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Diary entry by Gertrude Bell

Reference code
GB/2/10/2/28
Creator
Bell, Gertrude Margaret Lowthian
Creation Date
Extent and medium
1 entry, paper
Person(s)
Strzygowski, Josef
Language
English
Location
Coordinates

37.7626487, 30.553705

Sunday Ap 28. [28 April 1907] Up at 5 and off at 6 by my watch but I
think I am fast, it was really about 5.30. I sent Fattuh with the camp to
Isbarta [Isparta] and took a sawari, by name Ahmed, with me into the
bare hills. We rode for 9 miles along the Adalea [Antalya (Adalia,
Attalea)] road most lovely with the snowy mt tops standing round.
Then we turned to the left up a narrow path and passed a lovely
chiflik, Chinar, belonging to a ..... native of Buldur [Burdur] - he has two
others. Lots of cattle just being driven out. Then we passed Tashkafu
and after that we went up a high pass and dropped down very steeply
into a lovely little plain set round with mts, onto the village, Bash K. 1/2
an hour more brought us to Aghlasun at 10.15 by my watch. The
village is most beautifully situated and full of worked stones from
Sagalassos [Sagalassus]. I noticed in the fountains a sarcoph with
winged angels holding up wreaths, another with two portrait heads,
round arches like niche arches. Columns and a bit of a roofstone
worked inside with ....... and figures in each. We took another soldier
and rode up an hour to Sagalassos. After passing a few broken
sarcoph we came out suddenly onto the theatre, the cavea half full of
snow. Most wonderful and lovely. Lunched there and walked down
through ruins by the sacred way to the ruins of the temple. A
Corinthian necropolis on the neck[?] of mt between the temple and the
acrop. Purple crocus, blue scilla, the spurge not out, aromatic tufts[?].
All the sarcoph worked apparently but much weatherworn and
broken. So up through an Ionic building to a building in antis at the
theatre level above what I take to have been the agora - a platform
with ruins round. At this building there was a bit of a fine vine scroll
frieze and a figure in relief. Above on the rocks funeral niches. Further
on at the very edge of the plateau the church. The cornice very fine,
heads outside and dancing figures inside beneath a rillen frieze.
Fluted columns, no caps visible. Also an elaborate acanthus
moulding. All the mouldings very classical - egg and dart, bead and
reel etc. An old man in the village had told us the road was blocked
with snow, but the soldiers said it was passable. Left Sagalassos at
2.15, top of the pass at 2.45, some snow drifts, much water. The
acrop. hill well seen from above, in the pass. The north side all snow,
plunged down it for 1/2 an hour, very difficult going. Then down into
the valley for 2 hours by the stream which we crossed and recrossed.
Very rough going. Noticed in 2 places solid foundations of big
stones - bridges? At last a few willows and poplars, then the spurge
began to flower and the cherries came into bloom and so to Isbarta at
5.15, the great Egerdir D snow covered in front of us. Found my camp
pitched in a vineyard opposite to it and dismissed the local
authorities with short shrift. Exquisite camp. The full moon rose
behind the mt through a screen[?] of bare poplars. Wrote and dined
out of doors. Owls. My suwari Ahmed says the Takhtajis are without
religion, without mosque or church or book and say no prayers. They
are found in all these hills. They live in tents. A few stunted pines on
the hills today, otherwise bare. I rode Fattuh's grey horse today. He
went excellently though he be mal'un.

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