The “malakah,” or Egyptian league, is a measure of which I have not been able to obtain any better definition than this:—That it is the distance between two villages. It is different in Upper and Lower Egypt; as was the ancient schœnus, with which it nearly corresponds. In Lower Egypt it is about an hour’s journey, or from 2½ to 3 miles: in Upper Egypt, about an hour and a half or from 3¾ miles to 4½, or even more.
Corn Measures.
The “ardebb” is equivalent, very nearly, to five English bushels.
The “weybeh” is the sixth of an ardebb.
The “ruba” is the fourth of a weybeh.
Weights.
The “kamhah” (or grain of wheat) is the 64th part of a dirhem, or fourth of a keerát; about three-quarters of an English grain.
The “habbeh” (or grain of barley) is the 48th part of a dirhem, or third of a keerát; equal to 127୵128 of an English grain, or in commerce fully equal to an English grain.
The “keerát” (or carat), which is 4 kamhahs, or 3 habbehs, as above mentioned, is the 24th part of a mitkál or from 2123୵128 to three English grains.
The “dirhem” (or drachm), the subdivisions of which have been mentioned above, is from 476୵8 to 48 English grains.