* * * * *
=THE MOUNTAINS AND HILLS.=
* * * * *
It has been already mentioned (p. 19) that the principal mountain
masses are divisible into ten main groups as follows:—
i. The Migif — Hafafit — Nugrus — Hangalia — Zabara group;
ii. The Abu Hamamid — Hamata — Abu Gurdi group;
iii. The Um Gunud — Dahanib — Batoga group;
iv. The Abu Dahr — Orga — Um Tenebda group;
v. The Faraid group;
vi. The Awamtib — Abraq — Dif — Aqab el Negum — Mishbih group;
vii. The Gerf — Korabkansi — Abu Hodeid group;
viii. The Meisah — Adar Qaqa — Is group;
ix. The mountains of the Alaqi basin west of Gebel Adar Qaqa;
x. The Elba — Shendib group;
while there are numerous more or less isolated mountains and hills
lying outside these principal masses. In the present chapter a more
detailed account will be given of each of the main groups, taking
them in order from north to south, the principal outlying hill-masses
being considered along with the mountain group to which they are
in greatest proximity. It may be remarked that the geographical
positions of all the principal peaks are tabulated in Chapter III.
=The Migif — Hafafit — Nugrus — Hangalia — Zabara Group.=
The highest mountains of the group (_see_ the detailed map on Plate
VI) form a close cluster, round Gebel Nugrus (1,505 metres) as a
centre, between latitudes 24° 40′ and 24° 55′, while other
more or less detached masses are scattered to the north and west. A
striking feature of the central cluster is the tendency to extension
in a north-west and south-east direction, which is specially marked
in the Hafafit and Hangalia ranges.
=Gebel Nugrus=, the central and highest mountain of this northerly
group, is a great boss of red granite rising to a height of 1,505
metres among schists and gneisses. It is an almost isolated mass,
for though the Hangalia and Hafafit ranges close in on it from either
side, there are passes both east and west of it by which a circuit of
the mountain can be made. In plan, it is a pear-shaped mass, about
fourteen kilometres in length by six kilometres in width, having
its long axis north-west and south-east. Gebel Nugrus is on the main
watershed; its north parts are drained Nilewards by the Wadi Hangalia
and other feeders of Wadi Gerf, while the drainage from its south
portion passes by the Wadi Nugrus and Wadai el Nom to the Wadi Gemal
and thence to the sea. The ascent of the mountain was made from a
camp about four kilometres west of the summit, at the top of the pass
leading into the stony head of Wadi Nugrus. The divide here is flat
and sandy, at an altitude of 691 metres above sea-level, so that the
ascent from camp to summit was 814 metres. Striking eastwards over
the lower ridges which flank the main back-bone of the mountain,
the summit was reached after a climb of nearly four hours. When
ascended from this side, there appear to be two main peaks, of which
the further one, marked by a beacon, is the triangulation point;
the best way up is between the two peaks, as the passage from one
to the other is very rough and steep. Though tiring, the climb is
not very difficult. The top of the mountain (_see_ Plate VII) is a
mass of great rounded knobs of granite, on which a suitable place
for setting up instruments was only found after some searching. The
beacon, in latitude 24° 48′ 34″, longitude 34° 35′ 47″,
is on a rounded eminence not large enough to receive an instrument,
so that eccentric observations were necessary; the distance between
the eccentric point of observation and the beacon had to be found by
a subtense method, as the roughness of the mountain top rendered any
process of chaining or taping impossible. The view from the summit
is very fine. To the west, one sees the pinnacles of Migif and the
nearer long range of Hafafit; to the north-east is the black cone of
Atut; northward, seen over a sea of hills, is Igli; to the east is
the high ridge of Hangalia, culminating to the south in Gebel Zabara.
The sea is visible to the north-east and east, but the sea horizon
was obscured during the three days I spent on the summit by banks of
clouds. These cloud banks simulated the sea horizon very closely,
their upper surface appearing perfectly horizontal. They caused
a peculiar phenomenon at sunrise, producing the optical effect of
two suns rising one after the other owing to the refraction through
the cloud. The first thing seen was a blood-red image of the sun
rising over the true sea horizon, which was only thus discovered,
the sun being seen through the cloud; about three minutes later,
when a little more than half the blood-red disc had risen, the true
sun rays flashed out from another and much brighter segment appearing
over the top of the cloud, so that parts of two sun disks were seen
at once, quite separately, one over the other.
Before descending from the mountain, I went along the ridge south-east
and north-west of the highest point to get plane-table stations; in
either direction progress along the top is extremely difficult. To the
north-west it appeared as though the way would be easier by keeping
on the east side of the ridge, but in reality this was not so, as the
slope was so steep and smooth that some stretches could only be got
over by wriggling along with as much as possible of one’s body in
contact with the rock. The descent from the north-west end of the
ridge to camp was difficult and rather dangerous in places. It is
possible that a better way up the mountain could be found from the
pass at the head of Wadi Hangalia, on the opposite side to where I
started; that pass is 120 metres higher than the west one, so that
the total climb would be lessened by that amount, and the horizontal
distance is about the same.
=Gebel Hafafit= is a very long range, chiefly of gneiss, running in
a nearly straight line south-eastward for over thirty kilometres. Its
highest peaks are at its north end, where they are not very much lower
than those of Gebel Nugrus; the heights decrease gradually further
south. Half way down the range is a very conspicuous peak called
=Um Moghar=, 860 metres above sea, while another well marked summit,
the only one which I climbed, exists near the south end and rises to
744 metres. This last-named point is marked by a beacon, in latitude
24° 35′ 32″, longitude 34° 45′ 22″. On either side of the
main back-bone of Hafafit are high flanking ridges. The drainage of
Hafafit practically all flows seaward by the Wadi Gemal; the west
faces are drained by Wadi Hafafit, and the east ones by Wadi Nugrus.
East of the south part of Gebel Hafafit are some remarkable bosses
of granite, of which the chief, Gebel Abu Had, rises to 633 metres
above sea, and is a landmark for Bir Abu Had. Another remarkable hill,
closer in to Hafafit and the Wadi Gemal, is shaped like a bell with a
handle on the top; this hill, which forms a good landmark, is called
=Gebel Um Regeba=, and its summit is 571 metres above the sea.
PLATE VII.
[Illustration: Summit of Gebel Nugrus. (Granite).]
[Illustration: Summit of Gebel Abu Hamamid. (Schists).]
=Gebel Migif= is a very spiky gneiss mass situated about thirteen
kilometres west of Gebel Nugrus. It has several summits of about
equal height, fairly close together, but separated by deep clefts. The
triangulation beacon is on the western peak, in latitude 24° 47′
23″, longitude 34° 27′ 30″, 1,199 metres above sea-level. The
foliation planes of the rock dip to the north, and the only safe
means of ascent is up the resulting north slopes. The south aspect
is precipitous. When ascending the mountain, I pitched my camp 2·7
kilometres north of the beacon, in a gully draining into Wadi Shait,
west of another gully containing the water holes called Galt Um
Karaba, at an altitude of 607 metres above sea-level. The ascent, of
592 metres, took two hours steady climbing, and was not difficult. I
kept on the west side of the gorge till near the top, and this is
the best way up the mountain, for I found the gorge itself to be
steep and abounding in impassable precipices. The view from Gebel
Migif is shut in to the east by the high masses of Gebels Hafafit
and Nugrus; Gebels Atut and Igli are conspicuous to the north;
to the south-east, one overlooks the great sandy basin of Wadi
Hafafit; while to the south-west is more open country in which the
two remarkable cones of El Nahud, the sharp peak of Gebel Abu Khrug,
the ridge of Gebel Hamrat Selma, and closer in the ranges called Gebel
Dweig, are striking features. On a clear day, the huge mountains of
Hamata and Abu Hamamid, eighty kilometres to the south-south-east,
can be discerned. The photographs on Plate VIII will give an idea of
the views looking towards Gebels Nugrus and Dweig respectively. In
the upper view Gebel Nugrus is seen behind the Hafafit range; in the
lower, the masses close in are Gebel Dweig, while in the distance,
to the right of the centre, is Gebel Hamrat Selma, and behind it on
the horizon the spike of Gebel Abu Khrug. The precipitous nature of
the south side of Gebel Migif is evident in both views.
The north and west sides of Gebel Migif are drained by the Wadi
Shait, which passes the foot of the mountain; the steep south face
drains into Wadi Dweig, a tributary of Shait; while the eastern face,
flanked by low hills, is drained by Wadi Hafafit.
Gebel Dweig is a small group of high hills close to the south of
Gebel Migif, with which it combines to form a _cul-de-sac_ round the
head of Wadi Dweig. Gebel Dweig resembles Gebel Migif in character,
except that it is lower; the hill on the south side of the narrow
opening by which Wadi Dweig leaves the _cul-de-sac_ is 864 metres
above sea, and this is believed to be the highest of the group. The
eastern part of the mass is a curiously curved range sweeping round
nearly in a semicircle.
=Gebel Hamrat Selma= is a high ridge rising from the plain about
fifteen kilometres south-west of Gebel Migif. I did not approach it
closely, but fixed the position of its highest point, which is 761
metres above sea-level, by triangulation.
=El Nahud= (the breasts) is the name given to two very remarkable
conical hills of volcanic rock rising from the plain on the north
side of Wadi Natash to the south of Gebel Hamrat Selma. The two
hills are about five kilometres apart, one being south-east of the
other. The north-eastern cone is the sharper of the two, but they
have both the same altitude of 662 metres above the sea and rise
about 130 metres above the surrounding country.
=Gebel Abu Khrug= is a granite hill-mass with a remarkably sharp high
peak, about twenty-five kilometres south-west of Gebel Migif. The
summit, which is surmounted by a triangulation beacon, in latitude
24° 38′ 57″, longitude 34° 16′ 19″, has an altitude of 870
metres above sea-level. Abu Khrug, from its striking Matterhorn-like
shape and its situation in fairly open country, is a conspicuous
landmark for great distances. The Arabs who were sent to erect the
beacon stated that the ascent was very difficult.
