"كتيّب سوريا (بما في ذلك فلسطين). لندن: إدارة استخبارات الأركان البحرية، يونيو ١٩١٩" [ظ‎‎٢‎٩‎٨] (٧٣٨/٦٠١)

590
‘AJLUN AND NORTHERN BELQA
of an intervening local watershed, having several springs along
its course, then bears round a spur towards Tell Nimrin.
It is not wooded, and has no perennial stream; the road from
the Jordan to ‘Amman via ‘Araq el-Emlr follows part of its
lower course. Few of the wadis reaching the Ghor farther
north are accurately known. W. Heseiniyat, up which runs
a frequented alternative track to Salt, comes in about 3 m.
north of W. Sha‘ib. This wadi has no perennial brook, and
less vegetation than W. Sha‘ib ; there is only one spring,
‘Ain et-Tlneh, with a limited supply of water. Between W.
Heseiniyat and N. ez-Zerqa the following watercourses issue
in the Gh5r at intervals of a mile or so : Wadis ‘Ausej,
Meidan, Milh, Ratam, Abyadh (in a deep ravine cut through
white hills), Sidreh (crossed by the Jisr ed-Damieh—Salt road
andT.L.), Ibtein Ghazal, and Qaneyyeh. It does not appear
that any of them have perennial brooks.
One great wadi, with its affluents, drains the whole northern
slope of the Belqa.
Nahr ez-Zerqa, the upper branches of which, W. ‘Amman and
W. el-Hammam, rise about the high point Jubeihet el-Keblreh
S. of Suweileh, makes a great easterly bend in its middle
course, returning upon itself, and at last flowing W. to the
Jordan : Jubeihet el-Keblreh is barely 20 miles as the crow
flies from the confluence, but the wadi itself, without counting
the windings, covers three times this distance. W. ‘Amman
first carries a perennial stream a mile or two above ‘Amman,
though the water is discontinuous in dry weather for a few
miles below the town. Running now NNE., it is joined on the
1. about 6 m. from ‘Amman by W. el-Hammam, which has
taken a more direct route, carrying a brook from ‘Ain Yajuz,
6-7 miles up its course. The joint streams now begin the
great bend round to the fords below Jerash, and are known
finally as N. ez-Zerqa from Qal‘at ez-Zerqa onwards. From
the fords the course is SW. and W. for 15-16 m. to the
outlet into the Ghor near Deir ‘Alla. Beyond the outlet
a course of 6-7 miles to SSW. is followed by a short final
bend to NNW., when the Jordan is reached. The Nahr ez-