30 Beport of the Billiarzia Mission in Egypt, 1915 



limited on the other two sides by desert. From the irrigation 

 standpoint this triangle forms a small unit, the incoming water 

 being drawn from the Ismailia Canal, mainly by the secondary 

 Taufiqia Canal, which can be seen running eastward north of 

 Mataria through Ez-el-Nakhl, where it is crossed by the railway 

 from Cairo to El Khanka, and passing on through El Birka. The 

 water from this canal and its subsidiaries, such as the El Marg 

 Canal, after irrigating the land, drains into the large Bilbeis 



Fig. 4. — Women washiug garments in Marg canal. 



drain, which runs northward from El Birka past El Qalag to 

 Bilbeis, and is indicated on the map (fig. 1) by a broken line. 

 The El Marg Canal takes off from the Taufiqia Canal near 

 Ez-el-Nakhl station, and the flow is here controlled by an iron 

 regulator. For about a mile the canal runs northwards parallel 

 to the railway line, and on eitiier bank there is a much frequented 

 footpath. Just before the Marg railway station is reached, the 

 canal passes under the line. At and above this point are the 

 favourite spots from which the women and children carry water 

 daily into the village for domestic use (fig. 3). After piercing 