=Gebel Sufra= is a mass of rather flat-topped high hills, partly of
volcanic origin, about eighteen kilometres west of Abu Khrug, on the
north side of Wadi Shait. The triangulation beacon on the summit is in
latitude 24° 38′ 42″, longitude 34° 4′ 13″, at a height of
690 metres above sea-level, and 340 metres above the well of Um Gubur,
which is in the Wadi Shait about three kilometres to the south-east.
=Gebels Nazla= and =Um Serg= are moderately high hills lying to
the south of Gebels Sufra and Abu Khrug, between the Wadis Shait
and Natash.
=Gorf el Natash= is a syenite hill on the south side of Wadi Natash,
about five kilometres south-west of Bir Masur, while =Gebels Muktil=
(470 metres), =Derera=, and =Um Goraf=, are prominent hills lying
still further south near Wadi Antar.
PLATE VIII.
[Illustration: View from Gebel Migif, looking east, showing the
Hafafit and Nugrus Ranges.]
[Illustration: View from Gebel Migif, looking south-west, showing
Gebel and Wadi Dweig.]
=Gebel Ras Shait= is a group of high rugged-looking reddish hills,
probably of granite, at the head of Wadi Shait, near Gebels Nugrus
and Migif. Its highest peak rises to 1,019 metres above sea. The west
face drains directly into Shait, while the eastern and northern slopes
drain into Wadi Gerf, which joins Shait far to the south-west. Between
Gebels Migif and Ras Shait is a small range of hills dividing Wadi
Shait from the head of Wadi Hafafit; across the south end of this
range, which is composed of dark schists with white granite at its
western foot, there runs a zigzag pass, fairly easy for camels,
to the head of Wadi Nugrus.
=Gebel Mudergeg= is a high range of reddish hills, which with Gebels
Ras Shait and Migif encloses the heads of Wadi Shait. Its highest
point is 1,086 metres above sea. To the east of it are several other
lower ranges, some of white and others of black aspect, which have
not been approached closely.
=Gebel Hangalia= is a great mountain ridge running south-south-east
for about twelve kilometres, from Gebel Ghuel to Gebel Zabara,
consisting chiefly of schists. Its highest peak is 1,241 metres above
sea-level. Its western faces are drained partly to the Nile by the
Wadi Hangalia (a tributary of Wadi Gerf) and partly to the sea by
the Wadai el Nom (a tributary of Wadi Nugrus); its eastern faces,
which are flanked by high ridges, drain into the various feeders of
Wadi Ghadir.
=Gebel Zabara=, a mountain mass rising to 1,361 metres above
sea-level, forms a southward extension of the Hangalia range. The
cairn on its summit is in latitude 24° 45′ 21″, longitude 34°
41′ 53″. The mountain is drained on the north and east sides
by feeders of the Wadi Ghadir, while its western flanks are partly
drained by the Wadai el Nom. Gebel Zabara is chiefly composed of
schists of various types. The ancient emerald mines of Zabara are in
the north-east part of the mountain, about two and a half kilometres
from its summit. A triangulation beacon marks the highest point of the
mountain, but this was only used as an intersection point. I ascended
some of the flanking ridges near the old mines; these consisted of
splintery schists, and though the climbing is steep and rough (_see_
Plate IX), the schists give a good foothold so that the ascent to the
top is probably not very difficult. The ruins in the Wadi Zabara, near
the old mines, are at 514 metres above sea-level; the climb from them
to the summit is thus one of 857 metres. Due south of Gebel Zabara
is a high ridge, the north-west end of which is 1,104 metres above
sea-level; this ridge is the most conspicuous of a mass of high hills
flanking Gebel Zabara to the south, which have not been seen except
from a distance, but which are probably drained by the Wadi Nugrus.
=Gebel Ghuel=, which forms a northward extension of Gebel Hangalia,
is likewise composed of schists. Its highest point, the south end
of a conspicuous high ridge, is 1,104 metres above sea. Its eastern
faces are drained by the Wadis Ghuel and Fegas, both tributaries
of Wadi Ghadir, while its western flanks drain into the heads of
Wadi Um Khariga. High hills flank the main ridge on both sides,
especially the east, and through these the drainage channels form
deep gloomy gorges. Wadi Ghuel contains important water holes.
=Gebel Um Khariga= is the name given to several high hill ranges
on either side of the Wadi Um Khariga. Two of these ranges, one on
either side of the upper part of the wadi, form like Gebel Ghuel north
extensions of the high ridge of Hangalia; the western range can be
crossed at a gap by an easy pass, 773 metres above sea-level, which
separates the heads of Wadi Gerf from those of Wadi Um Khariga. These
two ranges shut in the wadi on either side for some ten kilometres
of its northward course, beyond which the country becomes more open
and the wadi curves round to the north-east, passing the north end
of a third range of high hills which is likewise called Gebel Um
Khariga. This third range extends northward for about ten kilometres
from Gebel Ghuel, from which it is separated by a pass forming a good
road over the head of Wadi Ghadir. Its most conspicuous feature is
a twin peak at its north end, 674 metres above sea-level. The main
ridge is flanked by high hills, especially on the east side. Only the
north and west flanks of this range are drained by Wadi Um Khariga,
the eastern side being cut up by feeders of Wadi Sukari. Besides
the pass separating it from Gebel Ghuel, there are two other passes,
one round its north end into Wadi Sukari, and another at its south
end between Wadi Ghadir and Wadi Sukari, so that a complete circuit
of this range can be made by camels. Some of the hills composing
the mass consist of highly magnetic schists, and compass readings
in the region may be disturbed by many degrees.
PLATE IX.
[Illustration: Descending Gebel Zabara. (Schists).]
=Gebel Igli el Iswid= is a rather rugged mountain mass rising among
a sea of lower hills, thirty kilometres north of Gebel Nugrus. Its
highest point, marked by a triangulation beacon, in latitude 25° 4′
6″, longitude 34° 36′ 16″, is 975 metres above sea-level. The
mountain forms a tripartite watershed between the basins of Wadi
Um Khariga (draining the south slopes), Wadi Dabur (draining the
north and west slopes), and Wadi Igli (draining the eastern face),
each of which three wadis courses separately to the sea. In occupying
the triangulation station on the summit, I placed my camp in a gully
draining to Wadi Um Khariga, about two kilometres south-south-west of
the summit at an altitude of 605 metres above sea. The climb of 370
metres to the top from this camp was not difficult, and occupied only
a little over an hour and a half. The mountain consists of very hard
grey siliceous rocks, which ring under the hammer, and are probably
crushed and devitrified felsites (_see_ p. 281). There are galts in
some of the gullies draining from this mountain, hence it is sometimes
called _Igli el Rayani_. At the time of my visit (December 1905)
there was said to be a little water in a galt on the west side of the
mass; but the rock basins in the gully which I ascended were empty.
=Gebel Igli el Ahmar=, sometimes called _El Atshani_, is a lower
hill mass of granite some ten kilometres north-east of Igli el Iswid.
=Gebel Atut= is a high black conical hill thirty kilometres north-west
of Gebel Nugrus. Rising considerably above the hills which immediately
surround it, Atut is visible from a great distance from the west,
and its conical form renders it easy of recognition. Its summit,
marked by a beacon, in latitude 25° 0′ 56″, longitude 34°
23′ 49″, is 908 metres above sea-level and 300 metres above
the branches of the Rod el Atut which encircle its base. A camp can
be placed close to the foot of the cone, and the ascent is easily
made in about an hour. The rock of Gebel Atut is olivine gabbro
(_see_ p. 302), of great hardness, and the whole surface of the
mountain is formed of great blocks, rounded and boulder-like below,
but angular higher up. The blocks have rusty-looking surfaces, but
are perfectly sound rock inside, and they ring like bells under the
hammer. The upper illustration on Plate X shows a view of the summit
of Gebel Atut, from which its blocky nature will be evident. The
view from Gebel Atut is a very extensive one. To the west and north
(_see_ the lower illustration on Plate X) one can see the peaks of
Gebels Muelih, Haggar Dungash, Iteima, Abu Diab, and Hamrat Wogud;
to the south-east are the masses of Migif and Nugrus, while eastward
one looks over a great expanse of hills towards Gebels Dabur and Um
Khariga, with the sea beyond.
The hills of =Um el Huetat=, the highest of which rise over 200 metres
above the wadis round them, are situated about eight kilometres due
west of Gebel Atut; they are composed of schists of various types,
and contain some old mines, mostly in talc schist. They are drained
by the Rod el Farag, a tributary of Wadi Gerf.
On the other side of the Rod el Farag, _i.e._, further west of Gebel
Atut, are numerous scattered hills, the higher of which bear the
names of =Hamrat Mastura=, =El Hamra=, and =Um Himar=. These are of
granite, gneiss, and schists, with some coarse gabbro and numerous
quartz veins.
Still further west is the remarkable ridge called =Erf el Fahid=,
a great quartz vein ten metres wide and two kilometres long, rising
nearly one hundred metres above the Wadi Muelih. A beacon on its
highest point, 579 metres above sea-level, marks the triangulation
station, its position being latitude 25° 0′ 5″, longitude 34°
11′ 52″. South-east of Erf el Fahid is a line of similar but
smaller ridges, also formed of great quartz veins rising through
diorites and schists. Still further down the Wadi Muelih is a curious
horse-shoe-shaped hill of aplite, called =Marwot Rod el Ligaia=,
round which the hills of crushed diorite are penetrated with a
network of quartz veins running in various directions.
