"كتيّب سوريا (بما في ذلك فلسطين). لندن: إدارة استخبارات الأركان البحرية، يونيو ١٩١٩" [و‎‎٢‎١‎٨] (٧٣٨/٤٤٠)

JUDAEA
429
Physical Features
The Central Range .—As regards ihat part of the Central
Range which appertains to the Judaean district, it has
a breadth varying from 14 to 17 miles, reckoned from the
western edge to where, on the east, the level drops to the
Ghdr. A zigzag mountainous section north of Jersualem is
known as J. el-Quds, the highest point of which is Nebi
Samwil (alt. 2,935 ft.), 5 miles north of the city. South of
this begins the section of the range known as J. el-Khalll,
around Hebron, where, at Halhul, about 3| miles north of
this town, the Judaean mountains attain their greatest eleva
tion of 3,270 ft. above sea-level. South of Hebron there is
a sudden step down to a plateau of wolds and open arable
soil some 500 ft. lower, and farther south still another step
leads to the soft white limestone, or marly region (and an
average elevation of 1,400 ft.), spreading round Beersheba
and sometimes known as the ‘ Negeb This region in turn
merges gradually into the Southern Desert.
On the west side of the watershed of the Central Range,
in Judaea, the mountainous country extends to about half
way to the sea. Its flank is rugged and steep in most part
and is penetrated and broken by deep valleys and passes.
Among the most important, enumerating from the north, are :
W. Selman, which seems to have been the principal approach
to Jerusalem in ancient times; W. ‘Ali, a little distance south,
along which runs the Jaffa-Jerusalem carriage road ; W. es-
Sarar, main affluent of the Nahr Rubin, along which runs
the Ludd-Jerusalem railway ; W. el-Afranj, also tributary of
the Rubin ; and, in the extreme south, W. el-Khalil, leading
from Hebron to Beersheba, and affluent of W. Ghazzeh.
For further details of the wadi systems of the western slope,
see Coastal Streams, pp. 435 ff.
On the east side the watershed dips sharply from a
maximum height of 3,270 ft. above the sea and
an average height of 2,500 ft. to a maximum depth of
1,300 ft. below sea-level in the Gh5r —a fall of 4,000 ft.