a few days can be both agreeably and instructively passed.

From Moussul travellers can descend on a kellek, or raft, to Bagdad, and from thence in boats to Busrah, where they can embark, if desired, for Bombay. A tatar reaches Erzeroom in 3 or 3 ½ days from Trebizond, and goes to Bagdad in 12 to 14. The following are the distances on the 2 routes: –

1. From Samsoon to Moussul, and thence to Bagdad by land.

	Hours
Kavak	6
Ladik	8
Amasia	6
Turkhal	12
Tokat	10
Sivas	20
Deliktash (the highest point of the Taurus range)	10
Allahjah	10
Hakim Khan	11
Ogli Oglu	12
Denezli	8
Kebban Maden (cross the Euphrates)	2
Kharput	10
Arganeh	16
Diarbekir	12
Merdin	18
Nisibin	12
Asnavour	12
Jezireh	12
Zaku	12
Semil (long)	12
Moussul	12
Yezid Köi (cross the Zab on rafts)	9
Tash Tepeh	12
Kerkout	14
Tazeh Khourmat	16
Kara Tepeh	18
Hopop	15
Bagdad	9
	——
	361
2. Distances from Moussul to Bagdad by kelleks, or rafts, on the river Tigris:
	Miles.
Keshaf	24
Sultan Abdulla	4
Toprak Kaleh	37
Mount of the Zab	18
El Fathaa	9
Tekrit	18
Imam Mohammed	5
Samara	11
Sindia	30
Howeish	14
Bagdad
	——
	180

At Moussul the sportsman also will find ample scope for the indulgence of his tastes in a manner totally different from the generally received notions on such subjects in Europe. Mounted on the small but well-bred horse of the country, he may course hares, to his heart's content, on the cultivated plains to the E. of the Tigris. The greyhounds are of 2 kinds: the Persian, with feathered legs and tails, and the smooth Arab hound, which is smaller than the other, but of a finer and more symmetrical form. This sport may be enjoyed early in the morning during all but the hottest parts of the year. Hares, however, are not the only game to be coursed. Upon all the cultivated land, at a certain distance, gazelles abound, and, after a few days' heavy rain in the winter season, they afford excellent sport with greyhounds. These animals are so fleet that they cannot be taken by dogs on dry ground; but when the heavy ploughed land is soaked with rain, the hoof of the gazelle sinks in the mud, while the spreading paw of the hound has the advantage. The Arabs go on foot, with the dogs in leash, and, when a herd of gazelles is discovered, they creep on in different directions towards the game, leaving the mounted sportsmen to ride gently along on a parallel line. The gazelles watch the riders, and thus let the dogs approach them till they are slipped, when off they bound, and an exciting chase ensues. The game rarely escapes. On the banks of the Tigris are patches of jungle, which usually swarm with franco-lines, a species of bird resembling both the pheasant and the partridge, and affording excellent sport with the gun. Travellers should be well provided with English powder and shot. There are also woodcocks in the season, and wild ducks, not to speak of an occasional wolf, jackal, hyæna, lynx, wild boar, or cat. The lion is not altogether unheard of in this neighbourhood, though rarely met with N. of Bagdad, where they are frequently seen. Hog-hunting with the spear is a favourite amusement in this part of the country. These animals are large and ferocious. With a party of Arabs always ready for fun or mischief, the sportsman may drive boar out of the jungle upon the plain, where he will furnish a good run of 10 or 15 minutes at horses' best pace, and, when blown, he will turn and look vicious. Then is the time to spear him, which manoeuvre is not without danger to both horse and man, as a bad aim may involve an upset, with ripping and goring if the tusks be large. By far the best place for boar — as indeed for all kinds of game — is the banks of the river Zab, which empties itself into the Tigris at 2 hours' ride below Nimroud, and there they may be found all the year round. During the winter months they are only to be met with in the most retired portions of the thickest jungles; but in spring, when the glowing sun acting on the moistened earth produces a rich and rapid vegetation, and makes even this desert teem with succulent herbs and tender roots, these animals issue forth to feed at leisure. This sport is then at its best period.

