* * * * *
=THE WADIS DRAINING WESTWARDS TO THE NILE.=
* * * * *
It has been already mentioned (p. 21) that all the drainage westward
from the main watershed ultimately reaches the Nile by the three
great trunk Wadis Shait, Kharit, and Alaqi. In the present chapter
a detailed description will be given of those parts of these
wadis and their tributaries which are known within the area under
discussion. The following scheme shows the relations of the principal
tributaries, important feeders of the tributaries themselves being
indicated in (brackets):—
{ Wadi Dweig.
{
WADI SHAIT { Wadi Muelih (Wadi Gerf, Rod el Ligah, Wadi Sibrit).
{
{ Wadi Hamish.
{ Wadi Hilgit (Wadi Um Hasidok, Wadi Um el Tiur).
{
{ Wadi Egat.
{
{ Wadi el Anbat.
{
{ Wadi Abarun.
{
{ Wadi Um Daba.
{
{ Wadi Abu Argub.
{
{ Wadi Safihat.
{
{ Wadi Um Sellim.
{
{ Wadi Medsus.
{
WADI KHARIT { Wadi Abu Gurdi.
{
{ Wadi Elemikan (Rod el Geneina).
{
{ Wadi Abu Hashim.
{
{ Wadi Helie.
{
{ Wadi Abu Hamamid (Wadi Marasani, Wadi el Sheikh).
{
{ Rod el Kharuf (Wadi Abu Had).
{
{ Wadi Khashab (Wadi Metawit, Wadi Antar).
{
{ Wadi Garara (Wadi el Kreim, Wadi Timsah, Wadi Ghadrib,
{ Wadi Abu Hashim, Wadi Abu Homur).
{
{ Wadi Natash.
{ Wadi Himeitra.
{
{ Miti Kwan (Wadi Duag, Wadi Kirir, Wadi Merau, Wadi
{ Miaus).
{
{ Wadi Dageina.
{
{ Wadi Alfawi.
{
{ Wadi Egat (Wadi Hiteib).
{
{ Wadi Hateib (Wadi Suhin).
{
WADI ALAQI { Wadi Guqub.
{
{ Wadi Um Teneideb.
{
{ Wadi Defeit (Wadi Sarid, Wadi Dauriai, Wadi Hamida,
{ Wadi Bint el Feqoh, Wadi Anweiyib, Wadi Meladoyeb, Rod
{ Hawanin, Wadi Bagharid).
{
{ Wadi Eleifat.
{
{ Wadi Seiga (Wadi Um Derera, Wadi Abu Had, Wadi Um
{ Gholqa).
Most of the drainage-lines mentioned in the description will be found
marked on the orographical map which forms Plate I; but the scale
of that map is too small for all the minor feeders to be indicated
with clearness.
=Wadi Shait=, an important main trunk wadi draining westwards to the
Nile, originates at the west foot of Gebel Ras Shait, in lat. 24°
50′, long. 34° 31′, and joins the Nile Valley a little to
the north of Kom Ombo. It has a total length of very nearly 200
kilometres, and an average fall of three metres per kilometre. The
fall is much more rapid in the upper reaches than lower down; in the
first fifty-five kilometres of its length, from the foot of Gebel
Ras Shait to Bir Um Gubur, the fall is 340 metres, or an average
gradient of six metres per kilometre, while from Bir Um Gubur, for
the remaining 140 kilometres of its course, its fall is only 250
metres, or an average gradient of less than two metres per kilometre.
The head of Wadi Shait is formed by the union of a number of
drainage channels from a kind of _cul-de-sac_ formed by Gebels
Migif, Ras Shait, and Mudergeg, where it is separated from the heads
of Wadi Gerf and Wadi Hafafit by flat sandy divides. Passing in a
south-westerly direction to the west of Gebel Migif and Gebel Dweig,
it receives as a tributary =Wadi Dweig= (in which are the ruins of an
ancient station) on the left. Taking thence a more westerly course it
traverses more open country, and then narrows among hills north-west
of the remarkable peak of Gebel Abu Khrug. At a bend further on is
=Bir Murra=, a shallow well sunk in the alluvium of the wadi floor
at the foot of a serpentine scarp; the water here (as the name of
the well indicates) is very bitter, and is generally drunk only by
camels. After passing Bir Murra, the wadi turns south-west, then
curves again near =Bir Um Gubur=, about three kilometres south-east
of Gebel Sufra, and about twelve kilometres below Bir Murra. Bir Um
Gubur is a shaft about two and a half metres diameter, sunk about
eight metres deep in the alluvium of the wadi; it was yielding good
supplies of excellent water in 1906. About ten kilometres below Bir
Um Gubur, =Wadi Hamish= joins Wadi Shait from the north-east. In the
remainder of the course of Wadi Shait to the Nile, the principal
water source is =Bir Heliwat=,[84] about ten kilometres below the
point of influx of Wadi Hamish, and the chief tributary wadis are
Muelih, Beza, and Midrik, all of which join it from the north-east.
