268 John Hogg, Esq., on the Geography and 



The general /or/w of the Peninsula of Mount Sinai, strictly 

 so called, is that of a scalene or inequilateral triangle ; but if 

 we include that space of Arabia PetrsBa as given in our ac- 

 companying map, it may be defined as a Trapezium placed 

 upon a scalene triangle. Two arms of the lied Sea (Sinus 

 Arabicus)^ named in Hebrew " Yam Suph," bound two sides 

 of this peninsula : t\iQ first, or Gulf of Suez, the ancient Sinus 

 HeroopoUtes, and the modern Bahr-el-Kolzum of the Arabs is 

 much the longest, being nearly 200 English miles in length, 

 whilst its breadth varies a good deal : this, from the coast of 

 Egypt to Birket Faroun, exceeds thirty miles ; but, as an 

 average, it may be considered as about twenty miles. 



The length of the second arm, called the Gulf of Akaba, 

 formerly Sinus jElanites, and at this day by the Arabians 

 Bahr-el- Akaba, is about 118 English miles, computing it from 

 the supposed site of Aila, or ^lana, at its north-east extre- 

 mity to the southern side of the Isle of Tiran ; and its ave- 

 rage breadth may be taken at about twelve miles. 



The most important features of the Sinaic peninsula may 

 be divided into two : the enormous desert of El Tyh on the 

 north, which occupies its greatest portion, and the southern 

 or alpine region of lofty mountains. These have been already 

 shortly described ; but I may, however, observe in general 

 terms, that the former is a vast central plateau, or elevated 

 table-land, descending rapidly from the chain called Gebel-el- 

 Tyh, which bounds it on the south, towards the north. Two 

 or three smaller plateaux that slope to the north-east, extend 

 from the Gebel-el-Egmeh. Immediately south of the El Tyh 

 mountains, the sandy plain or table land of El Ramleh de- 

 scends to about 3000 or 4000 feet ; and thence commences 

 the second great feature of the peninsula, in that magnificent 

 group of the modern Sinaic mountains, consisting of naked, 

 sharp, and numberless peaks of schist, granite, and porphyry, 

 and their varieties, the highest of which rise to an altitude 

 of above 9000 English feet above the sea-level. This alpine 

 group, known to the Arabs under the appellation of Gebel-el- 

 Tur, — " Mountains of Tur," — slopes down and terminates in 

 the southern extremity by the granite chain Gebel-el-Turfa. 



Messrs Burckhardt and Robinson mention the following 



