Sentence:  These dowels appear to be of tamarisk, or <WSD>chittim</WSD>-wood, of which the ark is said to have been constructed, — a sacred tree in ancient Egypt, and now very rarely found in the valley of the Nile. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A type of wood mentioned in the Bible, from which the Ark of the Covenant was constructed.