The upper portions of Wadi Shait contain a fair abundance of trees
and scrub, but the lower parts are sandy arid wastes.
=Wadi Muelih= originates in the mountain called Gebel Iteima,
in lat. 25° 8′. For about sixteen kilometres its course lies
ill-defined over a sandy plain with scattered low hills, to Erf el
Fahid, a remarkable east and west quartz ridge nearly two kilometres
long rising among crushed diorites and schists to a height of 579
metres above sea, or ninety-five metres above the wadi, in lat. 25°
0′. After passing Erf el Fahid, the course of the wadi changes to
south-west, and gradually becomes more enclosed by low hills. The
first hills passed on the right are high ridges formed by great
quartz veins striking south-west, at the foot of which the wadi
forms a plain nearly a kilometre broad, with low hills and mounds
of dark gneisses and schists on the left. At ten kilometres below
Erf el Fahid, on the left of the wadi, is a horse-shoe shaped hill
of aplite called Marwot Rod el Ligaia, to the north and south of
which are other hills penetrated by networks of quartz veins. Two
kilometres further on, a band of diorite gneiss cuts across the wadi,
which then commences to narrow in among hills of crushed diorites,
grey gneisses, and schists, with many dykes of porphyrite and
felsite. These hills become progressively higher as one descends,
and near the meridian of 34° the wadi curves round the foot of Gebel
Muelih, a great bare white granite boss rising through darker rocks to
a height of 330 metres above the wadi, or 707 metres above sea. Just
after passing Gebel Muelih the wadi, which has here a width of only
some 200 metres, turns south-west again. At this turn, nearly in
the centre of the wadi floor, is =Bir Muelih=, an excavation about
six metres deep in the alluvium, yielding very salt water drinkable
only by camels. North-east of the well a track strikes over the hills
towards Dungash mine. From Bir Muelih the wadi continues in a roughly
south-west direction past Bir Samut (well about one kilometre north
of Wadi Muelih) and then takes a more southerly course draining into
Wadi Shait in longitude 33° 46′.
The wadi floor falls from a level of 484 metres near Erf el Fahid
to 375 metres at Bir Muelih, the length of the wadi between the two
places being about twenty-seven kilometres; this gives an average
fall of about four metres per kilometre; the actual gradient varies
from about two metres per kilometre in the broader portions to over
six metres per kilometre in the more enclosed parts of the wadi.
The upper parts of Wadi Muelih are barren and sandy, but the lower
portions contain a fair amount of vegetation. The principal feeders
of Wadi Muelih are Wadi Gerf, which enters by several openings on
the left above Gebel Muelih, Wadi Samut, entering on the right
in long. 33° 54′, and Wadi Sibrit, entering on the left in
long. 33° 50′.
=Wadi Gerf= is the collective name given to a number of rather
complicated drainage channels forming tributaries to Wadi Muelih. The
principal heads are to the east and west of Gebel Nugrus. The eastern
head is called =Wadi Hangalia=; it commences at about an altitude
of 811 metres due east of the highest point of Gebel Nugrus, at a
difficult pass leading over the main watershed to Wadi el Nom, and
curves round the north spurs of Gebel Nugrus to join the western
head. In the Wadi Hangalia are some old ruins of a mining camp,
and also some recent prospecting workings and a well giving a poor
supply of water. The Western head of Wadi Gerf commences in nearly
level ground on the main divide west of Gebel Nugrus, at an altitude
of 691 metres. These two main heads unite close to the east of Gebel
Ras Shait, whence Wadi Gerf courses about north-west through low
hills. A third head is in lat. 24° 52′, at a pass leading into
Wadi Um Khariga. A fourth, called =Rod el Atut=, takes the drainage
from all sides of the conspicuous black cone of Gebel Atut. A fifth,
called =Rod Um el Farag=, drains from the mass of moderately high
hills further west called Um el Huetat; these hills contain some old
mines, chiefly in talc schists. The drainages from these various heads
all eventually take a west-south-west course among low hills and over
a sandy plain and enter Wadi Muelih by several openings near longitude
34°. Minor tributaries are =Wadi Abu Seyal= and =Wadi Um Seyal=,
south-east of Gebel Atut, =Rod el Ligaia=, in longitude 34° 10′;
and =Rod el Ligah=, in latitude 24° 50′.
