Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 1 (of 5) : $b being a journal of an expedition undertaken under the auspices of H.B.M.'s Government, in the years 1849-1855Barth, Heinrich
History
Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 1 (of 5) : $b being a journal of an expedition undertaken under the auspices of H.B.M.'s Government, in the years 1849-1855
Barth, Heinrich
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Africa, North -- Description and travel
According to our Zintáni, the path leading to it from the western
village first lies over the hammáda, then crosses a ravine called Wadi
Khatab, leads again over the plateau, crosses another wadi, and at
length, after about ten miles, as it seems, reaches the ravine of
Gharíya e’ sherkíya[46] stretching from W. to E., the grove, of about
the same extent as in the other oasis, being formed at the N. and W.
bases of the rocky height upon which the place stands. At the side of
the village there is, he said, a large Roman castle, far larger than
that in the western one, of about eight or ten feet elevation at
present, but without an arched gateway of that kind, and without
inscriptions. On the east side of the eminence are only a few palms, and
on the south side none. The village is distinguished by a merábet called
Bu-Sbaeha. Neither from the Zintáni nor from anybody else did I hear
that the inhabitants of these two solitary ksúr are called by the
peculiar name Warínga; I learnt it afterwards only from Mr. Richardson’s
statement[47], and I have reason to think that the name was intended for
Urínsa.
We returned by a more northern path, which at first led us through a
rather difficult rocky passage, but afterwards joined our path of
yesterday. Overweg and I had no time to lose in preparing for our
journey over the hammáda, or plateau, while Mr. Richardson was obliged,
by the conduct of the ill-provided and ill-disciplined blacks who
accompanied him, to follow us by night. We therefore got up very early
next morning, but lost a good deal of time by the quarrels among our
camel-drivers, who were trying, most unjustly, to reserve all the heavy
loads for the camels of the inexperienced Tarki lad ʿAli Karámra, till
they excited his indignation, and a furious row ensued. This youth,
though his behaviour was sometimes awkward and absurd, excited my
interest in several respects. He belonged to a family of Tawárek, as
they are called, settled in Wadi el Gharbi, and was sent by his father
to Tripoli with three camels, to try his chance of success, although
members of that nation, with the exception of the Tinylkum, rarely visit
Tripoli. He was slender and well-formed, of a glossy light-black
complexion, and with a profile truly Egyptian; his manners were
reserved, and totally different from those of his Fezzáni companions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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