ncient Arabian city from the northeast through Persia.

Before the Mesopotamian plain, in which Bagdad is situated, could be
reached from Persia the mountains along the Persian-Turkish frontier
had to be crossed, an undertaking full of difficulties.

Just as in Armenia, here completed railroads were lacking entirely.
Such roads as were available were for the most part in the poorest
possible condition. The mountains themselves could be crossed only at
a few points through passes located at great height, where the
caravans that had traveled for centuries and centuries between Persia
and Mesopotamia had blasted a trail. At only one point to the north of
Bagdad was there a break in the chain of mountains that separated
Persia from Mesopotamia. That was about one hundred miles northeast of
Bagdad in the direction of the Persian city of Kermanshah. There one
Russian army was advancing undoubtedly with the twofold object of
reaching and capturing Bagdad and of submitting the Turkish army
operating in that sector to an attack from this source as well as from
the British army advancing along the Tigris. A Russian success at this
point would have meant practically either the capture of all the
Turkish forces or their ultimate destruction. For the only avenue of
escape that would have been left to them would have been across the
desert into Syria. And although there were a number of caravan routes
available for this purpose, it would have been reasonably sure that
most of the Turkish forces attempting such a retreat would have been
lost. For a modern army of the size operating around Bagdad could not
have been safely brought across the desert with all the supplies and
ammunition indispensable for its continued existence.

In order to prevent the escape of these Turkish forces in a northerly
direction along the Tigris and the line of the projected but
uncompleted part of the Bagdad railroad, the Russians had launched
another attack from the north. This second army advanced to the south
of the region around Lake Urumiah, a large body of water less than
fifty miles east of the Turko-Persian border. This attack was directed
against another important Arabian city, Mosul. This town, too, was
located on the Tigris, and on the line of the Bagdad railroad, about
200 miles northwest of Bagdad.

Still another Russian attack was developed by a third army, advancing
about halfway between the other two army groups and striking at
Mesopotam