The principal hills of the plain over which Wadi Gerf and its
tributaries run their course are some very remarkable small black
peaks collectively called Khusa el Faraon, a light coloured hill
called Marwot Rod el Ligah, and a ridge called Erf el Sagur; these
two last rise to 514 and 523 metres above sea-level respectively.
Wadi Gerf possesses a fair amount of vegetation, except where it
meanders over the sandy plains; in the tributaries Wadi Um Seyal
and Wadi Abu Seyal acacia trees are specially numerous.
=Wadi Sibrit= is a long narrow wadi following a course somewhat south
of west, originating to the west of Gebel Mudergeg and joining Wadi
Muelih in longitude 33° 50′. It possesses many trees and a good
well, =Bir Sibrit=. This latter is an excavation in the wadi floor,
in longitude 33° 58′; it is said to yield a constant supply. In
the spring of 1906 I found the water was at a depth of eight metres
below the surface, and of good quality.
=Wadi Kharit=, one of the greatest trunk wadis of Egypt, has its
principal head at Gebel Ras el Kharit, on the main watershed
in latitude 14° 10′ and longitude 35°. Pursuing a course
the prevailing direction of which is a little north of west,
and collecting the drainage from numerous great wadis on its way,
it debouches on the Kom Ombo plain and reaches the Nile at the same
point as another great wadi, Shait, in latitude 24° 35′. The length
of the main channel is over 260 kilometres, and of its tributaries
probably more than twenty times as great. It drains an area of more
than 23,000 square kilometres. Its average fall is about two metres
per kilometre, but in its lower reaches its gradient is less than
half this amount.
The principal tributaries of Wadi Kharit, which will be separately
described, are the Wadis Natash, Antar, Khashab, Abu Hamamid,
Elemikan, and Garara (this last with Wadis Timsah and Ghadrib as
great feeders). I now propose to trace out the course of the main
wadi in some detail, leaving its greater tributaries for separate
description, but including its minor feeders.
The main head of Wadi Kharit is on the Nile-Red Sea divide, between
Gebel Ras el Kharit and Gebel Mikbi, at an altitude of considerably
more than 600 metres above the sea. The wadi at first courses a
little south of west, over a gently falling sandy plain with hills
of bouldery granite, and curves round the south spurs of Gebel el
Anbat.[85] Here it receives two tributaries, one from the north-west
called Wadi Hilgit, and one from the south-east called Wadi Egat.[86]
=Wadi Hilgit= originates on the main watershed in longitude 34°
52′, near Gebel Um Usher. A very steep and difficult pass over
the watershed separates its head from that of another Wadi Hilgit
draining northward to Wadi Huluz. The two wadis are called Wadi
Hilgit lil Kharit and Wadi Hilgit lil Huluz respectively when it is
necessary to distinguish them. On its course southward to Kharit,
Wadi Hilgit receives as tributaries =Wadi Um Hasidok= and =Wadi Um
el Tiur=, draining the mountains of the same names.
=Wadi Egat= drains part of the west slopes of Gebel Abu Gurdi and
the south part of Gebel Egat, for the first half of its course being
shut in by high hills and for the latter half passing over a gently
falling plain.
After passing Gebel el Anbat, Wadi Kharit continues its course a
little south of west, in broad shallow drainage channels over a great
sandy plain. In this part of its course it receives many important
feeders from the mountain masses which limit the plain to the
north. The principal of these feeders are the =Wadis Anbat=, =Abarun=,
=Um Daba=, =Abu Argub=, =Safihat=, =Um Sellim=, and =Medsus=. Near
where Wadi Medsus enters, Wadi Kharit takes a more southerly course,
passing north of a mass of low dark hills called Gebel Geneina,
and here it receives =Wadi Abu Gurdi=, draining the west slopes of
the mountain of the same name, the ill-defined Wadi Elemikan (_see_
p. 84), draining the extensive plain south of Gebel Abu Gurdi, and
the =Rod el Geneina=, draining from the hills of Geneina. A little
further on, curving to the north-west, it receives =Wadi Abu Hashim=
and =Wadi Abu Selili=, which drain the south flanks of Gebel Kahfa.
The next feeder is the =Wadi Helie=, which drains the west slopes
of Gebel Kahfa and enters Kharit from the north-east; a well, =Bir
Helie=, exists in this wadi about eight kilometres above its junction
with Kharit. The well appears to be of the same character as Bir Abu
Hamamid; it was yielding plenty of good water in the spring of 1906,
but in the autumn of the same year the supply was said to be smaller
and rather salty.
About ten kilometres below the point of influx of Wadi Helie, Wadi
Kharit receives Wadi Abu Hamamid (_see_ p. 85), coming from the
north-east, and some fourteen kilometres further on another tributary,
the =Rod el Kharuf=, enters from the opposite side conveying the
drainage from the north-west flanks of Gebel Zergat Naam.
