N.B.—Distances only approximate, and may be underestimated.
| Place. | Miles. | Description. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inter-mediate. | Total. | ||
| Aswan | — | — | The road from Aswan to the well of UmHabal passes through a country destitute of any vegetation, but theroad is well marked, being constantly used by the Eshabab charcoalburners going to Aswan, and the Bisharin, who go to the same marketto buy corn. |
| Bir Um Habal | 43 | 43 | The two most marked points are the J.Butitulub, from which the tomb on the hill opposite the AswanCommandania can be seen, and J. Umsuan on the Demhit range. Thedistance from Aswan to Bir Um Habal is a good day and a half withhamla. Bir Um Habal had plenty of good water at about 30 feet fromthe surface in June, but the level varies according to rainfall,though, according to the Arabs, water is never at any greatdistance from the surface. |
| From Bir Um Habal the road still liesthrough the hills, but soon leaving these crosses an open sandyplain, without vegetation of any kind. At the end of the first dayafter leaving Um Habal the road again winds between small rockyhills. The hills of J. Negib were evidently at one time mined, asthere are the remains of old houses and signs of the quartz havingbeen worked in many places. | |||
| Bir Negib | 55 | 98 | Wadi Negib has a fewsayal trees; the water is good and plentiful. Bir Heimer, about 3hours’ march south, was formerly garrisoned by the Eshabab. Thereis always water there. The wadis we now passed had always a certainamount of camel fodder, but the grazing would be sufficient onlyfor a small number of animals, and it would be necessary to go someway from the beaten track to find it. Once Jebel Gedir is reachedthe track runs through small wadis with hilly sides, and soon theWadi Murra is reached; some way up this wadi there is a well, BirMurra, which, as its name denotes, is bitter. |
| Bir Heimer | 6 | 104 | |
| Bir Murra | 18 | 122 | |
| Ongwat | 16 | 138 | Once the Wadi Murra is reached the hillsare left behind, and after about 5 miles the Wadi Alagi is reached;the wadi here is nothing but a flat bed of sand held in between lowslate hills. The Wadi Ongwat, now followed, is at its junction withthe Wadi Alagi profusely grown with handal (Colocynth) plant; buthas only a few trees. The well of Ongwat is in the hills of J.Ongwat; it is not more than 3 feet deep, and has plenty of goodwater. |
| J. Maksam | — | — | The Bir Ongwat is the boundary betweenthe Eshabab and Aliab tribes, though the well itself belongs to theEshabab. A road runs from Bir Ongwat to Bir Abu Tabag; but the mostdirect road to Bir Eigat is straight to J. Maksam, high red granitehills, in which, after rain, much good water can be found. Throughone end of the granite hills, before reaching El Deiga, a roadruns, joining Heimer and Abu Tabag direct. |
| The Wadi Alagi is very broad opposite J.Maksam, with only a tree here and there growing in its bed. Attimes during the rains this part of the wadi is cultivated. ElDeiga, a pass through which the Wadi Alagi cuts the small hills atthe northern extremity of J. Maksam, is also a boundary between theEshabab and Eliab. The Wadi Alagi, from El Deiga to Bir Jugub, isbounded by small hills to the south and rather larger to the north.Except for a sayal or selem tree here and there no vegetation is tobe found in the wadi. | |||
| Jugub | 40 | 178 | In the Wadi Jugub there is a wellbelonging to the Aliab (Kurbeilab), which is sometimes openedaccording to the pasturage. This wadi had more vegetation than anywe had passed up to that time; there were growing besides theordinary selem a few marakh trees. |
| From Jugub to Eigat the road leaves theAlagi, passing through low hills to the north. J. Eigat can be seenfrom Jebel Jugub, and it could also be seen from J. Maksam if thathill were climbed. | |||
| Eigat | 27 | 205 | There is a continuous line of high hillsfrom Bir Jugub to El Eigat, running nearly parallel with the roadat some 5 miles to the north. These were El Jugub, J. Hadaiber, J.Adrak, J. Eigat. The Wadi Eigat is well grown with marakh, heglig,sayal, selem, tundub and usher. It is a great contrast in itsgreenness to the Wadi Alagi, left the day before. The water atEigat is near the surface, sometimes running, and at no time in theyear more than a few feet down. The well belongs to the Aliabtribe. |
