The geography and geology of south-eastern EgyptBall, John
Science
The geography and geology of south-eastern Egypt
Ball, John
Geology -- Egypt; Physical geography -- Egypt
Bir Shadli is one of the best-known centres of the Ababda
Arabs. Though there is no permanent settlement, it is seldom that many
days elapse without Arabs coming to the place to water their animals,
which graze in the adjoining wadis. Many roads converge here. To the
west, a track leads to Bir Abu Hamamid. To the north-east, a track
leads up the Wadi Sheikh, across Wadi Abu Hamamid, and by an easy
pass near Gebel Marasan over the main watershed into Wadi Huluz. To
the south-east there are several alternative routes by which one
can journey over easy passes north of Gebel Kahfa on to the plain
of Selaia and down the Wadi Lahami to Berenice. Yet another road
leads a little west of south across the Wadi Um Hargal, and by an
easy pass into Wadi Helie, a small tributary of Wadi Kharit which
drains the west side of Gebel Kahfa, and in which there is a well
of similar character to that of Abu Hamamid.
=Wadi Khashab= commences its course near Gebel el Heda, a little east
of longitude 34° 30′, and continues in a generally south-west
direction to the latitude of Gebel Hamrat Mukbud. Here it takes a
westerly course, passing south of Gebel Homr Akarim and entering
Wadi Kharit from the north in about longitude 33° 49′. Wadi
Khashab receives its name from its relatively well-wooded character;
in its upper parts it presents the appearance of a broad valley,
in which trees are so numerous as to give a very pleasing contrast
to the dreary wastes on either side of it. =Bir Khashab= is a series
of pits sunk in the wadi floor in about longitude 34° 23′, which
were yielding small supplies of water in 1906.
The principal feeders of Wadi Khashab are Wadi Metawit and Wadi
Antar. =Wadi Metawit= is a short valley originating near Gebel
Metawit, and joining Wadi Khashab a short distance above Bir
Khashab. It possesses an important well, =Bir Metawit=, excavated
about eight metres deep in the centre of the wadi floor, about three
kilometres north-north-west of the summit of Gebel Metawit, on a
road leading south-east from Bir Masur to Bir Shadli. This well,
near which are some large acacia trees, was yielding a plentiful
supply of excellent water in the spring of 1906.
=Wadi Antar= originates near the hills of Nukheira and El Heda,
and courses westward as a very wide shallow sandy depression south
of Gebel Um Goraf. At the foot of Gebel Derera it turns southward,
receiving the tributary Wadi el Anz from the left a little further
on; it turns again westward and then north-west to near Gebel Muktil,
beyond which it courses south-west and joins Wadi Khashab in longitude
33° 55′, a short distance only above the point where that wadi
enters Kharit.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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