Gebel Um Khafur is a group of high sandstone ridges overlooking the sandy plain of Um Harba to the north. One of its higher ridges, 560 metres above sea-level, bears a triangulation station, marked by a beacon, in latitude 23° 29′ 54″, longitude 34° 29′ 19″. A remarkable feature of Gebel Um Khafur is the north-north-easterly dip of its sandstone beds at an angle of about 13°, almost constant over a large area, with probably step-faulting parallel to the strike of the beds; owing to these features there are developed a series of long ridges, with a flat dip slope northward and a steeper drop to the south, while the drainage channels run along the lines of strike and only break across the ridges at a few points. The drainage from these channels, the chief of which is called the Wadi Um Khafur, meanders northward over the plain to join a feeder of Wadi Garara.
Gebel Um Harba is a conspicuous sandstone peak marked by a triangulation beacon in latitude 23° 36′ 56″, longitude 34° 30′ 38″. Rising to a height of 688 metres above sea-level, it forms the highest and central point of a long range running north-north-west and south-south-east from the Wadi el Garara past the Galt el Aguz. The north end of this range is forked, the east and west arms being separated by a broad high valley, filled with blown sand, draining from near the peak of Gebel Um Harba northwards to Garara. A marked feature of the range is the almost constant north-easterly dip of the sandstone beds of which it is composed; the ridges follow the strike of the beds, and present gentle dip slopes to the east with steep basset edges to the west. Gebel Um Harba overlooks to the west a great sandy plain, so that it is a good landmark for travellers coming from that direction. In occupying it as a station, I approached it by the broad sandy valley above-mentioned, and fixed the camp at 487 metres above sea-level and 800 metres north of the summit; the hill can also be reached from the west, though the climb from the plain is about one hundred metres more. The ascent becomes rather steep near the top of the hill, but presents no great difficulty. For a short time after rain, water can be found in pools in the gullies close to the east of the hill, but owing to the porosity of the rock these never last long. The Galt el Aguz, nine and a half kilometres south-south-east of Gebel Um Harba, in a gully on the east side of the road to Bir Abu Saafa, lasts longer than other pools in the neighbourhood, but even it only yields supplies within a few months at most after rain, for the same reason.
Gebel Um Sididad is a mass of high sandstone hills on the north side of Wadi Silsila, thirty kilometres east-south-east of Gebel Um Harba and overlooking the broad and sandy Wadi Naam to the east. The hill I ascended, one of the highest, was 623 metres above sea-level and nearly 300 metres above the plain at its foot. High sandstone hills extend north-westwards from Gebel Um Sididad to Gebel Zergat Naam, forming the western side of Wadi Naam.
Gebel Abraq is a great high sandstone plateau cut up by gullies into more or less separate hills, outlined by the Wadis Silsila on the north, Hodein on the south, Arned on the west, and Abraq on the east. The highest hills of the mass are probably two peaks close together on its east side, midway between Bir Abraq and the Wadi Hodein, which rise to 705 and 699 metres above the sea. The principal interest of Gebel Abraq lies in its forming a collecting ground for the important springs of Abraq and Abu Saafa, which occur along its eastern and southern feet. These springs yield constant supplies of excellent water, due to slow percolation through almost pure siliceous rocks, and are of great value both to the local Arabs and to the passing travellers. There are two beacons on Gebel Abraq, one near Bir Abraq and the other near Abu Saafa springs. The former, a main triangulation point, is 667 metres above sea-level on a conspicuous ridge in latitude 23° 25′ 19″, longitude 34° 46′ 48″; while the latter is on the eastern edge of the plateau, in latitude 23° 18′ 40″, longitude 34° 48′ 30″, and 639 metres above the sea. The eastern and southern slopes of the plateau are very steep, becoming almost precipices at many points, and are the home of many conies and rock partridges, but one can ascend by taking advantage of the frequent gullies which cut up the mass. The climb to either beacon from the plain is about 330 metres, and free from serious difficulty.
Gebel Hodein is a high sandstone plateau forming the south-east continuation of the Abraq mass, from which it is separated by the ravine of Wadi Hodein. To the south it is cut off by Wadi Dif. A triangulation beacon near the north-east point of the plateau in latitude 23° 16′ 20″, longitude 34° 53′ 25″, is 695 metres above sea-level, but further west the summits are rather higher. An extremely steep pass, practicable only on foot, exists to the south of the mass, leading from the Wadi Gihab into Wadi Dif, and forming a short cut from Abu Saafa Springs to Bir Dif, but camels have to go round the east spurs of the mountain.
Gebel Dif and Gebel Anfeib together form a still further continuation south-eastward of the same great sandstone plateau, being separated from Gebel Hodein by the deep winding gorge of Wadi Dif. The sandstone beds here dip to the north-east, and the highest points are near the west edge of the mass, where they are flanked by lines of lower hills, formed of schists cropping out from under the sandstone. A triangulation beacon in latitude 23° 8′ 24″, longitude 34° 59′ 19″, marks the south end of the high plateau of Gebel Anfeib; it is 705 metres above sea-level, and very conspicuous from the east, but it is generally invisible from the west side of the mass, owing to the ridges north-west of it being slightly higher. In occupying the point as a station, I approached it from Bir Dif, following up the Wadi Abu Hashim to its head, then down the Rod Mukrayib round Gebel Lilowit, the south tip of the schist range, and turning north across various small wadis to a camp in one of the heads of Wadi Edunqul, at 315 metres above sea-level and 1,200 metres south-east of the beacon. This camp could also have been reached from Bir Abu Saafa via the Wadis Hodein and Anfeib. The climb to the beacon, of 400 metres, is steep, but not difficult, and occupies less than two hours.
Gebel Tibatib is a conspicuous dark conical peak among the low dark hills which extend from Gebel Anfeib to Wadi Hodein. Its summit is 396 metres above sea-level.
Gebel Butitelib is a steep-sided little hill mass of grey felsite close west of the easy pass which leads from the head of Wadi Abu Hashim into the Rod Mukrayib, near the south end of Gebel Anfeib. It rises to 485 metres above sea, or eighty metres above the sandy pass.
Gebel Lilowit, the south end of the schist range which flanks Gebel Anfeib on the west, is 485 metres above the sea.
Gebel Niqrub el Tahtani is a conspicuous isolated jagged mountain south of the Rod Mukrayib (which drains its northern face), and west of Wadi Madi. The beacon on it is in latitude 23° 0′ 39″, longitude 35° 0′ 53″, 829 metres above sea-level and about 500 metres above the Rod Mukrayib. A conspicuous pinnacle close north-east of the beacon has practically the same altitude.
