We Slept In This Wady, At One Hour And A Half From
Moayen El Kelab.
May 13th.—Farther down the Wady widens and is enclosed by high granite
cliffs.
Its direction is S. by W. Four hours continued descent brought
us into Wady Orta [Arabic]. The rocks here are granite, red porphyry,
and grünstein, similar to what I had observed towards Akaba, at nearly
the same elevation above the sea. At the end of six hours we left Wady
Orta, which descends towards the sea, and turning to the right, entered
a large plain called Mofassel el Korfa [Arabic], in which we rode S.S.W.
From the footsteps in the sand Ayd knew the individuals of the Mezeine,
who had passed this way in the morning. The view here opened upon a high
chain of mountains which extends from Sherm in the direction of the
convent, and which I had passed on my return from Arabia, in going from
Sherm to Tor. It is called Djebel Tarfa [Arabic], and is inhabited
principally by the Mezeine. At eight hours the plain widens; many beds
of torrents coming from the Tarfa cross it in their way to the sea. This
SHERM
[p.527] part is called El Ak-ha [Arabic], and excepting in the beds of
the torrents, where some verdure is produced, it is an entirely barren
tract. At nine hours we approached the Tarfa, between which and our road
were low hills called Hodeybat el Noszara [Arabic], i. e. the hump backs
of the Christians. The waters which collect here in the winter flow into
the sea at Wady Nabk. At ten hours the plain opens still wider, and
declines gently eastwards to the sea. To the left, where the mountains
terminate, a sandy plain extends to the water side. At eleven hours is
an insulated chain of low hills, forming here, with the lowest range of
the Tarfa, a valley, in which our road lay, and in which we halted,
after a fatigueing day’s journey of twelve hours. As there were only two
camels for three of us, we rode by turns; and Ayd regretted his younger
days, when, as he assured us, he had once walked from the convent to
Cairo in four days. The hills near which we halted are called Roweysat
Nimr [Arabic], or the little heads of the tiger.
May 14th.—We descended among low hills, and after two hours reached the
harbour of Sherm [Arabic]. This is the only harbour on the western coast
of the gulf of Akaba, which affords safe anchorage for large ships,
though, by lying close in shore, small vessels might, I believe, find
shelter in several of the bays of this gulf. At Sherm there are two deep
bays little distant from each other, but separated by high land, in both
of which, ships may lie in perfect safety. On the shore of the southern
bay stands the tomb of a Sheikh, held in veneration by the Bedouins and
mariners:
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