Page:An Introduction to the Survey of Western Palestine.djvu/70

 reaches the coast at Neby Yunis, a shrine of the Prophet Jonah.

Of course this southern branch of the Sukereir basin was supposed to follow the central one to the basin of Wady el Hesy; which indeed has been entirely deprived of its reputed channels, and has been furnished with a newly discovered series by the present survey. Such was the recent state of the geography of an important part of Philistia and Judæa.



The outfall of Wady el Hesy lies between the ancient cities of Gaza and Ashkelon. The northern limit of its basin runs with the Sukereir basin, and beginning at the sea, and the sandhills at the mouth of the river, proceeds north-eastward between Berberah and Nalia to Kh. Erzeh, Khurbet Samy and Kh. 'Ejjis er Ras (alt. 331 feet). [These places mark the division between Wady Kemas in the basin of el Hesy, and Wady Bireh. The latter belongs to a small but distinct basin, including the villages of Nalin, Askalan (Ashkelon), el Mejdel, Hamameh, and Julis. Its outlet is at Tellul el Ferani (alt. 50 feet) where it appears to be lost in the sands. ]

From Kh. 'Ejjis er Ras (alt. 331. feet) the northern waterparting turns to the south-east and south, through Neby Ham to Khurbet Melita (alt. 336 feet). Here it strikes south-eastward again to Kh. Ajlûn (Eglon), and more easterly along a succession of ranges by Tell Jabis (alt. 450 feet), Muntaret el Kaneiterah, and by a long sweep to Khurbet er Resum (alt. 1,090 feet). From this point it bends round the heads of the Valley of Dawâimeh, and then makes another bend around the valleys on the west of Dura; finally reaching Ras el Biain (alt. 2,950 feet).

At Ras el Biain, the eastern side of the waterparting begins, dividing the Hesy from the Ghuzzeh (Gaza) basin. It passes south to Khurbet Kharsa (alt. 2,857 feet), Kh. Sirreh (alt. 2,746 feet), Ras Sirreh (alt. 2,601 feet), and Merj 