210 heport— 1872. 



Jleport of the Committee, consisting of the Rev. Dr. Ginseurg^ W. 

 Hepworth Dixon, Rev. Dr. Tristram, F.R.S., General Chesney, 

 Rev. Professor Rawlinsox, and John A. Tinnk, appointed for 

 the purpose of undertaking a Geographical 'Exploration of the 

 Country of Moab. 



Report on tlie Exploration of Southern Moab. 

 By Cheistian D. Ginsbtteg, LL.D. 



The expedition left London on Wednesday, Jauuaiy 10th, 1872, and 

 arrived at Jaifa on Monday, January 22nd, about eleven o'clock in the 

 morning. The party consisted of Dr. Ginsburg, Dr. Tristram, and Mr. 

 Johnson. Mr. Klein, the original discoverer of the Moabito Stone, arranged 

 to join them at Jerusalem. The object of the expedition was to get to Moab 

 as soon as possible ; it was determined not to tarry in the Holy Land, how- 

 ever much some of us felt tempted to explore the country. We therefore 

 proceeded, at 3..30 p.m. on the same day, to Ramlch, taking Lydda on our 

 Tvay to Jerusalem. Early in the morning of the following day (January 

 23rd) we started for Jerusalem over Beth-Horon, and reached the sacred city 

 in the dark. 



After waiting six days at Jerusalem for an escort, and making the neces- 

 sary preparations, we left for Hebron January 30th, at 10 a.m., where we 

 arrived about six o'clock in the evening of the same day. Here we engaged 

 Abou Dachouk, the 8heikh of the Jehalin tribe, to conduct us safely to 

 Kerak. He entrusted his old uncle, Abou Salama, to head the escort ; and 

 we left Hebron at 1.30 p.m. on Thursday, February 1st. As it had been 

 determined to enter Moab by the south, we now made our way to Engedi, 

 and arrived at Um Ghazelat at 5.30 p.m. 



Though this place is halfway between Hebron and Engedi almost in a 

 straight line, and though the old Abou Salama, our guide (who, like his an- 

 cestors, was born and brought up in this neighbourhood), has acted as a guide 

 to former explorers, yet he does not seem to have mentioned Um Ghazelat 

 to those few travellers who have come this way before to explore the basin 

 of the Dead Sea, nor can it be found in the most recent maps of Syria. 



We pitched our tents for the night at this supposed new place, near the 

 encampment of the llaabneh tribe. At 10.5 a.m. on Friday (February 2nd) 

 we left for Engedi, where we arrived at 4.30 p.m. Here we encamped near 

 the beach of the Dead Sea, and opposite the Moab shore and mountains, to 

 which we were maldng our way. We left Engedi in the afternoon of 

 the following day, which was Saturday, and determined to pitch our tents 

 for Sunday at Sebbch. 



Between Engedi and Sebbeh we passed on the shore of the Dead Sea the 

 following four Wadys : — Wadj- Ghar, which is close to Engedi, and which we 

 crossed at 12.37 p.m. ; this Wady, which our old Sheikh solemnly assured 

 us was Ghar, is marked both in Van de Yelde's and in Lynch's maps as 

 Areyeh. The next is Wady Chobrah, which, according to Mr. Klein's most 

 painstaking cross-questioning, we found to be the proper spelling, and not 

 Khuberah, as it is spelled in Yan de Velde's map ; this AVady, which we 

 reached at 2 p.m., is an hour and twenty-three minutes from the former one. 

 The third Wady, which is an hour's distance from the second, and which is 

 marked in Van de Velde as Wady Halil, we were jjositively assured is Wady 

 Mochrath ; whilst the fourth Wady, which is about forty mimites' distance 

 from the third, and which has no name at all in Van de Velde, we were tol^ 