=Gebel Muelih= is a great boss of white granite situated close to the
north side of Wadi Muelih in longitude 34°. Its summit, marked by
a beacon, in latitude 24° 52′ 44″, longitude 34° 0′ 37″,
is 707 metres above sea and 350 metres above the wadi which courses
round its south flank, and from which it is easily climbed. The
upper view on Plate XI gives an idea of its appearance as seen from
the base line camp in the wadi six kilometres east of it.
=Gebel Hagar Dungash= is a great mass of high hills situated north of
Gebel Muelih. The beacon on its highest point, in latitude 24° 59′
12″, longitude 34° 2′ 33″, is 815 metres above sea-level. In
the hills which flank the main mass are numerous sharp peaks, one of
the most conspicuous of which, eight and a half kilometres south-west
of the beacon, is called =Gebel Um Dalalil=. A ridge five kilometres
due east of the beacon bears the name of =Erf Rod Um Rashid=. The
rocks of Haggar Dungash are chiefly dark schists.
PLATE X.
[Illustration: Summit of Gebel Atut.]
[Illustration: View from Gebel Atut, looking north-west, showing
Gebels Abu Diab and Hamrat Wogud in the distance.]
PLATE XI.
[Illustration: View in Wadi Muelih (Base-line Camp). Gebel Muelih
in the Distance.]
[Illustration: Granite-boss of Gebel Selaia.]
=Gebel Iteima= is a group of high granite hills rising from the
plain fifteen kilometres north of Erf el Fahid. Its highest peak is
849 metres above the sea. It is drained southwards by the Wadi Muelih.
=Gebel Hamrat Wogud=, which is likewise of granite, is a higher
mountain mass fifteen kilometres east of Iteima. Its highest point,
marked by a beacon, is in latitude 25° 9′ 34″, longitude 34°
20′ 0″, and 1,103 metres above sea. It is drained southwards by
the Rod Um el Farag, a tributary of Wadi Gerf.
Between Gebels Muelih and Mudergeg is a sandy plain with low hills,
the more conspicuous of which bear special names; among them are
=Marwot Rod el Ligah=, =Erf Sagur=, and =Khusa el Faraon=, the
last-named being a group of small but very remarkable black hills
eleven kilometres due south of Erf el Fahid. Marwot Rod el Ligah is
a triangulation point; its beacon is 514 metres above sea-level.
=Gebel Sukari= is a very craggy high ridge of granitic rock
twenty-two kilometres north of Gebel Zabara. Its highest point,
which is at its north end, is 630 metres above sea-level, but the
triangulation beacon was erected on a lower part of the ridge further
south, in latitude 24° 56′ 50″, longitude 34° 42′ 50″,
at an altitude of 476 metres, in order to be near to the extensive
old mines and ruins which exist in the locality. Gebel Sukari is
drained by various feeders of Wadi Sukari.
=Kurdeman= is the name of a low hilly district on the east side
of Wadi Ghadir, thirteen kilometres north of Gebel Zabara. It is
interesting as containing some ancient mines, doubtless worked for
gold. A triangulation beacon has been erected on a hill just above the
workings, in latitude 24° 52′ 35″, longitude 34° 41′ 35″,
at an altitude of 526 metres above sea, or about fifty metres above
the wadi.
=Gebel Sabahia= is a craggy felsite hill five kilometres south-east
of Kurdeman, rising to 520 metres above sea, or about ninety metres
above the wadi. It is drained by the Wadi Sabahia, a tributary of
Wadi Ghadir. In the heads of the Wadi Sabahia, north-east of the hill,
are some old gold mines.
=Gebel Um Tundeba= is a high granite hill near the head of Wadi Um
Tundeba. Its summit is 550 metres above the sea. It forms a landmark
for the water hole called Galt Um Tundeba, which is situated in a
small gully, three kilometres west of the summit of the hill.
=Gebel Amba-ut=, seven kilometres south of the foregoing, is likewise
believed to be of granite; the southern hill of this group is of a red
colour and very conspicuous as one passes from Um Tundeba to Ghadir.
=Gebel Ghadir=, the summit of which, in latitude 24° 50′ 9″,
longitude 34° 47′ 22″, and 636 metres above sea, is marked
by a triangulation beacon, is thirteen kilometres north-east of
Gebel Zabara. I ascended it from a camp 424 metres above sea-level
in one of the gullies draining westward to Wadi Ghadir. The ascent
is easy. The rocks are greenish serpentines and ophicalcites below,
with a white quartz felsite above.
=Gebel Allawi=, situated on the south side of the Wadi Allawi, is a
diorite hill rising to 515 metres above sea. It is best approached
by ascending a small feeder of Wadi Allawi, in which a camp can be
placed within a kilometre of the summit and 160 metres below it. There
are some interesting old gold mines in the quartz veins just below
the beacon on the summit of the hill, and a band of graphitic schist
crops out near the north foot of the hill. The position of the beacon
is latitude 24° 46′ 42″, longitude 34° 49′ 39″.
=Gebel Lewewi= is a dark craggy hill range eight kilometres
east-south-east of Gebel Zabara, between Wadi Allawi and its tributary
Wadi Lewewi. Its highest point, marked by a cairn, is 654 metres
above sea-level. There are some old mines in the lower hills two
and half kilometres south-east of Gebel Lewewi, and others a little
further off in the same direction.
=Gebel Sikait= is a rugged ridge of schists and serpentine situated
in the midst of hilly country fourteen kilometres south-east of
Gebel Zabara. The triangulation beacon which marks its summit is
in latitude 24° 39′ 55″, longitude 34° 48′ 5″, and 771
metres above sea-level, and 330 metres above the wadi which skirts its
western foot. Gebel Sikait is of interest from the abundant ruins and
old emerald mines which exist near it, as well as from the variety
of minerals present in its rocks. It is the Sicily of the Eastern
Desert. Beryl, tourmaline, actinolite, various micas, chlorite, talc
and crystals of calcite are amongst the commoner minerals found. The
serpentine which abounds in its upper parts is highly magnetic, and
the compass was found to be disturbed by no less than 40° near the
triangulation point. Gebel Sikait is drained from the west by the Wadi
Sikait, a tributary of Wadi Nugrus, and from the east by the Wadi Um
Gamil. The best place to climb it from is the Wadi Sikait, and the
ascent, not a difficult one, is rendered interesting by the ruins
and old mines encountered; part of the way one passes over an ancient
made road, now broken in many places by the downwash from the hill.
=Gebel Ras Um Gamil= and =Gebel Um Gamil= are two high hill ranges
south-east of Sikait, which have only been sketched from a distance.
=Madaret Um Gamil= is a conspicuous double-topped hill on the north
side of the Wadi Gemal, seventeen kilometres south-east of Sikait. The
beacon which marks its highest point is in latitude 24° 34′ 52″,
longitude 34° 56′ 28″, and 454 metres above sea. It is best
ascended by a very winding tributary of the Wadi Gemal; this gully,
up which there is a road, leads past the south-west foot of the
hill, and the climb is only one of some 200 metres. The rocks round
Madaret Um Gamil are mostly schists, but the top of the hill is a
hard gabbro like that of Gebel Atut, weathered into rusty looking
blocks. A good view seawards is obtained from the summit, some very
red granite forming a conspicuous feature in the low hills between
it and the coast.
=The Abu Hamamid — Hamata — Abu Gurdi Group.=
This group of mountains is remarkable both for its extent and for
the loftiness of many of its peaks, some of which are among the
highest in Egypt. It is a mass of rugged ridges and peaks, covering
about a quarter of a square degree of the earth’s surface between
latitudes 24° 0′ and 24° 30′, in which the two dominant summits,
Abu Hamamid (1,747 metres) and Hamata (1,978 metres) are the most
conspicuous features in the west and east portions respectively,
while Abu Gurdi (1,562 metres) forms the great terminal peak of a
south-easterly extension of the mass. Plate XII shows two typical
views in this rugged region.
=Gebel Abu Hamamid= is a great ridge of hard greenish schists towering
above the surrounding mountains to a height of 1,747 metres above
sea. Its crest is broken into a number of separate summits, which
appear from most aspects of almost a sugar loaf form; the beacon
is on the most northerly and highest of these, its position being
latitude 24° 14′ 41″, longitude 34° 47′ 38″. The mountain
is best ascended from the Wadi Um Semiuki, a tributary of Huluz,
which drains its north-east face. By ascending this wadi till camels
could go no higher owing to its increasingly rough and stony floor,
I was able to pitch a camp at 865 metres above sea-level and two and
a quarter kilometres north-east of the summit, leaving an ascent of
882 metres to be made on foot. The ascent, which occupied four hours,
was free from difficulty till within about one hundred metres of the
top, but the last portion was extremely steep and was only negotiated
with considerable trouble; it represents pretty nearly the limit of
possibility in getting instruments up difficult places. Once the top
was reached, however, the magnificence of the view obtainable, and the
excellence of the point as a station for triangulating the principal
peaks among the thousands visible, seemed an ample recompense for the
trouble of reaching it. The top of the ridge (_see_ Plate VII, p. 166)
is very rough and narrow, only a little over a metre wide, and it is
difficult to find a spot near the summit where one can spread one’s
blankets for the night with even a slight approach to comfort. The
eight nights of enforced bivouacking which I was obliged to spend on
the top of Abu Hamamid in February 1906, before I could complete my
observations, belong to the least pleasant of my experiences in the
desert. A little work only was possible the first day, owing to haze
obscuring the more distant peaks. On the second day clouds enveloped
us in a wet drizzle, and a bitterly cold north wind blew with great
violence; a rude rubble shelter which my men built on the summit,
covered with a blanket, was a very poor protection, and I found it
better to throw a rubble embankment across a steep gully on the lee
side, forming a small level platform where we were sheltered from the
biting wind. For the next five days, we were alternately wrapped in
clouds or left free under a brilliant blue sky with clouds covering
all the surrounding country. It was curious on these days to look over
the surface of the clouds, as over a boundless level sea, with only
the highest peaks projecting sharp and black above the white surface,
and to see the sun rise and set exactly as though one were on the
ocean. Then at last the clouds began to disappear, and on the first
clear day a very large amount of triangulation was accomplished, all
the more prominent peaks within a radius of about sixty kilometres
being observed. Gebel Abu Hamamid forms a culminating point on the
Nile — Red Sea watershed, its eastern parts draining to Wadi Huluz
and its western ones to Wadi Abu Hamamid, a tributary of Wadi Kharit.