Gebel Niqrub el Foqani is a mountain of granite and felsite rising to a height of 1,078 metres above the sea, from among the low hill country which separates Wadis Madi and Gemal, in latitude 23° 52′. Its great height and isolated position render it a conspicuous object in the landscape from great distances. It is drained by myriads of small wadis radiating in all directions, but which all eventually join Wadi Madi on the east or Wadi Gemal on the west. It is best ascended from the west side, where a camp can be got 1,500 metres due east of the beacon on the summit and 496 metres above sea-level, in one of the stony heads of the channels draining towards Wadi Gemal. The ascent from this camp occupied a little over two hours, and was not very difficult; but an attempt from any other direction would most likely have failed, as the slopes to the south and east are extremely steep and in places precipitous. The top of the mountain is a very rugged ridge, so broken that it is an hour’s hard work to get along its 700 metres of length. The main ridge is surrounded by lower flanking peaks on the north, east and south, while from the west there runs off a long ridge, curving round to the south and enclosing a small sandy plain south-west of the summit. This curved ridge is cut through from east to west by a rather steep pass, 490 metres above sea-level. The view from the summit of Gebel Niqrub el Foqani is very extensive, as will be seen from the panorama drawn to scale from theodolite measurements on Plate XVI, but in the winter months the mountain is frequently wrapped in clouds for days together; I had to remain eight days on the summit in December 1907, before I could complete my observations, most of the time being spent in a cold wet mist which blotted out the landscape. The beacon on Gebel Niqrub el Foqani, in latitude 22° 51′ 29″, longitude 34° 56′ 49″, marks a point on the administrative boundary between Egypt and the Sudan, the limit proceeding east-south-east to Bir Meneiga, and south-south-west to Gebel Um el Tiur el Foqani.
The low hill country between Gebel Niqrub and Wadi Madi consists chiefly of east and west ridges formed by dykes. A rather high granite hill about ten kilometres to the south-east, close to Wadi Madi, is marked by a beacon and overlooks the well called Bir Madi; the beacon is 556 metres above sea-level, or eighty metres above the well.
To the south-west of Gebel Hodein the sandstone runs off in a mass of very high hills called Gebel Kala, leaving a much lower area of schist hills in between, through which the Wadi Feqoh pursues its sandy barren course. Gebel Kala has not been closely approached, but its principal peaks have been fixed by triangulation, and the highest is 846 metres above sea-level. The scarps of these hills are very steep, and the mass appears to be much cut up by wadis draining to Feqoh. The sandstone ceases just beyond Gebel Kala, and its place is taken by granite, which forms the mountains of the watershed further south-west.
Gebel Um Reit is a conspicuous granite mountain rising to 857 metres above sea, seventeen kilometres south-east of Gebel Awamtib, on the east side of the watershed. It can be approached either from the west by ascending the tributaries of Wadi Timsah and crossing the watershed (which is here flat and sandy) into Wadi el Dreb, or from the east by ascending the Wadi Um Reit. The best place from which to ascend the mountain is in one of the heads of Wadi Um Reit, which drains the west side of the mass. By following this up, a camp can be placed about a kilometre north-west of the beacon and 520 metres above sea-level. The climb of 337 metres from the camp is fairly easy, and only occupies about an hour. From the beacon (latitude 23° 15′ 4″, longitude 34° 34′ 17″), a good view is obtainable of the granite peaks to the south, which forms a complex mass with Aqab el Negum as the highest point; to the eastward the outlook is mostly over high broken sandstone plateaux.
Extending south-west from Um Reit is a complex of granite mountains, which has not been surveyed in detail. The principal peaks have, however, been fixed by triangulation, and their positions will be found tabulated in the list of points given in Chapter III. The chief peaks are Gebels Etresia (1,037 metres), Um Markha, Shigigat (1,023 metres), Hamrat el Feg, Aqab el Negum (1,148 metres), Etus (997 metres), and Natetiai (1,164 metres). An important pass is said to cross the watershed at Aqab el Negum, though quite practicable for camels, it is a very high pass, whence the name of the mountain, which signifies “Pass of the Stars.” To the north of Gebel Shigigat there is a sandy plain from which two conspicuous isolated hills rise to heights of 901 and 703 metres respectively above sea-level; these hills appear, however, not to bear any distinctive names.
Further south along the watershed, in latitude 22° 50′, are two conspicuous peaks of nearly equal height and not far apart, which from the east look like two hop-kilns. These are called Gebel Sheyenit. The southern one is the higher, rising to 887 metres above sea-level, while the northern one attains 853 metres.
Gebel Mishbih is a huge bristling mass of granite peaks a little east of the main watershed, rising from the plain west of Wadi Feqoh in latitude 22° 44′. Being much higher than any other mountain in the neighbourhood, it is a very remarkable feature for long distances. Though it has not been surveyed in detail, its chief peaks have been triangulated and the general shape of its eastern parts is tolerably known by observations from Niqrub and Korabkansi. The highest of its many peaks, near the south-west end of the mass, reaches 1,353 metres, while the north-east peak, marked by a beacon in latitude 22° 44′ 18″, longitude 34° 41′ 20″, is 1,316 metres above the sea. The mountain is believed to be almost entirely drained by feeders of the Wadi Feqoh.
Gebel Shweib is a smaller hill-mass a little to the south-east of Gebel Mishbih. Its highest peak, which is at the north-east end, is 914 metres above sea-level.
Gebel Shabih is a very remarkable granite mountain rising abruptly from the sandy plain traversed by Wadi Feqoh in latitude 22° 45′, about twelve kilometres east of Gebel Mishbih. From the north, it looks like a very perfect cone, but as one passes it going south it is seen to be slightly elongated meridionally, and to have two distinct peaks, of which the northern and higher one rises to 1,117 metres, or about 650 metres above the plain. Its sides are very steep, and an ascent would probably be a matter of some difficulty. The Wadi Feqoh passes close west of the mountain.
Gebel Um el Kalala is a small range of granite peaks close to the east side of Wadi Feqoh in latitude 22° 50′. The peaks at its north and south ends, nearly two kilometres apart, rise to 672 and 655 metres above sea respectively. In the low hilly country further north there are three conspicuous little peaks of dark aspect rising above the general level. Gebel Mismih, the highest of these, rises to 599 metres above the sea; it is a nearly perfect cone twelve kilometres north of Um el Kalala, and about six kilometres east of Wadi Feqoh. Gebel Waqif, nine kilometres west-north-west of Um el Kalala, is less sharp, and reaches 556 metres above the sea; while the third hill, which is unnamed, lies nearly between the last two, on the west side of Wadi Feqoh, and attains only 504 metres.
