The geography and geology of south-eastern Egypt

by John Ball

Licence No.	Date of Licence.			Principal Mineral sought.	Holder of Licence.	Situation of Area licensed.
49	Nov.	1	1909	Gold.	Mr. Mack.	Kurdeman district.
50	„	1	1909	„	„	Sabahia district.
75	May	14	1911	„	„	North-east side of Gebel Zabara.
59	Feb.	17	1910	Sulphur.	Mr. Venizelos.	Gebel Ranga, near the mouth of Wadi AbuGhusun.
60	„	17	1910	„	„	Adjoining the foregoing.
61	March	19	1910	„	„	„ „ „

Mining Leases.

Lease No.	Date of Lease.		Period for which granted.	Mineral exploited.	Holder of Lease.	Area leased.
13	Dec.	1, 1910	30 years.	Gold.	African Reefs, Ltd.	25 acres near Gebel Um el Tiur elTahtani.
15	Jan.	1, 1912	30 years.	Gold.	Mr. Wells.	25 acres near Gebel Sukari.
55	June	1, 1906	30 years.	Peridot.	Peridot & Egyptian Gems Co., Ltd.	Zeberged (St. John’s Island).

Of the above three mining leases, the last mentioned (the Peridot and Egyptian Gems Co., Ltd.) is the only one under which any considerable exploitation has been carried on, large numbers of beautiful peridots having been obtained from the mines. The two gold mining undertakings have been commenced too recently for much to have been as yet accomplished.

Antiquities.

The archæological remains of pre-Arab times in this part of Egypt comprise the small ruined temples of Berenice and Sikait, the ruins of stations along the old mining roads, the ancient mines with the rude habitations of the miners, and sundry markings on rocks near the roads.

The Temple of Berenice is a low inconspicuous structure measuring only some ten metres square, containing five small rooms and a tiny corridor and staircase.[49] Owing to its exposed situation on the coast and the soft limestone (from Ras Benas) of which it is built, it is in a very dilapidated condition, and it is difficult to make out many of the inscriptions on its walls. The axial direction of the temple (63° 20′ east of true north) appears to show that it was oriented to face the rising sun at the summer solstice. Of the village (one can hardly call it a city) of Berenice, only insignificant remains exist near the temple. The houses were mere hovels built of rough lumps of coral.

There are three temples in Wadi Sikait; they are small rock-hewn structures in even worse preservation than that of Berenice.[50]

Many attempts have been made to trace the ancient mining roads mentioned by classical writers. The stations on the road from Koptos (Quft) to Berenice, enumerated by Pliny and Antoninus, have not been with certainty identified. The absence of any reliable map of the main features of the country has hitherto prevented travellers from locating the positions of stations found, while in careful surveying it has generally been necessary to travel by other roads than the ancient ones, so that it cannot be hoped that all the ruined stations, many of which are invisible till one is close to them, have been included in the maps. Now that all the principal features of the country have been accurately laid down, it will be much easier for future travellers to locate precisely any ruins they may come across.

Of the road leading from Contra-Apollinopolis (Edfu) to the emerald mines of Sikait and Zabara, much more is known, this route having been traversed by Golénischeff[51] and most of its stations located by the Geological Survey. Leading from Edfu, past Bir Abad, the ruins of a large station and rock temple occur at a distance of about forty-five kilometres from the Nile, at a place now called Kanais (the churches), where a well yielding good water was sunk three years ago by the Mines Department. About forty-five kilometres further on is the station called Gariat Abu Medrik, where there are two ancient stucco-lined cylindrical reservoirs, but no well. At the next station, called Samut, there is a good well in the centre of a large rubble ruin. As all the stations just mentioned lie outside the limits of the maps which accompany this memoir, I give their approximate geographical positions below:—