ABSTRACT
In general terms the Harbiyah of West Baghdad (taken to include the Shari) is described as lying opposite the Shammasiyah Quarter of the eastern bank. The western boundary is formed by the great Anbar highroad, beyond which lay the Little Sarat, a minor canal which flowed from the Trench of Tahir back into the Great Sarat a short way above the Kufah Gate. The positions of places in the Harbiyah Quarter can be approximately fixed by the courses of the three small canalsor water-conduits — which entered this suburb from the north-west Kasross the Trench. Tahir Kasready is one of the most notable buildings in West Baghdad, and during many years is the residence of the Governor of the City. The Tahirid family is one of the most important of the semi-independent princely houses that rose to power under the shadow of the Caliphate in the third century.
