The Caravan Route Between Egypt and Syria

Part 1

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THE CARAVAN ROUTE

BETWEEN

EGYPT AND SYRIA

TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN

WITH TWENTY-THREE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR

London

CHATTO & WINDUS, PICCADILLY

1881

All rights reserved.

PREFACE TO THE TRANSLATION.

The present work is by His Imperial Highness the Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria, by whom also the accompanying sketches were drawn.

By his numerous travels and scientific labours, the name of this Prince has become well known and highly appreciated among the geographers of all nations; and only a short time ago His Imperial Highness was elected an honorary member of the Royal Geographical Society, of whom there are but eight others, in a total list of some 3500 Fellows.

His works of travel--comprising parts of America, Africa, and the Mediterranean coasts--have also attracted so much attention, that their translation into the English language seemed to be justified.

The list of these works, together with some details regarding the life of their illustrious author, appeared in the translator's introduction to the first work published in English; and in referring to it the translator of the present volume confidently expects a continuation of the friendly reception accorded to "Levkosìa, the Capital of Cyprus."

CHEVALIER DE HESSE-WARTEGG.

GERMAN ATHENÆUM CLUB, October 1881.

PREFACE.

Once more I had traced my way to Egypt to pass the winter there. Like every European who makes a lengthened sojourn in that ancient but renewed land, I was led to recall the great engineering and other achievements accomplished within our own time, and also to consider future projects of development for which the country seems to present so wide a scope. A great deal has been heard of late on the subject of improved communication between Egypt and Southern Syria. Proposals for the construction of a new harbour at Jaffa, for a railway through the valley of the Jordan, and for harbour works at Beyrout, exercised my mind in succession; and during my frequent walks in the beautiful Esbekieh my thoughts were more particularly occupied with the overland route between Syria and Egypt. Since the wanderings of the Israelites through the desert, and the flight of the child Jesus, of how many great events have these countries been the scenes, and what various recollections are awakened by their names!

Former travels had rendered me familiar with both Egypt and Syria, as well as with the different lines of communication between them, excepting the old caravan route over Wadi el Harish, the ancient Torrens Egyptii. Bearing in mind the bad harbours and dangerous anchorages of Southern Palestine, I speculated upon the feasibility of a railway connection round the coast, and, in view of that object, resolved personally to examine the ground.

Many obstacles, however, presented themselves to the execution of my intention. One of these arose from the circumstance that, since the opening of the Suez Canal, the greater part of the traffic between Syria and Egypt is carried on by the short water route viâ Jaffa and Port Said, in consequence of which the old highway, formerly so frequented by caravans, travellers, and pilgrims, is now deserted and forgotten. Even the cattle-dealers now prefer to send their stock by steamer from the great export harbour of Jaffa to Alexandria, so that only a few camel-drivers are to be met with on the once favourite route. I therefore found it more expedient to order a caravan of horses and mules from Jaffa to meet me in El Kantara, which I fixed upon as my starting point for the desert. The following pages contain a narrative of the expedition, which was undertaken in March 1878, as noted down in the tent on the evening of each day. My investigation convinced me that the railway communication so often dreamed of is absolutely impracticable, chiefly on account of the easily movable character of the sands of the desert. The line would become completely buried beneath them after every storm of any degree of violence, and could therefore only be kept clear by constant labour and expense. Of all proposals for the attainment of the object in question the most promising appeared to me to be the formation of a good harbour at Beyrout, to which all the trade of Syria might be directed by means of two railways, one along the rich coast of Southern Syria, and the other to pass down the valley of the Jordan. Beyrout offers greater advantages for the purpose than Jaffa, inasmuch as the harbour works would be easier, and therefore less costly; and the town itself, besides being far richer, already possesses established communications with Damascus and the inland trade.

The accomplishment of this work seems to me so important in view of the welfare and commercial development of Syria, that I cannot conclude without expressing a wish that it may be soon undertaken under the auspices of those Powers in whose interests it may be.