Thus may the traveller, if such be his tastes, pass his time agreeably at Moussul between Assyrian antiquities and Asiatic wild sports. Nor is the town itself without interest. Like all eastern cities, it is picturesque from a distance, though devoid of the advantages of a mountainous position. The whole country around is dry and brown at every season except the spring of the year, and presents one vast expanse of plain, broken only by a few low rising grounds and ancient mounds. The broad and rapid Tigris flows through it, with its banks offering a fresh belt of green herbage, and its stream occasionally divided by large islands covered with thick jungle. On its western bank stands the city, whose walls extend far beyond its habitations. A chain of limestone cliffs runs along the rt, bank from about. 2 m. N., and joins the suburbs where a high square tower in ruins is seen. The minarets, cupolas, and towers rise up from the brown hot country, and cut the burning sky with those, sharp lines and well-defined angles which are so striking in southern climes. Long lines of laden camels and mules move slowly towards the gates, each attendant armed with a long lance of bamboo. The loose white garments of the Arab mingle with the gay-striped robes and many coloured turbans of the Kurdish mountaineers. A broken wooden bridge across the river leads immediately to the bazars, which are close to the gate. Here a motley, ragged, and picturesque crowd will greet the traveller's sight. The portly merchant, with his clean-shaven face and loose shalwar, inkstand in his girdle, and grave cunning in his looks, as he sits bargaining with truculent-looking Kurds armed to the teeth; irregular soldiers, glittering in gold-embroidered jackets, and bright arms ancient and various, strut about, or form groups at corners; while the half-naked Bedouins glide through the mob with the wild and restless glance of the fox. Women appear, enveloped in blue mantles, with faces veiled, and silent and mysterious; children, in gay colours and happy faces, dash past, bearing water-skins or platters of fruit; and, mingling with the crowd, are found Jew, Christian, and Moslem, each with a distinctive costume, and each with a countenance marked by strong individuality.

If the traveller be fortunate enough to arrive on the Mahometan feast of Bairam, he will see these cities of the desert at their gayest time. Music is constantly playing, and cannon ever and anon fire salutes. Large processions of Ottoman dignitaries pass through the streets to pay their respects to the pashas, with the greatest state they can muster, and mounted on sleek Arabians richly caparisoned in gold and silver trappings, all their retinue on horseback, and bespangled with embroidery. It is in these centres of the far East that the Turk looks like himself, and not in the Europeanised Stambul, where he affects patent-leather boots, and studies the tie of his cravat and the cut of his pantaloons. Without the precincts of the towns, characteristic scenes are also enacted on these festive occasions. All the young beaux of the place are out, decked in their finery, and far finer-looking fellows than the dandy Turks of the Bosphorus; well mounted- for Arab blood pervades the horseflesh everywhere in Mesopotamia — and wearing clothes that are heirlooms in their families. Their costume consists of a long crimson silk gown, called a zibun, bound round the waist by a bright shawl; then a crimson cloth jacket with wide hanging sleeves, the whole being richly embroidered in gold, while a thin white transparent cloak is thrown over the shoulders like a gossamer veil that hides scarcely any of the glories beneath it. A broad turban covers the head; a large scimitar in a velvet and silver-embossed scabbard; and the very horse is ornamented with laced straps, silk tassels, and little chains of shining steel. Thus brilliantly set off, many Arab cavaliers are to be seen at Baïram curvetting gracefully with jerecd in hand. They start their horses at a furious gallop, suddenly wheel round, and throw the javelin; are pursued in their turn amid the dust and maze of a mock combat; while on a rising ground sit groups of veiled matrons and maidens watching with pride and interest the gallant bearing of their sons and sweethearts. Mussulmanism does not exclude the latter social relation, as has been supposed by those little acquainted with Eastern manners.