PLATE XII.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: Typical Views among the Mountains of Hamata and Abu
Hamamid. (The high peak in the distance in the lower view is Gebel
Hamata).]
=Gebel Um Semiuki= is a sharp cone rising to 1,283 metres above the
sea among a mass of lower hills three kilometres north-east of Gebel
Abu Hamamid. It is of a reddish aspect, due to a film which covers
the weathered surface of the green and grey hornfels of which it is
composed. It is drained by the Wadi Um Semiuki.
=Gebel Abu Argub= is a very conspicuous mountain, almost conical in
shape, seven and a half kilometres south-south-west of Gebel Abu
Hamamid, from which it is separated by lower hills. To the south,
Gebel Abu Argub overlooks the plain of Selaia. Its peak, 1,690 metres
above sea-level, is a good landmark from the south and west.
=Gebel Kahfa= is a many-peaked mountain of granite rising abruptly
to a height of 1,018 metres above sea from among lower hills of dark
schists, nineteen kilometres south-west of Gebel Abu Hamamid. It is
detached from the main mountain-mass, being separated from it by the
heads of Wadi Um Retba. Its faces are in many places sheer precipices
of several hundred metres (_see_ Plate XIII), but the ascent of it
from the north is not very difficult. In occupying Kahfa as a station
I approached it from Bir Shadli by a well-marked track which skirts
the western foot-hills and leads to the Wadi Helie. Leaving this track
where it crosses Wadi Um Hargal some six kilometres from Bir Shadli, I
ascended the Wadi Um Hargal and crossed the pass at its head into the
head of Wadi Um Retba, where I pitched my camp at an altitude of 563
metres, at the foot of Gebel Kahfa 1·3 kilometres north-north-east of
the beacon on its summit. The climb of 455 metres from this camp to
the top occupied three hours. There is good bivouacking ground close
east of the summit, between two ridges. The beacon which marks the
triangulation point is in latitude 24° 8′ 18″, longitude 34°
38′ 55″. A walk round the top is full of interest; one can reach
many points overlooking tremendous precipices, and the forms assumed
by the granite peaks are very remarkable. On the west side of the
mountain is a rather large open space forming the head of Wadi Helie,
but elsewhere one is surrounded by low hills. The principal drainers
of Kahfa are the Wadis Um Hargal and Um Retba (tributaries of Wadi
el Sheikh) to the north, and Helie and Abu Hashim (tributaries of
Wadi Kharit) to the south.
=Gebel Medsus= is a small group of high hills rising among lower
ones between Gebel Abu Hamamid and Bir Shadli.
=Gebel Metawit= is a high granite hill rising conspicuously among
much lower hills thirteen kilometres north-west of Bir Shadli. A
track leading from Bir Shadli to Bir Metawit and other wells further
north-west passes close east of the hill. Gebel Metawit is a good
landmark for Bir Metawit, which is situated in the wadi of the same
name about three kilometres north-west of it. The summit is 741 metres
above sea-level or about 295 metres above the wadi floor at the well.
=Gebel Hamrat Mukbud= is a great red granite mass rising from the
plain about twenty-five kilometres west of Bir Shadli. Its isolated
character and great altitude (892 metres above the sea and about
450 metres above the surrounding country) render Hamrat Mukbud one
of the finest and best known landmarks in this part of the desert. A
cairn on its summit marks the triangulation point, in latitude 24°
9′ 53″, longitude 34° 23′ 17″. Its ascent is a matter of
some difficulty, owing to its great steepness.
=El Hamra= is another red granite mass, much smaller than Hamrat
Mukbud, lying about half-way between that mountain and Bir Shadli,
and separating the Wadi Abu Hamamid from the Wadi el Sheikh.
=Gebel Homr Akarim= is a hill about thirty-three kilometres west
of Gebel Hamrat Mukbud, close to the north of Wadi el Khashab. Its
summit, 490 metres above sea, is marked by a triangulation cairn.
=Gebel Marasan= is a range of mountains north-west of Abu Hamamid. It
is cut through by an important pass over the main watershed, 685
metres above sea-level, connecting the Wadis Huluz and Abu Hamamid
by their respective tributaries Marasan and Marasani, which drain
north-east and south-west from the pass. The highest peak of the
mountains south of the pass is 1,261 metres above sea-level, while
those to the north are lower. The name Gebel Marasan is, however,
commonly given only to the peaks north of the pass, as they rise more
abruptly from it, while those to the south are unnamed or regarded
as part of Gebel Hamamid because the Wadi Abu Hamamid drains their
southern flanks.
PLATE XIII.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: Two Views on Gebel Kahfa. (Granite).]
=Gebel Khulla= is a range lying a few kilometres west of Gebel
Marasan from which it is quite separated. Its highest point is 978
metres above sea. It is drained by Wadi Khulla, a tributary of Wadi
Abu Hamamid.
=Gebel Um Sedri= is a remarkable pair of twin peaks on or near the
main watershed seventeen kilometres north-west of Gebel Abu Hamamid,
and a little to the south of the Wadi Huluz. These peaks, which are
970 metres above sea-level and about 460 metres above the floor of
Wadi Huluz, are very conspicuous from the surrounding high country,
but they cannot be seen from the Wadi Huluz itself as they lie a
little way back from the scarps which bound the gorge. It is the
drainage from the hills round Gebel Um Sedri which feeds the water
holes of Um Gerifat, in a little gorge opening to Wadi Huluz about
two kilometres north-west of the peaks.
=Gebel el Heda= is a conspicuous hill situated ten kilometres
north-north-west of Gebel Metawit, between the Wadis Antar and
Khashab. Its highest point is 862 metres above sea-level.
=Gebel Nukheira= is a group of high hills on or near the main
watershed, close to the head of Wadi Antar and about ten kilometres
north-north-west of Gebel el Heda. Its highest point is 876 metres
above the sea.
=Gebel Ras Abu Etl= is a lower hill seven kilometres north-east of
Gebel Nukheira. As seen from the upper part of the Wadi Gemal it
appeared to have a flat top, which is 648 metres above the sea. It
is probably drained by the short Wadi Abu Etl, which joins Wadi
Huluz to form the Wadi Gemal.
=Gebel Um Suerab= is a great high ridge of dark looking rocks,
surrounded by high flanking hills, rising conspicuously in the
hilly country between the Wadis Huluz and Gemal, about twenty-four
kilometres north-north-west of Gebel Abu Hamamid. The top of its
ridge, which appears to be nearly level for about a kilometre of its
length, is 1,024 metres above sea-level. From its neighbourhood drain
two wadis in opposite directions; one, called the Wadi Um Suerab lil
Gemal, goes northward to join Wadi Gemal, while the other, called
Wadi Um Suerab lil Huluz, is the longer and courses southward to
join Wadi Huluz.
=Gebel Durunkat= is another apparently flat-topped hill eight
kilometres south-east of Gebel Um Suerab, on the west side of the
Wadi Durunkat, about thirteen kilometres above its junction with
Wadi Gemal. Its summit is 924 metres above sea-level.
=Gebel Abarun= is a mountain range situated a short distance
north-east of Gebel Abu Argub, from which it is separated by the Wadi
Abarun. Its highest peak, almost due east of that of Abu Argub, from
which it is separated by the Wadi Abarun, is 1,602 metres above sea,
and overlooks the great plain of Selaia to the south.
=Gebel Um el Tiur= is a range extending south-east from Gebel Abarun,
forming a southward prolongation of the mountains. Its highest peak
is 1,450 metres above the sea, while the terminal peak southward is
1,080 metres. It is drained on the west by the Wadis el Shel and el
Anbat (tributaries of Wadi Kharit) and on the east by the Wadi Um
el Tiur (a tributary of Wadi Hilgit lil Kharit).
=Gebel el Anbat= is a group of lower dark coloured hills forming
the south foot hills of Gebel Um el Tiur. Its highest point is 788
metres above sea, while a detached black hill a little west of it
on the plain rises to 680 metres above sea, or 175 metres above the
plain at its base. These hills are drained by the Wadi el Anbat and
other small feeders of Wadi Kharit.
=Gebel Um Usher= and =Um Hasidok= are conspicuous peaks on the main
watershed ten kilometres east, and twelve and a half kilometres
east-south-east respectively of Gebel Abu Hamamid, rising to 1,487
and 1,497 metres above sea-level. They are drained to the south by
the Wadi Hilgit lil Kharit, and to the north by the Wadi el Mahali,
a feeder of Wadi Huluz.
=Gebel el Mahali= is a rather high peak of grey porphyry which forms
a northerly extension of Gebel Um Usher, close south of the Wadi
Huluz. Its top is 1,112 metres above sea, or 330 metres above the
adjacent wadi floor.
