Chapter IX: The Making of the Red Sea

Climate, alternations of desert and sea conditions — Hot
sand-bearing winds — Rainfall — Peculiarities of the tide —
Canal-like shape of Red Sea — The great Rift Valley — Origin
of the “Brothers” and “Daedalus Reef” — “Emerald Island” —
The coast and reefs — Maritime plain — Its coral border —
Recent nature of internal structure of coral rock — Elevation
of coastline — Foundations of the reefs — Previous theories
inadmissible — Rawaya peninsula — Three steps on sides of Rift
Valley — Successive elevations — Harbours — Problem of their
origin — A natural promenade — Coast-wise travel — The Shubuk
labyrinth — Summary of history of the Red Sea 118

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS, ETC.

PAGE

Pl. I, Fig. 1. Coast of the _inside cover
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan at beginning_

„ II, „ 2. Map of Red Sea „ „ „ _end_

„ III, „ 3. A sandstorm _frontispiece_

Fig. 4. Plan of Suakin harbour etc. 11

„ 5. Suakin, the Customs House
and Government buildings „

Pl. IV, Fig. 6. Suakin, a mosque (_Photo.
by W. H. Lake, Esq._) _to face_ 13

„ V, „ 7. „ the causeway and
town gate „ 14

„ V, „ 8. „ one of Kitchener’s
forts „ „

„ V, „ 9. Sunset on the Red Sea „ „

„ VI, „ 10. Portrait of a young Hamite „ 15

„ VII, „ 11. An Arabian Sea captain „ 16

„ VII, „ 12. A Bishari „ „

„ VII, „ 13. Negro ex-slave „ „

„ VIII, „ 14. Old Mabrûk, from Zanzibar „ 20

„ VIII, „ 15. Hamitic woman „ „

„ IX, „ 16. Elderly Bishari „ 23

„ X, „ 17. A veteran seaman „ 25

„ X, „ 18. Mutton fat hair dressing „ „

„ X, „ 19. Daggers and amulet „ „

„ X, „ 20. A woman’s hand „ „

„ XI, „ 21. Our camel postman
with native arms „ 28

„ XII, „ 22. Prayer at a Shêkh’s grave „ 36

„ XII, „ 23. Boys with amulets
and lucky stone „ „

„ XIII, „ 24. A prophet’s tomb „ 38

„ XIII, „ 25. A mediaeval tomb „ „

„ XIV, Figs. 26 and 27. Water carriers „ 50

„ XV, Fig. 28. Tent houses „ 54

„ XVI, „ 29. Goats feeding on thorn bushes „ 56

„ XVI, Figs. 30 and 31. Native utensils „ „

„ XVII, „ 32 and 33. Arabian sword dance „ 57

„ XVII, Fig. 34. Hamitic wedding dance „ „

Pl. XVIII, „ 35. Pearling canoes under sail „ 60

„ XVIII, „ 36. A pilgrim _sambûk_ „ „

Fig. 37. Outline of rigging of a _sambûk_ „

„ 38. Diagram of halyard 61

„ 39. Laden _sambûk_ under sail 62

Pl. XIX, Fig. 40. Hamitic fisherman _to face_ 65

„ XIX, „ 41. Small pearling _gatîra_ „ „

„ XIX, „ 42. Large pearling _sambûk_
with ten canoes „ „

„ XX, Figs. 43 to 46. The operations
of a pearl fisher „ 66

„ XXI, Fig. 47. Pearl-divers „ 71

„ XXII, „ 48. Spinning goats’ hair „ 74

„ XXIII, „ 49. Weaving hair cloth „ 80

„ XXIII, „ 50. A marriageable girl „ „

„ XXIV, „ 51. Baby girl with lamb „ 82

„ XXV, Figs. 52 to 57. Sea-anemones and corals „ 84

„ XXVI, Fig. 58. Some stony corals „ 88

„ XXVII, „ 59. A simple colonial coral „ 89

„ XXVIII, „ 60. Common reef building corals „ 91

„ XXIX, Figs. 61 to 63. The mushroom corals „ 92

„ XXX, „ 64 and 65. Stony seaweeds „ 100

„ XXXI, „ 66 to 70. Corals bored by
molluscs and sponges „ 102

Diagram 1. Features of a fringing reef 104

Pl. XXXII, Fig. 71. Reef flat and undercut
cliffs, Rawaya _to face_ 104

Diagram 2. The building of a reef 105

„ 3. Further growth of the reef 106

„ 4. The abrasion of the coast „

„ 5. Formation of fringing reef 107

Pl. XXXIII, Fig. 72. Portion of a reef flat _to face_ 108

„ XXXIII, „ 73. The under surface of
the same stone „ „

„ XXXIV, „ 74. A fringing reef in sandstone,
Cape Verde Islands „ 110

„ XXXIV, „ 75. Embryo reef near Alexandria „ „

„ XXXV, Figs. 76 and 77. Cliffs of “coral rag”
in Zanzibar „ 112

Diagram 6. Formation of atoll by direct growth. (From
Fowler’s _Science of the Sea_: J. Murray) 115

„ 7. Formation of a rift valley 122

„ 8. Atoll growing on summit of a volcanic mound.
(From Fowler’s _Science of the Sea_: J. Murray) 124

Fig. 78. Coast of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan 126

Pl. XXXVI, Fig. 79. Yemêna oasis on
the maritime plain _to face_ 128

Pl. XXXVII, Figs. 80 and 81. Corals on summit
of Jebel Têtâwib „ 129

„ XXXVIII, „ 82 „ 83. Two views in
Yemêna ravine „ 131

Fig. 84. Map of reefs off Port Sudan 137

Diagram 9. Section through Rawaya and Makawar 138

Fig. 85. Map of Rawaya, etc 139

Diagram 10. Levelling action of the sea 140

Pl. XXXIX, Figs. 86 and 87. Two views on Rawaya _to face_ 140

Diagram 11. Reefs off Ras Salak 142

Pl. XL, Fig. 88. In a fault ravine
of Abu Shagarato _to face_ 143

Fig. 89. Sketch of Jebel Têtâwib,
coral and gypsum beds 144

Diagram 12. Three steps on side of Red Sea Rift Valley 145

Figs. 90 and 91. Types of harbours 147-8

ERRATA

p. 88. _For_ Hydniopora _read_ Hydnopora.
p. 120. Halaib is a name unknown to natives, who call
the place Olê. From this the official name is
derived through Arab orthography probably. The
Arabic alphabet is the best possible for its
own language, and the worst for any other.