along the south side of Wadi Khoda a mountainous tract of dark rocks,
the principal masses of which, from west to east, bear the names
of Gebel Hindia, Gebel Um Akra, and Gebel Um Etli. These mountains
have only been seen from a distance, and little is known about
them beyond the positions and altitudes of their principal peaks,
which have been fixed by triangulation. =Gebel Hindia=, thirteen
kilometres east of Abu Dahr, rises to 873 metres above sea-level,
and is drained partly by the Wadi Hindia to the north, and partly
by the Wadi Salib el Azrak. =Gebel Um Akra=, six kilometres further
east, is higher, its highest peak, marked by a beacon, being 1,050
metres above the sea, while a ridge a little further south reaches
970 metres; it is drained to Wadi Khoda by the Wadi Um Akra. =Gebel
Um Etli=, which forms the south side of the Wadi Khoda just before
that wadi emerges on to the coast-plain, has three main summits,
reaching respectively to 844, 795, and 764 metres above the sea. It
is a rather extensive mass, drained on the north by the Wadis Buluk
and Um Lassaf, tributaries of Wadi Khoda, and on the south by the
Wadi Um Etli, which reaches the sea independently.
=The Faraid Group.=
The mountains of this group cover a tract about forty kilometres in
length from north to south, between the Wadis Um Etli and Rahaba and
lie closer to the sea than any other mountains in the area described,
their peaks being only ten to twelve kilometres from the coast. They
consist entirely of granite, weathered into a forest of peaks the
forms of which render them in respect of shape the most remarkable
mountains in Egypt. There are four main masses in the group,
of which the three northern ones are called collectively Faraid,
while the southern one, which is smaller than, and separated from,
the rest, is called by the diminutive name Fereyid.
The most northern mass of =Gebel Faraid= is the highest, its principal
peak, situated in latitude 23° 33′ 7″, longitude 35° 22′
10″, being 1,366 metres above sea-level. As seen from the north,
this mass appears somewhat like an outspread hand, its western peak
seeming to overhang slightly like a thumb, while the higher eastern
peaks resemble fingers. The name _Mons Pentadactylus_ given to the
mountain in antiquity, and quoted by Ptolemy, would appear to have
referred only to this northern mass, and not to the Faraid group as
a whole.
The second mass presents from most aspects the form of a nearly
flat-topped mountain with a little peak on it and very steep
sides. Its highest point, situated in latitude 23° 30′ 53″,
longitude 35° 20′ 25″, is 1,259 metres above sea, and forms a
main triangulation point; it is too sharp to support an instrument or
even a beacon, and observations had to be taken from an auxiliary
station a little distance away from the summit and reduced to
centre. In ascending this peak as a survey station I approached
it from the west by the Wadi el Abiad and Wadi Abu Ribian, placing
my camp close under the mountain, on a sandy plain 450 metres above
sea-level and one and a half kilometres north-west of the summit. The
climb of 800 metres was steep, but not dangerous, and occupied about
three hours. The lower illustration on Plate XIV (p. 192) shows the
top of the mountain; the lower of the two peaks is the one occupied
for triangulation.
The third mass of Faraid is a great expanse of peaks extending over
eighteen kilometres north and south and some twelve kilometres east
and west. Its highest peak, called “The Bodkin” by the Admiralty
surveyors, has the position latitude 23° 28′ 58″, longitude 35°
20′ 35″, and rises to 1,232 metres above sea-level, dominating
the rest of the mass both by its height and its singular form;
it is a great sharp pinnacle, apparently unclimbable, visible from
distances of over 100 kilometres in nearly all directions, and a very
conspicuous landmark. South and west of “The Bodkin” are numerous
other peaks, some of which have been fixed by triangulation; several
of them rise to over 900 metres above the sea, and the whole forms
a compact mass across which there appears to be no passage for camels.
=Gebel Fereyid=, the fourth and most southerly of the masses
constituting the Faraid group, is a small spiky range quite detached
from the rest, about seven kilometres north of the Wadi Rahaba. It
has two main peaks, close together, of which the north-western one
is slightly the higher and is surmounted by a beacon, 612 metres
above sea-level, in latitude 23° 17′ 29″, longitude 35° 22′
48″. In occupying this peak as a triangulation station, the camp
was fixed in one of the heads of a nameless wadi draining past the
north face of the mountain to the sea, at an altitude of 200 metres
above sea-level and 850 metres north-north-east of the beacon. The
ascent was easy till within about fifty metres of the summit, when
it became difficult and rather dangerous, and there is very little
room on the top. I had to remain six days on this mountain owing to
almost continuous haze and clouds blocking the view.
The drainage from the western faces of the entire Faraid group
is taken by the Wadi Rahaba. That from the peaks north of “The
Bodkin” is collected by the Wadi el Abiad and its feeders the Rod
Elbel and Wadi Abu Ribian, while the more southern parts are drained
by various other tributaries of Wadi Rahaba, of which the principal
are the Wadis Dagalai lil Rahaba, Abu Had, and el Marafai. The heads
of Wadi el Abiad and its feeders cross a sloping sandy plain which
flanks the main peaks on the west. Of the eastern drainage, less has
been seen; the two principal drainers of the eastern face appear to
be the Wadis el Sorubiab and Bint el Kurdum, which unite together
in a small lagoon close to the coast in latitude 23° 30′. The
head of the Wadi Bint el Kurdum is between “The Bodkin” and the
flat-topped mountain to the north of it, and from the summit of the
latter it appeared as though there might be a possible pass by it
across the range into the heads of Wadi Abu Ribian; but I did not have
an opportunity of testing this. The foot-hills are only some five or
six kilometres from the coast near the north parts of the range, but
as one goes south the width of the coast-plain increases somewhat,
and is about twelve kilometres near Gebel Fereyid. Notwithstanding
the height of the Faraid mountains, their proximity to the coast,
and the clouds they frequently attract, there appear to be no wells
in the wadis draining from them; the explanation is probably to be
sought in the fact that the weathering of the granite of which they
are composed produces large expanses of coarse sand round their feet,
in which the rainfall is rapidly absorbed.
=The Awamtib — Abraq — Dif — Aqab el Negum — Mishbih Group.=
The mountains of this large and irregular group occupy the western
parts of the great drainage basin of Wadi Hodein, some of the
chief of them forming the main watershed separating that basin from
those of the Wadis Kharit and Alaqi. The northern mountains of the
group are high broken sandstone plateaux, while the southern ones
consist largely of granite. The sandstone ranges of Abraq, Hodein,
and Dif are remarkable for the numerous springs at their bases,
which render this district (_see_ the large scale map on Plate XV)
one of great importance to travellers.
=Gebel Awamtib= is the highest peak of a great mass of high sandstone
hills forming the main watershed between latitudes 23° 20′ and
23° 30′ and extending for some eight or ten kilometres on either
side of the meridian of 34° 30′. The highest peaks of the mass are
mostly well to the west of the actual watershed, and the principal
drainage channels run westward, those to the east, the feeders of
Wadi Muegil, being shorter. Gebel Awamtib is near to the south-east
corner of this mass, and is itself situated about six kilometres
west of the watershed. It is nearly separated from the surrounding
hills by wadis, and forms a conspicuous peak from the west; but the
neighbouring hills approach it so nearly in height that it is not
so easily distinguished from the east. It may, however, be picked
out by the triangulation beacon which marks its summit, 793 metres
above sea-level, in latitude 23° 20′ 59″, longitude 34° 26′
39″. Gebel Awamtib is drained westward by the Wadi Awamtib (a
tributary of Wadi Timsah), the heads of which nearly surround it. In
occupying the station I pitched my camp in a small feeder of the Wadi
Awamtib, two and a quarter kilometres south-west of the summit and 456
metres above sea-level. The climb from this place was easy enough,
but rather long, and on reaching the top I found it would have been
better to have approached the mountain by another feeder almost due
west of the beacon, as by this means a camp could have been placed
much closer and the ascent would not have been more difficult. It
is inadvisable to ascend from the east face of the mountain, for
although one of the wadi heads passes close east of the beacon, the
slope on that side is extremely steep and probably unscalable. The
top of the mountain is formed of large sandstone blocks under which
one can get good shelter from dews, though with little head-room. The
view from it is shut in to the east by the peaks of Gebel Shebakhit,
only two kilometres distant; but the peaks of Gebels Um Harba
and Zergat Naam can be seen to the north, while to the south and
south-east one looks out over high sandstone hills in the foreground
to the granite peaks of Gebels Shigigat, Aqab el Negum, Etresia, Um
Reit and Saalek. The most striking thing round Awamtib itself is the
strong westward dip of the sandstone beds of which it is composed,
which has conditioned the drainage and the steep eastern face.
=Gebel Shebakhit= is a group of high sandstone hills a few kilometres
north of Awamtib. It is drained north-westward by the broad Wadi
Shebakhit, a tributary of Wadi Timsah.
=Gebel Dagalai=, the next member of the sandstone hill-mass to
the north, has numerous peaks ranging from 670 to 712 metres above
sea. It is drained north-westward by the Wadi Dagalai, in which it
is said that water can sometimes be obtained.
PLATE XV.
[Illustration: MAP OF THE DISTRICT OF ABRAQ & ABU SAAFA
Ball. Geography & Geology of South-Eastern Egypt.
Photo-Metal-Process. Survey Dept. Cairo 1910. (60-190)]
=Gebel Um Khafur= is a group of high sandstone ridges overlooking
the sandy plain of Um Harba to the north. One of its higher ridges,
560 metres above sea-level, bears a triangulation station, marked by
a beacon, in latitude 23° 29′ 54″, longitude 34° 29′ 19″. A
remarkable feature of Gebel Um Khafur is the north-north-easterly dip
of its sandstone beds at an angle of about 13°, almost constant over
a large area, with probably step-faulting parallel to the strike of
the beds; owing to these features there are developed a series of
long ridges, with a flat dip slope northward and a steeper drop to
the south, while the drainage channels run along the lines of strike
and only break across the ridges at a few points. The drainage from
these channels, the chief of which is called the Wadi Um Khafur,
meanders northward over the plain to join a feeder of Wadi Garara.