To the west of the Um Harba and Awamtib ranges there is open country, formed by a great sandy plain, over which the Wadis Ghadrib and Timsah pursue their northward courses to join Garara, and the monotony of which is broken at intervals by extensive masses of moderately high sandstone hills. The principal of these hill masses are Gebels Nuggur, Mulgata, Ziraga, and the Abu Hashim Hills. Gebel Nuggur, marked by a cairn, lies seventeen kilometres west of Um Harba, and a little east of the Wadi Timsah; it forms a detached north-westerly extension of Gebel Dagalai. Gebel Mulgata (545 metres) and Gebel Ziraga (553 metres), both marked by triangulation cairns, are the chief members of a long line of sandstone hills separating the Wadis Timsah and Ghadrib. The Abu Hashim Hills extend for great distances south and west of Bir Abu Hashim; the triangulation beacon on the hill west of the well in latitude 23° 41′ 44″, longitude 34° 3′ 33″, is 386 metres above sea, and sixty-six metres above the wadi floor, but other hills of the group further south attain higher levels.
Gebel Mowisat, seventeen kilometres south of Gebel Ziraga and a few kilometres west of the Wadi Timsah, is a granite hill capped by sandstone. It is drained by the Wadi Mowisat. A track from Aswân to Bir Um Reit passes a little north of this hill.
Round the heads of the Wadi Ghadrib, about the parallel of 23° north and the meridian of 34° east, are numerous higher hills, of which the principal are Gebels Abu Rahia (835 metres), Romit, Baid el Khuruf, Reietit (825 metres), Um Rewat, Um Ghalqa, and Um Gotto, while between these and Gebel Mowisat are the Hamiskul Hills. These hills are all composed of granite, gneiss, and schists, the higher ones, such as Abu Rahia and Reietit, having sandstone capping the igneous and metamorphic rocks which build up the main masses. Gebel Um Rewat forms the divide between the basins of Wadi Kharit and Wadi Alaqi, its northern parts being drained by the Wadi Reietit, a tributary of Ghadrib, while the south flanks drain into the Wadi Um Ghalqa, a feeder of Wadi Seiga.
To the west of Gebel Mishbih there is hilly country, in which many of the peaks reach considerable heights. The principal hill-masses in this part are Gebel el Naga, a range about four kilometres long running north-west and south-east, twenty-two kilometres west of Gebel Mishbih, with several peaks, of which the highest is 827 metres above sea; Gebel Seiga, a high hill (905 metres) about twenty kilometres further west, surmounted by a triangulation beacon and drained by the Wadi Seiga; Gebel Nesheb Hasan and Gebel Abgeya, two hills west and south-west of Gebel Seiga, between Wadis Seiga and Abu Had; Gebel Um Krush, between Wadis Abu Had and Um Ghalqa; Gebels Ribdab, el Deheis, and Abu Brush (810 metres), to the west of Wadi Um Ghalqa; and Gebel Kulyeit, a conspicuous cone about fifteen kilometres south of Gebel Seiga, rising to 724 metres above sea. Most of these hills are of schists, though Gebels Abu Brush and Ribdab are of granite.
The central mountains of the Gerf — Korabkansi — Abu Hodeid group form a compact cluster to the east of the main watershed between the great eastward draining Wadis Hodein and Ibib. The most considerable mass in extent is Gebel Gerf, an extremely rugged mountain tract some twenty kilometres in diameter, having its highest point 1,419 metres above sea-level. The Abu Hodeid range, forming a southward extension of the Gerf mass, attains the somewhat higher level of 1,488 metres; while the detached mass of Korabkansi on the west rises to 1,230 metres. Besides these main masses, from which I have named the group, there are numerous outlying ranges of lesser height, the principal being the Beida range to the north, and the Hamra Dom range to the east. The main characteristics of the central group are its extreme ruggedness, the presence of great masses of serpentine among its constituent rocks, and a relative abundance of good water supplies. The wells and springs in the wadis draining from this group of mountains are among the best and most permanent of the water sources of the Eastern Desert of Egypt.
Gebel Gerf (see map on Plate XVII) is a mass of rugged mountains, roughly circular in plan, some twenty kilometres in diameter, extending between latitudes 22° 35′ and 22° 50′, and between longitudes 35° 8′ and 35° 20′. Its highest point, marked by a beacon 1,419 metres above sea-level, is somewhat north of the centre of the mass, being situated in latitude 22° 42′ 6″ N., longitude 35° 12′ 16″ E. Approached from any side, Gerf blocks out the entire view ahead. The central parts of the mass are entirely impassable for camels. There is no possible track across it from north to south, nor is there any east to west pass across it north of the Sherefa Pass (which skirts its south end) except by the heads of Wadi Shellal. The northern part of the mass, which is semi-detached by the passes in the heads of Wadi Shellal above-mentioned, is sometimes called Gebel Meneiga or Gebel Korbiai after the important water sources of the same name in the wadis draining from it; and the north-eastern peaks are sometimes called Gebel Muqur from the spring Bir Muqur. But these names are, I am told, quite local, and the entire mass is usually known to the Arabs as Gebel Gerf. This application of a single name to an entire group of mountains, with scores of separate peaks, extending over about 500 square kilometres, is very unusual, especially when, as in this case, it is drained by wadis containing good wells and plenty of vegetation. The explanation given to me by the guides was quite comprehensible; they stated that Gerf was the only mountain mass in that part of the desert which was so extensive in every direction as to prevent them getting a clear idea of its true shape in their wanderings over it. They can get all round it only by a rough journey of several days, and any endeavour to cross its main portion met with failure, so that they had perforce to regard it as a single great mass, of the true structure of which they could form no satisfactory notion. The immense interest which the guides took in the mapping of this particular mountain tract fully confirmed the explanation given. The mapping was accomplished by making an entire circuit of the mass, and ascending a few of the principal summits.
The highest point of Gebel Gerf had been singled out as a triangulation station from far to the north, while approaching the mass from the Wadi Hodein. It was eventually reached from the west side after leaving Gebel Korabkansi, the approach being made by ascending the Wadi Eirahimib, and going over the pass at its head (830 metres) into one of the heads of Wadi Um Reddam, turning round a spur and ascending another of the heads of the same wadi. The camp, placed as high up the wadi as possible, lay about 1,500 metres west of the beacon, at an altitude of 820 metres. The climb of nearly 600 metres to the summit occupied three and a quarter hours, and was free from serious difficulty, though involving some tiresome traversing of connecting ridges. The summit of Gebel Gerf is often wrapped in clouds for weeks together in winter, and cold northerly gales are prevalent. I found it necessary to remain on the summit for no less than twenty-one days and nights in January 1907, in order to obtain the observations necessary, and the discomfort due to enforced inaction and piercingly cold winds was considerable. The top of the mountain is a narrow ridge on which there is barely standing room for an instrument, but about 100 metres southward along the ridge from the beacon there is a slight broadening where a small tent may be pitched by hitching the ropes round rocks instead of tent-pegs.
