Mon. Ap 19. [19 April 1909] Left Samarra at 6.35. The ground under
the Dar el Khalifa is called 'Ard el Mutabtab - the tradition being that
the Khalif used to pitch his tents there. At 7.30 we passed a small
heap of ruins called Chehfet (Kehfet) Umm el Fayyeh. At 8.15 we got
to Sehnass[?] where we stayed till 8.30. At 8.35 to Sheikh Waly which
is a very large enclosure, it is of pebbles and mud - it took us 10
minutes to ride over it. I suppose this is the place marked in Kiepert
as Eski Baghdad. I understand that the whole country from El 'Ibreh to
Jisr er Resas bears that name. We rode through the first court into the
triangle where the Sheikh's tomb is and so to the Kasr at the corner of
the triangle. We then crossed a water course and watered our horses
at the river. We passed a ruined group of parallel chambers bearing
the same name as the little kasr. Continuous ruins here. At 9.30 we
passed Es Surba, much ruined. At 9.55 passed Es Suk leaving it on
the right - it seems to be very much ruined. They say there are
parallel chamber ruins in it. At 10.15 we got to Abu Dalaf. I stayed till 3
working at it and then rode a little to the north to see ruins which turned
out to be only seradib covered with plaster and cut out of the hard
pebbly ground. So back to camp which is on the high bank over the
river. Our tents pitched inside a great enclosure, much ruined but
parts of the high libin walls remain. A little to the S there is another ruin
of pebbles and mud. Ahmeh, my charming guide, returned to
Samarra on a kelek.