=Gebel Hamata=, with one exception[106] the highest mountain in
the Eastern Desert of Egypt, is situated on the meridian of 35°,
in latitude 24° 12′, thirty-three kilometres from the nearest
point of the coast and 213 kilometres from the nearest point of the
Nile, and rises to an altitude of 1,978 metres above sea-level; the
summit is marked by a triangulation beacon, the position of which is
latitude 24° 12′ 17″, longitude 35° 0′ 16″. Gebel Hamata
lies some five kilometres east of the main watershed, which curiously
enough is not always formed by the highest peaks. It is drained
principally by the Wadi Huluz, the heads of which almost encircle
it. The Wadi Hamata heads in the eastern face of the high ridge which
connects Gebels Hamata and Abu Ghusun, and thus only takes a small
portion of the drainage of Gebel Hamata itself. Though surrounded
by other high mountains, Hamata towers above them so as to be a very
conspicuous feature on the sky line from great distances. Looked at
from the north or south, it is like a great, rather flat, cone with
a smaller cone east of it. The best way to ascend the mountain is
from the head of the Wadi el Abiad, that feeder of Wadi Huluz which
drains the north face of it. In proceeding up the Wadi el Abiad
from Wadi Huluz, one is shut in by high hills on either side till
about six kilometres from the mountain; then the wadi opens into a
rough plain with low granite hills, and the imposing mass of Hamata
springs suddenly into full view. My camels were coaxed on with their
loads up this wadi, which becomes very steep and stony as its head
is approached, to within two and a quarter kilometres of the summit,
where they actually reached an altitude of 1,025 metres above the
sea. The ascent of the remaining 953 metres on foot, though tiring,
was fairly easy, and occupied less than four hours. The lower third
of Hamata is a whitish granite; this gives place higher up to a hard
quartz felsite, which rings under the hammer and weathers into rusty
brown blocks. To the east of the main summit the rock changes to a
green breccia, which seems to form a considerable portion of that
part of the mountain. The view from the summit is a fine one in
clear weather, including as it does an extensive prospect of the
rugged mountains around, and a large extent of coast-line. But it
was on this mountain that I had my first experience of the chronic
haze which seems to hang almost perpetually over the coastal regions
in the neighbourhood of the tropic, and which is the greatest enemy
of the surveyor in these parts. On each of the three days which
I spent on Hamata, the morning sun rose over cloud-banks to the
east; clouds filled all the wadis and covered the lower country,
while the highest peaks stood up clear and sharp above the sea
of cloud. Towards 10 a.m., the clouds gradually melted away over
the land under the increasing solar influence, but there remained
a continuous haze, especially over the coast and out to sea. The
explanation of the almost perpetual clouds and haze was soon seen,
and is very simple. If the wind blows from the north-west, it is
generally cool or even cold in winter. If this north wind is dry
and persistent, the air is clear; but should it fail and warm moist
breezes set in from seaward, these drop their moisture on reaching
the cooler air of the mountains. If the air is still or nearly so,
the moisture is evaporated in the sun’s rays during the day, only
to precipitate itself again as the air cools by rapid radiation at
night. As a consequence, dews on the mountains are extremely heavy,
and one soon learns to seek the shelter of an overhanging rock or to
improvise a rude tent from a blanket and a few sticks over one’s
nightly resting-place.
=Gebel Abu Ghusun= is a mountain range north of Hamata, with which
it is connected by a ridge of lower peaks so as to close in the
small rough granite plain north-east of the latter mountain. Its
highest peak, eight kilometres north-north-west of Gebel Hamata,
is 1,389 metres above sea-level. It is drained on the south by
the Wadi el Abiad, the same tributary of Wadi Huluz which drains
the north face of Hamata, and on the north by the Wadi Abu Ghusun,
which enters the sea separately.
=Gebel Um Laham= is a mass of lower hills a little west of Gebel Abu
Ghusun, forming the side of Wadi Huluz opposite to Gebel el Mahali.
=Gebel Tarfawi= is a complex mountain range fourteen kilometres
north-west of Gebel Hamata. Its highest point, at the north-west end
of a ridge, is 1,363 metres above the sea. It is probably drained
to the south by the Wadi Tarfawi, a tributary of Wadi Huluz, and to
the north by feeders of Wadi Romit.
=Gebel Um Heshenib= is a great ridge situated twenty-two kilometres
north-west of Gebel Hamata. The beacon on its highest point,
in latitude 24° 20′ 49″, longitude 34° 50′ 53″, has an
altitude of 1,135 metres above the sea. Its lower parts are granite,
but the upper third is of dark schists, while the actual ridge on
which the beacon stands is a grey porphyrite. Gebel Um Heshenib is
drained to the north by the Wadi el Abiad, a tributary of Wadi Gemal,
and to the south by tributaries of Wadi Huluz. I ascended it on two
occasions from opposite sides. The north approach is the easier road
for camels, as they can pass easily up the broad and sandy Wadi el
Abiad, while to reach it from Wadi Huluz one has to journey over
a rather stony pass and along narrow stony wadis. But the climb
is longer from the north side, being one of 635 metres against 380
metres from the south, and the southern climb is easier as well as
shorter. It is interesting to note that as the ground south of the
mountain lies at an average level of 250 metres higher than that to
the north, the plumb-line ought from theoretical considerations to
be attracted to the south by several seconds, and this was found
to be the case when the mountain was used as a latitude station
(_see_ p. 47) There is a very difficult pass east of the mountain
from the head of Wadi el Abiad into a tributary of Wadi Huluz; I
was told that loaded camels could not possibly get over the pass,
and have reason to believe the statement true, as although I did
not consent my men were desirous of going over it and volunteered
to carry the baggage over themselves to relieve the camels.
=Gebel el Abiad= is the name given to two distinct ranges of high
granite hills on either side of the Wadi el Abiad, north and east
of Gebel Um Heshenib. The eastern of these two ranges extends
in a north-westerly direction for about twelve kilometres from
Gebel Tarfawi to near the place where Wadi el Abiad turns to the
north-east. It has numerous peaks, of which the most conspicuous
is at the south-east end of a high ridge six and a half kilometres
north-east of Gebel Um Heshenib, and rises to 957 metres above
sea. This eastern range is drained from the west by the Wadi el Abiad,
and from the west by the Wadis Shoab and Romit. The western range is
slightly lower and less extensive; one of its most conspicuous peaks,
eleven kilometres north-north-east of Um Heshenib, is 892 metres
above the sea, and there are numerous other peaks further south of
almost equal altitude. This western range is almost entirely drained
by the Wadi el Abiad, a feeder of which curves round the south end of
the range, thus separating it from Gebel Um Heshenib; the drainage
from the north end probably passes into the Wadi Mukhatatat, while
a portion of the eastern slopes may be drained by feeders of Wadi
Durunkat. It is the coarse white granitic sand resulting from the
disintegration of the rocks of these hills which gives its name to
the Wadi el Abiad, and the hills take their name from the wadi. The
heads of the wadi near Gebel Um Heshenib are, however, blackened by
hornblendic downwash from the schists which overlie the granite of
that mountain.
=Gebel Shoab= is a very high white granite hill close to the head of
Wadi Shoab, on its north side. It rises to 830 metres above the sea,
or about 400 metres above the wadi floor.
=Gebel Hefeiri= is a very sharp granite peak a little west of the
Wadi Abu Ghusun, about fifteen kilometres north of Hamata. Rising to
612 metres above the sea, or about 300 metres above the wadi near it,
among lower granite hills, it is a good landmark. There is a smaller
very sharp peak two and a half kilometres to the north-east, on the
opposite side of the Wadi Abu Ghusun, while to the west are sugar
loaf shaped hills.
=Gebel Um Sueh= is a conspicuous granite hill six and a half
kilometres east of the Wadi el Abiad and four and a half kilometres
north of the Wadi Shoab, rising to 781 metres above sea. It is
probably drained from the north-east by the heads of Wadi Um el Abbas.
=Gebel Um el Abbas= is a very remarkable granite hill between Gebels
Um Sueh and Abu Hegilig. From the north, it looks like a square block
with precipitous sides, having a sheer drop of about 200 metres. Its
summit is 697 metres above sea. It is drained by the Wadi Um el Abbas,
which goes independently to the sea.
=Gebel Abu Hegilig= is another high granite hill, three and a half
kilometres east of Gebel Um el Abbas and twenty-six kilometres north
of Gebel Hamata. Its summit, 607 metres above sea, is marked by a
beacon, the position being latitude 24° 26′ 16″, longitude 34°
58′ 32″. The hill is drained by feeders of Wadi Um el Abbas. The
camp from which I ascended the hill was in one of these feeders 1,200
metres north-east of the beacon and 267 metres above sea-level; the
climb of 340 metres was not difficult, and only occupied a little
over an hour. The beacon is on a block not large enough to take an
instrument, so that observations here were taken from an eccentric
point a little way along the ridge and afterwards reduced to centre.
=Gebel Sarobi= is a small hill-range twenty-two kilometres north-east
of Gebel Hamata and some eleven kilometres from the sea coast. The
peak at its south end is 471 metres above sea-level. This range
has not been closely approached nor well seen, but it must be very
conspicuous to any one travelling in the low hill country near
the sea.
=Gebel Ras el Kharit= is a mountain range forming part of the main
watershed, running in a nearly east and west line a little south
of Gebel Hamata. Its highest peak is extremely sharp, and rises
to 1,661 metres above sea-level six kilometres south-south-east of
Hamata. Of the many other peaks of the range, the chief is one three
kilometres west of the highest point, and six kilometres due south
of Hamata; this reaches an altitude of 1,564 metres. The northern
face of the range is drained by the heads of the Wadi Huluz, while
the southern is drained by the heads of Wadi Kharit, whence the name
of the mountain range.
=Gebel Khashir=, which forms an eastward extension of Gebel Ras
el Kharit, reaches an altitude of 1,565 metres above sea-level;
its highest peak is nine and a half kilometres south-east of Gebel
Hamata. It is drained to the sea by the Wadi Khashir, the heads of
which end in the precipitous eastern faces of the mountain.
=Gebel Mikbi= is a long high ridge on the main watershed, seven
kilometres south of Gebel Khashir. Its highest point, at the south
end of the ridge, is 1,388 metres above sea-level. Gebel Mikbi
is connected with Gebel Ras el Kharit by a lower ridge running
north-west and forming the continuation of the watershed across the
head of Wadi el Kharit. There is a pass across this ridge into the
head of Wadi Mikbi, which drains Gebel Mikbi seawards, but it is a
very difficult one for loaded camels owing to the great steepness
of the eastern side.