| There are at Eigat many signs that inolden times the hills were extensively mined. The road from Eigatto Bir Neshd in the Wadi Alagi is bad, but passable, though hamlacamels have some trouble in passing. | |||
| The easier road, though four or fivetimes longer, is down the Wadi Eigat and then across into theAlagi, which it follows to Neshd. Everywhere among the hills, fromEigat to the Alagi, along the direct road, are signs of old miningcolonies. The Alagi here is green with vegetation, the arak growseverywhere, with marakh and heglig, and of course sayal and selemtrees. | |||
| Neshd | 10 | 215 | The well of Neshd,about half a mile up the Wadi Neshd, on the southern side of theAlagi, belongs to the Kurbeilab-Aliab. There is always good waterhere, but, owing to the rocks, camels cannot approach right up tothe well. At Bir Kamotit, which is some half a mile up the wadi,the water is good but rather tainted by the herds that water at it.This well is the property of the Hadl family. |
| Kamotit | 4½ | 219½ | |
| From Bir Kamotit to the Deraheib the roadalways follows the Wadi Alagi, which is everywhere well grown withsayal, the bean of which is excellent food for sheep, goats orcamels. We saw many traces of the wild donkey, but did not actuallysee one. | |||
| Deraheib | 9½ | 229 | Old mining colony. No well. |
124.—KASSALA to MASSAUA.
By Lieutenant H. H. S. Morant (1898); Completed with Material taken from Reports by Colonel Hon. M. G. Talbot (1900) and Mr. F. B. Hohler (1901).
General Description. The road.The general direction of Massaua from Kassala is almost due E. From Sabderat to Keren the Italians have cleared a roadway about 50 feet in width, from which most of the stones and all vegetation, except an occasional large baobab tree, have been cleared. It is so clearly marked that a stranger could march by it even on a dark night. The only point of any difficulty is the low saddle at Bisha, where there was still room for a good deal of work (1900). In its long straight lines it reminds one strongly of the old Roman roads; it crosses ravines and water-courses at whatever angle it happens to strike them, but at many of the steeper ascents and descents narrow ramps have been cut. In several places along it the Italians have made new masonry wells.
The accompanying road report was made before the construction of this newly cleared road—which from Sabderat to Daura Obel passes N. of the old route, viâ Algeden and Eladal—and there is no detailed information at hand as to the water supply along that portion of the route, though there is said to be no difficulty in this respect for the ordinary traveller.
From Keren to Asmara, and thence after many zig-zags to Saati, there is an excellent driving road about 14 feet wide, with the exception of a length of about 6 miles before reaching Azteklezan, which had not (April, 1900) been completed to the full width, but was then practicable for wheeled vehicles. Throughout the length of this metalled road the gradients are occasionally of necessity rather steep; the kilometers are marked throughout.
Country.From Kassala to Keren the general character of the country strongly resembles much of that between Kassala and Suakin, and consists as a rule of level waterless plains of firm soil, at times sandy or gravelly, covered with fine short grass and scattered bushes of the acacia tribe, and intersected here and there by shallow sandy khors, which during the rainy season carry off the drainage from the rocky volcanic hills and granite koppies, which are so characteristic of this particular part of Africa.
From Keren to Massaua the character of the country entirely changes and the waterless plains and thorny acacias of the Kassala-Keren route are replaced by running streams and precipitous mountains, overgrown with euphorbia and wild olives, both on the ascent to the Asmara plateau, as well as in the descent to the maritime plain of Massaua.
Transport animals.For the entire journey mules are most suitable, but as far as Keren camels answer admirably. From Keren to Massaua, viâ Asmara, wheeled vehicles, mules or horses. If the direct desert route from Keren to Massaua be taken, camels are desirable, if not indispensable.