The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-08-17

| tesies and sheathed knives characterize
the streets of Damascus after sunset.
The population OF Damascus is very diff
| fcult to estimate. According to calcula-
| tons made shortly before the war, it
then amounted to So0, 900, of whom 10000
were Christians and 5000 Jews. Probably
this figure has been considerably reduced
during the war. The population of the
great and comparatively uncultivated
plains lying to the north and south of
| the city cannot be estimated with any de-
gree of certainty. 1t is exceedingly
sparse. The city's population before the
war lived on its caravans across the Syr-
ian desert and on it's ancient native man
ufactures. Under Turkish rule these have
been waning Importance There are,
| however, still about 1900 of the most prim
| tive looms for the weaving of silk, cot
ton and wooden stuffs which are of ira
ditional beauty. There is also a consd-
cradle trade in the products of its or
chards. Before the war. the annual
value of the imports of Damascus was es-
timated at $4,000 and the annual value of
| its exports. chiefly dried apricots and
apricot kernels, at $4,000.
/ There is no reason why, with a perma-
nent and progressive authority co-operat-
ing with the Arab authority at Damascus,
the proportion of exports to imports could
not be reversed in future years When
plains adjoining the city is guaranteed
enough security to insure its reaping the
benefit of it's crops, an enormous agrl-
cultural produce is expected annually
| from these lands. The Same thing which
| is expected to happen in these plains
| took place some time ago in the Behera
| district of the Nile delta in Egypt. The
region was an extremely fertile, but a
very insecure one, before the British ar
| rival in Egypt Nomad tribes of Beduin
raided it so continually that no one would
| farm it. AS soon, however, as condi-
tions of security were introduced, these
nomad tribes themselves settled it, and
| today it is one of the most productive
regions of the delta.
| What population there is upon the
plains adjacent to Damascus is quite SUI
! perier to the Egyptian peasantry. 1t is
strong vigorous and unspoiled popula-
ton, a population quick to assimiate new
ideas and one which, as soon as condl-
tons of security are introduced into the
plains, will form fine market Tor rnc<>
ern agricultural implements.
1t has already been demonstrated that
cotton can be grown in the plains be
tween Hannah and Aleppo north OF pa
mascus In fact, the only reason 1t has
not been grown there is large annual
crops is the fact that Beduin have sys-
tematically despoiled the crops.
Regarding the industrial future OF Da-
mascus itself. silks. woodwork, brass
work. carpets and fruit products are ex-
pected to form the bulk of these. NO sta
tistics are available regarding the clty's
industrial output in years past. The va
rious handicrafts are organized INTO
guilds. but these have not troubled them
selves with statistics. The bazars are
however as every tourist knows, the
busiest spots in Damascus. Volumes
could be and have been written ABOUT
them. Men who know consider them 10
be superior to the bazars of Cairo ana
hardly inferior to the bazars of Constan-
tinople.
In the future development of Damascus
much of the bazaar district will have TO
he evacuated and entirely replaced, II
fine city is to realize its greatest pos
sibilities. Since the great fire OF 1898,
a portion of them has been rebuilt, and
the successors of the bazaars Whlch
were destroyed, are clean, airy arcades
which furnish a sanitary setting to the
i colorful goods of the native merchants
The old bazaars, however, are rows OF
| small. dark shops built of mud bricks
end huddled along narrow, tortuous
| pathways These at present are en-
crusted with dirt and their pavement Is
either entirely lacking or so nearly lack
ing as to consist of a series OF rot'
and holes
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