Iraq and Kurdistan - compiled by an RAF serviceman
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Album of large format photographs, featuring rare and stellar views of Kurdistan and Baghdad, part of what was then the Kingdom of Iraq, taken by an RAF officer while serving with the AHQ Iraq Command (same handwriting as Iraq, Egypt, Yemen - compiled by L. Wells album in Hisham Khatib Collection AD_MC_030_ref158) between 1936-1938. The album also contains views of RAF Camp "Ser Amadia" which was a summer training camp in the northern mountains of Iraq in Kurdistan. [The first reference to this camp is found in the Foreign Office files of 1931, only six years prior to these views, indicating it had been in use in 1930. The camp was set up in April each year and closed in September. There were two adjacent sections, a Levy camp and a British camp for those on leave. The levies provided the local guard and security for those on leave. The officer was sent to Egypt in 1938, after his service in Mesopotamia, retaining in this album photographs of two manicured gardens in Alexandria (Nuzha and Antoniadis) and two of the squadron to which he was assigned in Aboukir [Abu Qir].
Biographical / Historical
Text from the description by Voyager Press: "A rare glimpse into the lives of Assyrians and Kurds in Mesopotamia, as well as beautiful views of Baghdad which had then just recently, in 1932, become the capital of the Kingdom of Iraq.
In Kurdistan, nostalgic views show an Assyrian village called Haisi [more recently known as Haisse], the lovely alpine village Sulav, and also the Kurdish town of Amadia [Amadiya], the latter being an ancient mountain top village and Hill station situated along a tributary to the Great Zab river in the Dahuk Governorate of Iraqi Kurdistan, a town which has become a popular summer resort.
Striking views of Baghdad render the most pleasing scenes of exquisite architecture, ancient partially excavated ruins, horsedrawn carriages travelling city streets, an outdoor Iraqi haikhana [teahouse], a fruit market.
Fascinated by the people, he captures excellent snapshot photographs of vibrant personalities. Others include an aged savant, a Bedouin woman and her children, an Assyrian farmer with his cattle, a nomad or merchant on a camel, and an ominous scene of a somber woman with child carrying a small locking chest on her head.
The album also contains views of RAF Camp "Ser Amadia" which was a summer training camp in the northern mountains of Iraq in Kurdistan. [The first reference to this camp is found in the Foreign Office files of 1931, only six years prior to these views, indicating it had been in use in 1930. The camp was set up in April each year and closed in September. There were two adjacent sections, a Levy camp and a British camp for those on leave. The last summer season was in 1954 as the camp could not reopen after the Levies were disbanded in May 1955. The levies provided the local guard and security for those on leave.] The officer was sent to Egypt in 1938, after his service in Mesopotamia, retaining in this album photographs of two manicured gardens in Alexandria (Nuzha and Antoniadis) and two of the squadron to which he was assigned in Aboukir [Abu Qir]. One of these group photographs is captioned to verso, "A Sqdn. Aboukir 1938. CO W/Cdr D. Daith." An earlier group photograph of 14 men with lacrosse sticks suggests a leave, with its caption, "A Workshop Squadron. RAF Depot ME. Aboukir. A.S.L. Winners 193637."
Content Description
Album of large format photographs, featuring rare and stellar views of Kurdistan and Baghdad, part of what was then the Kingdom of Iraq, taken by an RAF officer while serving abroad with the AHQ Iraq Command (same handwriting as album in Hisham Khatib Collection AD_MC_030_ref158).
