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245 THE HEBRON GROUP. 245

overlooking the Wady Khureitun, which is a part of the northern boundary of the present group. The caverns face Jebel Fureidis ; and in the time of the Crusaders they came to be regarded as the Cave of Adullam ; but the true site lies far away at the western foot of the mountains, at Kh. 'Aid el Ma, in the Wady es Sur. Teku'a is on the waterparting between the basins of Wady ed Derajeh and Wady el Areijeh, the latter emptying itself at Engedi. From this waterparting near Teku'a, three wadys with intermediate spurs descend, and unite in a rocky gorge which cuts through the northern ridge and joins the gorge of ed Derajeh.

The plateau of Teku'a is the first part of the Middle Eange in this group. Its prolongation to the south is found in a very distinct form in the long ridge of Kanan ez Zaferan, which, with the plateau of Teku'a, encloses the heads of the basin of Wady el Areijeh, that have their sources along the main range from Safa to Hulhul. These head valleys all concentrate in the Wady el 'Arrub, which soon after receives the drainage of a circular tract on the west of the plateau of Teku'a, and then cuts through the Middle Eange on a rocky gorge. The breadth between the Main and the Middle Ranges at the widest part, where the 'Arrub enters the gorge, is about six miles. Near Hulhul it contracts to two miles, but it widens out again immediately to three miles, and goes on with a breadth of about four miles.

The Kanan ez Zaf aran terminates at Khurbet el Addeiseh, on the waterparting that divides the basins of el Areijeh and Ghuzzeh, at the head of the valley of el Khulil or Hebron. The Middle Range passes from the Kanan to this water- parting range, and follows it to Beni Nairn (alt. 3,120 feet) and on to Khurbet Birein. Between Beni Nairn and Khurbet Birein the waterparting divides the affluents of Wady el Khulil from those of Wady el Khubera. At Khurbet Birein, the Middle Range has its summit on a ridge that contains the ancient town of Yutta or Juttah, and divides from the affluents of Wady el Khulil, the wady called

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