=Gebel Zatit= is another high ridge about five kilometres east of
Gebel Mikbi, on the south side of the head of Wadi Mikbi.
=Gebel Egat= is a high mountain close to the south-west of Gebel
Mikbi, forming the continuation of the watershed. It has two principal
peaks, two and a quarter kilometres apart, of which the south-west
one is the higher, being 1,422 metres, while the north-east one is
1,277 metres above the sea. The western face of the mass is drained
by the Wadi Egat, a tributary of Kharit, while the eastern flanks
are cut up by feeders of the Wadi Sefent, a tributary of Wadi Lahami.
=Gebels Um Sellim= and =Gumudlum= are high hill ranges forming an
eastward extension of the Egat and Mikbi mountains, on the north side
of Wadis Sefent and Lahami. The highest point of Gebel Um Sellim is
947 metres above sea, or about 620 metres above the floor of Wadi
Lahami. These ranges are flanked by lower hills through which run
various small wadis such as Um Khuzuma, Um Ghobasha, and Gumudlum,
all feeders of Wadi Lahami. Some of these small wadis contain rock
basins or galts which retain large supplies of water for some time
after rain has fallen on the hills.
=Gebel Abu Gurdi= is a great mountain in latitude 24° 0′, forming
the terminal peak to the south of the Hamata group. The beacon on
its summit, in latitude 24° 0′ 11″, longitude 35° 5′ 17″,
is 1,562 metres above sea-level. Though in reality a ridge, Abu Gurdi
from most points of view looks like a rather flat cone, surrounded
by lower hills. It is on the main watershed, which crossing to the
summit from Gebel Egat, continues south-eastward along a narrow ridge
descending to the pass at the head of Wadi Lahami. The south-west
parts of Abu Gurdi are drained by the Wadis Abu Gurdi and Elemikan,
both tributaries of Kharit, while its southern and eastern parts
drain into Wadi Lahami by various feeders, of which the chief are the
Wadis Um Karaba, Um Rishan, Um Homar, and Sefent. Gebel Abu Gurdi
could probably be ascended from the west by following up the Wadi
Abu Gurdi, but in occupying the mountain as a triangulation station
I descended the Wadi Lahami as far as the point of influx of Wadi Um
Karaba and then ascended the latter wadi as far as the camels could
get, pitching my camp two kilometres south of the summit at 804 metres
above sea-level. The ascent of 758 metres to the beacon on foot from
the camp occupied two and a quarter hours of fairly stiff climbing;
it presented no serious difficulties, but the rock near the top is
much broken up and one has to be careful lest blocks are dislodged
under one’s foot. The view from the top of Abu Gurdi on a clear day
must be extremely fine, but during the three days I remained there
a thin haze spoiled the distant prospect, especially towards the
coast; the remarkable shapes of the granite peaks of Gebel Faraid,
sixty kilometres to the south-south-east, formed the most striking
feature in the scene.
=Gebel Derhib=, 1,160 metres above the sea, is a mountain separating
Wadi Abu Gurdi from Wadi Egat; it is really an extension of Gebel
Abu Gurdi, from the beacon on which its summit is six and a half
kilometres west.
=Gebel Um Goradi= is likewise in reality part of the Abu Gurdi mass,
forming the end of a spur extending south-eastward for ten kilometres
from the main peak. The Wadi Lahami curves round its foot northward,
passing between it and Gebel Um Gunud.
=Gebel Selaia=[107] (the bald head) is a very remarkable
rounded granite boss rising from the plain thirty-one kilometres
south-south-west of Gebel Hamata. Owing to its peculiar shape,
isolated position, and considerable height (its top is 787 metres
above sea-level and about 260 metres above the plain), Selaia
is a conspicuous landmark for great distances round it. The lower
illustration on Plate XI (p. 172) gives an idea of its appearance as
seen from the east; from the north or south it appears much steeper.
South-east of Gebel Selaia stretches a line of four smaller granite
hills. The first of these, about a kilometre from the great boss,
is interesting as having a small spring, called Megal el Selaia,
at its foot. The next, one and a half kilometres further on,
is larger, while the third is larger still, rising to 623 metres
above sea-level. The fourth, five kilometres from Gebel Selaia,
is marked by a triangulation beacon, 563 metres above sea-level and
about fifty metres above the plain, in latitude 23° 55′ 30″,
longitude 34° 54′ 37″.
=Gebel el Homur= is an isolated mass of granite hills on the plain
six kilometres north-east of Selaia. Its highest point is 731 metres
above sea and 230 metres above the plain at its foot. It is drained
by small feeders of the Wadi Abu Gurdi, which passes north of the
mass on its way across the plain to join Wadi Kharit.
=Gebel Abu Derega= is an isolated mass of higher granite hills
thirteen kilometres south-east of Gebel Selaia. Its highest point
is 831 metres above sea-level, and about 300 metres above the
plain. Gebel Abu Derega is on the Nile — Red Sea watershed, which
crosses the plain from east to west in this locality. The northern
drainage is to the Wadi Elemikan, which runs between Gebels Abu
Derega and Selaia to join Wadi Kharit, while the southern faces of
the hills are drained by feeders of the Wadi el Khiua, a tributary
of Wadi Um Bisilla, in the basin of Wadi Hodein.
Besides the hills above described, there are many smaller ones
scattered at intervals over the great sandy plain of Selaia,
but the only others calling for special notice are the three
very remarkable white conical hills called =Marwot Elemikan=,
situated twelve kilometres east of Abu Derega. These hills, though
small, are conspicuous from considerable distances, owing to the
dazzling appearance of the pure milk-white quartz of which they are
composed. The highest and most northerly one, with a triangulation
beacon on its summit, rises to 648 metres above sea, or 68 metres
above the plain, in latitude 23° 54′ 14″, longitude 35° 6′
8″. The other two lie about two kilometres south-east and south
respectively, with a black hill mid-way between them.
=The Um Gunud — Dahanib — Batoga Group.=
The mountains of this group, occupying the country east of the
watershed between Wadi Lahami and Wadi Khoda, are considerably lower
than those of the preceding two groups, only a few peaks rising
more than 1,000 metres above sea. The north portion of the group
is formed by the line of mountain ridges which as seen from the
sea near Berenice appears to connect Gebel Kalalat with Abu Gurdi,
while the south part spreads further east and west and contains the
highest peaks.
=Gebel Um Gunud= is the northernmost mountain of the range west
of Berenice. It is a dark rugged ridge, surmounted by a cairn[108]
989 metres above sea-level, forming the east side of the Wadi Lahami
opposite Gebel Abu Gurdi. It is drained from the west by the Wadi Um
Gunud, a feeder of Wadi Lahami, and on the east by feeders of Wadi
Naait. Gullies in the west flanks of the mountain contain rock basins,
called Galt Um Gunud, which hold water supplies for a long time after
rain has fallen, and which are fairly easy of access from Wadi Lahami.
Gebel Eidab, the next member of the range to the south, rises to
848 metres above sea. It is drained on the west by the Wadi Eidab,
a tributary of Wadi Lahami, and on the east by the Wadi Abu Daba, a
tributary of Wadi Mukhit; a rough and steep pass is said to exist from
east to west between the heads of these two wadis near the mountain.
=Gebel Um Maiat=, a long high ridge stretching south-east from Gebel
Eidab, has three marked summits near its ends and centre; that at the
north end, which is the highest, is 928 metres, while the other two
are 870 and 842 metres above sea respectively. Another broken ridge,
of similar height, for which I could get no name from my guides,
forms a south-eastern prolongation of Um Maiat, and extends to
the Wadi Kalalat; this likewise has three well defined summits,
rising in order from north to south, to 875, 821, and 627 metres
respectively. These ridges are drained to the east by the Wadis
Murra (tributary of Abu Daba) and Mindeit. Their western drainage
has not been studied in detail, but it all reaches the sea, none of
it going Nilewards; part of the drainage is probably taken by each
of the Wadis Kalalat, Shut, and El Khiua.
To the east and north-east of the Um Gunud — Eidab — Um Maiat
range is a great expanse of lower hill country through which the
wadis cut their way eastwards for about fifteen kilometres to the
coast plain. The most conspicuous peaks in this lower hill country
are Gebels Um Huk, Abu Ghalqa, and Um Hegilig, all situated in its
north portion round about Wadis Lahami and Naait. Other low rugged
hills fill a triangular tract south-west of the main range.
=Gebel Um Huk= is a sharp granite peak, surmounted by a cairn,[109]
rising to 517 metres above sea-level near the south side of Wadi
Lahami, fourteen kilometres north-north-east of Gebel Um Gunud.
=Gebel Abu Ghalqa= is another high granite hill, also marked by a
cairn on its summit, seven kilometres south-south-east of Um Huk. The
cairn is 561 metres above sea-level, and is in latitude 24° 1′
7″, longitude 35° 16′ 47″.
=Gebel Um Hegilig= in a small rather spiky range of red granite
hills situated a little to the north-east of Gebel Um Gunud, near
the heads of Wadi Naait.
To the north-west of Berenice are several low hills on the coast
plain, which serve as landmarks and bear special names. =Grain el
Rih= is a conspicuous isolated low hill nearly opposite the place
where Wadi Naait emerges from the hills on to the plain, thirteen
and a half kilometres north-west of Berenice. =Khasheib Abu Daba=
is the name of some low bouldery granite hills at the place where
Wadi Abu Daba enters the plain. =Sikeit=, a landmark for Berenice,
from which it lies five kilometres north-west, is a low granite hill,
isolated on the plain and very conspicuous; its summit is seventy
metres above sea-level, or thirty-eight metres above the plain at
its foot.
