even in the more populous parts of the city, near the river, a considerable
space between the houses is occupied by gardens, where pomegranates, figs,
oranges, lemons and date-palms grow in great abundance, so that the city,
when seen at a distance, has the appearance of rising out of the midst of
trees.

Along the Tigris the city spreads out into suburbs, the most important of
which is Kazemain, on the western side of the river northward, opposite
which on the eastern side lies Muazzam. The former of these is connected
with western Bagdad by a very primitive horse-tramway, also a relic of
Midhat Pasha's reforms. The two parts of the city are joined by pontoon
bridges, one in the suburbs and one in the main city. The Tigris is at this
point some 275 yds. wide and very deep. Its banks are of mud, with no other
retaining walls than those formed by the foundations of the houses, which
are consequently always liable to be undermined by the action of the water.
The western part of the city, which is very irregular in shape, is occupied
entirely by Shi'as. It has its own shops, bazaars, mosques, &c., and
constitutes a quarter by itself. Beyond the wall line on that side vestiges
of ancient buildings are visible in various directions, and the plain is
strewn with fragments of bricks, tiles and rubbish. A burying-ground has
also extended itself over a large tract of land, formerly occupied by the
streets of the city. The form of the new or eastern city is that of an
irregular oblong, about 1500 paces in length by 800 in breadth. The town
has been built without the slightest regard to regularity; the streets are
even more intricate and winding than those in most other Eastern towns, and
with the exception of the bazaars and some open squares, the interior is
little else than a labyrinth of alleys and passages. The streets are
unpaved and in many places so narrow that two horsemen can scarcely pass
each other; as it is seldom that the houses have windows facing the
thoroughfares, and the doors are small and mean, they present on both sides
the gloomy appearance of dead walls. All the buildings, both public and
private, are constructed of furnace-burnt bricks of a yellowish-red colour,
principally derived from the ruins of other places, chiefly Madain
(Ctesiphon), Wasit and Babylon, which have been plundered at various times
to furnish materials for the construction of Bagdad.

The houses of the richer classes are regularly built