On a clear day, the view from the summit of Gerf is a magnificent one. The numberless rugged ridges and peaks of the Gerf mass itself stretch for miles around, and out beyond, in every direction except to the east, one can see the more distant mountains. In the north, the most striking features are the distant spikes of Gebel Faraid, and still further off one may discern the blunter forms of Gebels Abu Gurdi, Hamata, and Abu Hamamid, 180 kilometres away. To the east is the coast-plain, with the granite peaks of Gebel Hamra Dom breaking the monotony. To the south-east one may see the great peaks of the Elba and Shendib mountains, 130 kilometres away, though these are often hidden by mist when everything else is clear. To the south, one looks out, over the gneiss boss of Gebel Um Rasein, to the mountains, rising rank behind rank, of Medarai, Abu Hodeid, Adar Qaqa, and Is; while a little to the left of the last-named one may see the double-headed granite mass of Gebel Obkeik in the Sudan, more than 100 kilometres distant, towering above the intervening Egyptian mountains. The panorama visible to the south and south-east is shown drawn to scale from theodolite measurements in the lower figure on Plate XVI (p. 206). To the south-west, one can make out the principal mountains of the Alaqi basin, while to the west the mountains of Korabkansi, Shabih, and Mishbih are conspicuous features.
The north portion of the Gerf mass, sometimes called Gebel Meneiga, is drained by the Wadi Kreiga, which is a tributary of Wadi Hodein. One of the principal feeders of Wadi Kreiga is the stony Wadi Meneiga, important as containing perennial springs of good water, easily accessible to camels. The eastern and southern parts of the mass are drained by various feeders of Wadi Shab, the principal of these feeders being Wadi Shellal el Sharqi, Wadi Muqur, Wadi Baaneit, Wadi Diqdib, and Wadi Sherefa el Sharqi. The Wadis Muqur, Baaneit, and Diqdib, all contain wells or springs, that in Wadi Diqdib being right in the heart of the mountain mass, while the others are nearer to its periphery. The western flanks of the Gerf mass are drained by the feeders of Wadis Feqoh and Madi, the principal being the Wadis Sherefa el Gharbi, Eirahimib, Shellal el Gharbi, and Korbiai. The Wadi Sherefa el Gharbi is important as leading to the Sherefa Pass (907 metres) which forms a direct road from Bir Sararat Seyet to the well of Um Rasein, while Wadi Korbiai contains an excellent well at its head, easily reached by camels.
Gebel Dreb is a many-peaked mass of mountains covering some sixty square kilometres, situated south-west of the Gerf mass, from which it is separated by the Sherefa Pass. Its highest peak is 1,293 metres above sea, but there are numerous other peaks of but little inferior altitude. Its south-western portion looks on to the plain at the head of Wadi Feqoh, while to the south-east it is separated from Gebel Medarai by an easy pass leading from the head of Kwat Hewah westwards into the head of Wadi Kreim, a tributary of Wadi Feqoh. Another pass is said to exist leading from Wadi Sherefa el Sharqi into the head of Wadi Dreb, where there is a well called Bir Bint el Dreb.
Gebel Medarai, the next mountain mass to the south-east, is separated from Gebel Dreb by the pass into Wadi Kreim above referred to, while at its south faces it is separated from Gebel Abu Hireiq by another pass leading from one of the heads of Wadi Medarai westwards into the Wadi Kirwau, a tributary of Wadi Feqoh. The highest point of Gebel Medarai, marked by a large cairn, is in latitude 22° 30′ 58″, longitude 35° 12′ 5″, and rises to 1,299 metres above sea-level. The north faces of the mass are drained by Kwat Hewah, a tributary of Wadi Shab; the eastern flanks by Wadi Medarai, a tributary of Wadi Ibib, while the western faces drain by various feeders into Wadi Feqoh.
Gebel Abu Hireiq, the mountain-mass next south of Medarai, extends eastwards, as a broad tract of many high ridges, almost to the gneiss-boss of Um Rasein, while to the south it is united with Gebel Abu Hodeid. The highest point of Abu Hireiq is 1,319 metres above sea. Its eastern flanks are drained by tributaries of Wadi Ibib, while the western parts drain into Wadi Feqoh.
Gebel Abu Hodeid, which forms a higher southward extension of Gebel Abu Hireiq, is really two ranges with the Wadi Abu Hodeid draining between them. The western range is the higher, its summit, marked by a beacon in latitude 22° 23′ 18″, longitude 35° 14′ 9″, being 1,482 metres above sea. The highest point of the eastern range is 1,256 metres above sea. The south termination of this eastern range is a very conspicuous rounded peak of granite, 992 metres above sea, called Abu Hodeid Ogla, which forms a good landmark for travellers in making the wells of Abu Hodeid; the wells lie west of this peak. The south parts of the Abu Hodeid mountains are drained by the Wadis Shinai, Delawet, and Abu Hodeid, all feeders of Wadi Hasium, and all leading to important water sources. The eastern faces are drained by Wadis Abu Hireiq and Tikraneib, which are likewise feeders of Hasium, while the western flanks are drained by feeders of Wadi Feqoh. The broad opening where Wadi Hasium passes to the south of the range makes a natural division separating the mountains of Abu Hodeid from those of the Adar Qaqa group.
Gebel Mansur Diab, a dark mountain, 1,091 metres high, lying six kilometres west of Gebel Abu Hodeid, is not often visible from the east, being hidden by the higher ranges in front of it; but it forms a conspicuous landmark to any one approaching from the west.
To the south of Gebel Mansur Diab, between the heads of Wadi Feqoh and Wadi Hasium, are some other mountains of considerable height, the positions of whose summits were fixed by triangulation, but which were not closely approached. These are Gebel Hadal Derqa (1,108 metres), which as seen from the north appeared like a hog-backed dark ridge with a conical semi-detached hill at its south-east end; and Gebel Hilwit Hasium, which appeared to consist of two separate peaks some three and a half kilometres apart, the higher or north-east one rising to 1,037 metres, the south-west one to 952 metres above sea.
Gebel Korabkansi is a rugged mass of dark serpentine peaks and ridges occupying a nearly isolated position some twenty kilometres west of Gebel Gerf. Its highest point, marked by a triangulation beacon, is situated in latitude 22° 39′ 16″, longitude 34° 59′ 55″, and rises to 1,230 metres above sea. The main mass is flanked by lower hills to the north and south, but is more open to the east and west. It is drained entirely by feeders of Wadi Feqoh, the most important of these being the Wadi Gemal. The upper portion of Wadi Gemal is called Wadi Seyet, and is important as containing a well, Bir Sararat Seyet; the well is about five kilometres north-east of the main peak, at a place where the wadi cuts through the flanking hill range. For the ascent of the mountain, it is best to turn westward from near the well, and follow up one of the tributaries of Wadi Seyet which leads right into the heart of the mountain; here a camp can be pitched at 765 metres above sea-level, and the ascent of 465 metres to the summit, from which there is a grand view, can be accomplished in less than two hours. The ascent and descent require some care, owing to the steepness of the slopes (the observed depression angle from summit to camp was 29¼°) and the rottenness of the rock, which comes away in lumps at a touch. The accumulated debris, consisting of small fragments of serpentine, sets at just the angle of repose, so that in coming down one can stick one’s feet firmly in the mass and slide down with it for a hundred metres or more without exertion, taking care only not to be shot over a sudden drop of the face. The rocks are highly magnetic, and the compass is much disturbed anywhere on or about the mountain. The mass of high hills which forms the southward extension of Korabkansi, with peaks and ridges rising to over 900 metres above sea-level, is called Gebel Wadhait. It is drained on the north by Wadi Wadhait, a tributary of Wadi Seyet, and on the west by the Wadi Kamoyib, a tributary of Wadi Feqoh.
Gebel Um Rasein is a triple-headed gneiss boss rising up boldly among schists to the east of Gebel Medarai. Its remarkable form and light colour render it a conspicuous feature to a traveller approaching it from the north-east, and it is an important landmark for the well, Bir Um Rasein, which exists in a small wadi at its north foot. The highest peak of the three, marked by a triangulation beacon in latitude 22° 28′ 12″, longitude 35° 20′ 19″, is 909 metres above sea-level. For ascending the mountain, it is best to follow up the Wadi Merdiyeb for a short distance on the west side of the range, and a camp can be placed at 386 metres above the sea in a small tributary gully which drains from the main mountain. The climb of 523 metres to the beacon is steep in places, but can be accomplished in two hours without difficulty by any one used to negotiating smooth steep rocks. The top of the mountain is more convenient for observation than most others in this region, and there is a good view from it. The beacon is on a smooth hard granite surface, with plenty of room to walk round an instrument, while a little to the west there is a good place to pitch a small tent, and a convenient cave for servants to sleep in.
Kilia Arib, another isolated granite mass about six kilometres further east, rises to 647 metres above sea, and is a landmark for the mouth of Wadi Diqdib, which contains a well.
To the east and south of Kilia Arib are some smaller granite hills called Tibashoi. Though rising only some fifty or sixty metres above the plain, these hills are conspicuous landmarks from their isolated position. The northern, central, and southern ones are called respectively Tibashoi Dumat, Tibashoi Tumalhoi, and Tibashoi Tomakolat. Another hill of similar size and character, five kilometres north-north-east of Kilia Arib, is called Tuquqî.
Qrein Salama is a little group of diorite hills rising from the coast-plain to the east of Gebel Gerf. The highest hill of the group, 354 metres above sea, forms a conspicuous landmark which is visible for long distances.
Berget Abu Sarib is a tract of low dark hills, with much drifted sand, lying a few kilometres north-east of Qrein Salama.
Gimeida, a small but conspicuous black conical hill, rising to sixty metres above the coast-plain, or 123 metres above sea-level, is important as a landmark for ships entering Mersa Shab. A triangulation beacon has been erected on the summit, the position of which is latitude 22° 46′ 29″, longitude 35° 37′ 49″. The azimuth from the beacon to the big tree at Mersa Shab is N. 62½° E. A much lower dolerite ridge, two kilometres east of Gimeida, is called Umarawi.
Gebel Hamra Dom is a range of remarkable red granite hills rising abruptly from the coast-plain near latitude 22° 40′ and longitude 35° 40′. The range has a total length from north to south of about eleven kilometres, the highest peak being near the centre of the range. A beacon on this highest peak has the position latitude 22° 39′ 6″, longitude 35° 38′ 42″, altitude 389 metres above sea. Care is necessary in sighting this peak, for there are two others near it of nearly equal height; the beacon is on the southernmost one of the three peaks near the centre of the range. A pass leads across the range a kilometre south of the beacon. Gebel Hamra Dom is a locality well known to the Arabs, in consequence of its being occasionally favoured with some rainfall. In January 1907 the district round the mountain was covered with grass after a recent fall of rain, but the hundreds of camels and other animals which the Arabs took to graze at the place had eaten it all up when I arrived there in February. At times of rainfall there is water to be got in the sandy bed of a little wadi to the north of the beacon, at a place called Ti Dabei Hamra Dom; but it does not last long after rain. Gebel Hamra Dom is drained almost entirely by feeders of Wadi Ibib.
There are numerous smaller hills to the west of Gebel Hamra Dom, but only the largest of them, Tibansi Tikam Ankwei, bears a special name. This is a granite hill rising to 345 metres above sea-level, situated eleven kilometres due west of the beacon on Gebel Hamra Dom.
Gebel Khashab and Gebel Beidâ together form a complex range of high hills mostly composed of schists to the north of Gebel Gerf. The range has its long axis north-west and south-east, with a length of some twenty-five kilometres and an average breadth of about eight kilometres. The highest point of the range is marked by a triangulation beacon on Gebel Beidâ, 715 metres above sea-level, in latitude 23° 0′ 14″, longitude 35° 16′ 54″. The north-west part of the range is drained by the heads of Wadi Khashab, a tributary of Wadi Hodein. The eastern faces are drained by the Wadi Beidâ and various other feeders of Wadi Hodein, while the south and south-west portions of the mass are drained by small tributaries of Wadi Kreiga, itself a tributary of Wadi Hodein. So far as I know, the range can only be crossed by camels at one place, near the centre of its length, where it is cut through by the Wadi Beidâ; coming from the west, one must make for the pass (395 metres above sea, stony but not steep) which separates the heads of Wadi Khashab and Wadi Beidâ; the road is well known as leading to the well called Bir Beidâ.
Gebel Humariai is an isolated hill, 563 metres above sea, a few kilometres to the west of Gebel Beidâ.
Gebel Kolaiqo is a small hill-mass lying off the south-eastern extremity of the Khashab — Beidâ range, from which it is separated by the Wadi Kreiga. Its highest point, marked by a triangulation beacon, is in latitude 22° 54′ 13″, longitude 35° 24′ 34″, at an altitude of 320 metres above sea-level. The drainage is mostly into Wadi Kreiga, but the south-eastern parts of the hills drain into Wadi Kolaiqo, a very shallow ill-defined drainage line coursing independently to sea across the sandy coast-plain. To the north of Gebel Kolaiqo there are two long lines of low hills forming low outliers of Nubian sandstone.
Ti Qireira is the name given to two low hills rising from the coast-plain about half-way between Gebel Kolaiqo and the black conical hill of Gemeida. These hills, four kilometres apart, rise only some fifty or sixty metres above the plain, but they are conspicuous landmarks, and hence bear a name.
The Meisah — Adar Qaqa — Is group of mountains extends northwards from the Sudan frontier in longitude 35½°. It is separated from the Gerf — Abu Hodeid masses to the north by the Wadi Hasium; on the east, the great Wadi Di-ib divides it from the mountains of the Elba group; while to the west it is not sharply marked off from the rather lower mountainous tract of the upper Alaqi basin. Gebels Adar Qaqa (1,469 metres) and Is (1,736 metres) are on the main watershed, while Hadal Aweib Meisah (1,224 metres) forms the highest point of a huge rugged spur running northwards on the east side of the watershed. To the east of the main mountains of the group, between them and the Wadi Di-ib, are a number of detached mountain and hill-masses, of which the principal are Gebels O Shakafa, Um Ein, Qara Saba, Warabeit, Adar Aweib, and Shiab.
Hadal Aweib Meisah is a conspicuous double-topped mountain of a somewhat conical shape. Its summit, marked by a triangulation beacon, is 1,224 metres above sea-level, and has the position latitude 22° 16′ 39″, longitude 35° 31′ 55″. In plan it is almost circular, three-fourths of the circumference of its base being formed by the Wadis Awitla and Lasewid (feeders of Wadi Meisah), while the remaining fourth forms a connexion by which the mountain is joined to the long ridge of Gebel Qidmib. The ascent of the mountain was made from a camp one and three-quarter kilometres due east of the summit, in a small feeder of Wadi Lasewid, close to the spring called Megwel Um Edwa. Camels cannot get quite up to the spring, but a camp can be placed a little way further down the gully at an altitude of 596 metres above sea, and the climb of 628 metres to the top of the mountain is easily accomplished on foot in about two hours. The mountain is composed of dark gabbroid rock, the summit being composed of great blocks, weathered to a rusty brown on their surfaces; the rock is highly magnetic, and the compass points several degrees east of north at the beacon owing to local attraction.
Iarih Meisah is the name given to a tract of low granite hills with sandy interspaces, which lies to the south of Hadal Aweib Meisah. It forms the head of Wadi Baueiwai.
About three kilometres west of Hadal Aweib Meisah, a high ridge, over 1,000 metres in height, courses north and south for over fourteen kilometres. The north end of this ridge bifurcates to form Gebel Qidmib; the Wadi Qidmib, draining northwards to Wadi Ibib, has its head between the two branches of the ridge, where there is a well called Bir Qidmib.
O Shakafa is a very remarkable hill seven kilometres north-east of Hadal Aweib Meisah. O Shakafa derives its name, which signifies “the barrier,” from the fact that it appears to block the way to the traveller ascending the Wadi Meisah. Its crest, formed by a ridge of hard jaspery quartzite, rises precipitously from among a mass of softer rocks, some of which show remarkably brilliant colours due to iron staining. The cairn on the summit is in latitude 22° 19′ 44″, longitude 35° 34′ 42″, and 751 metres above sea-level. There is barely standing room on the top of the ridge, which needs careful climbing owing to its precipitous nature. O Shakafa is a good landmark for Bir Meisah, which lies in the wadi about three kilometres north-east of the summit; and for the easy pass of Sarob Kwan, which lies four kilometres to the south-east.
To the north of O Shakafa there extends a great tract of high hills, divided into two portions by the northward-coursing Wadi Orgem. The western portion of this hill-tract culminates in Gebel Orgem, the two peaks of which rise respectively to 779 and 775 metres above the sea, while its northern end forms the high sand-swathed hill called Baqari Daba. The eastern portion of the tract, containing the important wells Bir Um Bishtit and Bir Meisah, as well as the galts of Meis-heit-ar, is rather more complex, and is cut into two parts by the Wadi Um Bishtit. Its northern part ends in a conspicuous gneiss hill called Adar Aweib Um Bishtit, while the hills immediately north of O Shakafa are called Gebel Meis-heit-ar.
Gebel Adar Qaqa is a very conspicuous granite mountain about twenty-three kilometres west of Hadal Aweib Meisah. Its highest peak is in latitude 22° 13′ 47″, longitude 35° 19′ 0″, and rises rather precipitously to 1,606 metres above sea-level. Adar Qaqa is drained principally by the Wadi Hasium, which courses northward past the western side of the mountain.
Gebel Soaorib is a rather long mountain range which adjoins the south part of Adar Qaqa and sweeps round to the south-east, forming the main watershed. Its highest point is 1,469 metres above sea-level. Its north-western face is drained by Wadi Mantil Hasium, which forms one of the heads of Wadi Hasium. The north-eastern flanks are drained by the Wadi Haiyo and other feeders of Wadi Soaorib, while the south-west faces drain into the Wadi Kirir and the Miti-Kwan, tributaries of Wadi Alaqi.
Gebel Leqaq (1,192 metres) and Gebel Um Seleim (1,098 metres) are two mountains, both with long northward spurs, lying north-east of Adar Qaqa, between that mountain and the Wadi Soaorib. They are drained by various feeders of the Wadis Hasium and Soaorib, the principal being the Rod Anut Berer, which runs northward from between two mountains to join Wadi Hasium, and the Wadi Hankuk, which rises to the south of Gebel Leqaq and courses round the south-east flanks to join Wadi Soaorib.
To the north of Gebels Leqaq and Um Seleim there stretches a sandy plain, over which the Wadis Hasium, Ibib, and Soaorib pursue their northward course. Low hills rise here and there from this plain, the most conspicuous being Gebel Hamra Tit, a double-peaked granite hill, rising to 642 metres above the sea; Kulet Meigrum and Kulet Tinasal are two somewhat smaller hills situated respectively six kilometres north-north-east and six kilometres east-north-east from Gebel Hamra Tit.
Gebel Is, the next great mountain to the south, forms the main watershed just north of the Sudan frontier, the triangulation cairn on its summit having the position latitude 22° 2′ 36″, longitude 35° 28′ 4″, altitude 1,736 metres above sea. As seen from the north, Gebel Is is a somewhat flat-topped mountain of dark aspect; but judging by analogy the apparent flat top is probably only a narrow ridge seen broadside on. From the main mass a long spur of flanking mountains runs westward, and a high ridge, more or less detached, rises to 1,474 metres six kilometres south-east of the main summit. The northern and western faces of Gebel Is are drained by feeders of Wadi Alaqi, while its eastern and southern parts are drained by various heads of Wadi Is.
Between Hadal Aweib Meisah and Gebel Is there stretches a mass of mountains with many peaks over 1,200 metres high; these appear to bear no special names. My guides stated that there are two passes over the main watershed in this region. The first, called Adar Ameit, is a high pass practicable for camels; it lies about four kilometres to the north of the beacon on Gebel Is, and connects the two Wadis Adar Ameit el Sharqi and Adar Ameit el Gharbi which lie on opposite sides of the watershed. The second pass, said to be a difficult one, crosses the watershed some five kilometres further north, forming a connexion between the heads of Miti Kwan and Wadi Soaorib.
Gebel Miatit (1,257 metres) and Gebel Suruk (1,377 metres), are mountain masses a little east of, and semi-detached from, the main Is group. Gebel Miatit sends out a long spur north-eastward, ending in a rather conspicuous hill at the foot of which there is said to be a water source called Megwel Aqwem.
Gebel Shiab is a collection of peaks rising from a rugged country of lower hills about twenty-eight kilometres east of Gebel Is. Its highest point is 987 metres above sea-level. Gebel Shiab appears to form the main head of Wadi el Qurat, an important feeder of Wadi Di-ib.
Eqrun (the horns) is a conspicuous group of schist hills lying between the Wadis Meisah and Ibib. It has two principal peaks; the higher one, surmounted by a triangulation beacon, has the position latitude 22° 30′ 10″, longitude 35° 37′ 9″, and is 473 metres above sea-level; the other is about 400 metres south-east of the beacon, and is only five metres lower. Eqrun itself is an isolated hill group, but close to the north-east of it there is another hill-mass of greater extent and of but little inferior height.
The country south of Eqrun forms an extensive tract of low hills with much blown sand. Two conspicuous hills in this tract rise above the rest and bear special names; these are Tahaqayet (432 metres) and Titailibab (593 metres).
Kolmanab and Einiwai are two small but very conspicuous black hills eleven kilometres apart, rising from the sandy coast-plain between the Wadis Meisah and Di-ib. Both are surmounted by triangulation beacons, that on Kolmanab being in latitude 22° 32′ 26″, longitude 35° 53′ 36″, 137 metres above sea, and that on Einiwai being in latitude 22° 27′ 50″, longitude 35° 57′ 59″, 138 metres above sea. North-west of Kolmanab are some low banks called Tinadei, while about mid-way between Kolmanab and Einiwai is an isolated low hill called Ankalidot.
Osnei is a small but conspicuous red granite hill, rising to 251 metres above sea, thirteen kilometres west-south-west from Einiwai. It contains a galt, which yields water for some little time after rain has fallen locally.
Ti Keferiai is a conspicuous little isolated group of dark hills of no very great height, situated in the fork where the Wadis Didaut and Baueiwai join to form the Wad el Qireira. There are heavy accumulations of blown sand round the north-east flanks of the mass. The triangulation beacon on the summit has the position latitude 22° 21′ 0″, longitude 35° 49′ 47″, and is 494 metres above sea-level. Ti Keferiai forms a good landmark for the old mines of Romit, which are situated in some lower hills five kilometres south-west of the beacon. There are numerous excavations here in veins of smoky quartz with calcite and chalybite, which penetrate the country rock of highly crushed and decomposed diorite; a number of ancient grinding mills of diorite lie scattered about the place.
Four kilometres north of Ti Keferiai, on the opposite side of Wadi Didaut, is a conspicuous hill of very red granite called Adatalob Adara, 385 metres above sea-level. Four kilometres further north-west is another hill, of nearly equal height, but of black aspect, called Adatalob Hadal. West of Ti Keferiai, at distances of five and a half and nine and a half kilometres respectively, are two conspicuous little hills rising from the plain, one on either side of the Wadi Didaut; these are called Kikeiyet Sharqi and Kikeiyet Gharbi.
East of Ti Keferiai is a great sandy tract stretching to the Wadi Di-ib, from which low hills rise half swathed in blown sand; the principal hill groups bear the names of Gebels Tishushi and Tishushi Tiboki.
Qara Saba is a high and steep hill mass of dark aspect, rising conspicuously to 788 metres above sea, between the Wadis Didaut and Baueiwai, some sixteen kilometres south-west of Ti Keferiai. The tract between Qara Saba and Ti Keferiai is a waste of blown sand through which low hills protrude in places.
Adar Aqdeib, a granite hill 736 metres high on the north side of the Wadi Didaut, about half-way between Qara Saba and O Shakafa, is a landmark for two small water sources and a pass. The first of these water sources, Megwel Adar Aqdeib, is on the east side of the hill, in a little tributary of Wadi Didaut. The second, Megwel Didaut, is at the head of Wadi Didaut itself, in a separate rugged hill tract south of Adar Aqdeib. The west faces of Adar Aqdeib are drained by the Sarob Kwan, half of which courses south-east to Wadi Didaut, and half north-west to Wadi Meisah, and the divide forms a well known easy pass.
Gebel Um Ein is a huge hill-mass of dark rocks, rising to 901 metres above sea-level, nine kilometres south-south-west of Qara Saba. The beacon which marks the summit is in latitude 22° 11′ 52″, longitude 35° 39′ 4″. Gebel Um Ein is mainly drained by the Wadi Baueiwai, which curves round the south half of its circumference. A small water source, Megwel Um Ein, is said to exist on the north-east side of the hill, in a small wadi which forms a tributary of Wadi Baueiwai.
A great tract of high hills lies between the Wadis Baueiwai and Di-ib. The northern part of the tract, which is cut off from the rest by the Wadi Warabeit, and is called Gebel Geror, has several peaks rising to over 500 metres; on the north it is flanked by huge accumulations of blown sand, while its southern faces are drained by fairly well-wooded wadis, tributaries of Wadi Warabeit. The part of the hill tract south of the Wadi Baueiwai is much cut up by wadis into masses which bear separate names. Gebel Hamida, which with Gebel Nubitra forms the westernmost hill-mass of the group, is a series of high steep schist ridges rising in places over 700 metres above sea-level. The highest point, 754 metres above sea, is best reached by following up the Wadi Hamida till one comes due west of the hill, and then striking up eastwards on foot; it can also be reached from the east side via the tiny trickling salt spring of Megwel Hamida, but I found this a long and wearisome climb. To the north-east of Gebel Hamida is the pass called Bani Sana, which is important both as a pass and as being the boundary between the territories of the Kurbeilab and Hamedorab Arabs. Gebel Warabeit, the part of the tract which forms the head of the Wadi Warabeit, lies south-east of Gebel Hamida, being connected with Gebel Hamida on the one side and Gebel Mashushenai on the other; its highest point is 794 metres above sea-level. Gebel Mashushenai (634 metres) lies a little to the east of Gebel Warabeit; its north parts are drained by the Wadi Hashimaiyib, while the south portions are drained by Wadi Mashushenai, in the head of which is a well, Bir Mashushenai. All the drainage from hereabouts ultimately reaches Wadi Di-ib by way of Wadi el Qurat. Adar Aweib, a conspicuous and extensive granite hill-mass lying east of the foregoing, from which it is entirely separated by wadis, rises to 620 metres above sea; its summit is marked by a triangulation beacon in latitude 22° 10′ 50″, longitude 35° 54′ 0″. In occupying Adar Aweib as a station, it was approached from the Bani Sana pass by following down the Wadi Warabeit and then turning up the Wadi Wieqwer, which leads to the eastern foot of the mountain. The camp was placed about a kilometre north-west of the beacon, at an altitude of 284 metres above sea, and the climb of 336 metres to the top took only an hour and a half. A great variety of flowers could be gathered in the lower part of the ascent; the upper portion was slippery, the slopes consisting of debris of decomposed granite resting just at the angle of repose. In descending from the mountain, I went northwards on foot, whence a steep pass led down to Bir Meheriqa, in the Wadi Di-ib; but the camels had to go round the south end of the mountain by Wadi el Qurat, as the pass was too steep for them.
