For movements of troops the north road is infinitely to be preferred, as going throughout is comparatively easy for all arms. On south road, numerous agabas, or passes over the hills, make going hard and difficult. The big agaba between Sinkat and Tamaneb is almost impossible for wheeled artillery.
(β) SOUTHERLY ROUTE, viâ OBAK, RAUAI, KHOR ARAB, and SINKAT.
By Major W. S. Sparkes, November, 1897.
| Place. | Miles. | Description. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inter-mediate. | Total. | ||
| Berber | — | — | |
| Maho Bey | 6 | 6 | Vide report on north road. |
| Khor Abu Selim | 11 | 17 | „ „ |
| Abu Odfa | 21 | 38 | „ „ |
| Eramit | 5 | 43 | „ „ |
| Obak Wells | 16 | 59 | „ „ |
| Ofik | 14 | 73 | „ „ |
| 4½ | 77½ | Track to Rauai branches away to right.Also a track to Rauai a few miles after leaving Obak. | |
| 1½ | 79 | Through low stony hills and Khor Laiamebis struck; track runs straight along khor. Going good; a gradualrise; Khor Wusser runs side by side with Laiameb, and appears toform part of it. | |
| 17 | 96 | Track leaves Khor Laiameb and crosses lowneck of rock; low black stone hills on right hand; scatteredboulders, some of similar shape to Abu Odfa on left hand. Hillsgradually close in, and track crosses stony but not difficultagaba, or pass, some ¾ mile long. | |
| ¾ | 96¾ | A path to left leads over hills toAriab. | |
| 1¾ | 98½ | Over stony khor, then into hills again,and is stony, steep, bad going. | |
| Rauai Wells | 2 | 100½ | Stony sort of square,surrounded By stone hills, with a narrow khor running out eachcorner. Large graveyard on right. A few mimosa trees and somecoarse grass. Indifferent camping ground. Wells ½ mile up a narrow,rocky defile, running from east corner of square; two wells,revetted stone, good water 15 feet down; practically unlimitedsupply. This defile impassable for animals, which must go by easierway over hills to south-west, and then down side of hill again tothe wells. Some rough drawings of camels, men, &c., scratchedon rocks round wells. Rock grouse and partridges here. Track nowruns north-west over short agaba, across a stony khor, and again anagaba winding over bare, stony hills; bad going; then a long,narrow, sandy khor; fair-going; then a rough, stony agaba leadingover hills called Hadia Aweb or blackwater rock; thence into KhorThela, a short agaba, and Bir Makadia, in small khor same name, athead of Ariab valley; Ariab wells, about 6 miles west of north fromhere; one well good water 30 feet down, enough for one battalion,which would require 1½ hours to refill; good grazing ground andfuel. Some gazelle and grouse; north road about 3 miles from well.Going from Rauai bad, nearly whole way a succession of stonyagabas. Prom here cross stony neck, then across head of Ariabvalley. Pass Jebel Bokmaali on left hand, cross a stony neck,and |
| Makadia Wells | 14½ | 115 | |
| Yungul | 4 | 119 | Reach Wadi Yungul; north road about 8miles to left; 4 miles, then cross another stony neck, and WadiBeakwa, called by Arabs halfway to Suakin. |
| Khor Atbai | 7½ | 126½ | Cross Khor Atbai; 3 miles on cross olddura patch, none this year on account of bad rains. Over two sandyand stony ridges and |
| Wadi Kokreb | 3½ | 130 | Enter Kokreb valley; good going, firmsand, and thick with trees and shrubs. Over some stony ridgesand |
| Khor Olowe | 2½ | 132½ | Enter Khor Olowe, still a part ofKokreb. |
| Magwala Wells | 3½ | 136 | Two wells, good water, 75 feet down,sufficient for one battalion; would require some hours to refill;these wells are said by Arabs to be oldest on road; they arerevetted granite, which is deeply grooved all round from constanthauling up of water. Are much used by Shebodinab tribe, who havehuts close here. Many hods, or earth-made drinking pans, round eachwell. Some old Dervish “tukuls,” which used to be occupied by adetachment, for collecting taxes. Good camp ground, fuel andgrazing, pigeons and sand grouse; no gazelle. Wells of Abd ElHaabit lie some 7 or 8 miles to north, and Jebel Wowitte, about 8miles to north-east; Jebel Lagagaweb, the halfway rock on northroad, is seen some 6 miles to north of west from here. |
| Khor now gradually gets bare andintersected by strips of stone. | |||
| 4 | 140 | Cross a ridge and Khor Lasheb, goingindifferent, cut up by small watercourses over a ridge. | |
| Wadi Habub | 3 | 143 | Wadi Habub. Going still indifferent,across many ridges running into khor, 5½ miles on; track runs alongedge of hills, and then enters the Komotitai hills by very stonyand difficult agaba or pass, about 1½ miles long, then into sandykhor, full of vegetation of sorts. 2 miles up this khor to the |
| Kamotitai Wells | 11 | 154 | Wells of same name, i.e.,Kamotitai, three wells, revetted stone, good water 25 feet downunlimited supply. Many other wells in this khor now closed up; muchused by Arabs, and at each well numerous hods. Good camp ground,fuel, and grazing; sand grouse and pigeons in abundance. |
| A short way past wells, track bends to leftpast large graveyard; then across alternate khors and ridges;indifferent going. | |||
| Khor Arab | 7 | 161 | Thick with trees of all sorts, andconsiderable cultivation in good season. Two deep watercoursescrossed soon after entering khor; 3 miles on the track runs tonorth of khor, over stony ridges, with low stone hills on eitherhand. |
| Jebel Okwer | 7 | 168 | Jebel Okwer begins on left of khor,several small pyramid-shaped hills on right, and khor stretchingaway beyond them. |
| Khor Amate Wells | 3½ | 171½ | Over a low ridge, and Wadi Amate begins;track running across large patch of old cultivation into a sandykhor; one well some 200 yards to right, another ½ mile straight on.There is a third well, now closed. These wells, revetted wood, goodwater 12 feet down; supply practically unlimited; many hods. Goodcamp ground, fuel and grazing. A stone hut close to well, and placethick with sheep and goats, and some cattle. |