If of an adventurous disposition, and not averse to run a certain degree of risk, the tourist might extend his sphere of observation by paying a visit to the great Bedouin tribe of Shammar (some portions of which inquiring either at Moussul or Bagdad), and especially to the very remarkable ruins of Al Hashr, situated in the Mesopotamian desert. The first step is to get the consul to send for some small sheikh of the a Turkish pasha's grasp to meet a long account of plundered caravans unless he had the protection of a consulate. But with that assurance he arrives with 2 or 3 attendants non broken-down old mares or troting dromedaries, called delul. He is remarkable for a scanty and teeth, and a very dignified and gentlemanly deportment. A present must be made to him-a fur cloak for winter or a brace of Turkish pistols - to secure his good-will, conciliating him further by hints of additional largesse in the event of a safe return, and the traveller may then set out on his novel expedition. The desert once gained, there will be abundant sources of gratification for the lover of nature. As he rides over the boundless waste of short grass, unbroken by the smallest attempt at cultivation, he will also observe the sharp look-out kept by the Bedouin escort. All around the horizon is a vast solitude, and the little party creeps across it like lonely pilgrims through a deserted world. Suddenly is heard the word “aiul" ("horsesmem"), uttered by some one perched on the back of a camel: at once all is excitement; the sheikh scans the horizon, and announces strangers, though noue are visible to less practised eyes. The escort is on the alert; the sheikh receives his spear from the hand of his henchman; the camels are left in the charge of a boy; led horses are mounted; the priming of pistols and guns is looked to, and the whole party is ready to fight or retreat according as the enemy may be in strength or not. The sheikh gallops up a small height to reconnoitre; comes back at full speed; shouts “dushman" (“enemies"), and in a greater force than their own. Not a moment is lost; sauve-qui-peut is the order of the day; and the Arabs disperse, leaving the traveller to make terms as he best can, probably a permission to return on foot and naked to the town. The wild-looking sons of the desert, mounted on rough but high bred mares, come down upon him like a whirlwind, with a loud unearthly yell, shaking their lances over their heads; and the interview is soon over, the tourist finding himself again alone on the broad plain, with or without a shirt, as the case may be. If any resistance has been made by him, any man killed or mare killed or wounded, the traveller's adventures here terminate forever in the thrust of a lance. It is more likely, however, that the horsemen in the distance prove to be friends, for the Bedouins seldom venture to cross a dangerous district unless assured of the absence of all tribes with whom they have feuds. Under the direction of the sheikh the camp is pitched near some lonely spring, disturbing possibly thereby a troop of wild asses, which gallop off to drink at some safer place. After a few days' journey of this kind descried in the distance numerous black specks which gradually assume the form of an encampment, the home of your Bedouin guides. As the party approaches it will be joined by scouts, who come careening towards it with intricate feats of horsemanship, spear in rest, wo excite the admiration and respect of the unknown visitor. On arriving, the guest is taken to the largest tent, where he dismounts, and exclaims, “Salaaum aleikum!” Its inmates gravely respond, in a sonorous voice “Aleikum salaam !”. When seated on the best carpet he is regaled with a small cup of black unsugared coffee, rendered still more unpalatable by an odious infusion of bitter herbs. Presently a huge bowl of rice, cooked with butter, probably rancid, and lumps of mutton, certainly tough, is placed on the ground, and every one thrusts his fingers into it and helps himself. Each partaker of the feast retires when his appetite is satisfied, and leaves his place to another until the last remnants of the fare are devoured by a troop of naked and hungry children, and the bones by the lean curs of the encampment. All idea of privacy must be given up, as the tent of the stranger will be open to all visitors, who would be much offended if he were to say “Not at home" to the least of them. With the exception cloak of this intrusive disposition, the Bedouins will be found gentle, considerate, and anxious to please their guest. In the morning he may ride out on a hawking party with the principal chiefs, who carry their unhooded falcons on their wrists; presently one of the keen-sighted birds will begin to nod his head and struggle to escape; he is let loose, and pounces down on an obara or bustard, which receives him on the ground with extended wings and ruffled plumage; a battle ensues, ending almost always in the victory of the hawk, which, seizing its quarry by the back of the neck, holds it firmly until the riders come up to despatch it. The pure air of the desert, the wild Arabs on their their fleet mares-preferred for all expeditions which might be balked by the neighing of stallions--and the mimic combats they engage in, with the trackless extent of spring pastures, and an occasional glimpse of a wolf, hyæna, or panther, which is chased till out of sight, the horsemen screaming and brandishing their spears, then singing their uncouth songs at the top of their voice when returning, afford an insight into Bedouin life in all its picturesque simplicity, which will rarely be forgotten when once obtained. While the tourist is enjoying this rich treat, some plundering enterprise may perhaps be planned by the sheikh against the Aneyzeh tribe, which is in a state of perpetual foray and reprisals with the Shammar. If the traveller should wish to push his study of the desert so far as to run this additional risk, he must see that he be well mounted for a forced retreat, and he must equip himself in a Bedouin costume to avoid the danger of being captured with a view to a heavy ransom. Early in the morning the party will be on their mares, and, taking with them a few thin wheaten cakes for food and each a sheepskin to sleep on, they start in a straight line to a point on the horizon at a good pace, that their enemies may be taken by surprise. All those whom they meet on their way, if of friendly tribes, are invited to join the expedition, which they are always ready to do, and the number of the party will probably soon be thus increased to about a hundred horsemen. When the ground becomes uneven, a scout is sent to every height to reconnoitre, and towards nightfall a concealed position is ought for a bivouac. No fires are lit, no tents are pitched, but each man throws himself on the ground to eat his dry bread and sleep beside his picketed mare, one being, however, on guard. An hour or two before daylight the word [unreadable] - “mount"-is passed from mouth to mouth, and the mares are again put to their mettle. The arrival at the doomed encampment is timed so as to meet the flocks and herds just when they are being driven out in the morning to graze, and before they are scattered about on the pastures, that they may thus be swept off in a body. The war-chant is commenced. The mares prick their cars and snort with excitement. Those who have been told off to drive the captured cattle and carry off the booty, separate from the main body, which gradually quickens its pace, the war-song becoming louder and louder, till a full gallop and a yell bring the assailants round some sheltering mound, and they charge in amongst the tents. A scene of disorder ensues which baffles description. The men of the plundered tribe spring out of their tents; some hurl their javelins at the horsemen, others fire their long rifles at them and quickly load, while the women shriek and fling stones; the cattle gallop in all directions with their tails in the air, and the hostile parties of drivers and fighters show the greatest activity in getting the herd together on the move, and in dispersing those who attempt to prevent its being taken away. If the Shammar be worsted, the sooner the traveller gets his mare into a gallop, in the direction whence he came, the better will it be for him; but, if successful, a few minutes will suffice to get the cattle on their way home, covered by a strong force in the rear, the Aneyzeh firing distant shots to harass them for some miles. The wounded are carried off, the dead left on the field, and, if prisoners have been taken, their ransom is transacted by regular embassies, as well as the conditions for the restoration of a part of the booty when the plundered tribe can afford it. Such incidents are of so frequent occurrence, that the traveller will find no lack of opportunities for witnessing them, if it be his wish.