The =Hills on the Peninsula of Ras Benas= are sharply marked off
into two portions by differences of colour. The most striking are the
dazzling white hills of gypseous limestone which form a narrow sinuous
broken plateau nearly along the long axis of the peninsula. The
highest points of these white hills are 188 metres above the sea. Deep
ravines cut up the plateau and separate it into more or less detached
hills. The surface of the gypseous rock is very rough, and frequently
weathered into knife-like projections which cut one’s hands and
boots badly in climbing. Near the tip of the peninsula the gypseous
beds contain a little sulphur in places, and there are some shallow
pits which seem to have been dug for exploiting that mineral. But
the quantity appears far too small to be of any commercial value,
and the pits were probably only exploratory trial holes.
The other hills on the peninsula are darker in colour, being chiefly
diorite. They form two masses, one near to where the peninsula joins
the main land, and the other on the south side of the peninsula twenty
kilometres east of Berenice. The highest point of the first-named
group is 276 metres, while that of the second is 197 metres, above
sea-level. All the hills on the peninsula are quite separated from
those of the main land by the broad sandy plain through which Wadi
Mukhit courses south-eastwards to the sea.
=Gebel Batoga=, a granite mountain fifteen kilometres south-east
of Berenice, is sharply marked off from the other mountains near
it by its light colour. It is a great boss of acid granite seamed
with dykes, having two main peaks. The highest (central) peak rises
to 802 metres above sea-level; the southern peak, surmounted by a
triangulation beacon in latitude 23° 49′ 37″, longitude 35°
21′ 9″, is seventeen metres lower. Gebel Batoga is drained
from the north by feeders of the Wadi Kalalat, and from the south
by the Wadi Kunserob. There is a good water source, Galt Batoga,
at its north-east foot, consisting of a rock basin which holds a
good supply of water for a long time after rain, situated in a small
gully close to the Wadi Kalalat, the floor of which is here about
160 metres above sea-level.
=Gebel Kalalat=, situated about six kilometres west of Gebel Batoga,
is a mass of ridges, higher and darker in colour than Batoga. Its
highest point, marked by a beacon in latitude 23° 49′ 9″,
longitude 35° 17′ 36″, is 1,125 metres above the sea, while
another conspicuous peak one and a half kilometres north-east
of the beacon, rises to 1,080 metres, and there is a third peak
three and a half kilometres south-east of the beacon which attains
894 metres. In ascending Gebel Kalalat to occupy the triangulation
station, I followed up the Wadi Kalalat to where the little winding
Wadi Um Maiat enters it from the south, then turned up the latter wadi
and pitched my camp as far up as the camels could go. The camp was
three kilometres north-east of the beacon and 300 metres above sea,
so that the climb to be made on foot was 825 metres. Though long
and tiring, the ascent to the beacon was not dangerous. Further up
the head of the wadi than my camp, I came on a line of galts (rock
basins) containing rain water, but they were not easy of access
to camels, being in a steep and stony gorge. Perched on the east
flank of Kalalat is a very remarkable pinnacle rock, well seen in
the illustration on Plate XIV. A very good view of the surrounding
mountains is obtained from the summit in clear weather, but the top
was wrapped in clouds for a great part of two out of the four days I
remained on it. Gebel Kalalat is drained from the north by feeders
of the Wadi Kalalat, and from the south by the Wadis Gumudlum and
Kunserob. Wadi Kalalat curves round the north-west side of the mass,
and it is possible that the ascent might be easier by following
that wadi as far as possible and climbing up the north-west face of
the mountain. A rough steep pass, impracticable for loaded camels,
is said to lead from the head of Wadi Kalalat into Wadi Shut.
=Gebel Dibag= is a high dark ridge five kilometres south of Gebel
Batoga, with a peak at each end. The north-west peak is 517 metres,
and the south-east one 544 metres above sea-level. The Wadi Kunserob
curves round its east and south flanks, while the Wadi Dibag lil
Kunserob drains its eastern face into the same channel.
=Gebel Shenshef= is a mass of high dark hills between the Wadis
Shenshef and Gumudlum, close to the Wadi Khoda. On one of its eastern
peaks, situated in latitude 23° 44′ 5″, longitude 35° 22′
40″, on the west side of Wadi Shenshef, and not so high as others
further west, a beacon has been erected overlooking the ruins called
Hitan Shenshef. There are wells in the wadi a short distance below
this hill. The beacon is 290 metres above the sea and 115 metres
above the wadi floor at its foot.
=Gebel Dahanib= is a mountain of dark coloured rocks (diorite and
gabbro), situated twelve and half kilometres south-east of Gebel
Kalalat and eleven kilometres north of the Wadi Khoda. Its summit,
on which is a triangulation beacon, is in latitude 23° 45′ 44″,
longitude 35″ 11′ 10″, and 1,270 metres above sea-level. Gebel
Dahanib is surrounded by other mountains and hills, and access to it
is not very easy. In order to reach it from Gebel Kalalat I had to
make a journey down the Wadi Kalalat, along the coast-plain and up the
Wadis Khoda and Allawi, a total distance of over eighty kilometres,
although the direct distance between the two peaks is only twelve and
a half kilometres. By ascending one of the heads of the Wadi Allawi
until camels could get no further, I was able to pitch a camp 540
metres above sea-level and three kilometres south-west of the beacon,
leaving 730 metres to be climbed on foot. The ascent, though tiring,
was free from difficulties or dangers, and occupied two and a half
hours. A galt, containing only a small supply of water at the time
of my visit, exists a little further up the head of the wadi than
where I fixed my camp. There is a good view from the summit, but in
the winter months Dahanib, like all the mountains near the coast,
is frequently wrapped in clouds for days together. Of seven days
spent on the summit in February 1907, three were passed entirely in
clouds, while only portions of the other four were free from fog
or haze. It was on Gebel Dahanib that I first noticed the curious
electric phenomena which may be observed at high stations when
electrified clouds are passing close overhead, my attention being
first drawn to them by a spark from the eye-piece of my theodolite
striking me over the eye. At the same moment a rapid succession
of sparks a centimetre or so long passed between my hand and the
adjusting screws of the instrument, while both the theodolite and
my hair hissed loudly. In this and all other cases of a like kind,
I judged it best to suspend operations for a time and descend a
little below the summit till the cloud had passed over.
Gebel Dahanib is drained by the Wadis Allawi, Um Tawil, and Shut, all
tributaries of Wadi Khoda, which course for a considerable distance
through the surrounding hills before reaching the main trunk wadi.
PLATE XIV.
[Illustration: Gebel Kalalat.]
[Illustration: Summit of Gebel Faraid. (Granite).]
Gebels Um Hegilig, Reyan, and Shut, are high hills situated between
the Wadis Shut and Gumudlum, both tributaries of Khoda. =Gebel Um
Hegilig=, a dark peak rising to 966 metres above sea-level, is almost
exactly midway between Gebels Dahanib and Kalalat. =Gebel Reyan=,
a little further south-east, is a group of peaks and ridges of which
the highest point is 863 metres above sea. =Gebel Shut=, the most
remarkable of the three, is a great cone rising to 930 metres above
sea, about five kilometres north of the Wadi Khoda. A very large galt
is said to exist among these hills, approachable from Wadi Shut;
it is probably in one of the feeders draining westward from Gebel
Reyan, which name signifies “the wet mountain.”
=Gebel Um Bisilla= is a dark mountain of gabbro rising conspicuously
among lower hills twenty-two kilometres west of Gebel Dahanib. The
triangulation beacon on its summit is in latitude 23° 45′ 34″,
longitude 34° 57′ 39″, and 824 metres above sea-level. Gebel Um
Bisilla is drained by Wadi Um Bisilla, the head of which encircles its
southern half, while the northern flanks are drained by feeders of
the Wadi el Khiua, which courses south-west to join Wadi Um Bisilla
about ten kilometres west of the mountain. There is an easy passage
for camels round the east side of the mountain from the head of Wadi
Um Bisilla into a feeder of Wadi Abu Nilih, a tributary of Wadi El
Khiua. In ascending the mountain I pitched my camp in one of the
gullies draining from it to Wadi Um Bisilla, at an altitude of 513
metres above sea and 1,300 metres south-east of the beacon. The climb
of 311 metres from this camp to the summit presented no difficulties,
and occupied only an hour and a half.
=Erf el Gimal= is a high dark ridge surrounded by lower hills ten
kilometres west-south-west of Gebel Um Bisilla. Its highest point,
the west end of the ridge, is 673 metres above sea. About seven
kilometres further west is a conspicuous conical hill called =Gebel
Abu Shigelat=.
=Gebel Zergat Naam=, sometimes called =Hagar el Fil=, is a mountain
mass on the main watershed thirty kilometres west of Gebel Um
Bisilla. It forms a curved range round the head of the Wadi el Kreim,
a tributary of Garara. Its northern part is drained partly by the Wadi
Abu Had, a feeder of the Rod el Kharuf, and partly by the heads of
the Wadi el Fil, which is itself the head of Wadi Naam. The highest
peak of the range is a conical one near its south end, 845 metres
above sea-level, but the northern peaks are more conspicuous from
some points of view, and it is on the highest of these, 823 metres
above sea, in latitude 23° 45′ 28″, longitude 34° 40′ 34″,
that the triangulation beacon has been erected. My camp at the
base was in one of the heads of Wadi el Fil, 527 metres above the
sea, and about 700 metres north-east of the beacon. The ascent from
here on foot to the beacon was fairly easy. Zergat Naam is a mass of
syenite rising through schists, but the northern summits are formed by
east and west bands of a very hard quartz felsite. From the summit,
looking northwards one sees long lines of north-and-south felsite
dykes forming ridges on either side of the head of Rod el Kharuf,
while close south of one is the enclosed sloping plain across which
run the feeders of Wadi el Kreim. To the south-south-east, a range
of lower hills runs north-westward from the end of the main range,
and between the two there appears to be a remarkably sudden drop into
the head of Wadi Abu Seyal. The Arabs state that there is a very
large galt at this point, reached by ascending the Wadi Abu Seyal;
the galt is said to hold water for five months after rain. But during
my occupation of the station recent rains had filled other smaller
rock basins in the gullies to the north, and it was unnecessary to
send far from the camp to get supplies. It is interesting to observe
from the summit of Zergat Naam the disposition of the rocks forming
the lower hills to the south and west; these are of sandstones with
marked dips, the area being one of much disturbance by faulting
along the Wadi el Kreim.
