Untitled map of Iraq / Iraqi State Railways network / Cairo-Baghdad Air Mail Route

(Iraqi State Railways)

Published by (Iraqi State Railways), (Baghdad), 1929

About this Item

Colour map 38x24cm, concertina folding down into 4 panels. Very good with archival paper tape reinforcement along one of the folds to the verso. This map has no title, scale, date, publisher or cartographer indicated. Slight roughness at the left-hand edge suggests it was carefully extracted from a book. The image centres on Iraq, bounded by Kutaya (NW), Tehran (NE), Bushire (SE), and Cairo (SW). The principle feature is the Iraqi State Railways network, current with branches completed up to Baiji and Kirkuk, and under construction up to Tel Kotchek, Tehran and Haifa, suggesting this was prepared and issued by them. Other features include roads, other railways, and air routes. The latter includes the Cairo-Baghdad air mail route which the RAF had developed in the 1920s, including a note at Rutba Wells "where motor and air mail tracks meet", likely referencing the Nairn desert bus. The air link via Bushire on towards Bombay would date this between 1929-32, which is consistent with references to the frontiers of Trans Jordan and Iraq with Najd.

Seller Inventory # 5047

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Untitled map of Iraq / Iraqi State Railways network / Cairo-Baghdad Air Mail Route
• Publisher: (Iraqi State Railways), (Baghdad)
• Publication Date: 1929
• Binding: No Binding
• Condition: Good