In the city of Bagdad the English traveller will meet with a little Anglo-Indian society, which will materially enhance the enjoyment of his stay there. Besides the species of game already mentioned, he will find in the neighbourhood antelopes of different kinds, and in the desert ostriches, and he may see the peregrine falcon strike down the crane, or fasten its talons on the head of a gazelle coursed by greyhounds. Around Bagılad, however, excursions are more dangerous, as the Arabs in its vicinity are veritable sons of Ishmael—their hand is against every man and every man's hand is against them, while the pasha's authority scarcely extends beyond the range of his cannon.

Excellent and even sumptuous khans are to be found in the cities of Mesopotamia. On the roads the traveller would do better to pass the nights in his own tent than consign himself to the tender mercies of caravanserais swarming with vermin. He will also find this mode of independent lodging more in keeping with his day's ride. On a fine calm evening, seated on a small rug at the door of his tent, he may enjoy that pastoral scenery described in Holy Writ. In spring the verdure of the desert is rich beyond imagination, being one wide sheet of thick grass enamelled with wild flowers of every hue. The yellow composites predominate, varied by scarlet and blue anemones, patches of one colour succeeded by another; the whole forming a soft carpet of the most brilliant tints, on which the slanting rays of the setting sun shine like the prismatic colours of the rainbow. If near an Arab encampment he will see it alive with movement at this hour. The herdsmen are driving home the lowing cattle and shouting to each other; the young maidens in their long blue robes are coming in groups from the spring with water jars of classic form on their shoulders; while ever and anon small troops of armed horsemen ride slowly back from some distant raid, and tell exciting tales of skirmishes, successes, and flights, resting on the ground their long lances tipped with ostrich feathers, and their graceful drapery adding to the general effect of that picture, worthy of a painter's most glowing enthusiasm. By all means let the traveller see as much as he can of the Bedouins in the desert, and as little as possible of the Fellahs in the villages.

Gumish Khaneh, 12 h., on the banks of the river Karshat, has grown up among the mines of argentiferous lead in the neighbourhood. They were once rich in silver, but the produce is now small. At one time 40 furnaces were in full employment; now there are but 2. The whole district abounds in copper and lead ore, but few of the mines are worked. (See Rtes. 59 and 60.)

From Gumish Kbaneh to Trebizond is 18 h.