Burckhardt, John Lewis, 1784-1817; Nile River Valley -- Description and travel; Nubia -- Description and travel
_8th March._ The mountain of Om Hereyzel is of a dark gray
granite. We passed it, and then crossed a deep sandy plain entirely
barren, direction S. 1° ½ E. The road was strewn with carcases
and bones of camels. Few caravans perform the journey without
loosing some of their beasts, and this happens more frequently in
rocky districts, of difficult passage, or in the neighbourhood
of wells, where the already weakened camels surfeit themselves
with water, which has the effect of rendering them incapable of
resisting fatigue, and the weight of their loads. We passed many
low insulated granite hillocks, and granite blocks in the midst
of the sands. We halted about mid-day at the entrance of a chain
of mountains, running S. E. and N. W., called Djebel Heyzorba
(جبل هِزُربه). It is a custom with caravans always to
rest during the mid-day hours, when they dine, and sleep afterwards
for a couple of hours. At the return from the black countries, when
camels are always plentiful, and every body is mounted, the caravan
travels in forced marches; but two-thirds of our people were at
present on foot. Towards two o’clock we usually set out again,
and alighted just before sunset. In the afternoon of this day we
passed Heyzorba, and continuing in the same direction as before,
halted near some rocks called Beiban (بيبان); a day’s march
of about nine hours. I had seen neither trees nor verdure during
the whole day. The rocks where we rested, were of granite mixed
with large masses of feldspath.
_9th March._ Being in want of water, we set out soon after midnight,
and reached, after five hours march, the Wady Nakeyb (نقيب),
with wells of the same name. The Wady is full of Sant trees, and
has near its extremity two deep wells of tolerable water.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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