Bayvda Dessert. 207 Section 3. — " Bayuda Desekt."

The tract of country north of Kordofan, i.e., north of N. lat. 16° (approximately), bounded on the north and east Geueral. by the Nile and on the west by the Wadi Melh has been called the Bayuda Desert, though this name is not applied to it by the Arabs.

It is inhabited by nomad Arabs, viz., on the east by the Kababish, chiefly the Omatto section under Sheikh Fadl Inhabitants. Mula Wad Rekha ; in the centre by the Hawawir, of which the Sauarab is the most important sub-tribe, under Sheikh Hassan Khalifa ; and on the east by the Hassania, whose headquarters are at Jebel Gilif and Jakdul. In the extreme north, in the angle formed by the bend of the Nile, are the Monasir, who are, however, a sedentary tribe. These above-mentioned nomads wander a great deal according to the grazing, on the existence or absence of which, in many cases, depends the fact of wells being open or not.

BAYUDA DESERT ARABS.

The Arabs cultivate their dura in certain well-known wadis, mostly in the more southern districts, according to Cultivation, the rainfall, which is, as a rule, not heavy, and very local, and varies considerably from year to year.

The W. El Melh is a broad shallow depression, frequently a mile or more in width, having its origin near Um Wadi Melh. Badr. It is inhabited here and there by the Kababish. It reaches the Nile at Debba, though it has long since ceased, if ever, to discharge water into that river. For further description of this wadi, vide Route Report Dongola to El Fasher, Part III. This route is now seldom, if ever, used. Vide also report on El Ein, p. 210.

The next wadi of importance in this district is the Wadi Mogaddam which has its origin near Bagbag, about Wadi f)0 miles south-west of Omdurman, and joins the Nile near Korti after a course of about 200 miles in length- For Mogaddam. description of this wadi and the wells, etc., in it, ride Route Report Gabra to Korti, Part III.

The wells of Gabra in the Wadi Mogaddam, nearly 60 miles north-west of Omdurman, are an important Arab (Jabra. . centre, there being many wells and a good deal of cultivation in the neighbourhood. The Arabs are principally Kababish, but Geriat and Hassania also come here. Gabra is under the Governor of Khartoum, but the boundaries of Dongola, Berber, and Kordofan Provinces are all within a few miles of it.