The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1921-11-03
prepared by the National Geographic So.
ciety, Washington. ID. CO.

Irak, the new Arab state, of which
Emlr Feisal recently was proclaimed
provisional king, under British man.
date, strikesa 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 overestimate.
For Irak is none other than Mesopo-
tamia, that between-the-rivers strip
Of land which is 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 race
found its origin, and thence their
first leader, Abraham, went out In
search of the land which he should
afterward receive for an inheritance.
1t is a long and comparatively mar
row stretch of country, running up
from the 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 sloping up toward the
great northern ranges. On the SOUTH
ern and southwestern side 1t fades
away into the great Arabian desert.
It's Two Famous Rivers.
Far up in the tableland of Armenia,
about 800 miles in straight line from
the gulf, rise two great rivers-the
Tigris and the Euphrates. The former
breaks through the mountain wall Of
the tableland on its eastern flank
and flows In a southeaserly direction
throughout almost its entire course.
The latter breaks through on the
western flank and flows at first west
ward, as though making for the
Mediterranean. 1t then turns south
and flows directly southwark for
awhile; then sweeps around in great
bend to the southeast and follows a
course gradually converging upon that
of Its sister stream. Finally, near
the sea, the two unite and issue as
one river into the Persian Gulf.
The land traversed by these two
rivers has, like the sister overland OF
Egypt, been from time immemorial
one of the great historic centers of
human development. 1t divides into
two portions Of fairly equal length.
For the first 400 miles the country
gradually descends In a gentle slope
from the mountains. forming an ir-
regular triangle between the two
rivers, within which the land becomes
less and less hilly. as 1t sinks south
ward, till, as IL nears the Euphrates,
II becomes a broad steppe, which,
beyond the river, rolls off into the
desert. This portion Is strictly the
land called by the Greeks "Mesopo-
tamia."
The second division is totally diff
ferent In character. 1t Is simply
great delta, like that OF the Nile-a
fat, alluvial 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 at the
rate of about ~ feet per annum.
What this slow process may achieve
In many centuries is evidenced by the
fact that we know that the ancient
town OF Eridu was, about 5000 b. o.,
an important seaport on the Persian
Gulf. 1t is now 125 miles from the
sea.
Control Of Waters Necessary.
Both lands were entirely dependent
for their Availability and fertility on
the rivers which traversed them. In
MesopotamIa the Tigris and the Eu-
pirates have for long stretches chan
neled deep into the soil and flow be-
low the level Of the land. In the low
er dlstrict-Babylonla- ordinary
level Of the rivers is frequently above
that Of the surrounding plain; so that
foundations 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 the water was con-
trolled by bikes and dams. which held