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
Two sheikhs’ tombs and some smaller graves exist at a bend in
the Wadi Huluz, three kilometres below the point of influx of Wadi
Marasan. Below these enter as feeders =Wadi Um Suerab lil Huluz=
from the north, and =Wadi Abu Gerifat= from the south. The wadi
now becomes very tortuous. Near the meridian of 34° 40′, on the
south side of the wadi, at a bend where trees are very abundant,
is a small gully containing the important water holes called =Um
Gerifat=. These are rock basins fed by rain water draining down
steep gorges from the hills round the twin-peaked Gebel Um Sedri;
they are easily accessible in a few minutes from the main wadi, and
contained good supplies of water in the winter of 1905-1906. About
four kilometres lower down, the =Wadi Um Iteili= enters from the
east, and about five kilometres beyond this Huluz opens out into a
somewhat triangular space, when the =Wadi Gaetri= enters from the
west and =Wadi el Khisei= from the east. The Wadi Gaetri leads by
an important pass into the more open country to the west (wells of
Wadi Khashab and Wadi Natash).
At the open space above-mentioned, Wadi Huluz turns northward, winding
somewhat, for some eight kilometres, and then, after receiving the
=Wadi Abu Etl= as a feeder from the west, turns sharply eastward
and becomes the Wadi Gemal.
=Wadi Durunkat=, a tributary of Wadi Gemal, forms an important road
from Wadi Gemal into the higher parts of Huluz. By following it up to
its head about twenty kilometres from its junction with Wadi Gemal,
one can enter Wadi Huluz by a very easy pass in longitude 34° 46′,
thus cutting off the long winding course of Wadi Huluz itself; and
from this pass one can cross the main watershed by the Wadi Marasan
to reach Bir Shadli.
=Wadi Hafafit=, another tributary of Wadi Gemal, has its head situated
close to the east side of Gebel Migif, in latitude 24° 50′, on
the main watershed, where there is an easy pass into the head of Wadi
Shait. Following a very straight course for nearly forty kilometres
south-east, with the remarkable range of high gneiss mountains called
Gebel Hafafit on the left, and the sugar loaf granite hills of Abu
Had on the right, Wadi Hafafit forms a broad barren valley in which
there are heavy accumulations of blown sand. =Wadi Abu Had=, a small
western feeder of Hafafit, is well known by reason of the well of
bitter water, =Bir Abu Had=, at its head. An eastern feeder of Wadi
Hafafit, which joins it shortly before the junction with Wadi Gemal,
is called by the diminutive name of =Wadi Hefeifit=.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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