Transcriber’s Note
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TO MESOPOTAMIA AND KURDISTAN
IN DISGUISE
A JAF CHIEF, S. KURDISTAN.
[Frontispiece.
v
TO MESOPOTAMIA AND
KURDISTAN IN DISGUISE
WITH HISTORICAL NOTICES OF THE
KURDISH TRIBES AND THE CHALDEANS
OF KURDISTAN
BY E. B. SOANE
BOSTON
SMALL, MAYNARD AND COMPANY
PUBLISHERS
PREFATORY NOTE
The following chapters are a plain narrative of a journeyacross Mesopotamia and in Southern Kurdistan, made upfrom a journal kept throughout the voyage from Constantinopleto Bagdad through those countries.
I think I may fairly claim that I have given here adescription of a great deal so far undescribed, also a viewof places, already known, from another standpoint.
Several of the situations have made it necessary tomention the fact of a knowledge of Persian, extensiveenough to enable the writer to pass among Persians asone of themselves. Lest this appear a needless andoffensive boast, I would say that the incidents demand itsmention, and it is explained in the course of the narrative.
In the historical portions of the book, in so far as moremodern history is concerned, I have been enabled to givesome entirely new matter, for that on Kurdish historywas supplied me in letters received from Shah Ali ofAoraman, Shaikh Reza of Kirkuk, Tahir Beg Jaf, MajidBeg Jaf, Muhammad Ali Beg Jaf, while a great partwas communicated during conversations at Halabja andSulaimania. This information, then, I think is unique.As to the chapter on Chaldean history, I am deeply indebtedto M. Badria, Rais-i-Millat of Mousil, also to his brotherHabib Badria, who, having access to old histories inMousil, were generous enough to allow me the benefit oftheir information.
There is, I am afraid, an overwhelming use of the firstvipersonal pronoun, which I trust may be forgiven, forwithout it the story would not be a personal one.
The tone of the narrative may betoken, perhaps, apartiality to the Kurds; and I must admit, that havingmet from them more genuine kindness—unclaimed—thanfrom any other collection of strangers met elsewhere, Iowe them a large debt of gratitude, the least return forwhich is to throw some light upon a national characterhitherto represented as being but an epitome of all thatis savage, treacherous, and inhuman.
E. B. S.
Mohammerah....