whole way from the lake Kairun, to the neighbourhood of the Gulf
of the Arabs. The French, it seems, have never had an opportunity
of determining the questions ; which appears extraordinary. I
shall now proceed to the description of another valley, which may
possibly be a branch of the Bahr-bela-ma.
*
Valley of Mogara.
Mr. Horneman states, that the morning on which he left the foot
of the sand hill, he entered the Desert which may be considered as
“ the natural limit of Egypt." This Desert extends more than
1«) G. miles from east to west: its extent southward, is not known,
but it probably borders on the Lesser Oasis. Whether it be & part of
that great sandy desert of twelve journies across, between the
Greater Oasis and Siwah, Mr. Horneman had no opportunity of
knowing ; as he remained in uncertainty respecting the course of
the Ummesogeir hills, southward.
This Desert, perfectly flat, and covered with shifting sand, is
bounded northward by a chain of bare calcareous hills, running
nearly east and west, in the line of our traveller’s route; On the
side towards the Desert, they are steep, and are bordered by a remarkable
valley or hollow, known to extend from the neighbourhood
of the Bahr-bela-ma, to the length of a journey of seven days westward
Its breadth is from one mile, to six; it had much standing
water in it, at certain seasons ; but when Mr. Horneman saw it (m
September 1798,) it had only some small lakes or ponds, at intervals
and in several places, tracts of marshy or swampy land,
extending for several miles together. The water of the pools was
bitter; but sweet water was found close to them, on digging o e
depth of four to six feet. (See above, p. 10.) T h e caravans m this
route, keep along the edge of the valley, availing themselves of its
resources of water, every two or three days; but preferring the sandy
path, as being best adapted to the feet of the camels.
How far the valley extends westwards, is not known to us : whether
it terminates at the place where Mr. Horneman ascended the
hills of Ummesogeir, (which form a continuation of the range o f calcareous
hills before-mentioned;) or whether it communicates with
those valleys, which contain the Greater or Lesser Oasis. Be it as
it will, it seems to partake of the nature of those valleys; being
situated at the foot of steep calcareous hills, and below the level of
the flat Desert beneath them. It is remarked, that the steep sides of
all these ranges face the south or west.* In one particular, however,
this valley of Mogara, differs very widely from those which contain
the Oasis, (although it seems very much akin to that of Schiacba;
of which more in the sequel,-) in that no water springs up to the
surface; to which cause we may probably attribute the absence of
such tracts of land, as are denominatd Oases. The springs indeed,
appear to me, to be a characteristic feature of the Oases.
We learn a curious particular from General Andreossy, whilst
speaking of the Bahr-bela-ma. He says, (M<hn. sur l’ Egypte,
p. '346,) that the people of Terani on the Nile, transport from a
valley situated three days journey beyond the Bahr-bela-ma, a species
of rushes, which are manufactured into mats at Menouf, in the
Delta. The General supposes the place in question to be a continuation
of the Bahr-bela-ma, into the interior of Africa; and indeed
it may well be, that the valley of Mogara is a branch of the former;
separating from it, at, or near, the place where Mr. Horneman
* The hills over the valley of Mogara, answer to the hills o f Le Magra, (perhaps
corrupted from E l Mogara,) o f Mr. Beaufoy ; Afr . Assoc. 1790, ch. x , and also to
the M . Ogdamus of Ptolemy, Afr . T a b . I I I .
T a