A dictionary of the . ly after a rain. Projecting intoit wedgewise from the north is the desertof Tih, or wilderness of wandering,of limestone formation. South of thehills of the Tih plateau is a broad beltof sandstone, extending nearly fromSuez to Akabah. South of this is agreat cluster of granite mountains, insuch a rugged, tumbled chaos as scarce-ly to admit of classification, the highestpeaks reaching to an elevation of be-tween 8000 and 9000 feet. Betweenthe mountains are deeply-cut valleys,through which a large company mightmarch into the very heart of the moun-tain-region. The m
A dictionary of the . ly after a rain. Projecting intoit wedgewise from the north is the desertof Tih, or wilderness of wandering,of limestone formation. South of thehills of the Tih plateau is a broad beltof sandstone, extending nearly fromSuez to Akabah. South of this is agreat cluster of granite mountains, insuch a rugged, tumbled chaos as scarce-ly to admit of classification, the highestpeaks reaching to an elevation of be-tween 8000 and 9000 feet. Betweenthe mountains are deeply-cut valleys,through which a large company mightmarch into the very heart of the moun-tain-region. The mountain-ranges ex-tend down the east side of Suez anddown the west side of Akabah, the tworanges meeting in an angle at thesouthern portion of the peninsula, wherethe mountains are the most precipitousand elevated, and where they often as-sume fantastic shapes and take on gor-geous colors. This huge range is com-posed of gneiss and granite,- or, moreexactly, of colorless quartz, felspar,green hornblende, and black slate, with. SIN SIN considerable outcropping of is rich in mineral wealth of iron,copper, and turquoise, so that theEgyptians called it the land of copper. jMines were once extensively worked inthis region by the ancient Egyptiansand others, but they have been longneglected. The most important wereprobably the mines of Maghara, situ-ated on the slope of a precipitousmountain, about 145 feet from thebottom of the valley. The opening isbroad but low, and the shaft pene-trates the rock to a considerable depth,numerous pillars having been left tosupport the roof. From these a tur-quoise of a beautiful green color wastaken, and copper was found togetherwith a species of malachite. The minerswere condemned criminals and prison-ers of war. See a striking account ofthis mining in Ebers Uarda. History.—This region was known andsettled nearly as early as Egypt first Pharaoh, having conquered themountain-tribes, claimed to have dis-covered the mines. T
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookpublishernp, bookyear1887
