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
Beyond the junction of Wadai el Nom, the Wadi Nugrus continues its
straight course south-east, between the long range of Gebel Hafafit
on the west and Gebel Zabara on the east. Some thirty kilometres
below its head, Wadi Nugrus receives the =Wadi Abu Rusheid= from
the north, and a little further on one encounters on the east the
ruins of an old village called =Medina Nugrus=. Just opposite the
ruins is a small feeder called =Wadi Abu Sada=, a short distance up
which are rock basins yielding water after rain, but these were dry
in 1905. Not far below this, there are some old workings in a small
feeder on the east side of the Wadi Nugrus, six kilometres above
its junction with Wadi Gemal.
=Wadi Sikait=, a tributary of Wadi Nugrus, heads in some high red
granite hills north-west of Gebel Sikait. A pass leads over the
western head, while in the eastern one is a small spring, which,
though a mere trickle, is said to be constant and to yield excellent
water. These two heads join at a well recently sunk by miners. Lower
down, on the flanks of Gebel Sikait, are numerous emerald mines,
with an ancient tower and many other ruins, and in the wadi near
these is another recently sunk well, which has only yielded water
of inferior quality. From near the mines there lead two tracks on
either side of the wadi. That to the west is a rough path over gneiss
hills into Wadi Abu Rusheid. That to the east winds past the ancient
tower, ascending gradually to a pass into one of the heads of Wadi
Um Gamil. Lower down the Wadi Sikait are many ancient mines, and the
ruins of three rock temples and an ancient village. Just before the
Wadi Sikait enters Wadi Nugrus, a track leaves on the east for =Wadi
Um Heran=, in which I am told water is sometimes to be found. The
length of the Wadi Sikait is about fourteen kilometres, and its fall
is from 535 metres above sea at the pass at its head to about 250
metres where it enters Wadi Nugrus, or an average slope of twenty
metres per kilometre. It is a narrow gorge shut in by high hills,
with a fair abundance of trees.
=Wadi Um el Abbas= originates by the union of several heads in
the neighbourhood of the high granite hills of Um el Abbas and Abu
Hegilig. One of its heads leads to an easy pass called =Kab el Haram=,
four and a half kilometres east of Gebel Abu Hegilig. Another, close
east of Gebel Abu Hegilig, leads to another easy pass into the head of
a tributary of Wadi Romit. A third head, called the =Wadai el Anz=,
leads to yet another pass into Wadi Um Seyal el Foqani, a tributary
of Wadi el Abiad. The course of the Wadi Um el Abbas has only been
surveyed for a short distance below the place where its heads unite;
it pursues a north-easterly course among low hilly country and enters
the sea in about latitude 24° 36′.
PLATE VI.
[Illustration: MAP OF THE DISTRICT OF NUGRUS & SIKAIT
Ball. Geography & Geology of South-Eastern Egypt.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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