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Road through Kurdistan: The Narrative of an Engineer in Iraq
In 1928, Archibald Hamilton traveled to Iraqi Kurdistan, having been commissioned to build a road that would stretch from Northern Iraq, through the mountains and gorges of Kurdistan and on to the Iranian border. Now called the Hamilton Road, this was, even by today's standards, a considerable feat of engineering and remains one of the most strategically important roads in the region. In this colorful and engaging account, Hamilton describes the four years he spent overcoming immense obstacles--disease, ferocious brigands, warring tribes and bureaucratic officials--to carve a path through some of the most beautiful but inhospitable landscape in the world. Road Through Kurdistan is a classic of travel writing and an invaluable portrayal of the Iraqi Kurds themselves, and of the Kurdish regions of Northern Iraq.
- GenresMiddle East
360 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1937
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 15, 2021
AM Hamilton was a New Zealand Engineer who oversaw the construction of a road through Iraq for four years, beginning in 1928. First published in 1937, the author revised it and republished in 1958 - which is the edition I have read.
Iraq at this time was referred to as Mandatory Iraq, administered by the British after World War I when the Ottoman empire was broken up.
Employed by the Public Works Department, Hamilton was initially posted to Diwaniyah, to build roads and infrastructure. After a relatively short time funds for the year were spent, and he was transferred to Kurdistan to take over the road project. The statistics provided in his appendices tell us the road is 115 miles long (185km). It passes through two of the most challenging gorges a road builder might expect to ever encounter.
P56
P59-60
His descriptive writing (no offense to engineers) exceeds expectations, as in my experience engineers are typically factual, focused on detail and while accurate, typically don't invoke much emotion, or connection. Hamilton creates a strong bond with the people he not only works with over his four year period, but those who he interacts with in the mountainous landscape.
I could have selected something from almost any page as an example, the below quote was very typical of his skills in this book.
P59-60
The saddest part is probably the disbandment of the Mandatory Administration of Iraq early than was previously agreed, and the effective abandonment of the Assyrians who were not protected under the laws of Iraq. Not for the first time British colonialism failed to set up a successful pathway on their departure, and the Assyrians were left exposed and unprotected after serving the British in the Levies.
But I digress slightly from this book. Through out the book we are presented with black and white photographs - generally of good quality, and interesting content. Hamilton was lucky enough that while he was writing this book the RAF took a series of aerial photographs of the road, and he was permitted to include these. There are a couple of appendices, one of articles written on the potential of Iraq by Hamilton and published in The Baghdad Times - including hydroelectric schemes, inland navigation and modern building. The second appendix offered some statistics on the road project (which could and should, have included a lot more). Perhaps the most interesting of the end parts, was a Epilogue to the revised edition, where Hamilton provides the real names of the people in the book (alternative names were used as most of the men were still in their professional careers at the time of original publication), and some of their achievements since the book.
While this book is not exactly rare (there are 17 copies on Abes), there are limited copies about, which is unfortunate. It looks like it was re-published in 2005, but that was probably a limited run of copies.
I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who had the opportunity to read it.
5 stars
Iraq at this time was referred to as Mandatory Iraq, administered by the British after World War I when the Ottoman empire was broken up.
Employed by the Public Works Department, Hamilton was initially posted to Diwaniyah, to build roads and infrastructure. After a relatively short time funds for the year were spent, and he was transferred to Kurdistan to take over the road project. The statistics provided in his appendices tell us the road is 115 miles long (185km). It passes through two of the most challenging gorges a road builder might expect to ever encounter.
P56
Sloane, who knew the Kurds better than any European of the century, had recently used this description of them:While experienced in engineering, it was his ability to manage people where he appeared to excel. Upon arriving and setting up his team it became apparent that skills were needed in diplomacy.
'Shedders of blood, raisers of strife, seekers of turmoil and uproar, robbers and brigands; a people all malignant, and evil-doers of depraved habits, scorning the garment of wisdom; but a brave race and fearless, of a hospitality grateful to the soul, in truth and in honour unequalled, of pleasing countenance and fair cheek, boasting all the goods of beauty and grace.'
What a wealth of paradox is here, yet these were words hardly calculated to reassure the new Engineer!
P59-60
A Kurdish overseer, Ramze Effendi, had been appointed to assist me, but he had no knowledge of road-making and could speak no English. [...] There came also an Assyrian overseer called Benyamin Yonin. As the Assyrians are Christians and the Kurds Mohammedans, there mountain folk were often enemies, [...] so I wondered how my two overseers would get on together.There can be no doubt Hamilton posses great skills in engineering and people management, but this book make apparent is not short of the skills necessary in writing an interesting, compelling and even-handed book. He is very apt at picking the balance between providing a background information summary to inform the reader with relevant material to provide context to his narrative, and putting too much of a history lesson in play. For me, he got it spot on.
The surveyor was a Hindi, and my clerk a Chaldean Christian. Yes with the help of this strangely assorted staff, I managed to get together some hundred workmen. The men who joined up were chiefly Arabs and Persians, though we also conscripted a few tribal Kurds. [...] With our Armenian as our expert in blasting (he said he had learnt the job in the Turkish Army), this party of the different races and religions set to work with a will to clear the huge boulders and use them to form a wide well-graded road, partly cut out of the solid rock of the hillside. Fortunately we all seemed blessed with enough sense of humour to laugh at our racial differences, and the work forged ahead with out trouble.
His descriptive writing (no offense to engineers) exceeds expectations, as in my experience engineers are typically factual, focused on detail and while accurate, typically don't invoke much emotion, or connection. Hamilton creates a strong bond with the people he not only works with over his four year period, but those who he interacts with in the mountainous landscape.
