The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-06-10
NEAR the GARDEN OF EDEN.
Turkish Town Destroyed by
Earthquake Was in an Inter-
esting Region.

The' town of Melazgherd, whose
destruction by an earthquake was re-
ported in dispatches recently was on the
Murad Su, an affiuent of the eastern
Euphrates. 1t lay north Of the MIN.
rud Dagh mountain range, which
separated the valley of the Murad Su
from Lake Van.
The place was in region famous in
both sacred and profane history, be-
ing about 100 miles west by south Of
Mount Ararat, and in the particular
country which many Biblical geo.
grapers have identified as the garden
of Eden.
The general features of this entire
region are high mountains, inclosing
fertile valleys and an undulating up
land, intersected by numerous streams,
the headwaters of the Euphrates and
the Tigri. The scenery Of these high
lands is described as romantically
beautiful, while the numerous rivers
and streams flow through charming
landscapes and thickly wooded valleys,
passing in their courses castles and
cities famous in ecclesiastical history.
The Nimrud Dagh mountain range,
just south of the Murad Su, is con-
tinuation of the Taurus range and is
continued to the westward in the
Sipan Dagh and Ala Dagh to the
Persian frontier northeast of Lake Van.
North of the Murad Su are the Dujik
and MeZoor ranges, rugged and in
accessible mountains filing up the
entire space between the two arms of
the Euphrates and eliminating to the
east in the Ararat Of ark fame.
The ruined town was in the very
heart of the counry of the Kurds-
fanatical, turbulent and semi-inde-
pendent tribes that are at the same
time one of the greatest annoyances
and safest reliances OF the Ottoman
| Government.
This is the region of most of the
Armenian outrages, which have en-
gagged the attention of the United
States in recent years. The town it.
self was about three quarter Ma
hometan in population, the remand
er being Armenians and Jews.
The whole Of Kurdistan, both Tur-
kish and Persian, is very mountain
Gus, some of the peaks being nearly
13, 900 feet above the sea level. These
mountain rangs divide the country
into fertile valleys and extensive table
lands.
The country is traversed, in addi-
tion to the Euphrates and Tigris by
the Zab-ala, Zab-asfal and Shirvan,
and contains several large lakes, the
chief Of which are Van, in Turkey,
and Uramiati, in Persia.
Four-ffths of the inhabitants are
Kurds, race spoken Of as alien to
the Turks in language and to the
Persians in religion The Kurds are
nearly nomads, occupying themselves
chiefly, however, with the breeding
of cattle, sheep, goats and horses.
A great trade is carried on with
Turkey and Persia, especially in
horses, the Kurdish breed being so
famed for its spirit and endurance as
to be almost exclusively employed by
the Turkish and Persian cavalry.
The settled portion of the population
,is engaged in agricultural employ
ments. A remarkable product of this
country is substance found on the
leaves Of the tamarisk and other
shrubs, which is said to closely cor
respond to the description given of
"manna" in the Old Testament, and
is supposed to result from the pune
ture Of the leaf by an insect.
The country is deficient in mineral
wealth. The chief towns in Turkish
Kurdistan are Bitlis, Van, Urumia,
Maldin, Mush, Korkuk, Diarbekir,
Malatia and Marash.
The nearest United States consulate
to the ruined town of Melazgherd is
at Karpoot or Harpoot The incunl-
bent Of the Office of consul is Prof.
Thomas H. Nortong of Cincinnati.