In the remaining portion of its course to the Nile, Wadi Kharit
receives numerous other tributaries, of which the principal are Wadi
Khashab and Wadi Antar on the north, and the Wadi Garara on the south
(_see_ pp. 86 and 87).
On the whole, Wadi Kharit is poor in vegetation; trees are fairly
abundant in the central portion of its course, but both near its
head and near the river it is very barren. In consequence of its
sandy and arid character near the Nile, it is not usual for caravans
to journey along the wadi from its mouth; Arabs from Daraw usually
go up the tortuous and sandy Wadi Allawi, and thence enter Kharit
either by the Rod Abu Modellim or by a track among hills which leads
eastward to =Bir Qoleib=. Bir Qoleib is a good well in a small
tributary of Wadi Kharit, about seventy kilometres by road from
the Daraw. From Bir Qoleib to the wells of Abu Hamamid and Helie
the westward journey is about 110 kilometres, while from Bir Qoleib
to the well of Abu Hashim, south-east (on the road to Abu Saafa),
is a distance of about seventy-five kilometres.
=Wadi Elemikan= is the name given to an ill-defined system of
drainage channels meandering over the plain south of Gebel Abu
Gurdi. It originates on the main watershed, and at its head there
is a very easy pass over into the Wadi Lahami, which descends to the
sea. At this point, which is 590 metres above the sea, the watershed
is ill-defined, being a sandy plain; but while to the west the plain
continues with only a slight fall, to the east it soon gives place
to rugged country through which narrow wadis descend rapidly towards
the sea coast. The plain west of the watershed is remarkable for
the presence of three great bosses of quartz, the largest of which,
called Marwot Elemikan, rises as a conspicuous cone of dazzling
whiteness to a height of sixty-eight metres above the plain. Besides
the drainage from the plain itself, Wadi Elemikan receives feeders
from the hills which flank Gebel Abu Gurdi to the south, and also a
portion of the drainage from the Wadi Abu Gurdi, which divides into
two channels on emerging from the mountains. Passing between the
granite hills of Gebel Abu Derega and Gebel Selaia, Wadi Elemikan
courses a little north of westward over a great sandy plain to join
the Wadi Kharit north of Gebel Geneina in longitude 34° 36′. It
is a barren wadi, but water can sometimes be obtained a little north
of it at a small spring called =Megal el Selaia=, at the foot of a
low hill one kilometre south-east of the great rounded granite boss
of Gebel Selaia. I obtained a small supply of very good water here
early in 1906, but the spring is a very slow one and is said to fail
altogether in dry seasons.
=Wadi Abu Hamamid=, an important tributary of Wadi Kharit, originates
as a series of gullies in the mountains of Gebel Abu Hamamid, on the
west face of the main watershed, in longitude 34° 48′. It courses,
among high hills a little north of west to longitude 34° 41′,
then turns south-west and enters the plain which extends to the west
of Bir Shadli. Here it receives part of the drainage from Wadi el
Sheikh, and turns westward among lower hills, passing north of the
red hills called El Hamra, to Bir Abu Hamamid, and then turning
south-west between El Hamra and Hamrat Mukbud to join Kharit in
longitude 34° 23′.
=Bir Abu Hamamid= is an important well; it is a rude irregular
excavation, about six metres deep, in the wadi floor, down which
men can walk to fill their water skins. This well was yielding
more plentiful supplies in the autumn of 1906 than any of the other
wells in the neighbourhood; the water was rather salty and muddy,
but quite drinkable.
From near Bir Abu Hamamid, a track leads north-westward over the
hills to Bir Khashab and on to Bir Masur. To reach Bir Shadli,
one follows up the Wadi Abu Hamamid till it opens on to a plain,
and then strikes almost due eastward across the plain.
A small tributary which joins Wadi Abu Hamamid from the north-east,
in longitude 34° 41′, called =Wadi Marasani=, is important
as leading to a pass over the main watershed into Wadi Marasan,
a tributary of Wadi Huluz. The altitude of the pass is 685 metres
above sea; it is quite practicable for baggage camels.