I could have selected something from almost any page as an example, the below quote was very typical of his skills in this book.
P59-60
When spring comes to Gali Ali Beg, the barren country of Kurdistan, with its rugged mountain and grey rocks, bursts suddenly into extraordinary beauty.So for those interested in the engineering, we learn of rock blasting, road forming, bridge design and installation and the teaching of men how to bring these tasks into action, but we perhaps learn more about the people - the Kurds, the Assyrians. Hamilton has a genuine respect for both these groups of people, their heritage, their way of life and culture, and presents it in a way it is accessible to others.
Towards the end of March, almost in a night it seems, the ground snows melt and the warmth of spring is in the air. The mists lift, and it is as though a veil that for months past had hung over the eyes of the beholder were suddenly withdrawn. In the clear air the mountains seem to stand nearer than ever before. Above the dark walls of the gorge the high snow-fields, like the white wings of some giant bird that has preened itself, stretch smoothly up into the brilliant cloudless sky; while the valley in all but the rockiest places becomes dense with green grass.
The saddest part is probably the disbandment of the Mandatory Administration of Iraq early than was previously agreed, and the effective abandonment of the Assyrians who were not protected under the laws of Iraq. Not for the first time British colonialism failed to set up a successful pathway on their departure, and the Assyrians were left exposed and unprotected after serving the British in the Levies.
But I digress slightly from this book. Through out the book we are presented with black and white photographs - generally of good quality, and interesting content. Hamilton was lucky enough that while he was writing this book the RAF took a series of aerial photographs of the road, and he was permitted to include these. There are a couple of appendices, one of articles written on the potential of Iraq by Hamilton and published in The Baghdad Times - including hydroelectric schemes, inland navigation and modern building. The second appendix offered some statistics on the road project (which could and should, have included a lot more). Perhaps the most interesting of the end parts, was a Epilogue to the revised edition, where Hamilton provides the real names of the people in the book (alternative names were used as most of the men were still in their professional careers at the time of original publication), and some of their achievements since the book.
While this book is not exactly rare (there are 17 copies on Abes), there are limited copies about, which is unfortunate. It looks like it was re-published in 2005, but that was probably a limited run of copies.
I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who had the opportunity to read it.
5 stars
May 6, 2012
I really loved this book. Written in the 1930s, this book gives insight into one of the great engineering feats accomplished in Northern Iraq opening the door of Kurdistan to the world.
Having lived in the Diana river valley for two years, everything that Hamilton writes stands out for me in sharp relief as I use "his" road nearly every day.
You will be pleased to learn that the language of the engineer of the 1930s puts to shame the poet of our age as Hamilton draws word pictures for the reader that makes one wonder whether the book shouldn't be placed in an art gallery.
I cannot recommend this book more highly for understanding the Kurdish culture, their tribal ways, Kurdish history of the day, and the triumphal feat of spanning a road within what some believed to be the most beautiful gorge in all of Asia.
It is simply a joy. What a book!
Having lived in the Diana river valley for two years, everything that Hamilton writes stands out for me in sharp relief as I use "his" road nearly every day.
You will be pleased to learn that the language of the engineer of the 1930s puts to shame the poet of our age as Hamilton draws word pictures for the reader that makes one wonder whether the book shouldn't be placed in an art gallery.
I cannot recommend this book more highly for understanding the Kurdish culture, their tribal ways, Kurdish history of the day, and the triumphal feat of spanning a road within what some believed to be the most beautiful gorge in all of Asia.
It is simply a joy. What a book!
May 7, 2017
Probably not really an appealing travel writing for anyone who's not interested in WWI era engineering or the history of the Kurds - but what is really valuable is the description about the Kurdish way of life in Kurdistan, and the interaction between the author and his companions (foreigners) and the kurds at the time.
I followed much of the road in Iraqi-Kurdistan a couple of years back - and was pleasantly surprised that much of the landscape remains untouched. With the recent development of the Syrian Civil War - the dream of a ropad connecting Kurdistan to the Mediterranean - might not be a dream after all.
I followed much of the road in Iraqi-Kurdistan a couple of years back - and was pleasantly surprised that much of the landscape remains untouched. With the recent development of the Syrian Civil War - the dream of a ropad connecting Kurdistan to the Mediterranean - might not be a dream after all.
November 18, 2012
It's one of the Must read books specially for those want to know about us, Kurds
February 11, 2022
Such a great book on a road I have travelled over countless times and to which I have a personal connection just as the author does. The building of this road has an emotional and almost mystical air about it and the prose happens to be entertaining enough. I presume it would make the author feel proud to know that the road still bears his name: the Hamilton road -- strange name for a road in this part of the world.
What strikes me especially is how easily the various personages predicted what the political climate of Iraq would be like after the mandate, and the fact that these predictions turned out to be true over and over again is a very depressing reminder that knowledge alone never suffices.
All in all, the vivid image of this cross-section of life will live for a long time in my memory, and maybe from now on every time I travel across his road, I will be pleasantly reminded of Hamilton and his account.
What strikes me especially is how easily the various personages predicted what the political climate of Iraq would be like after the mandate, and the fact that these predictions turned out to be true over and over again is a very depressing reminder that knowledge alone never suffices.
All in all, the vivid image of this cross-section of life will live for a long time in my memory, and maybe from now on every time I travel across his road, I will be pleasantly reminded of Hamilton and his account.
September 3, 2025
Sad reminder of British government's long record of betrayal of Iraq's peoples. #Assyrians #Kurds
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews