Baharia Oasis

SURVEY DEPARTMENT, PUBLIC WORKS MINISTRY EGYPT.
BY JOHN BALL, Ph. D., A.R.S.M., Assoc. M. Inst. C.E. AND HUGH J. L. BEADNELL, F.G.S., F.R.G.S.
CAIRO National Printing Department 1903
The geological examination of the Oases of the Libyan Desert was commenced in 1897, when two parties were sent out to Baharia Oasis, one under the charge of Dr. Ball, who, with Mr. G. Vuta as topographer, started from Minia and explored the eastern half of the area, while Mr. Beadnell with Mr. L. Gorringe as his topographer started from Maghagha and examined the western side of the oasis. The expeditions commenced work in October, and mapping on the scale of ¹⁄₅₀₀₀₀ the whole area was surveyed before the end of the year. The return traverses were made to Minia by the first party via Farafra to Assiut by the second. The following chapters and maps set forth the results of this joint exploration, certain gaps being filled from the data of Ascherson.
BAHARIA OASIS
Introduction.
In 1897 the Geological Survey carried out its examination, the results of which are set forth in the following chapters.
Surveying Methods and General Results.
I.— Traverse from Maghagha to Zubbo.
II.— Traverse from Minia to Zubbo.
III.— Traverse from Zubbo to Minia, via the south end of the Oasis.
The arithmetic mean of these three determinations is 28° 56′ 55″; owing, however, to the breakdown of the measuring-wheel during the outward traverse from Maghagha, and the consequent necessity of estimating a part of the distance traversed by the time taken in marching, the different traverses are not equal in value, and the longitude finally adopted by the survey, as the best approximation after investigation of the various sources of error in the measurements, was 28° 58′ 34″. It would thus appear that Jordan’s position may be a little too far east, the difference amounting to 2′ 27″, or about 3½ kilometres, while Cailliaud’s value would place the position at a rather less distance west of that adopted.