| Track from here runs north-west, oversmall agaba into narrow khor thick with trees. Okwer range still onleft; low hills on right 3½ miles, and hills on right hand, andtrack again enters main Khor Amate. Batta range on far right and infront; ½ mile on Okwer range ends. | |||
| 4½ | 176 | Track to wells of Abu Golodaruns north from here. | |
| 3½ | 179½ | End of Khor Amate, and Batta rangeentered by fairly easy agaba, running east 1½ miles; then crosssmall stony khor, then another agaba through smaller hills, goingbad. | |
| Hormareb Well | 3½ | 183 | Jebel Homugwer away in distance to right,¾ mile off track to north in small khor same name, Bir Hormareb;one well, good water 25 feet down; supply about 1,000 gallons;requires some hours to refill. Several hods round well; goodgrazing and fuel, indifferent ground. Another wellreported, same description, 3 or 4 miles further up khor to north.From here bad going, over stony ridges and small khors. |
| Wadi Ma’areit | 3½ | 186½ | Large graveyard on right, and track turnssharp to left up Wadi Ma’areit, a broad level valley, running northand south; good going, and considerable cultivation after goodrains. This year a few patches dura. North-west corner of valleythickly studded with trees, and was in old days a favourite summerresort of people from Suakin. |
| 6½ | 193 | Hills close right in on either side, andthe narrow wooded Khor Ashaf leads through hills 2 miles; trackbends north-east, 1½ miles on, and cross a flat khor, with sparsevegetation, thick with flocks. | |
| Now over alternate rough ridges and smallragged khors. 2½ miles down a sharp agaba into a small khor, greenand sweet smelling, then wind round base of hills miles, and enterKhor Tabikuk. | |||
| Khor Tabikuk | 7½ | 200½ | Across this khor, 3½ miles, top a ridge,and view Sinkat valley, green and thick with people and flocks;down small agaba, over low ridge, and enter valley. |
| Sinkat Well | 4½ | 205 | One large well, good water 25 feet down;unlimited supply. Several large gemmeiza trees round wells giveexcellent shade; ruins old Egyptian fort also close to wells. Largevillage in valley, with several thousand people, built partly strawhuts, partly Arab tents, small bazaar, and large stores ofgum. |
| Good ground, fuel and grazing. Khor Aditleads from north Sinkat valley towards Khor Ossaud. | |||
| Track from well runs east across valley,then over low ridge across two deep watercourses, and up a stony,gradually-narrowing khor, which winds through the hills. | |||
| Khor Gebet | 6½ | 211½ | A short but bad agaba, a small khor, aridge, another small khor, another ridge and Khor Gebet; about 3miles up this khor to right are two wells. |
| 3 | 214½ | Commencement of the great Sinkat Agaba orPass, along which track runs for 3½ miles; very bad, difficultgoing, practically impassable for wheeled artillery, and would bealtogether impracticable but for the work done years ago by MumtazPasha, then Governor of Suakin. In this agaba the Khor Gwob rises,which, gradually widening, eventually reaches the sea some 7 milessouth of Suakin. | |
| Khor Gwob | 3½ | 218 | End of agaba, and good going over firmsand; gradual descent down khor, which gradually widens. Hills oneither side, thick with tamarisk, and cactus, &c. Huge boulderson each side also protruding from bed of khor. Pools of water, withthick reeds here and there, in which were many teal; also manypartridges, rock grouse, and pigeons in khor. |
| Tamanib | 6 | 224 | Unlimited supply, good running water;fair camp ground; excellent grazing; plenty fuel. Many cattlegrazing here. |
| Road now leaves Khor Gwob and turns toright; runs over low ridges, with small khors between; full ofgazelle, ariel and hares. | |||
| 10 | 234 | Hills cease, and a straight down-hill runinto Suakin, over plain covered with coarse vegetation. | |
| Suakin | 10 | 244 | Suakin. |
3.—BERBER to KASSALA.
Compiled in Intelligence Office, Khartoum, from Various Sketches and Reports, June, 1902.
This route is very difficult to map or describe so as to be of use to the traveller, as there are hardly half a dozen unmistakable objects along it by which he could identify his position.
As the Atbara dries up, it leaves a series of pools along its bed. Where the banks allow of these pools being approached by animals, the Arabs’ flocks are taken to water, and paths are beaten or cut through the bush leading to these meshras.
Guides.The ordinary Arab guide, even if he has been in the habit of travelling by this road for years, knows only a small number of these meshras, i.e., those most conveniently situated for the class of journey he has been in the habit of performing, and only one or two of the countless tracks. The only people who know all the small meshras off the road, and they perhaps over a limited portion of the river, are the Arabs (Hadendoas) who are grazing their flocks there. If the traveller, therefore, because he is marching with troops or for any other reason, wishes to use the less well-known meshras, he must depend on local inquiries and should, therefore, have with him men who speak Hadendoa.
Another great difficulty is the comparatively small number of men who know the names of any except the chief meshras. Consequently the average guide makes the names he knows extend over the whole length of the river. Where one ends, another begins. The Arabs grazing their flocks by the Atbara, on the other hand, will give you names for each little bit of the river, but these names are of little value, as no one else knows them.