On the great sandy plain to the north and north-east of Zergat Naam
are two extensive groups of low hills, which stand out remarkably
owing to their dark colour. One of these groups, twenty kilometres
north of Zergat Naam, is called =Gebel Geneina Gharbi=; it is
a mass of hills composed chiefly of dioritic and gabbroid rocks
(through there are some schists and granites intermingled) and is
drained northward by the Rod el Geneina, a feeder of Wadi Kharit. The
other group, called =Gebel Geneina Sharqi=, is smaller and situated
fifteen kilometres further east; I did not visit it, but from its
dark colour it is probable that it consists of similar rocks to those
above-mentioned. The hills of both groups rise to about 550 metres
above the sea, or about eighty to one hundred metres above the plain.
In the low country to the west of Zergat Naam, between the Wadi
Garara and the Rod el Kharuf, the most conspicuous hills are =Erf
el Dubeis=, a ridge twenty-six kilometres due west of the beacon,
=Gebel el Nikeiba=, a granite hill marked by a triangulation cairn,
570 metres above sea-level and thirty-four kilometres west-north-west
of Zergat Naam; =Gebel Felieiti=, a sandstone hill, also marked by
a triangulation cairn, 500 metres above sea and sixteen kilometres
south-west of Gebel Nikeiba; =Erf Abu Homur=, a ridge at the head of
Wadi Abu Homur (a tributary of Garara), about seven kilometres north
of Gebel Felieiti; =Erf el Mohaib=, marked by a triangulation cairn
465 metres above sea-level, about nine kilometres north-west of the
last-named hill; and =Gebel el Ghar=, a hill on the south side of
Wadi el Kharit, close to the point where the Rod el Kharuf enters it.
=The Abu Dahr — Orga — Um Tenedba Group.=
The mountains of this group occupy the tract between the Wadi Naam
and Gebel Faraid, and are limited on the south by the Wadi Hodein.
=Gebel Abu Dahr=, the highest mountain of the group, is a great
mass of serpentine, situated in latitude 23° 35′ and about forty
kilometres from the coast. Its summit, marked by a triangulation
beacon in latitude 23° 36′ 8″, longitude 35° 5′ 46″, is
1,131 metres above sea-level. Its western face is drained by the heads
of Wadi Betan, its north-east flanks by those of Wadi Khoda, and its
south-east parts by feeders of Wadi Rahaba. Abu Dahr is surrounded
by high hills except on the west, where there is low hilly country
containing the wells of Betan and the old mining ruins of Um Eleiga
(_see_ Plate IV, p. 30). The mountain can be most easily reached
either by following up the Wadi Betan to its head, or by ascending
the Wadi Salib el Azrak (a tributary of Wadi Khoda) and its feeder
the Wadi Um Karaba. There is an easy pass 1,800 metres north of the
beacon, between the central mass of Abu Dahr and the high hills north
of it, connecting the heads of Wadi Betan and Wadi Um Karaba. A
short distance to the south-west of this pass there is a galt in
a spur of the mountain which holds water for some time after rain,
and which furnished supplies during my stay at the place in 1907. In
occupying the triangulation station, I fixed my camp in a small stony
wadi draining from the north of the mountain, on the east side of
the pass just referred to; the camp was 600 metres above sea-level
and 1,200 metres north-north-east of the beacon. The ascent, which
occupied three hours, was rather difficult and dangerous, the mountain
being not only steep[110] but composed of rotten highly crushed rock
which came away in tons at a mere touch. There is a very extensive
view from the summit, the striking peaks of Faraid being a marked
feature to the east and south-east, while to the south are the great
masses of Mishbih, Niqrub and Gerf, with the sandstone plateaux of
Dif, Hodein and Abraq limiting the view to the south-west. The rock
of Gebel Abu Dahr is highly magnetic, and several pieces which I
examined showed strong polarity. The compass needle points in all
sorts of directions as one moves about the mountain.
Gebel Abu Dahr and the high hills round it, especially to the south,
form an important rain-collecting area, the drainage from which feeds,
wholly or in part, the wells of Betan, Rahaba, Abu Reye, Abu Beid, and
Gahlia, all of which are within a radius of about fifteen kilometres
of the summit of the mountain. The relative abundance of water in
this area is caused by two main factors. In the first place, the
situation of the mountain on the eastward side of the watershed, only
about forty kilometres from the coast, and its considerable height,
condition the frequent accumulation of clouds about its summit, with
relatively high rainfall as a consequence. And in the second place,
the steepness of the slopes, and the fact that the serpentine rocks
are not only of an impermeable nature, but are so crushed that the
downwash into the gullies around is chiefly composed of smooth faced
blocks rather than of absorbent sand, condition a higher ratio of run
off to rainfall than exists in the case of most other localities in
the Eastern Desert. A similar state of things is found in the case
of Gebel Gerf, which, as will be mentioned further on, likewise
consists of serpentine and is the centre of a district relatively
rich in good wells; while in the case of the mountains of Faraid,
which are much higher and closer to the sea, but consist of granite
weathering into sand, though the rainfall is probably greater, the
absorption by the sand is so rapid that there are no wells known to
exist in their neighbourhood.
Between Gebel Abu Dahr and Gebel Um Bisilla there are three remarkable
little groups of granite hills. =Gebel Abu Arta= is a small range
of red peaks six kilometres south of Um Bisilla; =Gebel Hendusi=,
five kilometres further south, is a very conspicuous sharp granite
peak rising to 678 metres above the sea and forming a good landmark;
while =Gebel Abu Husenat=, four kilometres east of Hendusi, has
another well-marked peak rising to 725 metres above sea-level.
=Gebel Abu Sieiyil= is a many-peaked hill range running north and
south for about four kilometres, situated eight kilometres west
of the beacon on Gebel Abu Dahr. It has the appearance of being
composed of a pink gneiss, but has not been visited. Its central
peak, fixed by triangulation, is 833 metres above sea. The Wadi Abu
Beid el Azrak runs south-westward past the south end of the range,
through a gap between it and a smaller hill range to the east.
=Gebel Arais= is a considerable range of gneiss peaks situated on
the east side of Wadi Naam in latitude 23° 34′. One of the most
conspicuous of its many summits is a pair of twin peaks near the
south end of the range, rising to 613 metres above the sea. The
range is cut through from east to west by the narrow and winding
Wadi Arais, a tributary of Wadi Naam. The drainage from the western
faces of the range passes by many feeders over a sandy plain to join
the Wadi Naam directly.
=Gebel Belamhandeit= or =Erf Um Araka= is a long range of granite or
gneiss hills north of Gebel Arais. It extends for a length of nine
kilometres in a north-and-south direction on the meridian of 34°
50′. It is drained on the north and west by the Wadi Erf Um Araka,
a tributary of Wadi Naam, and on the east by the Wadi Belamhandeit,
a tributary of Wadi Arais.
To the east of Gebel Belamhandeit are several granite bosses, of
which the most conspicuous is called =Gebel Um Guruf=; it is drained
by the Wadi Um Guruf, a tributary of Wadi Arais.
=Gebel Orga=, eighteen kilometres south by east from Gebel Abu
Dahr, is a high dark-looking range which has not been closely
approached. Its highest peak, surmounted by a beacon, the position
of which has been fixed by triangulation, as latitude 23° 26′
21″, longitude 35° 8′ 17″, is 682 metres above sea-level. It
is drained by the Wadi Orga (a tributary of Wadi Hodein), which
contains the well called Bir Orga.
=Gebel Um Tenedba= is a mass of dark hills of crushed basic rocks
situated thirty kilometres south by east from Gebel Abu Dahr and
twelve kilometres north of the Wadi Hodein. Its highest point,
marked by a triangulation beacon, is in latitude 23° 19′ 48″,
longitude 35° 10′ 40″, and 654 metres above sea-level. It is
drained by the Wadi Um Tenedba, a tributary of Wadi Hodein. The
ascent of the hill is conveniently made in about an hour from a camp
in one of the heads of Wadi Um Tenedba, about 1,200 metres south-east
of the beacon and 320 metres above sea-level.
=Gebel Harhagit= is an isolated granite boss rising among schists ten
kilometres south-south-east from Gebel Um Tenedba and five kilometres
north of the Wadi Hodein. The beacon on its summit is in latitude
23° 14′ 35″, longitude 35° 12′ 52″, at an altitude of 542
metres above sea-level, or 326 metres above the wadi encircling its
base. From its isolated character Gebel Harhagit is a conspicuous
landmark for considerable distances round the Wadi Hodein.
=Gebel el Anbat= is conveniently considered here, though it lies
on the south side of the Wadi Hodein. It presents a somewhat
similar appearance to Gebel Harhagit, from which it lies nineteen
kilometres south-east, and like it bears a beacon on its summit. The
position of the beacon is latitude 23° 6′ 5″, longitude 35°
19′ 27″. El Anbat is lower than Harhagit, being only 390 metres
above sea-level; it consists also of a different rock, being chiefly
composed of curious brown and reddish calcareous schists. Gebel el
Anbat is practically in the Wadi Hodein, the main channel of which is
deviated by its foot-hills so as to pass round the east side of the
hill. It is best ascended from the south, where a camp can be fixed
about 600 metres south of the beacon and about 255 metres below it;
the ascent is easy and occupies less than an hour.