The Raymer enterprise., 1921-11-03

Prepared BY the National Geographic 50.
ciety. WashlaGion, y. CO
Irak, the new Arab state OF which
Emir Feisal recently was proclaimed
provisional king, under British inaa
date, strikes n new note to many ears
but despite Its unfamiliar name II
is land whose influence upon the
history Of the human race II would
scarcely be possible to 0yerestimate.
For lrak is none other than Mesupo
tamia, that between-the-riyers strip
of land whlchnis believed By many TO
have been the original home OF the
human race--the Garden Of Eden.
There In the dim and misty ages be.
fore history began, men first attempted
TO form themselves into organized
communities, there the Hebrew raes
found its origin, and thence their
first leader, Abraham, went oul 10
search Of tie land which he should
afterward receive for an Inheritance
It Is a long and comparatively mar.
row stretch Of country, running nr
from Che Persian Gulf toward the
Taurus mountains and that lofty table,
land which we now know as Armenia
On It's northern and northeastern side
II is bordered by a fringe Of noun
tains, gradually sloplng up toward the
great northern ranges. On the south.
ern and southwestern side 1t fades
away into the great Arabian desert.
Its Two Famous Rivers.
Far up In the tableland OF Armenia.
about 500 miles IN u straight line from
the gulf, rise two great riyers-tha
Tigris and the Euplrates. The former
breaks through the mountain wall Of
tile tableland on It's eastern flank
and flows in Il southeasterly direction
throughout almost Its entire course.
The latter breaks through on the
western flank and flows nt first west
ward, as though making for the
Mediterranean. II then turns south
and flows directly southward for
awhile; then sweeps around In q great
bend to the southeast and follows u
course gradually converging upon inst
of Its sister stream. Finally, near
the sea, the two unite and Issue as
one river into the Persian Gulf.
The land trayersed by these two
rivers has. Ike the sister overland II
Egypt, been from time ImmemufIal
one OF the great historic centers Gf
human development. 1t divides into
two portions Of fairly equal length.
For the first 400 miles the country
gradually descends In q gentle slope
from the mountains forming an ir.
regular triangle between the two
riyers, within which the land becomes
less and less hllly, as It sinks south
ward, till, as 1t nears the Enplrates,
IT becomes n broad steppe, which,
beyond the river, rolls off into tho
desert. This portion Is strictly ths
land called by the Greeks "Mesopo-
tamla."
The second division is totally DIFF.
ferent in character. 1t is simply 4
great delta, Ike that Of the Nile IA
fiat, alluvlal plain, which has been
entirely formed Of the SILT brought
down from the mountains by the two
great rivers.
The process of land making is still
going on, and the waters Of the Per-
sian Gulf are being pushed back ii The
rate of about 72 feet per aunuIns
What this slow process may achieve
In many centuries is evidenced by tho
fact that we know that the ancient
town of Eridu was, about S0o0 B. e.,
en- important seaport on the Persian
Gulf 1t Is now i25 miles from the
sea.
Control Of Waters Necessary.
Both lands were entirely dependent
for their habitability and fertility on
the rivers which traversed them. in
ATesopotamia the Tigrls and the Eu-
pirates have for long stretches chair.
neled deep into the soil and flow he.
low the level Of the land In the low.
or t--Babvlonia--the ordinary
level Of the rivers Is frequently above
that ef the surrounding plain; 50 that
inundatlons are Of frequent occur
renee. and large tracts of the country
are now unhealthy marshland.
In both cases, therefore, though for
opposite reasons, the hand Of man was
needed to make the rivers helpful. In
Mesopotamia .he water was con-
trolled by dhes and dams, which held
fIIf