=Gebel Um Harba= is a conspicuous sandstone peak marked by a
triangulation beacon in latitude 23° 36′ 56″, longitude 34°
30′ 38″. Rising to a height of 688 metres above sea-level,
it forms the highest and central point of a long range running
north-north-west and south-south-east from the Wadi el Garara past
the Galt el Aguz. The north end of this range is forked, the east
and west arms being separated by a broad high valley, filled with
blown sand, draining from near the peak of Gebel Um Harba northwards
to Garara. A marked feature of the range is the almost constant
north-easterly dip of the sandstone beds of which it is composed;
the ridges follow the strike of the beds, and present gentle dip
slopes to the east with steep basset edges to the west. Gebel Um
Harba overlooks to the west a great sandy plain, so that it is a good
landmark for travellers coming from that direction. In occupying it as
a station, I approached it by the broad sandy valley above-mentioned,
and fixed the camp at 487 metres above sea-level and 800 metres
north of the summit; the hill can also be reached from the west,
though the climb from the plain is about one hundred metres more. The
ascent becomes rather steep near the top of the hill, but presents
no great difficulty. For a short time after rain, water can be found
in pools in the gullies close to the east of the hill, but owing to
the porosity of the rock these never last long. The Galt el Aguz,
nine and a half kilometres south-south-east of Gebel Um Harba, in a
gully on the east side of the road to Bir Abu Saafa, lasts longer
than other pools in the neighbourhood, but even it only yields
supplies within a few months at most after rain, for the same reason.
=Gebel Um Sididad= is a mass of high sandstone hills on the north side
of Wadi Silsila, thirty kilometres east-south-east of Gebel Um Harba
and overlooking the broad and sandy Wadi Naam to the east. The hill
I ascended, one of the highest, was 623 metres above sea-level and
nearly 300 metres above the plain at its foot. High sandstone hills
extend north-westwards from Gebel Um Sididad to Gebel Zergat Naam,
forming the western side of Wadi Naam.
=Gebel Abraq= is a great high sandstone plateau cut up by gullies
into more or less separate hills, outlined by the Wadis Silsila on
the north, Hodein on the south, Arned on the west, and Abraq on the
east. The highest hills of the mass are probably two peaks close
together on its east side, midway between Bir Abraq and the Wadi
Hodein, which rise to 705 and 699 metres above the sea. The principal
interest of Gebel Abraq lies in its forming a collecting ground for
the important springs of Abraq and Abu Saafa, which occur along its
eastern and southern feet. These springs yield constant supplies of
excellent water, due to slow percolation through almost pure siliceous
rocks, and are of great value both to the local Arabs and to the
passing travellers. There are two beacons on Gebel Abraq, one near
Bir Abraq and the other near Abu Saafa springs. The former, a main
triangulation point, is 667 metres above sea-level on a conspicuous
ridge in latitude 23° 25′ 19″, longitude 34° 46′ 48″; while
the latter is on the eastern edge of the plateau, in latitude 23°
18′ 40″, longitude 34° 48′ 30″, and 639 metres above the
sea. The eastern and southern slopes of the plateau are very steep,
becoming almost precipices at many points, and are the home of many
conies and rock partridges, but one can ascend by taking advantage of
the frequent gullies which cut up the mass. The climb to either beacon
from the plain is about 330 metres, and free from serious difficulty.
=Gebel Hodein= is a high sandstone plateau forming the south-east
continuation of the Abraq mass, from which it is separated by the
ravine of Wadi Hodein. To the south it is cut off by Wadi Dif. A
triangulation beacon near the north-east point of the plateau in
latitude 23° 16′ 20″, longitude 34° 53′ 25″, is 695 metres
above sea-level, but further west the summits are rather higher. An
extremely steep pass, practicable only on foot, exists to the south
of the mass, leading from the Wadi Gihab into Wadi Dif, and forming
a short cut from Abu Saafa Springs to Bir Dif, but camels have to
go round the east spurs of the mountain.
=Gebel Dif= and =Gebel Anfeib= together form a still further
continuation south-eastward of the same great sandstone plateau,
being separated from Gebel Hodein by the deep winding gorge of
Wadi Dif. The sandstone beds here dip to the north-east, and the
highest points are near the west edge of the mass, where they are
flanked by lines of lower hills, formed of schists cropping out
from under the sandstone. A triangulation beacon in latitude 23°
8′ 24″, longitude 34° 59′ 19″, marks the south end of the
high plateau of Gebel Anfeib; it is 705 metres above sea-level,
and very conspicuous from the east, but it is generally invisible
from the west side of the mass, owing to the ridges north-west of
it being slightly higher. In occupying the point as a station, I
approached it from Bir Dif, following up the Wadi Abu Hashim to its
head, then down the Rod Mukrayib round Gebel Lilowit, the south tip
of the schist range, and turning north across various small wadis
to a camp in one of the heads of Wadi Edunqul, at 315 metres above
sea-level and 1,200 metres south-east of the beacon. This camp could
also have been reached from Bir Abu Saafa via the Wadis Hodein and
Anfeib. The climb to the beacon, of 400 metres, is steep, but not
difficult, and occupies less than two hours.
=Gebel Tibatib= is a conspicuous dark conical peak among the low dark
hills which extend from Gebel Anfeib to Wadi Hodein. Its summit is
396 metres above sea-level.
=Gebel Butitelib= is a steep-sided little hill mass of grey felsite
close west of the easy pass which leads from the head of Wadi Abu
Hashim into the Rod Mukrayib, near the south end of Gebel Anfeib. It
rises to 485 metres above sea, or eighty metres above the sandy pass.
=Gebel Lilowit=, the south end of the schist range which flanks
Gebel Anfeib on the west, is 485 metres above the sea.
=Gebel Niqrub el Tahtani= is a conspicuous isolated jagged mountain
south of the Rod Mukrayib (which drains its northern face), and
west of Wadi Madi. The beacon on it is in latitude 23° 0′ 39″,
longitude 35° 0′ 53″, 829 metres above sea-level and about
500 metres above the Rod Mukrayib. A conspicuous pinnacle close
north-east of the beacon has practically the same altitude.
=Gebel Niqrub el Foqani= is a mountain of granite and felsite
rising to a height of 1,078 metres above the sea, from among the low
hill country which separates Wadis Madi and Gemal, in latitude 23°
52′. Its great height and isolated position render it a conspicuous
object in the landscape from great distances. It is drained by myriads
of small wadis radiating in all directions, but which all eventually
join Wadi Madi on the east or Wadi Gemal on the west. It is best
ascended from the west side, where a camp can be got 1,500 metres
due east of the beacon on the summit and 496 metres above sea-level,
in one of the stony heads of the channels draining towards Wadi
Gemal. The ascent from this camp occupied a little over two hours,
and was not very difficult; but an attempt from any other direction
would most likely have failed, as the slopes to the south and east are
extremely steep and in places precipitous. The top of the mountain
is a very rugged ridge, so broken that it is an hour’s hard work
to get along its 700 metres of length. The main ridge is surrounded
by lower flanking peaks on the north, east and south, while from
the west there runs off a long ridge, curving round to the south and
enclosing a small sandy plain south-west of the summit. This curved
ridge is cut through from east to west by a rather steep pass, 490
metres above sea-level. The view from the summit of Gebel Niqrub el
Foqani is very extensive, as will be seen from the panorama drawn to
scale from theodolite measurements on Plate XVI, but in the winter
months the mountain is frequently wrapped in clouds for days together;
I had to remain eight days on the summit in December 1907, before
I could complete my observations, most of the time being spent in a
cold wet mist which blotted out the landscape. The beacon on Gebel
Niqrub el Foqani, in latitude 22° 51′ 29″, longitude 34° 56′
49″, marks a point on the administrative boundary between Egypt
and the Sudan, the limit proceeding east-south-east to Bir Meneiga,
and south-south-west to Gebel Um el Tiur el Foqani.
The low hill country between Gebel Niqrub and Wadi Madi consists
chiefly of east and west ridges formed by dykes. A rather high granite
hill about ten kilometres to the south-east, close to Wadi Madi,
is marked by a beacon and overlooks the well called Bir Madi; the
beacon is 556 metres above sea-level, or eighty metres above the well.
To the south-west of Gebel Hodein the sandstone runs off in a mass
of very high hills called =Gebel Kala=, leaving a much lower area of
schist hills in between, through which the Wadi Feqoh pursues its
sandy barren course. Gebel Kala has not been closely approached,
but its principal peaks have been fixed by triangulation, and the
highest is 846 metres above sea-level. The scarps of these hills
are very steep, and the mass appears to be much cut up by wadis
draining to Feqoh. The sandstone ceases just beyond Gebel Kala,
and its place is taken by granite, which forms the mountains of the
watershed further south-west.
PLATE XVI.
[Illustration: MEASURED PANORAMAS FROM THE SUMMITS OF GEBELS NIQRUB
& GERF. (Plotted to scale from theodolite-observations & telescopic
sketches.)
Ball. Geography & Geology of South-Eastern Egypt.
Photo-Metal-Process. Survey Dept. Cairo 1910. (60-190)]
=Gebel Um Reit= is a conspicuous granite mountain rising to 857
metres above sea, seventeen kilometres south-east of Gebel Awamtib,
on the east side of the watershed. It can be approached either from
the west by ascending the tributaries of Wadi Timsah and crossing
the watershed (which is here flat and sandy) into Wadi el Dreb,
or from the east by ascending the Wadi Um Reit. The best place from
which to ascend the mountain is in one of the heads of Wadi Um Reit,
which drains the west side of the mass. By following this up, a
camp can be placed about a kilometre north-west of the beacon and
520 metres above sea-level. The climb of 337 metres from the camp
is fairly easy, and only occupies about an hour. From the beacon
(latitude 23° 15′ 4″, longitude 34° 34′ 17″), a good view is
obtainable of the granite peaks to the south, which forms a complex
mass with Aqab el Negum as the highest point; to the eastward the
outlook is mostly over high broken sandstone plateaux.
