TNT British Empire Edition: Turkey-India Rail Route (1871-1872)/Part II

//Ed. Note: The map below was submitted by Consul 
Taylor, who was posted in Erzurum in eastern Turkey 
at the time (January 1872) of his report, which is number
16 on the list.  Istanbul, at upper left, is the starting point 
for one possible rail route "No. 1", while Izmir is the 
starting point for possible routes 2 and 3.  

Actually, the first step in Turkey's railroad system was
taken in 1873, with the inauguration of the Istanbul-
Izmit link.  The trains reached Ankara in 1892 and 
Konya in 1896, mostly with German, rather than 
British, help.//




//TNT continues now with the first report in the 
compilation, from Consul Edward B.B. Barker at 
Theodosia on the eastern shore of Crimea. Barker had 
previously served for 26 years in northern Syria and 
Samsun, on the Black Sea coast. He compares the
merits of two routes - one via Black Sea ports to 
eastern Anatolia and the other via Alexandretta 
(today's İskenderun) or Seleucia (today's Samandağ)
across Syria, eventually dismissing the Black Sea
route and focusing on the trans-Syria route.//

//END of PART II//