Page:The Northern Ḥeǧâz (1926).djvu/48



Accompanied by Mḥammad, Tûmân and I ascended al-Čabd, from which we could sketch the whole of the surrounding country. The view to the north, east, and south was extremely impressive.



To the north we could survey the whole plain of al-Ǧafar, as well as the more southern slopes of the mountains of al-Ḥǧânaǧêm and al-Ḳâʻade, which form the watershed between the Dead Sea and the depression of al-Ǧafar. To the southeast of these heights the mountain ranges of ar-Rḥa’, Ḥmâr aṣ-Ṣawwân, Berḳ ad-Dûde, and Ǧâl al-Ḥawṣa divide the fertile depression of Sirḥân from that of al-Ǧafar. On the western slope of this watershed there is a very abundant growth of ʻâḏer, for which reason the gullies uniting in the valleys of al-Ṛwejr and ʻArfa are called Šeʻibân al-ʻÂḏrijjât. The steep slope Ǧâl al-Ḥawṣa separates the region of Ṭubejž al-ʻAfar from Ṭubejž al-Ḥamar. Beneath it in the hollow of Fîhat aṭ-Ṭlejḥa are wells, Ḳulbân al-Ḥawṣa, from which the šeʻîb of al-ʻEnâb extends in a northwesterly direction as far as al-Ǧafar. Along the right-hand slope of al-ʻEnâb and to the northwest of the wells stretches the table-shaped elevation of Umm Ruḳuba, while still farther to the northwest is the table-shaped elevation Ḳârt al-ʻEnâb; and on the left-hand side among the hills of Radh as-Sumr is the water Meḥîr abu ʻAlda. The defile of Ḫarm abu ʻAlda separates these hills from the jagged elevations of al-Mrejǧdijje, the central part of which is called al-Bwejb. To the west of these heights, from south to north, extends the narrow plain of Ḫarm ʻAlejjân, bordered on the south by the table-land of al-Ḳennâṣijje. Down the northeastern spur of these hills, under Ḳârt al-Amṛar, the rain water flows into the pond al-Faṣaṣijjât.

The watershed between the šeʻîb of al-Ḥawṣa and the basin of Soraṛ on the southwest is formed by the hills of al-Ǧuḥfe, ar-Rîše, an-Neǧîli, al-Mšêrîf, Sarmada, Ṭwejjel az-Zibed, Umm Leben, az-Zejdânijje, and al-Ṛdawijje. North of Ṭwejjel az-Zibed is the water Ṯmêd Rabîʻa. All these uplands belong to the region of Ṭubejž al-ʻAfar (Fig. 4), the western frontier of which is formed by the plains of Ammu Rǧâm and Fîhat Ḥawmal, from which rain water fills the ponds Ḫabâri ʻAmrât. Westward from these plains rise the uplands of ʻEnâz, Duṛdâš, aṯ-Ṯâje, Ẓelʻ Ḥawmal, Ṣaʻada’-l-Ḥamra’, al-ʻErâḳ, and az-Zejdânijje. The plains of Ḫarm al-Ḥemâra and Ḫarm al-Mḥaššar separate the elevations az-Zejdânijje from Ṣaʻada’-l-Barṣa’ and al-Ṛdawijje, the last-named being connected with aš-Šwêḥeṭ.