Extending south-west from Um Reit is a complex of granite mountains,
which has not been surveyed in detail. The principal peaks have,
however, been fixed by triangulation, and their positions will be
found tabulated in the list of points given in Chapter III. The chief
peaks are =Gebels Etresia= (1,037 metres), =Um Markha=, =Shigigat=
(1,023 metres), =Hamrat el Feg=, =Aqab el Negum= (1,148 metres),
=Etus= (997 metres), and =Natetiai= (1,164 metres). An important
pass is said to cross the watershed at Aqab el Negum, though quite
practicable for camels, it is a very high pass, whence the name of
the mountain, which signifies “Pass of the Stars.” To the north
of Gebel Shigigat there is a sandy plain from which two conspicuous
isolated hills rise to heights of 901 and 703 metres respectively
above sea-level; these hills appear, however, not to bear any
distinctive names.
Further south along the watershed, in latitude 22° 50′, are two
conspicuous peaks of nearly equal height and not far apart, which
from the east look like two hop-kilns. These are called =Gebel
Sheyenit=. The southern one is the higher, rising to 887 metres
above sea-level, while the northern one attains 853 metres.
=Gebel Mishbih= is a huge bristling mass of granite peaks a little
east of the main watershed, rising from the plain west of Wadi
Feqoh in latitude 22° 44′. Being much higher than any other
mountain in the neighbourhood, it is a very remarkable feature for
long distances. Though it has not been surveyed in detail, its
chief peaks have been triangulated and the general shape of its
eastern parts is tolerably known by observations from Niqrub and
Korabkansi. The highest of its many peaks, near the south-west end
of the mass, reaches 1,353 metres, while the north-east peak, marked
by a beacon in latitude 22° 44′ 18″, longitude 34° 41′ 20″,
is 1,316 metres above the sea. The mountain is believed to be almost
entirely drained by feeders of the Wadi Feqoh.
=Gebel Shweib= is a smaller hill-mass a little to the south-east
of Gebel Mishbih. Its highest peak, which is at the north-east end,
is 914 metres above sea-level.
=Gebel Shabih= is a very remarkable granite mountain rising abruptly
from the sandy plain traversed by Wadi Feqoh in latitude 22° 45′,
about twelve kilometres east of Gebel Mishbih. From the north, it
looks like a very perfect cone, but as one passes it going south it is
seen to be slightly elongated meridionally, and to have two distinct
peaks, of which the northern and higher one rises to 1,117 metres,
or about 650 metres above the plain. Its sides are very steep, and
an ascent would probably be a matter of some difficulty. The Wadi
Feqoh passes close west of the mountain.
=Gebel Um el Kalala= is a small range of granite peaks close to the
east side of Wadi Feqoh in latitude 22° 50′. The peaks at its
north and south ends, nearly two kilometres apart, rise to 672 and
655 metres above sea respectively. In the low hilly country further
north there are three conspicuous little peaks of dark aspect rising
above the general level. =Gebel Mismih=, the highest of these, rises
to 599 metres above the sea; it is a nearly perfect cone twelve
kilometres north of Um el Kalala, and about six kilometres east of
Wadi Feqoh. =Gebel Waqif=, nine kilometres west-north-west of Um el
Kalala, is less sharp, and reaches 556 metres above the sea; while
the third hill, which is unnamed, lies nearly between the last two,
on the west side of Wadi Feqoh, and attains only 504 metres.
To the west of the Um Harba and Awamtib ranges there is open country,
formed by a great sandy plain, over which the Wadis Ghadrib and Timsah
pursue their northward courses to join Garara, and the monotony of
which is broken at intervals by extensive masses of moderately high
sandstone hills. The principal of these hill masses are Gebels Nuggur,
Mulgata, Ziraga, and the Abu Hashim Hills. =Gebel Nuggur=, marked
by a cairn, lies seventeen kilometres west of Um Harba, and a little
east of the Wadi Timsah; it forms a detached north-westerly extension
of Gebel Dagalai. =Gebel Mulgata= (545 metres) and =Gebel Ziraga=
(553 metres), both marked by triangulation cairns, are the chief
members of a long line of sandstone hills separating the Wadis Timsah
and Ghadrib. The =Abu Hashim Hills= extend for great distances south
and west of Bir Abu Hashim; the triangulation beacon on the hill west
of the well in latitude 23° 41′ 44″, longitude 34° 3′ 33″,
is 386 metres above sea, and sixty-six metres above the wadi floor,
but other hills of the group further south attain higher levels.
=Gebel Mowisat=, seventeen kilometres south of Gebel Ziraga and a
few kilometres west of the Wadi Timsah, is a granite hill capped by
sandstone. It is drained by the Wadi Mowisat. A track from Aswân
to Bir Um Reit passes a little north of this hill.
Round the heads of the Wadi Ghadrib, about the parallel of 23°
north and the meridian of 34° east, are numerous higher hills, of
which the principal are =Gebels Abu Rahia= (835 metres), =Romit=,
=Baid el Khuruf=, =Reietit= (825 metres), =Um Rewat=, =Um Ghalqa=,
and =Um Gotto=, while between these and Gebel Mowisat are the
=Hamiskul Hills=. These hills are all composed of granite, gneiss,
and schists, the higher ones, such as Abu Rahia and Reietit, having
sandstone capping the igneous and metamorphic rocks which build up
the main masses. Gebel Um Rewat forms the divide between the basins
of Wadi Kharit and Wadi Alaqi, its northern parts being drained by
the Wadi Reietit, a tributary of Ghadrib, while the south flanks
drain into the Wadi Um Ghalqa, a feeder of Wadi Seiga.
To the west of Gebel Mishbih there is hilly country, in which many
of the peaks reach considerable heights. The principal hill-masses
in this part are =Gebel el Naga=, a range about four kilometres long
running north-west and south-east, twenty-two kilometres west of Gebel
Mishbih, with several peaks, of which the highest is 827 metres above
sea; =Gebel Seiga=, a high hill (905 metres) about twenty kilometres
further west, surmounted by a triangulation beacon and drained by the
Wadi Seiga; =Gebel Nesheb Hasan= and =Gebel Abgeya=, two hills west
and south-west of Gebel Seiga, between Wadis Seiga and Abu Had; =Gebel
Um Krush=, between Wadis Abu Had and Um Ghalqa; =Gebels Ribdab=, =el
Deheis=, and =Abu Brush= (810 metres), to the west of Wadi Um Ghalqa;
and =Gebel Kulyeit=, a conspicuous cone about fifteen kilometres south
of Gebel Seiga, rising to 724 metres above sea. Most of these hills
are of schists, though Gebels Abu Brush and Ribdab are of granite.
=The Gerf — Korabkansi — Abu Hodeid Group.=
The central mountains of the Gerf — Korabkansi — Abu Hodeid group
form a compact cluster to the east of the main watershed between the
great eastward draining Wadis Hodein and Ibib. The most considerable
mass in extent is Gebel Gerf, an extremely rugged mountain tract
some twenty kilometres in diameter, having its highest point 1,419
metres above sea-level. The Abu Hodeid range, forming a southward
extension of the Gerf mass, attains the somewhat higher level of
1,488 metres; while the detached mass of Korabkansi on the west
rises to 1,230 metres. Besides these main masses, from which I have
named the group, there are numerous outlying ranges of lesser height,
the principal being the Beida range to the north, and the Hamra Dom
range to the east. The main characteristics of the central group are
its extreme ruggedness, the presence of great masses of serpentine
among its constituent rocks, and a relative abundance of good water
supplies. The wells and springs in the wadis draining from this
group of mountains are among the best and most permanent of the
water sources of the Eastern Desert of Egypt.
=Gebel Gerf= (_see_ map on Plate XVII) is a mass of rugged
mountains, roughly circular in plan, some twenty kilometres in
diameter, extending between latitudes 22° 35′ and 22° 50′,
and between longitudes 35° 8′ and 35° 20′. Its highest point,
marked by a beacon 1,419 metres above sea-level, is somewhat north
of the centre of the mass, being situated in latitude 22° 42′
6″ N., longitude 35° 12′ 16″ E. Approached from any side,
Gerf blocks out the entire view ahead. The central parts of the
mass are entirely impassable for camels. There is no possible track
across it from north to south, nor is there any east to west pass
across it north of the Sherefa Pass (which skirts its south end)
except by the heads of Wadi Shellal. The northern part of the mass,
which is semi-detached by the passes in the heads of Wadi Shellal
above-mentioned, is sometimes called =Gebel Meneiga= or =Gebel
Korbiai= after the important water sources of the same name in the
wadis draining from it; and the north-eastern peaks are sometimes
called =Gebel Muqur= from the spring Bir Muqur. But these names
are, I am told, quite local, and the entire mass is usually known
to the Arabs as Gebel Gerf. This application of a single name to an
entire group of mountains, with scores of separate peaks, extending
over about 500 square kilometres, is very unusual, especially when,
as in this case, it is drained by wadis containing good wells and
plenty of vegetation. The explanation given to me by the guides was
quite comprehensible; they stated that Gerf was the only mountain
mass in that part of the desert which was so extensive in every
direction as to prevent them getting a clear idea of its true shape
in their wanderings over it. They can get all round it only by a
rough journey of several days, and any endeavour to cross its main
portion met with failure, so that they had perforce to regard it as
a single great mass, of the true structure of which they could form
no satisfactory notion. The immense interest which the guides took
in the mapping of this particular mountain tract fully confirmed the
explanation given. The mapping was accomplished by making an entire
circuit of the mass, and ascending a few of the principal summits.
PLATE XVII.
[Illustration: MAP OF THE DISTRICT OF GEBEL GERF.
Ball. Geography & Geology of South-Eastern Egypt.