=Wadi el Sheikh=, the only great tributary of Wadi Abu Hamamid,
originates in longitude 34° 40′, in the hilly tract west of Gebel
Abu Hamamid. In the upper part of its course, it is a narrow winding
wadi, mostly shut in by high hills, pursuing mainly a direction
a little west of south, fed by numerous lateral wadis entering
from among the hills to the east, of which the principal are the
=Wadis Um Somra=, =Krioni=, =Um Nasir=, =Um Hereini=, =Um Sereiha=,
=Um Deheisi=, =Um Retba=, and =Um Hargal=. Near the point where
Wadi Um Deheisi joins it, the Wadi el Sheikh emerges from the hill
country and meanders over a plain. At its entry on to the plain is
the tomb and well of =Sheikh Shadli=, views of which are given on
Plate V. The tomb, from which the wadi derives its name, is a white
domed structure, tended by a Moorish guardian. The Ababda Arabs
hold the memory of Sheikh Shadli in high veneration, and make yearly
pilgrimages to his tomb. The well, =Bir Shadli=, close to the tomb,
is a shallow excavation in the stony alluvium of the wadi floor. Here
there is a perennial supply of water, which, however, varies much in
quality and quantity; after rain, there forms a large pool of good
water, the surface being maintained almost level with the ground by
underground influx; while when there has been no rain for a year or
more the water is only found by digging to several metres depth,
and then only infiltrates slowly at the bottom of the hole, the
quality simultaneously falls off and the water acquires a saline
and purgative character.
After passing Bir Shadli and entering on the plain, Wadi el Sheikh
splits up into numerous channels, one of which joins the Wadi Abu
Hamamid, while the others continue in a south-westerly direction,
fed by the Wadis Um Retba and Um Hargal, draining from the north
flanks of Gebel Kahfa. Uniting together as they leave the plain to
re-form a single Wadi el Sheikh, these drainages turn westward among
the hills to join the Wadi Abu Hamamid.
Bir Shadli is one of the best-known centres of the Ababda
Arabs. Though there is no permanent settlement, it is seldom that many
days elapse without Arabs coming to the place to water their animals,
which graze in the adjoining wadis. Many roads converge here. To the
west, a track leads to Bir Abu Hamamid. To the north-east, a track
leads up the Wadi Sheikh, across Wadi Abu Hamamid, and by an easy
pass near Gebel Marasan over the main watershed into Wadi Huluz. To
the south-east there are several alternative routes by which one
can journey over easy passes north of Gebel Kahfa on to the plain
of Selaia and down the Wadi Lahami to Berenice. Yet another road
leads a little west of south across the Wadi Um Hargal, and by an
easy pass into Wadi Helie, a small tributary of Wadi Kharit which
drains the west side of Gebel Kahfa, and in which there is a well
of similar character to that of Abu Hamamid.
=Wadi Khashab= commences its course near Gebel el Heda, a little east
of longitude 34° 30′, and continues in a generally south-west
direction to the latitude of Gebel Hamrat Mukbud. Here it takes a
westerly course, passing south of Gebel Homr Akarim and entering
Wadi Kharit from the north in about longitude 33° 49′. Wadi
Khashab receives its name from its relatively well-wooded character;
in its upper parts it presents the appearance of a broad valley,
in which trees are so numerous as to give a very pleasing contrast
to the dreary wastes on either side of it. =Bir Khashab= is a series
of pits sunk in the wadi floor in about longitude 34° 23′, which
were yielding small supplies of water in 1906.
The principal feeders of Wadi Khashab are Wadi Metawit and Wadi
Antar. =Wadi Metawit= is a short valley originating near Gebel
Metawit, and joining Wadi Khashab a short distance above Bir
Khashab. It possesses an important well, =Bir Metawit=, excavated
about eight metres deep in the centre of the wadi floor, about three
kilometres north-north-west of the summit of Gebel Metawit, on a
road leading south-east from Bir Masur to Bir Shadli. This well,
near which are some large acacia trees, was yielding a plentiful
supply of excellent water in the spring of 1906.
=Wadi Antar= originates near the hills of Nukheira and El Heda,
and courses westward as a very wide shallow sandy depression south
of Gebel Um Goraf. At the foot of Gebel Derera it turns southward,
receiving the tributary Wadi el Anz from the left a little further
on; it turns again westward and then north-west to near Gebel Muktil,
beyond which it courses south-west and joins Wadi Khashab in longitude
33° 55′, a short distance only above the point where that wadi
enters Kharit.
=Wadi el Garara=, the great southern tributary of Wadi Kharit, heads
on the main watershed east of Gebel Um Harba. Pursuing at first
a north-westerly course over a sandy plain, it emerges between two
high sandstone hills ten kilometres north of Gebel Um Harba, and turns
somewhat more to the west, receiving the =Wadi el Kreim=, which drains
the south-east flanks of Gebel Zergat Naam. A little further on it
receives an unnamed tributary which courses north-westward from Gebel
Um Harba as a great valley nearly full of blown sand. Still further
on its course it is fed by another unnamed tributary which, coming
from the main watershed in latitude 23° 30′, courses over a wide
sandy plain north-westwards. This latter tributary is very barren,
but is of some importance as forming a very easy though sandy road
over the main watershed to the Wadi Arned (which leads to the springs
of Abu Saafa) and as passing, about five kilometres before reaching
the pass, a well known water-hole called =Galt el Aguz=. This galt
is a huge sandstone basin in the hills on the east side of the road,
fairly easy of access. After rain it holds an immense supply of water,
but owing to the porous nature of the sandstone it becomes dry in a
few months of drought; rude Greek inscriptions on the rocks, mixed
with spirited drawings of animals, show that this source of water
supply was known and used in Ptolemaic days. Besides the drainage
from the pass, the tributary first mentioned takes that from the
sandstone hills of Um Khafur situated further east.
