"كتيّب سوريا (بما في ذلك فلسطين). لندن: إدارة استخبارات الأركان البحرية، يونيو ١٩١٩" [و‎‎٢‎٣‎٧] (٧٣٨/٤٧٨)

THE SOUTHERN DESERT
467
‘Arish, which runs for some miles near the Egyptian boundary
in the region of El-‘Auja. Known at first as the Wadi ‘Ajrem,
it rises in the central mountain mass, not far from the head of
the Wadi Fiqreh, to run in a north-westerly direction past
El-‘Auja ; soon afterwards it receives the Wadi Abyadh from
the east, and crosses the frontier, to be known henceforward
as Wadi el-Azareq.
Water-supply
Although the area is poor in water, its supplies are not
inconveniently situated, and the distances between wells are
seldom great. There is nothing which can fairly be described
as a perennial stream, unless the scanty brooks formed in the
extreme lower course of the Wadi Ghazzeh, or further up,
south of Shellal, can be held to deserve the name ; but the
winter rains which cause the wadis of the western slope to
run in flood several times in the wet season, leave behind
them pools which may yield water for a considerable time,
and the coastal tract is comparatively rich in water.
Many miles inland a line of important wells runs parallel
to the Central Range at the foot of its western slopes (Beer-
sheba, Khalasah, Raheibeh, El-‘Auja, Muweileh, Kosseima),
most of them at road junctions, since from very ancient times
they have attracted to themselves both the routes between
Egypt and Palestine and those crossing at right angles on
their way south-east from the Mediterranean. Attention
may be drawn here on the exceptional importance to hydro
graphy of the centrally situated Kosseima region. This
district is perhaps the only part of interior Sinai where a
considerable force could be continuously supplied without
carrying water from an excessive distance. Within a radius
of a few miles there are four perennial sources : Kosseima
itself (1,000 camels a day) ; Muweileh, 3 miles to WNW.,
with permanent pools supplying 2,000 camels ; ‘Ain Ghadeirat,
4-5 miles to SE., with an unlimited supply ; and ‘Ain Qadeis,
6 miles further in a direction E. of S., with water for 1,000
animals. Of these sources, ‘Ain Ghadeirat, locally known as
Gg2