Photo-Metal-Process. Survey Dept. Cairo 1910. (60-190)]
The highest point of Gebel Gerf had been singled out as a
triangulation station from far to the north, while approaching the
mass from the Wadi Hodein. It was eventually reached from the west
side after leaving Gebel Korabkansi, the approach being made by
ascending the Wadi Eirahimib, and going over the pass at its head
(830 metres) into one of the heads of Wadi Um Reddam, turning round a
spur and ascending another of the heads of the same wadi. The camp,
placed as high up the wadi as possible, lay about 1,500 metres west
of the beacon, at an altitude of 820 metres. The climb of nearly
600 metres to the summit occupied three and a quarter hours, and
was free from serious difficulty, though involving some tiresome
traversing of connecting ridges. The summit of Gebel Gerf is often
wrapped in clouds for weeks together in winter, and cold northerly
gales are prevalent. I found it necessary to remain on the summit for
no less than twenty-one days and nights in January 1907, in order to
obtain the observations necessary, and the discomfort due to enforced
inaction and piercingly cold winds was considerable. The top of the
mountain is a narrow ridge on which there is barely standing room
for an instrument, but about 100 metres southward along the ridge
from the beacon there is a slight broadening where a small tent may
be pitched by hitching the ropes round rocks instead of tent-pegs.
On a clear day, the view from the summit of Gerf is a magnificent
one. The numberless rugged ridges and peaks of the Gerf mass itself
stretch for miles around, and out beyond, in every direction except
to the east, one can see the more distant mountains. In the north,
the most striking features are the distant spikes of Gebel Faraid,
and still further off one may discern the blunter forms of Gebels Abu
Gurdi, Hamata, and Abu Hamamid, 180 kilometres away. To the east is
the coast-plain, with the granite peaks of Gebel Hamra Dom breaking
the monotony. To the south-east one may see the great peaks of the
Elba and Shendib mountains, 130 kilometres away, though these are
often hidden by mist when everything else is clear. To the south,
one looks out, over the gneiss boss of Gebel Um Rasein, to the
mountains, rising rank behind rank, of Medarai, Abu Hodeid, Adar
Qaqa, and Is; while a little to the left of the last-named one may
see the double-headed granite mass of Gebel Obkeik in the Sudan,
more than 100 kilometres distant, towering above the intervening
Egyptian mountains. The panorama visible to the south and south-east
is shown drawn to scale from theodolite measurements in the lower
figure on Plate XVI (p. 206). To the south-west, one can make out
the principal mountains of the Alaqi basin, while to the west the
mountains of Korabkansi, Shabih, and Mishbih are conspicuous features.
The north portion of the Gerf mass, sometimes called Gebel Meneiga, is
drained by the Wadi Kreiga, which is a tributary of Wadi Hodein. One
of the principal feeders of Wadi Kreiga is the stony Wadi Meneiga,
important as containing perennial springs of good water, easily
accessible to camels. The eastern and southern parts of the mass
are drained by various feeders of Wadi Shab, the principal of these
feeders being Wadi Shellal el Sharqi, Wadi Muqur, Wadi Baaneit,
Wadi Diqdib, and Wadi Sherefa el Sharqi. The Wadis Muqur, Baaneit,
and Diqdib, all contain wells or springs, that in Wadi Diqdib being
right in the heart of the mountain mass, while the others are nearer
to its periphery. The western flanks of the Gerf mass are drained by
the feeders of Wadis Feqoh and Madi, the principal being the Wadis
Sherefa el Gharbi, Eirahimib, Shellal el Gharbi, and Korbiai. The
Wadi Sherefa el Gharbi is important as leading to the Sherefa Pass
(907 metres) which forms a direct road from Bir Sararat Seyet to the
well of Um Rasein, while Wadi Korbiai contains an excellent well at
its head, easily reached by camels.
=Gebel Dreb= is a many-peaked mass of mountains covering some sixty
square kilometres, situated south-west of the Gerf mass, from which
it is separated by the Sherefa Pass. Its highest peak is 1,293 metres
above sea, but there are numerous other peaks of but little inferior
altitude. Its south-western portion looks on to the plain at the head
of Wadi Feqoh, while to the south-east it is separated from Gebel
Medarai by an easy pass leading from the head of Kwat Hewah westwards
into the head of Wadi Kreim, a tributary of Wadi Feqoh. Another pass
is said to exist leading from Wadi Sherefa el Sharqi into the head
of Wadi Dreb, where there is a well called Bir Bint el Dreb.
=Gebel Medarai=, the next mountain mass to the south-east, is
separated from Gebel Dreb by the pass into Wadi Kreim above referred
to, while at its south faces it is separated from Gebel Abu Hireiq by
another pass leading from one of the heads of Wadi Medarai westwards
into the Wadi Kirwau, a tributary of Wadi Feqoh. The highest point
of Gebel Medarai, marked by a large cairn, is in latitude 22° 30′
58″, longitude 35° 12′ 5″, and rises to 1,299 metres above
sea-level. The north faces of the mass are drained by Kwat Hewah,
a tributary of Wadi Shab; the eastern flanks by Wadi Medarai, a
tributary of Wadi Ibib, while the western faces drain by various
feeders into Wadi Feqoh.
=Gebel Abu Hireiq=, the mountain-mass next south of Medarai,
extends eastwards, as a broad tract of many high ridges, almost to
the gneiss-boss of Um Rasein, while to the south it is united with
Gebel Abu Hodeid. The highest point of Abu Hireiq is 1,319 metres
above sea. Its eastern flanks are drained by tributaries of Wadi Ibib,
while the western parts drain into Wadi Feqoh.
=Gebel Abu Hodeid=, which forms a higher southward extension of Gebel
Abu Hireiq, is really two ranges with the Wadi Abu Hodeid draining
between them. The western range is the higher, its summit, marked
by a beacon in latitude 22° 23′ 18″, longitude 35° 14′ 9″,
being 1,482 metres above sea. The highest point of the eastern range
is 1,256 metres above sea. The south termination of this eastern
range is a very conspicuous rounded peak of granite, 992 metres
above sea, called =Abu Hodeid Ogla=, which forms a good landmark
for travellers in making the wells of Abu Hodeid; the wells lie
west of this peak. The south parts of the Abu Hodeid mountains are
drained by the Wadis Shinai, Delawet, and Abu Hodeid, all feeders
of Wadi Hasium, and all leading to important water sources. The
eastern faces are drained by Wadis Abu Hireiq and Tikraneib, which
are likewise feeders of Hasium, while the western flanks are drained
by feeders of Wadi Feqoh. The broad opening where Wadi Hasium passes
to the south of the range makes a natural division separating the
mountains of Abu Hodeid from those of the Adar Qaqa group.
=Gebel Mansur Diab=, a dark mountain, 1,091 metres high, lying six
kilometres west of Gebel Abu Hodeid, is not often visible from the
east, being hidden by the higher ranges in front of it; but it forms
a conspicuous landmark to any one approaching from the west.
To the south of Gebel Mansur Diab, between the heads of Wadi Feqoh
and Wadi Hasium, are some other mountains of considerable height, the
positions of whose summits were fixed by triangulation, but which were
not closely approached. These are =Gebel Hadal Derqa= (1,108 metres),
which as seen from the north appeared like a hog-backed dark ridge
with a conical semi-detached hill at its south-east end; and =Gebel
Hilwit Hasium=, which appeared to consist of two separate peaks
some three and a half kilometres apart, the higher or north-east one
rising to 1,037 metres, the south-west one to 952 metres above sea.
=Gebel Korabkansi= is a rugged mass of dark serpentine peaks and
ridges occupying a nearly isolated position some twenty kilometres
west of Gebel Gerf. Its highest point, marked by a triangulation
beacon, is situated in latitude 22° 39′ 16″, longitude 34° 59′
55″, and rises to 1,230 metres above sea. The main mass is flanked
by lower hills to the north and south, but is more open to the east
and west. It is drained entirely by feeders of Wadi Feqoh, the most
important of these being the Wadi Gemal. The upper portion of Wadi
Gemal is called Wadi Seyet, and is important as containing a well,
Bir Sararat Seyet; the well is about five kilometres north-east of the
main peak, at a place where the wadi cuts through the flanking hill
range. For the ascent of the mountain, it is best to turn westward
from near the well, and follow up one of the tributaries of Wadi Seyet
which leads right into the heart of the mountain; here a camp can be
pitched at 765 metres above sea-level, and the ascent of 465 metres
to the summit, from which there is a grand view, can be accomplished
in less than two hours. The ascent and descent require some care,
owing to the steepness of the slopes (the observed depression angle
from summit to camp was 29¼°) and the rottenness of the rock, which
comes away in lumps at a touch. The accumulated debris, consisting
of small fragments of serpentine, sets at just the angle of repose,
so that in coming down one can stick one’s feet firmly in the mass
and slide down with it for a hundred metres or more without exertion,
taking care only not to be shot over a sudden drop of the face. The
rocks are highly magnetic, and the compass is much disturbed anywhere
on or about the mountain. The mass of high hills which forms the
southward extension of Korabkansi, with peaks and ridges rising to
over 900 metres above sea-level, is called =Gebel Wadhait=. It is
drained on the north by Wadi Wadhait, a tributary of Wadi Seyet,
and on the west by the Wadi Kamoyib, a tributary of Wadi Feqoh.
=Gebel Um Rasein= is a triple-headed gneiss boss rising up boldly
among schists to the east of Gebel Medarai. Its remarkable form
and light colour render it a conspicuous feature to a traveller
approaching it from the north-east, and it is an important landmark
for the well, Bir Um Rasein, which exists in a small wadi at its
north foot. The highest peak of the three, marked by a triangulation
beacon in latitude 22° 28′ 12″, longitude 35° 20′ 19″,
is 909 metres above sea-level. For ascending the mountain, it is
best to follow up the Wadi Merdiyeb for a short distance on the
west side of the range, and a camp can be placed at 386 metres
above the sea in a small tributary gully which drains from the main
mountain. The climb of 523 metres to the beacon is steep in places,
but can be accomplished in two hours without difficulty by any one
used to negotiating smooth steep rocks. The top of the mountain is
more convenient for observation than most others in this region,
and there is a good view from it. The beacon is on a smooth hard
granite surface, with plenty of room to walk round an instrument,
while a little to the west there is a good place to pitch a small
tent, and a convenient cave for servants to sleep in.
=Kilia Arib=, another isolated granite mass about six kilometres
further east, rises to 647 metres above sea, and is a landmark for
the mouth of Wadi Diqdib, which contains a well.