To the south of the group of hills just described, there is a rugged tract of low hills stretching away south to Gebel Shiab. Eastwards this tract becomes lower and more sandy, terminating in a sandy plain with low rocky ridges, over which the Wadi Di-ib pursues its northward course, becoming closed in again by hills abreast of Adar Aweib.
The mountains of this group, which are scattered over an area of some 5,000 square kilometres between latitudes 22° 0′ and 22° 22′, and longitudes 34° 0′ and 35° 20′, are comparatively little known. The positions and heights of all the principal peaks have been fixed by triangulation from considerable distances; but with the single exception of Gebel Muqsim, which was occupied by Mr. Villiers Stuart as his terminal point, none of the area has yet been officially surveyed.
The positions determined for the principal peaks will be found included in the list on pp. 51 to 64, and a general idea of the relative positions of the mountains and drainage lines will be obtained from the orographical map on Plate I. A brief reference only to the principal mountains is possible here.
Gebel Anweiyib (921 metres) and Eir Arib (1,112 metres) are on the main watershed. As seen from the north, the former appeared as a long dark range, the latter as a light-coloured high short ridge with a peak at its western end.
Gebels Duag (1,328 metres) and Himeitra (1,231 metres) are connected with the watershed range of Adar Qaqa and Is by westward-running spurs. Gebel Himeitra is a landmark for a well, Bir Himeitra, which is situated a little south of the mountain, and also for the ruins of Darahib, which lie in the Wadi Alaqi some twelve kilometres south-south-west of it.
Gebel Heianai (1,256 metres) is a long range of mountains between the Wadis Bint el Feqoh and Defeit.
Gebel Heleikonti (1,151 metres) appeared from the north as a short high steep ridge with a little peak at its western end.
Gebel Egat, one of the best known and most remarkable of the mountains of the group, is a high steep cone rising to 1,145 metres above sea on the north side of the Wadi Alaqi in latitude 22° 5′ 39″, longitude 34° 52′ 15″. It is a landmark for Bir Egat, which lies about five kilometres to the east, and for the mines of Alfawi, which lie some ten kilometres south-east of the peak.
Gebel Shanaiyet (907 metres) and Gebel Hamida lie south of the Wadi Defeit, between that wadi and the Wadi Egat.
Gebel Hateib or Suhin (854 metres) forms the main collecting ground for the Wadis Hateib and Suhin, which are tributaries of Alaqi.
Gebel Um el Tiur el Foqani is a group of very high steep hills on the south side of Wadi Defeit. It has a well-marked peak as its summit, in latitude 22° 17′ 56″, longitude 34° 41′ 14″, 946 metres above sea-level. This peak forms a point on the administrative boundary between Egypt and the Sudan.
Gebel Um el Tiur el Tahtani, situated some twelve kilometres west-north-west of the foregoing, and on the opposite side of the Wadi Defeit, is a somewhat similar but lower group of hills, its highest point rising to 783 metres above sea.
Gebel el Adraq (770 metres) and Gebel Guqub are two other hill-groups south of Gebel Um el Tiur el Tahtani, lying between the Wadis Defeit and Alaqi. Gebel el Adraq is a landmark for some old mines called Betan, while Gebel Guqub is the collecting ground, the drainage of which supplies the important well of Bir Guqub.
Gebel Muqsim is a conspicuous mountain on the south side of the Wadi Alaqi near the meridian of 34°. The triangulation cairn on its summit is in latitude 22° 10′ 11″, longitude 34° 1′ 12″, at an altitude of 825 metres above sea-level. Gebel Muqsim forms a point on the administrative boundary between Egypt and the Sudan.
This group of granite mountains is situated near the sea in the extreme south-east corner of Egypt, between longitudes 36° and 37°, on and about the parallel of 22° of north latitude. Part of the group, including the highest peak (Asotriba, 2,216 metres) is in the Sudan, and we shall here consider only the northern parts, which fall within Egypt proper. The principal mountains of the group are Gebels Elba (1,428 metres), Shendib (1,912 metres), Hanquf (1,465 metres), Shendodai (1,529 metres), and Shellal (1,409 metres). Besides these, which form a cluster of high rugged ridges and bristling peaks, there are some outlying hills to the east and west, and it is convenient to consider all the hills east of Wadi Di-ib as belonging to the group. The principal of these outlying hills are Gebels Balatitda, Sul Hamid (572 metres), Qash Amir (724 metres), and Sela (560 metres) on the west, and Karam Elba (586 metres) and Gebel Hadarba (217 metres) on the east of the main masses. The general relations of the Elba district will be seen from the orographical map on Plate I, while the large scale map on Plate XIX shows the detailed features on a larger scale.
Towering to great heights from the coast-plain, the mountains of the Elba group are very conspicuous from long distances either on sea or on land when the air is clear. But often for weeks together they are so shrouded in mist as to be invisible even when one is fairly near to them. These very mists, which so often hinder the view being obtained, are the cause of much added beauty to the scene when the air is clear; for the moisture produces a rich vegetation, not only in the wadis, but along all clefts right up to the tops of the mountains, and furnishes in addition the largest and most important water sources in the Eastern Desert. So abundant is the vegetation in all the wadis draining from Elba, that it is impossible to approach the mountains very closely with loaded camels, owing to the closeness of the trees. Richest in water supply and in vegetation of all tracts in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, it is natural that the Elba district should also be the greatest centre of desert population, and there are considerable settlements of Bisharin Arabs round the feet of the mountains.