J. MILNE ON THE SINAITIC PENINSULA AND N.W. AEABIA. 27 



limestone which forms a more or less continuous ridge from Turf er 

 Rukn to this point. 



From the summit of any of the hills upon the right an extensive 

 view of the greater portion of the Tih plateau is to be seen. Beyond 

 the low water-parting which separates the drainage of the Mediter- 

 ranean from that of the Dead Sea, towards the north and north- 

 west are broken scarps of white rock, probably of the same kind 

 as the hill on which you stand, showing numerous pyramid-like 

 peaks and short ridges, at least 14 or 15 miles distant. These cliff- 

 like forms are continued round to the north-east, but in this direc- 

 tion are apparently not only higher but much further away, being 

 apparently 25 or 30 miles distant, and forming a terminal scarp to 

 the southern extremity of >Tegel or the South Country. The most 

 conspicuous object is Jebel Baredj, bearing about W.N.W. "With 

 a glass several hard horizontal bands could be seen standing out, 

 forming small scarps intermediate between the peaks of its conical 

 summit and the sloping talus below. 



In a direct line south from this mountain there is a north-and- 

 south section, showing an anticlinal of limestone dipping at a high 

 angle to the N.W., and to the S.E. being completely turned over. 



After passing Bir el Kureis (a large artificially formed well, hold- 

 ing a continuous supply of water for the use of the Hadj pilgrims, 

 which is sunk in the bed of a shallow wady of the same name), the 

 road gradually ascends, through the range forming the southern 

 continuation of Jebel Baredj, into Wady Dritt. Here the low scarps 

 which bound either side of this low valley, exhibit an extremely 

 fine-grained white carbonate of lime, in texture much superior to 

 the bulk of our English chalk. 



From "Wady Dritt to Nackhl, the halfway station between Akaba 

 and Suez, the country, which gently descends, is generally flat, the 

 even contour being broken only by a few white scarps upon the 

 right and left, and some shallow wadies which cross the road at 

 right angles. These wadies of the desert are shallow basin-like 

 trenches, which, although they mark the line of drainage by the few 

 bushes they contain, are very different from the well-defined 

 river-like wadies seen amongst the mountains. 



A few miles on the Akaba side of Nackhl there are several small 

 but bold hills of chalk, the most conspicuous of which is Jebel al 

 Kheimatein or the " two tents," so called from its shape. The road 

 near this mountain is crossed by several veins of crystallized carbo- 

 nate of lime about 6 inches in thickness, which, being more durable 

 than the chalk through which they pass, stand up in bold ridges. 



Nal-hl to Suez. — From Kakhl the road towards Suez gently rises 

 about 150 feet through a gap in the summit of the range of hills, 

 which are seen to run like a line of white chalk cliffs from west to 

 north. From this point a day and a half is spent in crossing a 

 wide and open shingly plain traversed by a few north-and-south 

 shallow wadies, until Wady Hawaweet, descending from Jebel 

 Heitan, is reached. 



On the south side of the entrance to the wady there are horizontal 