To the east and south of Kilia Arib are some smaller granite hills
called Tibashoi. Though rising only some fifty or sixty metres
above the plain, these hills are conspicuous landmarks from their
isolated position. The northern, central, and southern ones are
called respectively =Tibashoi Dumat=, =Tibashoi Tumalhoi=, and
=Tibashoi Tomakolat=. Another hill of similar size and character,
five kilometres north-north-east of Kilia Arib, is called =Tuquqî=.
=Qrein Salama= is a little group of diorite hills rising from the
coast-plain to the east of Gebel Gerf. The highest hill of the group,
354 metres above sea, forms a conspicuous landmark which is visible
for long distances.
=Berget Abu Sarib= is a tract of low dark hills, with much drifted
sand, lying a few kilometres north-east of Qrein Salama.
=Gimeida=, a small but conspicuous black conical hill, rising to
sixty metres above the coast-plain, or 123 metres above sea-level,
is important as a landmark for ships entering Mersa Shab. A
triangulation beacon has been erected on the summit, the position of
which is latitude 22° 46′ 29″, longitude 35° 37′ 49″. The
azimuth from the beacon to the big tree at Mersa Shab is N. 62½°
E. A much lower dolerite ridge, two kilometres east of Gimeida,
is called =Umarawi=.
=Gebel Hamra Dom= is a range of remarkable red granite hills rising
abruptly from the coast-plain near latitude 22° 40′ and longitude
35° 40′. The range has a total length from north to south of
about eleven kilometres, the highest peak being near the centre of
the range. A beacon on this highest peak has the position latitude
22° 39′ 6″, longitude 35° 38′ 42″, altitude 389 metres
above sea. Care is necessary in sighting this peak, for there are
two others near it of nearly equal height; the beacon is on the
southernmost one of the three peaks near the centre of the range. A
pass leads across the range a kilometre south of the beacon. Gebel
Hamra Dom is a locality well known to the Arabs, in consequence of
its being occasionally favoured with some rainfall. In January 1907
the district round the mountain was covered with grass after a recent
fall of rain, but the hundreds of camels and other animals which the
Arabs took to graze at the place had eaten it all up when I arrived
there in February. At times of rainfall there is water to be got in
the sandy bed of a little wadi to the north of the beacon, at a place
called Ti Dabei Hamra Dom; but it does not last long after rain. Gebel
Hamra Dom is drained almost entirely by feeders of Wadi Ibib.
There are numerous smaller hills to the west of Gebel Hamra Dom, but
only the largest of them, =Tibansi Tikam Ankwei=, bears a special
name. This is a granite hill rising to 345 metres above sea-level,
situated eleven kilometres due west of the beacon on Gebel Hamra Dom.
=Gebel Khashab= and =Gebel Beidâ= together form a complex range
of high hills mostly composed of schists to the north of Gebel
Gerf. The range has its long axis north-west and south-east, with
a length of some twenty-five kilometres and an average breadth of
about eight kilometres. The highest point of the range is marked by a
triangulation beacon on Gebel Beidâ, 715 metres above sea-level, in
latitude 23° 0′ 14″, longitude 35° 16′ 54″. The north-west
part of the range is drained by the heads of Wadi Khashab, a tributary
of Wadi Hodein. The eastern faces are drained by the Wadi Beidâ and
various other feeders of Wadi Hodein, while the south and south-west
portions of the mass are drained by small tributaries of Wadi Kreiga,
itself a tributary of Wadi Hodein. So far as I know, the range can
only be crossed by camels at one place, near the centre of its length,
where it is cut through by the Wadi Beidâ; coming from the west,
one must make for the pass (395 metres above sea, stony but not
steep) which separates the heads of Wadi Khashab and Wadi Beidâ;
the road is well known as leading to the well called Bir Beidâ.
=Gebel Humariai= is an isolated hill, 563 metres above sea, a few
kilometres to the west of Gebel Beidâ.
=Gebel Kolaiqo= is a small hill-mass lying off the south-eastern
extremity of the Khashab — Beidâ range, from which it is separated
by the Wadi Kreiga. Its highest point, marked by a triangulation
beacon, is in latitude 22° 54′ 13″, longitude 35° 24′ 34″,
at an altitude of 320 metres above sea-level. The drainage is
mostly into Wadi Kreiga, but the south-eastern parts of the hills
drain into Wadi Kolaiqo, a very shallow ill-defined drainage line
coursing independently to sea across the sandy coast-plain. To the
north of Gebel Kolaiqo there are two long lines of low hills forming
low outliers of Nubian sandstone.
=Ti Qireira= is the name given to two low hills rising from the
coast-plain about half-way between Gebel Kolaiqo and the black conical
hill of Gemeida. These hills, four kilometres apart, rise only some
fifty or sixty metres above the plain, but they are conspicuous
landmarks, and hence bear a name.
=The Meisah — Adar Qaqa — Is Group.=
The Meisah — Adar Qaqa — Is group of mountains extends northwards
from the Sudan frontier in longitude 35½°. It is separated from
the Gerf — Abu Hodeid masses to the north by the Wadi Hasium; on
the east, the great Wadi Di-ib divides it from the mountains of the
Elba group; while to the west it is not sharply marked off from the
rather lower mountainous tract of the upper Alaqi basin. Gebels Adar
Qaqa (1,469 metres) and Is (1,736 metres) are on the main watershed,
while Hadal Aweib Meisah (1,224 metres) forms the highest point
of a huge rugged spur running northwards on the east side of the
watershed. To the east of the main mountains of the group, between
them and the Wadi Di-ib, are a number of detached mountain and
hill-masses, of which the principal are Gebels O Shakafa, Um Ein,
Qara Saba, Warabeit, Adar Aweib, and Shiab.
=Hadal Aweib Meisah= is a conspicuous double-topped mountain of
a somewhat conical shape. Its summit, marked by a triangulation
beacon, is 1,224 metres above sea-level, and has the position
latitude 22° 16′ 39″, longitude 35° 31′ 55″. In plan
it is almost circular, three-fourths of the circumference of its
base being formed by the Wadis Awitla and Lasewid (feeders of Wadi
Meisah), while the remaining fourth forms a connexion by which the
mountain is joined to the long ridge of Gebel Qidmib. The ascent of
the mountain was made from a camp one and three-quarter kilometres
due east of the summit, in a small feeder of Wadi Lasewid, close
to the spring called Megwel Um Edwa. Camels cannot get quite up to
the spring, but a camp can be placed a little way further down the
gully at an altitude of 596 metres above sea, and the climb of 628
metres to the top of the mountain is easily accomplished on foot in
about two hours. The mountain is composed of dark gabbroid rock, the
summit being composed of great blocks, weathered to a rusty brown on
their surfaces; the rock is highly magnetic, and the compass points
several degrees east of north at the beacon owing to local attraction.
PLATE XVIII.
[Illustration: MAP OF THE DISTRICT OF MEISAH & WADI DI-IB.
Ball. Geography & Geology of South-Eastern Egypt.
Photo-Metal-Process. Survey Dept. Cairo 1910. (60-190)]
=Iarih Meisah= is the name given to a tract of low granite hills with
sandy interspaces, which lies to the south of Hadal Aweib Meisah. It
forms the head of Wadi Baueiwai.
About three kilometres west of Hadal Aweib Meisah, a high ridge,
over 1,000 metres in height, courses north and south for over
fourteen kilometres. The north end of this ridge bifurcates to form
=Gebel Qidmib=; the Wadi Qidmib, draining northwards to Wadi Ibib,
has its head between the two branches of the ridge, where there is
a well called Bir Qidmib.
=O Shakafa= is a very remarkable hill seven kilometres north-east
of Hadal Aweib Meisah. O Shakafa derives its name, which signifies
“the barrier,” from the fact that it appears to block the way
to the traveller ascending the Wadi Meisah. Its crest, formed by
a ridge of hard jaspery quartzite, rises precipitously from among
a mass of softer rocks, some of which show remarkably brilliant
colours due to iron staining. The cairn on the summit is in latitude
22° 19′ 44″, longitude 35° 34′ 42″, and 751 metres above
sea-level. There is barely standing room on the top of the ridge,
which needs careful climbing owing to its precipitous nature. O
Shakafa is a good landmark for Bir Meisah, which lies in the wadi
about three kilometres north-east of the summit; and for the easy
pass of Sarob Kwan, which lies four kilometres to the south-east.
To the north of O Shakafa there extends a great tract of high hills,
divided into two portions by the northward-coursing Wadi Orgem. The
western portion of this hill-tract culminates in =Gebel Orgem=, the
two peaks of which rise respectively to 779 and 775 metres above the
sea, while its northern end forms the high sand-swathed hill called
=Baqari Daba=. The eastern portion of the tract, containing the
important wells Bir Um Bishtit and Bir Meisah, as well as the galts
of Meis-heit-ar, is rather more complex, and is cut into two parts by
the Wadi Um Bishtit. Its northern part ends in a conspicuous gneiss
hill called =Adar Aweib Um Bishtit=, while the hills immediately
north of O Shakafa are called =Gebel Meis-heit-ar=.
=Gebel Adar Qaqa= is a very conspicuous granite mountain about
twenty-three kilometres west of Hadal Aweib Meisah. Its highest peak
is in latitude 22° 13′ 47″, longitude 35° 19′ 0″, and rises
rather precipitously to 1,606 metres above sea-level. Adar Qaqa is
drained principally by the Wadi Hasium, which courses northward past
the western side of the mountain.
=Gebel Soaorib= is a rather long mountain range which adjoins
the south part of Adar Qaqa and sweeps round to the south-east,
forming the main watershed. Its highest point is 1,469 metres above
sea-level. Its north-western face is drained by Wadi Mantil Hasium,
which forms one of the heads of Wadi Hasium. The north-eastern flanks
are drained by the Wadi Haiyo and other feeders of Wadi Soaorib, while
the south-west faces drain into the Wadi Kirir and the Miti-Kwan,
tributaries of Wadi Alaqi.
