Rough Sketch of the Road from HALAIB TO MOHAMED GHUL

Ball—Geography & Geology of South-Eastern Egypt.PLATE XXVIII.

Photo-Metal-Process. Survey Dept. Cairo 1911. (190)

Rough Sketch of the Upper Road from MOHAMED GHUL TO PORT SUDAN

Scale 1:750,000.

Halaib to Mohamed Ghul.

Place.Kilometres.Description.
Intermediate.Total.
Halaib——Village of Hamedorab Arabs(reed huts). Small fort of two storeys; tanks below and nativepolice quarters above. No accommodation for Europeans. Severalwells, with plentiful water, in and near the village. Water hardand aperient, but drinkable. Fish of good quality plentiful andcheap, from native fishermen. Small quantities of sugar, dates,fat, etc., can be got in the bazaar. No post nor telegraph norregular communication. Rocks around village are limestones andgypsum, with some calcareous conglomerates.
Wadi Shellal44Road goes over sandy andgravelly undulating ground near sea. Wadi Shellal is a broadshallow wadi (scrub) coming from high mountains to the west.
Wadi Aqilhoq37Broad shallow wadi (scrub).About 19 km. up the wadi, west of the road, Bir Frukit, where thereis a constant supply of better water than can be got atHalaib.
Wadi Aqwai411⎱
⎰		Shallow wadis with scrub.
Kreit-reit-or920
Ti Kureitra222Four wells, about 12 metresdeep, lined with gypsum-slabs; about 4 km. from coast. Water bad(strongly purgative) only suitable for animals. Gypsum beds, partlycovered by gravel, extend over a broad stretch round the wells.Further on, banks of calcareous grit, covered mostly withgravel.
Bir Qabatit1840About 6 km. from Ti Kureitra,mass of high felsite hills called Gebel Hadarba, passed on right ofroad; road continues over sandy and gravelly undulating groundacross shallow wadis draining from the hills. Bir Qabatit is a wellin a small wadi south of the main Wadi Qabatit, about 1½ km. fromthe sea. Water about 5 metres down, very salt, but was being drunkby the Arab patrols, who said it did not purge them.
Bir Ma-arob1454Good road over coast-plain.At Bir Ma-arob, one well of bad water, strongly aperient. Well isin wadi, forming a pool about 2 metres diameter, overhung bytamarisk-bush. Water about 4 metres down from surface. NW. of thewell, group of white hills, about 50 metres high, called Tishara,of calcareous grit.
Wadi Na-akreib8½62½Road over sandy and gravellyplain, here crosses a broad shallow wadi.
Wadi Hamsiat567½Wadi draining intolagoons.
Wadi Waseb572½Wadi draining into a greatinlet of the sea, looks like a good harbour.
Hibi Kwan375½Wadi draining into a largeinlet. Coast about here much broken, with coral reefs andislets.
Bir Delaut12½88Good road on to Bir Delaut.Three wells in alluvium of wadi, about 500 metres from sea. Waterabout 4 metres down. The southernmost well is the best. Watergood.
391Road passes head of longinlet, then it passes east of a mass of limestone hills called AbuHamama, about 200 metres high. A little further on, another biginlet called Halaqa, close south of which are limestone-hills about150 metres high.
13104Road passes west of limestonehills. Further on it crosses the wide and bushy Wadi Shenaab.
14118Road turns sharply eastwardthrough low hills (sandstones and grits underlying gypseouslimestones, all dipping gently eastwards).
Megwel Shumab1119Road passes close to MegwelShumab, a shallow pit excavated in limestone with a little tunnelrunning eastwards. Water very bad, used only by animals.
5124Road hitherto over undulatingground, here becomes nearly level.
Wadi Qumat Yawab10134Road crosses broad shallowwadi.
Dungunab7141Small village of huts andtents on coast. Good water at well about 3 km. inland. Mr.Crossland is carrying on work here in connexion with pearl-oysterindustry. Meteorological station.
Tribal boundary9150From Dungunab, road detourswestward to round an inlet of the sea, then goes over a sandy andgravelly undulating plain with bushes and grasses. Boundary betweenHamedorab and Amarar country marked by two wooden posts.
Wadi Hukeib3153Road crosses wadi. High whitehills, 10 km. to west of road; as seen through field-glass, theseappear to be of white granite seamed by basic dykes. There is agood well, Bir Hukeit-ar, in Wadi Hukeib about 4 km. west of roadand 5 km. from sea.
Wadi Yameinai8161Broad wadi, wherein an acreor two has recently been planted with durra. About 6 or 7 km.inland from this point, is a sheikh’s tomb, white and conspicuousin the morning light.
Mohamed Ghul8169Small village on coast.Police fort with two decent rooms above, used by mamûr as officeand quarters. No supplies worth mention.

Mohamed Ghul to Port Sudan.

Place.Kilometres.Description.
Intermediate.Total.
Mohamed Ghul——Small village on coast; see above.
1616Road hitherto over gently rising plain ofsand with grasses and bushes, here enters hills.
Bir Di-it117A number of very salt wells, used only bysheep and goats, sunk about 6 metres deep in the wadi bed and linedwith masonry.
Bir Salalat Aseir2744Good road from Bir Di-it among granitehills with intervening wadis and small plains, very grassy inplaces, to Bir Salalat Aseir, a masonry-lined well of good water,about 4 metres deep, sunk in the alluvium of Wadi Aseir. Smallsettlement of Amarar Arabs here.
246Road after winding among hills, hereenters on level plains of granitic sand, with grasses andbushes.
1965Rocks change from granite to sandstonesand limestones; road now winds among low banks.
873Road goes through east part of a mass oflow hills.
Bir Eit1992After passing the above-mentioned hills,the road continues over gently undulating ground with broad sandywadis with grasses and bushes alternating with strips of igneousgravel. There are low flat-topped hills of limestone (beds dippinggently seawards) between the road and the sea. Bir Eit is on theroad; it is a masonry-lined well about 5 metres deep sunk in thewadi-alluvium close to some scarps of white gritty limestone. Watervery good. (N.B.—There is another Bir Eit in the same wadi lowerdown near the sea, of slightly bitter water). Small settlement ofAmarar Arabs. Hills round Bir Eit rise at least 100 metres abovethe wadi, coral overlying marly and gypseous beds.
Low gravel hills8100Road over undulating sandy and gravellyground to two low gravel hills.
Tower12112Road over sandy plain with dried-up scruband occasional small patches of igneous gravel, passes 1 km. westof a small tower on a low gravel bank.
Wadi Ga-awit-reb4116Ground broken by drainage-lines. Smalltrees and a few Arab huts. Megwel Ga-awit-reb, a water source inthe wadi a little below where road crosses it.
Bir Ta-amai11127Road over gently rising very sandy groundto Wadi Arba-at, a sandy wadi with numerous trees. Bir Ta-amai is awell in Wadi Arba-at, a little to the west of the road, where thelatter passes between two masses of low igneous hills. Water good,about 7 metres down. Rude hut near well.
10137Chimneys of Port Sudan here becomevisible in distance on clear day. Road lies over sandy plain.
Port Sudan20157Rail connexion with Atbara and Suakin.Post and telegraph. Regular steamers to Suez. Permit from BritishConsul necessary before fire-arms can be taken on boardsteamers.