The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-11-07
8 PROVINCES OF
TURKEY IN ASIA
DESCRIBED IN A NEW WAR GEO.
eRAPHY BULLETIN.
INCLUDE ANCIENT EMPIRES
Land Once Rich and Flourishing
and the Home of Prophets and
and Apostles Has Suffered
Much.

and Apostles Has Suffered
Much.
Washington, ID. c., Nov. 6.-In war
bulletin issued today the National Geo
graphic Society gives a brief account
of the five provinces or districts into
which Asiatic Turkey may be roughly
divided. The bulletin, which is based
upon a communication to the Society
from William H. Hall, says:
Land of the Dawn.
"Anatolia (the name from Turkish
word meaning the DAWN lies be-
tween the Black and Mediterranean
seas. This district is the home of the
greater part of the Turkish population
perhaps 100000 in ALL Here is
case where the people can be distin-
guished from the government. Even
the So called subject races
have suffered but little more at
the hand of the governing officials
than the common Turkish people.
When one remembers that all gov
eminent Of the Empire lies solely in
the hands of a group Of not more than
500 men. and that they impose their
selfish will on Turk and Christian
alike, one readily understands how a
distinction can be made between peo-
| pie and government. In spite OF con-
stitution having been proclaimed and
parliament summoned, the people,
whether of Turkish or other race, have
/ absolutely no voice in the affairs of
the nation.
Home of the Armenians.
Armenia. east of Anatolia. extend
ing to the region of the Caucasus and
the Persian border, is the site of the
ancient Kingdom of Armenia. The
population is not wholly Armenian
/ in fact even before the war the ma
jority of the people were Turks and
Kurds-but here the bulk of the Ar
menian race was found.
ut is a rugged land, a succession Of
mountains and valleys. where the peo-
pie have had to contend with nature
for the establishment and maintenance
| of their homes; but, all highland
countries. il has been the means of
producing a religious, freedom-lovins
people
They were the first nation to en-
brace Christianity, when, in the latter
half of the third century, their king,
! Tiradates, accepted the new faith,
and most of the nation followed him.
! Throughout all the succeeding CEN
! turtles they have remained steadfast
against wave after wave of persecu-
| ton. until the last storm of hate and
fanaticism has swept the greater part
| from their homes and has destroyed
at least a million-twothirds of the
entire people.
Heather Worship in kureistan.
"Kurdistan, a hill country north OF
the Tigris River. is the home of a
brave, virile. largely illiterate series
of tribes and clans known as the
Kurds. They are the descendants of
the Cardushi, who gave Xenophon and
his ten thousand so much difficulty on
| their march across these same hills
on their way TO the sea.
"Nominally they are Moslem in re-
ligion, but they have retained many
elements of heather worship. Some of
their tribes are 'Yesdi,' or devil wor-
shippers. They are home-Ioying, frugal,
and capable of enduring great hard
ships. They practice strict monogamy
and their women occupy an equal
place with their men in the family
life.
The Kurds have furnished at least
one great man to history, for Saladin,
the chivalrous leader of the Saracen
hosts, the compere of Richard Coder
de Lion, was from this people.
Seat Of Ancient Civilization.
"Mesopotamia, Upper and Lower,
yies with Egypt in claiming the honor
of being the home of ancient civiliza-
ton. 1t comprises the valleys of the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Here
flourished the Chaldean, Babylonian.
and Assyrian empires. The city OF
Bagdad, with all its glamour Of mys-
terry and magic, is in the heart of
Mesopotamia.
This was the richest land in the
world. the granary of the ancients;
yet, in spite of all that 1t has been. IL
today lies largely waste, the desert
sands have encroached up on the
fertile fields while the clogged canals
have turned other portions into swamp
and marshes. T"isM
What population there is-not more
than one millions of Arab origin
and the Arabic language is spoken
throughout There is, in fact, very
distinct dividing line between the
Arabic and the Turkish speaking
portions Of tho Ottoman Empire. This
corresponds with the line Of !,
the Bagdad Railway from the Mediter-
ranean TO the Persian Gulf. 1t is for
the exploitation OF this rich land OF
that the famous Bagdad
line was built
Cream Of the East"
Syria. the region extending from