=Gebel Leqaq= (1,192 metres) and =Gebel Um Seleim= (1,098 metres)
are two mountains, both with long northward spurs, lying north-east
of Adar Qaqa, between that mountain and the Wadi Soaorib. They
are drained by various feeders of the Wadis Hasium and Soaorib, the
principal being the Rod Anut Berer, which runs northward from between
two mountains to join Wadi Hasium, and the Wadi Hankuk, which rises
to the south of Gebel Leqaq and courses round the south-east flanks
to join Wadi Soaorib.
To the north of Gebels Leqaq and Um Seleim there stretches a sandy
plain, over which the Wadis Hasium, Ibib, and Soaorib pursue their
northward course. Low hills rise here and there from this plain,
the most conspicuous being =Gebel Hamra Tit=, a double-peaked granite
hill, rising to 642 metres above the sea; =Kulet Meigrum= and =Kulet
Tinasal= are two somewhat smaller hills situated respectively six
kilometres north-north-east and six kilometres east-north-east from
Gebel Hamra Tit.
=Gebel Is=, the next great mountain to the south, forms the main
watershed just north of the Sudan frontier, the triangulation cairn
on its summit having the position latitude 22° 2′ 36″, longitude
35° 28′ 4″, altitude 1,736 metres above sea. As seen from the
north, Gebel Is is a somewhat flat-topped mountain of dark aspect;
but judging by analogy the apparent flat top is probably only a
narrow ridge seen broadside on. From the main mass a long spur of
flanking mountains runs westward, and a high ridge, more or less
detached, rises to 1,474 metres six kilometres south-east of the
main summit. The northern and western faces of Gebel Is are drained
by feeders of Wadi Alaqi, while its eastern and southern parts are
drained by various heads of Wadi Is.
Between Hadal Aweib Meisah and Gebel Is there stretches a mass of
mountains with many peaks over 1,200 metres high; these appear to bear
no special names. My guides stated that there are two passes over
the main watershed in this region. The first, called =Adar Ameit=,
is a high pass practicable for camels; it lies about four kilometres
to the north of the beacon on Gebel Is, and connects the two Wadis
Adar Ameit el Sharqi and Adar Ameit el Gharbi which lie on opposite
sides of the watershed. The second pass, said to be a difficult one,
crosses the watershed some five kilometres further north, forming
a connexion between the heads of Miti Kwan and Wadi Soaorib.
=Gebel Miatit= (1,257 metres) and =Gebel Suruk= (1,377 metres),
are mountain masses a little east of, and semi-detached from, the
main Is group. Gebel Miatit sends out a long spur north-eastward,
ending in a rather conspicuous hill at the foot of which there is
said to be a water source called Megwel Aqwem.
=Gebel Shiab= is a collection of peaks rising from a rugged country
of lower hills about twenty-eight kilometres east of Gebel Is. Its
highest point is 987 metres above sea-level. Gebel Shiab appears
to form the main head of Wadi el Qurat, an important feeder of
Wadi Di-ib.
=Eqrun= (the horns) is a conspicuous group of schist hills lying
between the Wadis Meisah and Ibib. It has two principal peaks; the
higher one, surmounted by a triangulation beacon, has the position
latitude 22° 30′ 10″, longitude 35° 37′ 9″, and is 473
metres above sea-level; the other is about 400 metres south-east
of the beacon, and is only five metres lower. Eqrun itself is an
isolated hill group, but close to the north-east of it there is
another hill-mass of greater extent and of but little inferior height.
The country south of Eqrun forms an extensive tract of low hills
with much blown sand. Two conspicuous hills in this tract rise above
the rest and bear special names; these are =Tahaqayet= (432 metres)
and =Titailibab= (593 metres).
=Kolmanab= and =Einiwai= are two small but very conspicuous black
hills eleven kilometres apart, rising from the sandy coast-plain
between the Wadis Meisah and Di-ib. Both are surmounted by
triangulation beacons, that on Kolmanab being in latitude 22° 32′
26″, longitude 35° 53′ 36″, 137 metres above sea, and that
on Einiwai being in latitude 22° 27′ 50″, longitude 35° 57′
59″, 138 metres above sea. North-west of Kolmanab are some low
banks called =Tinadei=, while about mid-way between Kolmanab and
Einiwai is an isolated low hill called =Ankalidot=.
=Osnei= is a small but conspicuous red granite hill, rising to 251
metres above sea, thirteen kilometres west-south-west from Einiwai. It
contains a galt, which yields water for some little time after rain
has fallen locally.
=Ti Keferiai= is a conspicuous little isolated group of dark hills
of no very great height, situated in the fork where the Wadis
Didaut and Baueiwai join to form the Wad el Qireira. There are
heavy accumulations of blown sand round the north-east flanks of
the mass. The triangulation beacon on the summit has the position
latitude 22° 21′ 0″, longitude 35° 49′ 47″, and is 494
metres above sea-level. Ti Keferiai forms a good landmark for the old
mines of Romit, which are situated in some lower hills five kilometres
south-west of the beacon. There are numerous excavations here in
veins of smoky quartz with calcite and chalybite, which penetrate
the country rock of highly crushed and decomposed diorite; a number
of ancient grinding mills of diorite lie scattered about the place.
Four kilometres north of Ti Keferiai, on the opposite side of Wadi
Didaut, is a conspicuous hill of very red granite called =Adatalob
Adara=, 385 metres above sea-level. Four kilometres further north-west
is another hill, of nearly equal height, but of black aspect, called
=Adatalob Hadal=. West of Ti Keferiai, at distances of five and a
half and nine and a half kilometres respectively, are two conspicuous
little hills rising from the plain, one on either side of the Wadi
Didaut; these are called =Kikeiyet Sharqi= and =Kikeiyet Gharbi=.
East of Ti Keferiai is a great sandy tract stretching to the
Wadi Di-ib, from which low hills rise half swathed in blown sand;
the principal hill groups bear the names of =Gebels Tishushi= and
=Tishushi Tiboki=.
=Qara Saba= is a high and steep hill mass of dark aspect, rising
conspicuously to 788 metres above sea, between the Wadis Didaut and
Baueiwai, some sixteen kilometres south-west of Ti Keferiai. The
tract between Qara Saba and Ti Keferiai is a waste of blown sand
through which low hills protrude in places.
=Adar Aqdeib=, a granite hill 736 metres high on the north side of
the Wadi Didaut, about half-way between Qara Saba and O Shakafa, is a
landmark for two small water sources and a pass. The first of these
water sources, Megwel Adar Aqdeib, is on the east side of the hill,
in a little tributary of Wadi Didaut. The second, Megwel Didaut, is
at the head of Wadi Didaut itself, in a separate rugged hill tract
south of Adar Aqdeib. The west faces of Adar Aqdeib are drained by
the Sarob Kwan, half of which courses south-east to Wadi Didaut,
and half north-west to Wadi Meisah, and the divide forms a well
known easy pass.
=Gebel Um Ein= is a huge hill-mass of dark rocks, rising to 901
metres above sea-level, nine kilometres south-south-west of Qara
Saba. The beacon which marks the summit is in latitude 22° 11′
52″, longitude 35° 39′ 4″. Gebel Um Ein is mainly drained
by the Wadi Baueiwai, which curves round the south half of its
circumference. A small water source, Megwel Um Ein, is said to exist
on the north-east side of the hill, in a small wadi which forms a
tributary of Wadi Baueiwai.
A great tract of high hills lies between the Wadis Baueiwai and
Di-ib. The northern part of the tract, which is cut off from the
rest by the Wadi Warabeit, and is called =Gebel Geror=, has several
peaks rising to over 500 metres; on the north it is flanked by huge
accumulations of blown sand, while its southern faces are drained
by fairly well-wooded wadis, tributaries of Wadi Warabeit. The
part of the hill tract south of the Wadi Baueiwai is much cut up by
wadis into masses which bear separate names. =Gebel Hamida=, which
with =Gebel Nubitra= forms the westernmost hill-mass of the group,
is a series of high steep schist ridges rising in places over 700
metres above sea-level. The highest point, 754 metres above sea,
is best reached by following up the Wadi Hamida till one comes due
west of the hill, and then striking up eastwards on foot; it can
also be reached from the east side _via_ the tiny trickling salt
spring of Megwel Hamida, but I found this a long and wearisome
climb. To the north-east of Gebel Hamida is the pass called Bani
Sana, which is important both as a pass and as being the boundary
between the territories of the Kurbeilab and Hamedorab Arabs. =Gebel
Warabeit=, the part of the tract which forms the head of the Wadi
Warabeit, lies south-east of Gebel Hamida, being connected with
Gebel Hamida on the one side and Gebel Mashushenai on the other;
its highest point is 794 metres above sea-level. =Gebel Mashushenai=
(634 metres) lies a little to the east of Gebel Warabeit; its north
parts are drained by the Wadi Hashimaiyib, while the south portions
are drained by Wadi Mashushenai, in the head of which is a well,
Bir Mashushenai. All the drainage from hereabouts ultimately reaches
Wadi Di-ib by way of Wadi el Qurat. =Adar Aweib=, a conspicuous and
extensive granite hill-mass lying east of the foregoing, from which
it is entirely separated by wadis, rises to 620 metres above sea;
its summit is marked by a triangulation beacon in latitude 22°
10′ 50″, longitude 35° 54′ 0″. In occupying Adar Aweib as
a station, it was approached from the Bani Sana pass by following
down the Wadi Warabeit and then turning up the Wadi Wieqwer, which
leads to the eastern foot of the mountain. The camp was placed
about a kilometre north-west of the beacon, at an altitude of 284
metres above sea, and the climb of 336 metres to the top took only
an hour and a half. A great variety of flowers could be gathered
in the lower part of the ascent; the upper portion was slippery,
the slopes consisting of debris of decomposed granite resting just
at the angle of repose. In descending from the mountain, I went
northwards on foot, whence a steep pass led down to Bir Meheriqa,
in the Wadi Di-ib; but the camels had to go round the south end of
the mountain by Wadi el Qurat, as the pass was too steep for them.
To the south of the group of hills just described, there is a rugged
tract of low hills stretching away south to Gebel Shiab. Eastwards
this tract becomes lower and more sandy, terminating in a sandy plain
with low rocky ridges, over which the Wadi Di-ib pursues its northward
course, becoming closed in again by hills abreast of Adar Aweib.
