The regions through which the Tigris and Eu phrates rivers run, and the countries intervening, have, since remote ages, been occupied by races who have taken a prominent place in history. Aram-Naharain is the Syria between the rivers of Genesis xxiv. 10 and Deuteronomy xxiii. 4. The greater part of what was called Mesopotamia in later times, constituted the territory of ancient Babel, and was the Aratn-Naharain of Scripture. The same territory in Genesis xxviii. 2 is called Padan-aram, or Champagne Syria, both of which designations agree with the desmiption of the country given by Stmbo. Ile Bays that the Tigris svashes the eastern side of 3fesopotamia, and the river Euphrates its southern and western ; whilst the Taurus separates it from Armenia on the north. Pliny is still more distinct : lie says that 3fesopotamia has the Tigris to the east, the Euphrates west, the Persian Gulf south, and the Taurus north, with a length of 800 miles and a breadth of 360 miles, the city of Charax being at the extremity of the gulf (lib. vi. e. xxvii). Mesopotamia extends above 10 degrees in longitude from Belie, in long. 38° 7' 10" E., to the estuary of the old Rerun, in long. 48° 45' 16" E.„ and from the shores of the Persian Gulf, in 30°, to Sumeisat, in lat. 37° 31' 5" N. • its greatest width being about 170 miles 40111 Jaber Castle to Ilusn Keifa, on the Tig,ris, and its extreme length nearly 735 miles. The irregular triangle thns formed has a superficies of nearly 76,117 square miles, including the shores of the gulf from the Pallaeopas to the old Karun. The principal towns of 3fesopotamia
aro Diyar Bekr, Ilusn Keifa, Jazireh, Mosul, Tekrit, Sammara, and Kut-ul-Amara along the Ti,gris; and along the Euphrates, Erzingan, Kemakh, Egin, Kebban 3faden, 3falatiya, Ruin, Kal'ah, Bir, Bakke, Deir, Rawd, Anah, Hadisa el-Uzz, Jibba, Diwaniya, Lamlun, Sheikh-ul Shityuk, and Kuriet ; in addition to Suverek, Harm, Seroug, Ras-el-Ain, 3fardin, Nisibis, Sinjar, El Hadhr, Kerbela, Mesjid Ali, Samasva, Zobeid, and many other villages, both in the mountains and along the streams, between the two great rivers. Grano or Quade, 3foluunmara, and Basra are the ports; and the last, beine the principal, is next in importance to Baghdad°, the capitaL Races.—The races that have ruled here front the most remote times have been Luany, and remnants are still to be traced of former dominant peoples in the varied languages still spoken. The inhabitatils of the region at present consist of Arabs, Osmanli Turks, Kurds, Turkomans, Syrians, Jews, and Christians. Arabic is the general language ; Turkish, Kurdish, Chaldee, Syriac, and Syro-Chaldman dialects being the exceptions. The Sunni Muhammadan religion is prevalent ; but in Upper Mesopotamia there are inany Nes torian Christians, some of whom have become Roman Catholics, and Jacobite as well as Roman Catholic Syrians.—Rawlinson ; Thinsen ; Rich ; Chesney.