ZINDIS, NEAR TRIESTE, October 1879.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

I. EL KANTARA 1

II. TO BIR EL NUS AND KATYA 5

III. FROM KATYA TO BIR EL ABD 11

Part 2

IV. FROM BIR EL ABD TO BIR EL MAGARA 18

V. FROM BIR EL MAGARA TO EL HARISH 25

VI. EL HARISH 30

VII. FROM EL HARISH TO SHEIK EL ZVOYED 47

VIII. FROM SHEIK EL ZVOYED TO KHANYUNIS 52

IX. KHANYUNIS 57

X. FROM KHANYUNIS TO GAZA 65

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

1. JEBEL EL MAGARA Frontispiece.

2. JEBEL ABOU ASSAB To face page 6

3. EL GUJA " 8

4. RUMMAN " 9

5. KATYA " 10

6. SHEIK EL MZEYEN, IN KATYA " 12

7. LEHOCHOMU-MELLEHA " 18

8. JEBEL EL MAGARA (taken from El Brej) " 22

9. KOUBBA EL MAGARA " 23

10. JEBEL EL HALAL (taken from Ard el Murrah) " 26

11. WADI ABOU-SBEH " 28

12. EL HARISH " 30

13. THE BAZAAR OF EL HARISH " 40

14. EL HARISH (View on the Northern Side) " 42

15. KOUBBA OF NABI GASSER " 44

16. EL HARROUBA " 48

17. MELLEHA OF SHEIK EL ZVOYED " 50

18. OUR CAMP IN SHEIK EL ZVOYED " 52

19. SAGER EL EMIR " 54

20. RAFAH COLUMNS " 55

Part 3

21. KALA OF KHANYUNIS " 58

22. NEIGHBOURHOOD OF GAZA " 66

23. ENTRANCE TO BAZAAR, GAZA " 68

THE CARAVAN ROUTE

BETWEEN

EGYPT AND SYRIA.

EL KANTARA.

One of the Suez Canal Company's tugs soon took us down the canal from Ismailia to El Kantara (the bridge), where we were to meet our caravan. Just as we were landing we observed the first few horses of the latter crossing by the ferry which plies between the two sides of the canal. The boat had to go over three times to get all our animals and luggage, and we found it no easy work on the other side to strap up all our things ready for the journey. Matters seldom go altogether smoothly on the first day of a caravan expedition. At length a start was made, the mules laden with our tents and luggage going on in front, and ourselves bringing up the rear. The little hotel of El Kantara, with the few patches of vegetation surrounding it, was the last sight we had of civilised life. Following the telegraph posts, which mark the route from Egypt to Syria, we then entered the rolling desert, and soon began to enjoy that feeling of freedom which a boundless plain always inspires. Only life on the sea, with all its wonderful charms, is to be compared to a journey through the desert. In the midst of its vast and solitary expanse the traveller feels himself overwhelmed, and his imagination conjures up strange forms on the far horizon. The desert is to the Arab what the sea is to the sailor; for both, their proper element has a permanent and irresistible attraction. Old Abou Nabout, the leader of our caravan, rode on quietly in front, his eyes gazing steadfastly across the sandy plain, and dreams of his youth doubtless floated through his mind as his horse threw up clouds of sand with his hoofs.

Our first ride soon came to a pause, for instead of encamping at two hours' distance from El Kantara, as I had ordered, the moukri (mule-driver) unpacked our tents in a small sandy valley which we reached in half an hour only. Knowing from experience how necessary it is to insist upon the execution of orders once issued, especially at the commencement of a caravan journey, I made the moukri pack up again, at which he was evidently not best pleased. We then continued our course until we came to a shallow depression of the sandy ground, where I directed our tents to be pitched. We travelled in a comparatively comfortable manner, being furnished with two tents for sleeping, and a third in which we took our meals. Besides these, we had a smaller tent for a kitchen.

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