A little lower down, Wadi Garara receives feeders from the north-east,
draining the hills round Gebel Nikeiba and Gebel Felieiti, and then
the long Wadi Timsah coming from the south.
Wadi Timsah heads among high granite hills a little north of latitude
23°, and courses in a nearly northerly direction for nearly ninety
kilometres to join Wadi Garara. The prevailing character of Wadi
Timsah itself is sandy and dreary, but its feeders from the eastern
hills are richer in vegetation, and in years when there is rain
they furnish in their upper portions good grazing ground for Arab
camels. The principal of these feeders, enumerating from the south
northwards, are the =Wadis Um el Rid=, =Awamtib= (with Wadi =Um
Marakh=), =Shabakhit=, and =Dagalai=. All these drain the western
parts of the high sandstone hills called by the same names. Water can
be got from galts here after rain. Near the head of Wadi Um el Rid,
there is a very easy pass over the main watershed into Wadi el Dreb,
which leads to the well of Um Reit.
Of the =Wadi Ghadrib=, which heads near the hills of Gebel Abu Rahia
and Gebel Um Rewat, in latitude 23°, and follows a course roughly
parallel to, but a few kilometres west of that of Wadi Timsah,
not very much is known. Its prevailing character is sandy and arid.
The small tributary called =Wadi Abu Hashim=, which enters Wadi
Garara from the south in about longitude 34° 5′, is important as
containing the important wells known as =Bir Abu Hashim=. The wells
are excavations in the alluvium of the wadi floor, and furnish good
water at a depth of about eight metres. A beacon has been erected
on a high hill to the west of the wells and overlooking them, the
position of which is latitude 23° 41′ 44″ N., longitude 34° 3′
33″ E., altitude 386 metres above sea and sixty-six metres above
the wells. The principal roads from Bir Abu Hashim are, to Aswân
(first water at Um Hibal, nearly one hundred kilometres distant), to
Daraw (first water at Bir Qoleib, seventy-five kilometres distant),
and to Abu Saafa Springs (a journey of about one hundred kilometres
with possibly water en route at the Galt el Aguz, sixty kilometres
from Abu Hashim).
=Wadi Natash= commences among the low hills forming the Nile —
Red Sea watershed between Gebel Migif and Gebel Abu Had. It pursues
a course roughly parallel with that of Wadi Shait, at first over a
sandy plain from which rise the two conspicuous cones called El Nahud
(the breasts), and afterwards narrowing in among hills. Pursuing a
somewhat devious course in a direction generally a little south of
west, Wadi Natash passes south of Gebel Nugra (in longitude 33°
40′) and enters on the great plain called Atmur Nugra, where it
joins the Wadi Kharit and drains to the Nile near Kom Ombo.
There is, I believe, no water source in Wadi Natash itself, but =Bir
Masur= is situated in a branch wadi only a few kilometres north of
it in longitude 34°. At Bir Masur there are numerous pits sunk in
the alluvium of the wadi, in one or more of which good water can
generally be found at a depth of about ten metres; but the supply
cannot always be relied on, for although I obtained plenty of water
in March 1906, I found there was only a very small quantity available
in October of the same year.