=The Mountains of the Alaqi Basin West of Adar Qaqa.=
The mountains of this group, which are scattered over an area of
some 5,000 square kilometres between latitudes 22° 0′ and 22°
22′, and longitudes 34° 0′ and 35° 20′, are comparatively
little known. The positions and heights of all the principal peaks
have been fixed by triangulation from considerable distances; but
with the single exception of Gebel Muqsim, which was occupied by
Mr. Villiers Stuart as his terminal point, none of the area has yet
been officially surveyed.
The positions determined for the principal peaks will be found
included in the list on pp. 51 to 64, and a general idea of the
relative positions of the mountains and drainage lines will be
obtained from the orographical map on Plate I. A brief reference
only to the principal mountains is possible here.
=Gebel Anweiyib= (921 metres) and =Eir Arib= (1,112 metres) are on
the main watershed. As seen from the north, the former appeared as
a long dark range, the latter as a light-coloured high short ridge
with a peak at its western end.
=Gebels Duag= (1,328 metres) and =Himeitra= (1,231 metres)
are connected with the watershed range of Adar Qaqa and Is by
westward-running spurs. Gebel Himeitra is a landmark for a well,
Bir Himeitra, which is situated a little south of the mountain,
and also for the ruins of Darahib, which lie in the Wadi Alaqi some
twelve kilometres south-south-west of it.
=Gebel Heianai= (1,256 metres) is a long range of mountains between
the Wadis Bint el Feqoh and Defeit.
=Gebel Heleikonti= (1,151 metres) appeared from the north as a short
high steep ridge with a little peak at its western end.
=Gebel Egat=, one of the best known and most remarkable of the
mountains of the group, is a high steep cone rising to 1,145 metres
above sea on the north side of the Wadi Alaqi in latitude 22° 5′
39″, longitude 34° 52′ 15″. It is a landmark for Bir Egat,
which lies about five kilometres to the east, and for the mines of
Alfawi, which lie some ten kilometres south-east of the peak.
=Gebel Shanaiyet= (907 metres) and =Gebel Hamida= lie south of the
Wadi Defeit, between that wadi and the Wadi Egat.
=Gebel Hateib= or =Suhin= (854 metres) forms the main collecting
ground for the Wadis Hateib and Suhin, which are tributaries of Alaqi.
=Gebel Um el Tiur el Foqani= is a group of very high steep hills
on the south side of Wadi Defeit. It has a well-marked peak as its
summit, in latitude 22° 17′ 56″, longitude 34° 41′ 14″, 946
metres above sea-level. This peak forms a point on the administrative
boundary between Egypt and the Sudan.
=Gebel Um el Tiur el Tahtani=, situated some twelve kilometres
west-north-west of the foregoing, and on the opposite side of the
Wadi Defeit, is a somewhat similar but lower group of hills, its
highest point rising to 783 metres above sea.
=Gebel el Adraq= (770 metres) and =Gebel Guqub= are two other
hill-groups south of Gebel Um el Tiur el Tahtani, lying between
the Wadis Defeit and Alaqi. Gebel el Adraq is a landmark for some
old mines called Betan, while Gebel Guqub is the collecting ground,
the drainage of which supplies the important well of Bir Guqub.
=Gebel Muqsim= is a conspicuous mountain on the south side of the
Wadi Alaqi near the meridian of 34°. The triangulation cairn on its
summit is in latitude 22° 10′ 11″, longitude 34° 1′ 12″,
at an altitude of 825 metres above sea-level. Gebel Muqsim forms a
point on the administrative boundary between Egypt and the Sudan.
=The Elba-Shendib Group.=
This group of granite mountains is situated near the sea in the
extreme south-east corner of Egypt, between longitudes 36° and 37°,
on and about the parallel of 22° of north latitude. Part of the
group, including the highest peak (Asotriba, 2,216 metres) is in the
Sudan, and we shall here consider only the northern parts, which fall
within Egypt proper. The principal mountains of the group are Gebels
Elba (1,428 metres), Shendib (1,912 metres), Hanquf (1,465 metres),
Shendodai (1,529 metres), and Shellal (1,409 metres). Besides these,
which form a cluster of high rugged ridges and bristling peaks, there
are some outlying hills to the east and west, and it is convenient
to consider all the hills east of Wadi Di-ib as belonging to the
group. The principal of these outlying hills are Gebels Balatitda,
Sul Hamid (572 metres), Qash Amir (724 metres), and Sela (560 metres)
on the west, and Karam Elba (586 metres) and Gebel Hadarba (217
metres) on the east of the main masses. The general relations of
the Elba district will be seen from the orographical map on Plate I,
while the large scale map on Plate XIX shows the detailed features
on a larger scale.
Towering to great heights from the coast-plain, the mountains of
the Elba group are very conspicuous from long distances either on
sea or on land when the air is clear. But often for weeks together
they are so shrouded in mist as to be invisible even when one is
fairly near to them. These very mists, which so often hinder the
view being obtained, are the cause of much added beauty to the scene
when the air is clear; for the moisture produces a rich vegetation,
not only in the wadis, but along all clefts right up to the tops
of the mountains, and furnishes in addition the largest and most
important water sources in the Eastern Desert. So abundant is the
vegetation in all the wadis draining from Elba, that it is impossible
to approach the mountains very closely with loaded camels, owing to
the closeness of the trees. Richest in water supply and in vegetation
of all tracts in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, it is natural that the
Elba district should also be the greatest centre of desert population,
and there are considerable settlements of Bisharin Arabs round the
feet of the mountains.
PLATE XIX.
[Illustration: MAP OF THE DISTRICT OF ELBA & HALAIB.
Ball. Geography & Geology of South-Eastern Egypt.
Photo-Metal-Process. Survey Dept. Cairo 1910. (60-190)]
=Gebel Elba=,[111] the most northerly mountain of the main group,
is cut off from the mountains to the south by the Wadis O Sir Hadal
and Serimtai; there is a pass between the heads of these wadis,
so that a complete circuit of the mountain can be made, although
from almost any aspect Elba appears to be joined on to the other
mountains of the group. In plan, Gebel Elba is nearly a square of
about fifteen kilometres sides, with its diagonal in the meridian. It
is a bristling mass of light-coloured granite peaks, flanked on the
south and west by rugged hills of darker rocks. The highest point,
the “high peak” of the Admiralty Chart, is in latitude 22°
10′ 3″, longitude 36° 21′ 52″, and 1,435 metres above sea;
another peak, slightly lower, but more conspicuous and nearer the
centre of the mass, was chosen for the site of the triangulation
station. The beacon on this latter peak is 1,428 metres above sea,
and has the position latitude 22° 11′ 27″, longitude 36°
20′ 52″. The peak which bears the triangulation station forms
a centre from which drainage lines radiate in all directions. The
principal of these drainage lines, which are all well wooded, are
the Wadi Yahameib, which with its feeders Wadis Akau and Kansisrob
drains the north faces of the mountain, and unites with Wadi Aideib,
which drains the north-east flanks; Wadi Serimtai, which by its
feeder the Wadi O Sir Eirab drains the south part of the mass and
then curves round north-eastwards to the sea; and the Wadi Yoider,
which drains the western parts of the mountain by its three main
heads called respectively Wadi Akwamtra, Wadi Qeirat, and Wadi O
Sir Hadal, and then courses northward to reach the sea.
The approach to Gebel Elba by the coast-plain from the north-west is
said to be difficult, on account of having to cross an extensive tract
of sand dunes, called I Hubal, which lies to the north and north-east
of Gebel Sul Hamid. The survey expedition reached the mountain
by marching eastward from Bir Meheriqa in the Wadi Di-ib. On this
road the sand was not found a serious hindrance, though progress was
rather slow through O Harbub, a sand-choked wadi which was entered on
turning eastwards just after leaving Bir Meheriqa. Skirting the south
side of Gebel Sul Hamid over a sandy plain, we continued eastward
with a slight northerly bend till the jagged mass of Qash Amir came
into view; then striking due east again we entered some low hills
and dropped by an easy pass into Wadi Siamtit, a little feeder of
Wadi Yoider; crossing the main channel of Yoider, we continued our
course eastward across very sandy minor wadis, and turning a little
southward we reached Bir Akwamtra, where we found a fairly large
Bisharin camp, in a stony wadi full of trees.
I had hoped to ascend the mountain by way of Wadi Akwamtra, which
heads right under the peak selected for the triangulation station. But
on arriving at the well we were still more than six kilometres
from the head of the wadi, and further progress for camels was very
difficult owing to the closeness of the trees, and the bouldery nature
of the wadi floor. Guides sent out to reconnoitre having reported that
the ascent could be made with less difficulty from the Wadi Yahameib,
we followed a very winding track leading over the Asut Duk pass into
Yahameib, and then made our way southward over the sloping bouldery
plain, thick with trees and scrub, until the camels could get no
farther. The camp was pitched in a slight clearing at the foot of the
mountain, three and a quarter kilometres north-west of the beacon, at
an altitude of 343 metres above sea, or 1,085 metres below the beacon.
The climb to the summit was a long and tiring one, but very
interesting. Starting at 6.30 a.m. on April 25, 1908, we first
followed up the Wadi Yahameib to its head in a sort of neck
between two peaks; this neck, which we reached at 10 a.m., is
1,093 metres above sea. About half way up to the neck, among some
large granite blocks, there is a small spring of very pure water;
it forms a pool holding about a gallon and a half, which fills as
fast as it is emptied. Passing over the neck, we dropped down to a
level of 984 metres in crossing the head of Wadi Akwamtra, and then,
climbing up the opposite side, we reached the beacon (1,428 metres)
at noon. Except the last 150 metres to the summit, which was bare
steep granite, the whole climb was through a thick growth of trees,
very green and fresh, with a tangled undergrowth of flowering shrubs
and some mosses and lichens. The trees grow very near to the summit
and give plenty of shady resting-places. Acacia (_sellim_) trees cease
about 350 metres above sea, and new forms take their place. The most
remarkable is a large tree called _Hohait_ by my Arabs; this tree,
which I have not seen elsewhere in Egypt, grows in fair abundance to
ten metres or more high, with thick woody looking trunk and branches,
the foliage being great bunches of aloe-like leaves on the ends
of the branches; according to my Arabs, it bears an edible fruit,
of which they showed me the stone—a nearly spherical red one,
about as big as a pea, very hard.[112]
The top of the mountain is narrow and very rough, but narrow sleeping
places can be found on ledges. The view from the summit in clear
weather is very fine and extensive; the subjoined figure is from
a careful sketch which I made of the outlook southwards from the
beacon. But, as already remarked, the mountain is frequently shrouded
in cloud, and of the ten days I remained on the summit in April and
May 1908 only three were clear.
