The Upper or Great Zab (Zab Ala)
rises near Khoniyeh, between lakes Van and
Urumiyeh, in about lat. 38° 30', long. 44° 30'.
Its general direction is a very little west of
south, but it serpentines in a remarkable way,
making first one great bend to the west by
Julamerik so as to reach long. 43° 30', and then
another to the east nearly to Rowanduz, where it
touches long. 44° 15'." It receives two
principal tributaries, the river of Rowanduz,
which flows in from the east, and the Ghazir,
which joins it from the north-west, not far from
its confluence with the Tigris." It is
fordable in places,' but near its junction with
the Tigris is a deep stream, with a width of 20
yards. It is very swift and strong, and is
sometimes called by the Arabs "the Mad River.'"
The History of Herodotus: A New
English Version, Ed. with Copious Notes and
Appendices, Illustrating the History and
Geography of Herodotus, from the Most Recent
Sources of Information; and Embodying the Chief
Results, Historical and Ethnographical, which
Have Been Obtained in the Progress of Cuneiform
and Hieroglyphical Discovery, Sir Henry Creswicke
Rawlinson. By Herodotus Editors George Rawlinson,
Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, Sir John Gardner
Wilkinson. D. Appleton and company, 1889