=Wadi Alaqi=, the greatest of all the Egyptian wadis draining
westwards to the Nile, has its head on the main watershed near
Gebel Is, close to the 22nd parallel in longitude 35° 27′. Its
main channel, over 350 kilometres in length, pursues a general
westerly course, winding at first, past the old mining centres of
Darahib and Alfawi, towards Gebel Muqsim, on the 34th meridian,
and then, curving round to the north of that mountain, it turns to
the north-west, past the gold mines of Um Gariart, and enters the
Nile Valley opposite the large village of Dakka, in latitude 23°
8′. The area of its basin is unknown, much of it being unexplored,
but it probably comprises no less than four square degrees of the
earth’s surface, or 44,000 square kilometres. Its heads and upper
tributaries lie among high mountainous tracts partly in Egypt and
partly in the Sudan, and occasionally the rainfall in these southern
parts of the eastern desert is sufficient to convert the usually dry
wadi into a temporary stream for a part or all of its length. That
it may on the rare occasions of sufficient rainfall discharge no
inconsiderable quantity of water into the Nile is proved by Linant’s
experience about 1830, when he records that the torrent from the
Wadi Alaqi into the Nile was so great as to prevent his _dahabîa_
sailing up the river past the point of influx, even with a good wind
and all sails set.[87] A great flow of water down the Wadi Alaqi
also occurred in the autumn of 1902 as a consequence of heavy rains
in the mountainous country east of the meridian 34° 30′. This
torrent was observed by Mr. John F. Wells, who was then manager of
the Um Gariart mine. In the early morning news was brought to the
mine that great waters were coming down the wadi. Except for a slight
rainfall at the heads of the Wadis Qoleib and Haimur, the drainage
of which did not appreciably swell the flood of the main wadi,
there had been no rain within one hundred kilometres of the mine,
and when the alarm was given, at 6.30 a.m., only a small trickling
of water down the wadi was visible, and the news was thought to
be an exaggeration. But an hour later the whole wadi was a raging
torrent, and by nine o’clock there was a mighty stream, over 300
metres wide and from one to two and a half metres deep, rushing past
the mine. The flow continued for about two and a half days. On this
occasion the stream, in spite of its magnitude at Um Gariart, did
not reach the Nile; after flowing for some seventy kilometres past
the mines, it entered a wide depression at Hagab Kara, some forty
kilometres from the mouth of the wadi, where it formed a great pool
and sank into the sand. Mr. Wells informs me that the water did not
penetrate the sandy and gravelly floor of the wadi to the bed rock
(the thickness of the sandy and gravelly layer at Um Gariart is
fourteen metres) till three months later, and then the rock, though
damp, did not absorb enough water to yield any supply to wells sunk
in it. The local Arabs stated that these downrushes of water, which
they term “seil,” occur on an average at about ten-year intervals;
the last one occurred seven years before that of 1902.
The part of the basin of Wadi Alaqi falling within the limits of the
district described in this volume includes the whole country west
of the main watershed between the parallels of 22° and 23°. This
area is drained by numerous tributaries of Alaqi, all entering the
main wadi from its north side. The following is a brief description
of these tributaries, commencing with the uppermost (easternmost)
of them.
=Wadi Himeitra= is a small wadi draining the south face of Gebel
Himeitra. It contains a well, =Bir Himeitra=, at the foot of the
mountain, which is said to yield constant supplies of water. Below
the well, Wadi Himeitra continues for about ten kilometres in
a south-westerly direction, joining the Wadi Alaqi about seven
kilometres above the ruins of Darahib.
The =Miti Kwan=, the next tributary of Alaqi, has its heads in
the north flanks of Gebel Himeitra. Near its head it receives
as feeders from the north-east the =Wadis Kirir= and =Duag=,
draining mountains of the same name which form part of the Adar
Qaqa range. About fourteen kilometres further down its course, the
Miti Kwan receives the =Wadi Merau=, which drains the hills of the
main watershed round Eir Arib. Below the point of influx of Merau,
the Miti Kwan pursues a very winding course among the hills for some
eleven kilometres, then receives from the north the =Wadi Miaus=,
a small wadi with many branches among the hills and containing a
well, =Bir Miaus=, about seven kilometres up from its mouth. After
receiving Wadi Miaus, the Miti Kwan continues a winding course for
about nine kilometres and enters the Wadi Alaqi on the 22nd parallel,
about fifteen kilometres below the ruins of Darahib. A well-known
road, connecting the Wadi Alaqi with the Abu Hodeid and Meisah wells,
leads up the Miti Kwan for a distance of some twenty-three kilometres,
and then passes northwards over a stony plain, crossing the watershed
into the head of Wadi Hasium, in which is Bir Kagog.
=Wadi Dageina= is a small many-branched tributary of Alaqi, draining
the hills east of Gebel Egat.
=Wadi Alfawi=, which enters Wadi Alaqi a little lower down its course,
is likewise a small wadi draining the hilly tract east of Gebel Egat;
there are some old mines on its western side close to its junction
with Wadi Alaqi.
=Wadi Egat=, the next important tributary of Alaqi, drains by
very numerous branches the remarkable peak of Gebel Egat and the
south faces of Gebel Heleikonti. It contains a well, =Bir Egat=,
situated east-south-east of the peak, about twenty-six kilometres
up from its junction with Alaqi, and there are extensive remains of
old mining operations to be seen in the same neighbourhood. Passing
east and south of Gebel Egat, the wadi emerges from the mountains,
coursing almost due west; and after receiving various feeders, the
principal of which is =Wadi Hiteib=, from the mountains to the north,
it enters Wadi Alaqi in longitude 34° 40′, about twenty kilometres
west of Gebel Egat.