[Illustration: Fig. 3.—View from the summit of Gebel Elba.]
The phenomenon of “glories,” or rainbow-coloured rings round the
shadow of one’s head cast on to clouds below when the summit was
clear, was well observed in the mornings. Three rings were specially
distinct and vividly coloured on April 26, and I was able to measure
the diameters with an improvised subtense apparatus; measuring to
the middle of the yellow in each case, I found the diameters of the
rings to be 4½°, 8¾°, and 13°, so that the diameters increase in
arithmetical progression. The shadow cast by one’s head and body
was most distinct when the cloud-bank was most opaque; the rings,
on the other hand, were most brilliant when there was only a thin
film of cloud.
The temperatures experienced on the summit were remarkable for their
range. On April 25, 26, and 27, 1908, the air was still and full
of wet mist, and the days were oppressively hot, while the nights
were also warm and damp. On April 28, a cold north-west wind set
in, which soon cleared the air; but with the clearness came such
a chilling of the air that it was impossible to stand up to the
instruments for observations for more than a few minutes at a time;
one was glad to take shelter behind rocks from the biting blast,
and though we were well within the tropics and the spring was far
advanced, we sat shivering with blankets round us even in the sunniest
and most sheltered spots we could find. The cold lasted till May 4,
when we descended the mountain to be half roasted in the plains below.
As already remarked, Gebel Elba is well supplied with water
sources. The two chief are Bir Akwamtra and Bir Kansisrob, both
situated on the north side of the mountain. Between them is a small
spring called Megwel Akau. On the south side of the mountain are two
other wells called Bir Salalat O Sir, and Bir Sararat Serimtai. In
times of rainfall there must be scores of rock pools along every
drainage line.
=Karam Elba= is a granite hill rising to 586 metres above sea, close
to the north-east foot of Gebel Elba, from which it is separated
by a narrow wadi. Close north of Karam Elba are some low granite
hills called =Takrat Riba=, while on the south side is another small
granite hill called =Mikeriba=.
To the east of Karam Elba are some granite hills which, though of
no great height, are conspicuous owing to their position on the
coast-plain, and being used as landmarks by the local Arabs they
bear special names. These are: =Alafot=, =Taar Ara=, =Kreishim=,
=Abai Sis=, and =O Wota=, the last-named being the largest of them
all. Some low banks north of Alafot are called =Alafot Onqwab=.
=Qash Amir= (“Scragged Hill” of the Admiralty Charts) is
an isolated hill rising abruptly from a sandy plain at the head
of Wadi Eikwan, about fifteen kilometres west-north-west of Gebel
Elba. Qash Amir well deserves the title given to it by the Admiralty
surveyors, for it is a mass of sharp granite spikes which my best
guides, skilled climbers though they were, could only ascend with
the greatest difficulty. Its top, marked by a beacon, is 724 metres
above sea-level and has the position latitude 22° 14′ 31″,
longitude 36° 12′ 20″. I had intended to occupy the summit as
a main station, but the guides who were sent to erect the beacon
reported that the summit was so sharp a spike that there was barely
room for a beacon to be built, and that it would be impossible to set
up a theodolite tripod on it, while there was not even a narrow ledge
where one could sleep within several hundred metres of the summit.
=Gebel el Sela= is a straggling group of high rugged granite hills
rising from the sandy plain to the north-east of Qash Amir. The
highest of its peaks reaches to 560 metres above sea-level.
=Gebel Sul Hamid= is an extensive tract of low dark hills, covering
some hundred square kilometres or so to the west of Qash Amir. Its
highest peak is 572 metres above sea. The north part of the tract
is drained by the Wadi Di-it, the eastern part by the Wadi Eikwan,
while the southern drainages pass into a very shallow channel which
courses westward over a sandy plain towards Wadi Di-ib, but becomes
choked with sand at O Harbub before reaching that great trunk wadi.
=Gebel Balatitda= is a group of high hills lying between Gebel Sul
Hamid and the Wadi Di-ib. Its highest point is 592 metres above
sea-level. Bir Meheriqa is situated at the south-west of the mass,
on the east side of Wadi Di-ib. The north flanks of Gebel Balatitda
are swathed in blown sand.
=Gebel O Sir Eirab= is really the south part of Gebel Elba; its
highest point is 842 metres above sea. Though its name Eirab means
“white,” the mountain is composed of dark-coloured rocks. The
explanation is that the Arabs always give the names to the wadis
first, and the adjacent Wadi O Sir Eirab has a white sandy floor
because it drains from the granite mass of Elba; the mountain is
called after the wadi near it.
=Gebel Hanquf= is a range of mountains some twenty kilometres in
length, stretching in a south-easterly direction to the south of
Gebel Elba and separating that mountain from Gebel Shendib. Its
south-eastern portion, containing the highest peaks, is of granite,
while the north-western portion consists of dark rocks. Its highest
point is the northerly one of two remarkable peaks near the south end
of the range, and rises to 1,465 metres, while another summit near
the middle of the range reaches 1,397 metres. The northern part of
Gebel Hanquf is drained by the Wadi O Sir Hadal, a tributary of Wadi
Yoider; its eastern flanks by the Wadi Serimtai; while the western
drainage is to the Wadi Hareitra, which courses from between Gebel
Hanquf and Gebel Shendib westwards to join the Wadi Di-ib.
=Gebel Shendib=, which lies close south-west of Gebel Hanquf, is a
great mass of very high light-coloured peaks flanked on the west by
a tract of moderately high hills of dark colour. The beacon which
marks the highest point, 1,912 metres above sea, is in latitude 22°
0′ 48″, longitude 36° 16′ 30″. Shendib is the third highest
mountain in Egypt proper, being surpassed in altitude only by El
Shayeb and Hamata. Besides the main peak, there are numerous others
exceeding 1,600 metres in height; one of these, some two kilometres
south-east of the principal summit, reaches to 1,863 metres and marks
very nearly the Sudan frontier; its latitude is 21° 59′ 56″,
so that it is only some 120 metres south of the 22nd parallel.
The north portion of Shendib is drained by the Wadi Hareitra,
the south part by Wadi Shendib, both these being tributaries of
Wadi Di-ib.
=Gebel Shendodai= (“Castle Hill” of the Admiralty Charts) is
a high mountain mass lying east of Gebel Hanquf, from which it is
separated by the Wadi Serimtai. Its highest point, a well-marked peak,
is in latitude 22° 3′ 1″, longitude 36° 25′ 31″, and rises
to 1,529 metres above sea-level. Gebel Shendodai is drained by the
Wadis Um Seyal (a tributary of Wadi Serimtai), Mera Kwan, and Shellal.
=Gebel Shellal=, situated close south-east of Gebel Shendodai
on the Sudan frontier, is a group of mountains of slightly lower
altitude than the foregoing, its highest peak being 1,409 metres above
sea-level. Gebel Shellal is drained by the Wadis Shellal and Aqilhoq,
the latter containing a good well, called Bir Frukit. A tract of low
foot-hills, some twelve kilometres broad, fronts Gebels Shendodai
and Shellal seawards, leaving a breadth of some twelve kilometres
of gently sloping coast-plain between them and the shore. One of
the foot-hills of Gebel Shellal, a conspicuous high dark-coloured
ridge near Bir Frukit, bears the name of =Gebel Balatitda=. (It
will be noticed that another hill group west of Gebel Elba bears
the same name).
=Gebel Hadarba= is a little range of felsite hills with many peaks
rising from the coast-plain close to Ras Hadarba (Cape Elba of the
Admiralty Charts). A triangulation beacon on one of the highest points
is in latitude 22° 2′ 53″, longitude 36° 47′ 23″, at an
altitude of 217 metres above sea. Gebel Hadarba is drained by a number
of small wadis, most of which empty themselves into the quicksands
of Kuatianai which cover the projection of Cape Elba. A high hill at
the south-west end of the Hadarba range bears the special name of
=Wiekorei=, while a tract of low red hills on the Sudan frontier a
few kilometres south of the Hadarba range, is called =Timaiakwaia=;
this latter tract is chiefly drained by the Wadi Qabatit.
* * * * *
[Footnote 106: The exception is El Shayeb, in latitude 26° 58′,
which attains a height of 2,184 metres. _See_ BARRON and HUME,
Topog. and Geology of the Eastern Desert of Egypt (Central
Portion). Cairo, 1902. p. 40.]
[Footnote 107: Each of the last three vowels is pronounced
separately, so that the word has four syllables, with the accent on
the penultimate.]
[Footnote 108: The position of this cairn is latitude 23° 57′
46″, longitude 35° 12′ 10″.]
[Footnote 109: The position of the cairn is latitude 24° 4′ 41″,
longitude 35° 15′ 34″.]
[Footnote 110: By measurement with the theodolite I found the average
slopes of the mountain to be 35°, and many parts have double this
inclination. The vertical angle from my camp to the summit was
over 23°.]
[Footnote 111: The word _Elba_ (Bishari) means “white mountain.”
The designation “Gebel” is thus strictly speaking superfluous,
but is convenient as the Bishari tongue is so little known.]
[Footnote 112: Prof. Schweinfurth informs me that the tree is the
dragon’s-blood tree, _Dracaena ombet_ v. _Heuglin_; he himself
did not see it in the Elba neighbourhood, and its occurrence has
not hitherto been recorded further north than the Erkowit district
of the Sudan (latitude about 19°), where the native name for the
tree is _to-omba_ or _t’ombet_. See _Bollettino della Società
Africana d’Italia_: Naples, 1891.]