Page:The Northern Ḥeǧâz (1926).djvu/111

 and obey Eben Maḳbûl, the head chief of the ʻImrân. Many of them are the descendants of Egyptian soldiers who guarded the various halting places on the Pilgrim Route leading from Egypt by way of al-ʻAḳaba to al-Medîna and Mecca.

At 10.30 we came upon the plateau of al-Mṛejra, where we remained from 10.47 to 1.15. The camels chewed at the hard woody portion of the eṯmân. To the south of Umm Ǧurfejn rise the hills of al-Asmar, from which the šeʻibân of ar-Ramṯi, aṭ-Ṭawṭahijje, Ǧeḏû and al-ʻArajḳên proceed toward the west. The šeʻîb of aš-Šrejḥ divides the hills of al-Asmar from the ridge of the same name. Toward the north rise the broken peaks of at-Tnejnîr and east of them the huge cones of al-Ḥadab. My companions boiled the ḳaṭa’ birds, but after two hours they were even harder than when they were put into the water.

At 1.45 P. M. we had the šeʻîb of Salab al-ʻArejf on our right; at 2.15 Umm Mešta was on our left; and at 2.45 Sejḥ al-Ḳṣejr. These šeʻibân come from the rocks of al-Ḳerîn and al-ʻAwǧijje. At the northern foot of al-Ḳerîn is the well Bîr Ǧedîd, while the spring of ʻArejǧa rises on the southern foot. The hills gradually grow into mountains. The šeʻibân become narrower and deeper. Except for the grayish-green sejâl trees, there was no vegetation. At 3.20 we saw on our right the šeʻîb of al-Msejḥeṭ which comes from the spring of the same name; on our left was al-Hwêwîra, separated by the ridge of as-Sedâra from Sejḥ al-Ḳṣejr; and at 4.38 Feǧǧ al-Kalḫ was on our right, while on our left lay the šeʻîb of Sejhîǧ near Mount al-Hawâra. We reached the plain of ʻElw as-Sirr, upon the northeastern portion of which are the three isolated dome-shaped peaks of Manâẓer aš-Šerḳi. South of these extends the ridge of al-Farwa with the broken cone of as-Silmi. Finding that this plain furnished pasture for our camels, we encamped at 5.31 P. M. beneath a high red rock, from which we obtained a view of the surrounding country (temperature: 32.5° C).

To the west of ʻElw as-Sirr extends the narrow ridge Šrejf al-Maktale, west of which is Umm Râšed and, still farther, al-Kalḫi. From the eastern slope of al-Maktale rises the šeʻîb of ad-Dabr, which runs in a north-westerly direction and is joined on the right by the šeʻibân of al-Ḥadab and aṯ-Ṯmejmijje, on the left by Ḫṭejmijje and al-ʻAjn. Šeʻîb ad-Dabr comes to an end beneath the hills of al-Ḥamẓa on the shore of the Red Sea. Southwest of Šrejf al-Maktale and south of Umm Râšed, rain water collects in the šeʻîb of al-Eḥẓêri, the branches of which are al-Ḫrûṭ and