=Wadi Hateib=,[88] which enters Wadi Alaqi about twenty kilometres
below Wadi Egat, has its heads in the south faces of Gebel Um el Tiur
el Foqani and the north flanks of Gebel el Hateib or Suhin. Coursing
generally south-westward, it receives small feeders on the west from
Gebels Adraq and Guqub. About four kilometres above where it enters
Wadi Alaqi, Wadi Hateib is joined from the east by =Wadi Suhin=,
the heads of which drain the south faces of Gebel Hateib or Suhin.
=Wadi Guqub=, a very small wadi which enters Alaqi six kilometres
lower down than Hateib, drains the hilly tract which here lies to
the north of Alaqi; it contains an important well, =Bir Guqub=,
which yields good water though in varying quantity. A road leads
from Wadi Alaqi up the Wadi Guqub past the well and on to Aswân,
_via_ El Haimur.
=Wadi Um Teneideb= drains the western faces of Gebels el Adraq
and Guqub, and joins Wadi Alaqi in longitude 34° 11′, about
thirty-three kilometres below Wadi Gugub. It has two main branches,
which unite about ten kilometres above the point of junction with
Wadi Alaqi. The old mines of Betam are situated near the northern
of the two branches, about seven kilometres west of Gebel el Adraq,
on the road just mentioned as leading from Wadi Alaqi to Aswân.
=Wadi Defeit=, which is probably the most important Egyptian tributary
of Wadi Alaqi, has its heads in Gebels Heleikontî and Heianai, about
the meridian of 35°. Its general course is that of a flat circular
arc convex to the north and having its chord east and west; the total
length of its main channel, from its head in Gebel Heleikontî to
its junction with Wadi Alaqi in longitude 34° 10′, is over one
hundred kilometres, while its numerous tributaries probably reach a
total length three times as great. The principal head of Wadi Defeit
is called =Wadi Sarid=; its branches extend among the hills close to
the heads of Wadi Egat and Wadi Miaus. The name Defeit is applied
to the wadi where Wadi Sarid is joined by the feeders from Gebel
Heleikontî. Passing between the high ranges of Heianai on the north,
and Heleikontî and Shanaiyet on the south, Wadi Defeit receives
numerous feeders, of which the principal are the =Wadis Dauriai=
and =Hamidâ=, both entering it from the mountain to the south;
continuing westwards, it cuts through the north end of the mass of
Gebel Um el Tiur el Foqani, and on emergence is joined by the =Wadi
Bint el Feqoh=, a great westward-coursing tributary draining the
north flanks of the Heianai range and the more northerly mountain
of Anweyib. Continuing its westward course, Wadi Defeit passes
between Gebels Um el Tiur el Tahtani and Adraq; then it enters on an
extensive tract of more open country, receiving three main feeders,
=Wadi Meladoyeb=, =Rod Hauanin=, and =Wadi Bagharid=, from the hills
to the north, before joining Wadi Alaqi.
=Wadi Seiga=, the next great northern tributary of Wadi Alaqi, has
only been partially explored. Its head is in the watershed range near
the conspicuous twin peaks of Gebel Sheyenit. Pursuing at first a
southerly course, it cuts through the east side of the mass of Gebel
Seiga; and about thirty kilometres lower down passes through hills
with old gold mines on either hand. Below the mines, Wadi Seiga takes
a south-westerly course, and receives a large tributary from either
side. That from the west, called =Wadi Deheis=, heads in Gebel Deheis
and curves round east of Gebel Abu Brush, receiving in its course
two great feeders, the =Wadis Um Gholqa= and =Abu Had=, both of which
head far to the north in the main watershed. The eastern tributary,
called =Wadi Um Derera=, drains the south part of the hill-mass in
which the Seiga mines are situated. Wadi Seiga joins Wadi Alaqi in
longitude 33° 53′, some forty-five kilometres below the mines;
the junction is outside the limits of the maps in this volume.
* * * * *
[Footnote 84: Dry in 1906.]
[Footnote 85: To be distinguished from another mountain of the same
name further south, near the Wadi Hodein.]
[Footnote 86: To be distinguished from the better known Wadi Egat
much further south, a feeder of Wadi Alaqi.]
[Footnote 87: “L’Etbaye.” p. 1.]
[Footnote 88: Mr. Campbell’s map names this Wadi Hadaiber. My
guides, however, gave the name Gebel Hateib to the mountain which
is drained by the wadi, and I have ventured to alter the name on
this ground. Mr. Campbell’s map names the mountain Gebel Suhin;
it probably has two names, as is quite usual in desert nomenclature,
because its two sides are drained by different wadis. There is a Wadi
Hiteib draining from the south-eastern part of the same hill-mass
into Wadi Egat.]