Tuesday May 1. [1 May 1900] The Kaimakam sent me down a soldier as Khayyab. I went with him over the baths and up to the Seraia where I thanked the K. - for nothing! He was in his nightgown. Then came some bargaining for glass which had to be conducted secretly, and I was off at 7.30 over the corn covered plain. Passed Umm el Maiyadin [Umm al Mayadin] on the right and rode through Taiyibeh [At Tayyibah] where we watered our horses at a big pool. They seem always to keep their water in open birkets here. A fine Roman bridge on the E of the town. Left the mules and turned off to the north to Jizeh [Jizah] where I saw the first real stone house, 4 square with a little cornice running round near the top, a stone door, an arch in the middle of the house, supporting stone rafters. Stone corbels stuck out to meet them (these are often curved prettily and carved with acanthus leaves at the corners.) No window. Another bigger and more ruined had been turned into a mosque. It had also stone rafters. Lunched here and rode on to Ghusam [Ghasm] where I saw a fine stone door leading into a courtyard and some perforated windows built into the walls. From here we followed the R. road, seeing Bosrah [Busr'a ash Sham] in front of us, black and imposing. The castle and the Triumphal Arch stood out finely. Got there at 4. I hurried off to photograph the arch. Walked over the heaps of ruins to the Carrefour where I photographed another arch, then 4 columns and the temple. Here the Ma'mur appeared upon the scene and took me to the Mosque of Omar, where we ascended the minaret and looked over all the ruins and the square towers. To the {east} west is a mazar mosque called El Khudr, to the east a big church to which we went. The road passes under some arches. We saw the ruined baths in which is the Maamur's house. The debris[?] have risen so much often that they come up to the capitals of the columns, so the arcade outside the Mosque of Omar. Went into many houses and saw columns, capitals, perforated windows built into the walls. To the north of the church is another on the wall, to the south an enormous church with people living all inside it. Near here is another big ruined building with the columns of the doorway standing. We went to the great birket full of water on the SE end of the town and entered a mosque at the E end. It had a ruined fountain near it. Then up to the top of the Kalaa where I was introduced to the Rais el Askari, given coffee and cigarettes on the roof, arak and water inside. So home to dinner and bed. A little new moon.