…a thorough knowledge of the language eliminates a not infrequent error made by travelers whose acquaintance with Arabic is imperfect- that of indicating as place names words which in reality are merely generic…
-John Kirtland Wright, Geographical Review, April 1927
Jebel al-Jamal, Mountain of the He-Camel. Nuqtat al-Naaqa, Point of the She-Camel. ‘Idd al-Ibl, Wells of the Collective Camels. Hillat al-Hashi, Hamlet of the Young Camel…etc, etc…These are not real places. You won’t find any of them among the 20,000 entries of the Gazetteer of Sudanese Geographical Names published by the US Defense Mapping Agency for God knows what reason. They are just places that I remember from the trail.
KhairAllah remembers them differently. The Sand Dune Where Luwees Couldn’t Couch His Camel. The Resting Place Where Luwees Didn’t Recognize His Camel. The Watering Site Where Luwees Drank His Tea Before the Others Had Hobbled Their Camels. The Camp Where Luwees Kept the Camels Awake with His Snoring. It makes for more interesting story telling.