Sat 21. [21 January 1905] Got up soon after dawn and bathed in the
river - a cold business. Left the servants to pack and rode off myself
soon after 8. Passed round 2 headlands - this was the battlefield of
the Seleucids and the Ptolomies - Antiochus the Great fought here.
Reached Sidon [Saida] about 12, delicious hot day with a little cloud.
Left my horse in the 1st khan and took a boy to show me the town.
Saw 3 mosques - Abu Nabhleh, which was the Crusader church of St
Michael: it is a small crypt like building with a groined roof, another
which was of rough Arab work with arches of inlaid marbles over the
doors and a few old columns with rough capitals which I take to have
been Arab also; and the Jamia al Keberih[?] which was the church of
St John: it fell into ruin and was completely restored 2 years ago and
there is consequently nothing of interest but a few big columns and
very rough capitals. Then to the top castle Kala'at el Mezzeh where
there is nothing to be seen but the rubbish heaps on which Murray
says the [sic] threw the shells of the purple. Got permission from the
Zabit (who was busy having his head shaved completely bald at the
time) to lunch on the Kala'at el Bagh and returned to the khan to wait
for Sima'n who had gone shopping. Drank coffee meantime with an
old party who owns the carriages that drive to Beyrout [Beyrouth
(Beirut)]. (I made friends on my way to Saida with one who had ridden
in from Beirout to buy fish at Saida - at Beirut it is very dear. He starts
before dawn and takes 8 hours - next day he rides back. All along the
sands they were selling the beautiful oranges of Saida - the speciality
is blood oranges, they call them wardeh. I had left the road and had
to ford the Nahr el Awwali which was pretty deep. I lunched on top of
the castle. The foundations are probably very old for they are made
of large dressed stones. The walls are built up of bits of old buildings
- great pieces of columns laid across in them. Left a little before 2 - a
great line of the Lebanon [Liban, Jebel] white with snow on one side -
and rode past the cemetery and the orange gardens out into a wide
plain on which the carriage road shortly ceased. Round a big bay
and on the headland came to our camping ground, 'Ain el Kantarah,
most delightful a bit of short sandy grass by the edge of the sea.
Gorgeous sunset and the moon rose behind the Lebanon but is
hidden behind light cloud. Saida shows white on the coast and far
away one can just see the Ras Beirut. The combination of sea and
snow mountains is very lovely. The muleteers have taken the horses
and mules to a neighbouring khan. There is a great noise of frogs in
the little marsh by the 'ain. Wonderful warm night. I learnt [Arabic
characters] as I rode this afternoon. It is a poem of which any
literature might be proud and I know no finer 6 couplets. The spirit of it
is so admirable.