English: “In their upper course the Euphrates and the Tigris traverse a region of steppes broken by rocky ridges and interspersed with pastures and fruitful districts. The banks of the rivers are fringed with plane-trees, tamarisks, and cypresses. Here and there are meadowlands, alternating with low hills. Further on, as the rivers descend to the level, the valleys broaden; but at the same time the higher district between becomes more sterile kind of upland waste, abounding in ostriches and bustards, the native home of wild asses and nomadic tribes of men."—Ridpath, 1885