Thurs Ap 27. [27 April 1911] Very cloudy, a little rain, cleared later. At
5.45 Temp 54 Bar 26.35. Saw 2 churches, one parochial, a close
imitation of Arnas but the decoration round the apse arch quite flat
palmettes and entrelac and no modelling on the acanthus cap on S.
side of apse. Dedicated to Simon Peter. No cap on N side. The
other a monastery, said to be old but rebuilt and no sign of old work
about it. Round tower in centre of court said to be belfry. Off at 7 and
rode up to Khirbet Sheresh where there is a ruined village and small
church of Mar Yuhanna al Ma'methan. No trace of old work.
Deirendib at 8.45 with caravan. We rode through the shallow stony
valleys till we came to the edge of the Tur 'Abdin and saw a wide
valley beneath us with big hills beyond. Kefr Joz lay at the bottom of
the slope 10. The caravan about 1/4 hr behind us. The valley is at
least 3 miles wide, it was very muddy, all cultivated. Erwan[?] to L 11,
the valley here about 1 mile wide, (side valley) Adidowa to R 11.20,
Khirbeh Tak R 11.40. We saw Marwam up the valley but turned off to
the [space left blank] and rode up a high ridge, reaching the top at
{11.40} 12.25. Lunched till 12.50. So down limestone rocks. Saw the
small castle of Hasn Keif [Hasankeyf] perched high above us. Went
with Muhammad Onbashi to see an inscrip in I know not what
language on a fallen rock - a regular stair leads up to it to the R just
before Hasn Keif. The caravan caught us up as I was photographing
the great honeycombed rock of Hasn Keif and we got to our camping
ground on the Tigris below the ruined town at 3. Lovely afternoon.
The Protestant pastor came to see me and together we went up into
the town and passed through 3 gateways to the top of the castle. A
high liwan on the angle of the rock with 2 lions over the window - it will
shortly fall with all the rock into the river. On the opposite side a large
piece of rock fell this year ruining several shops, and there is more to
come. Quite splendid view from the top. Called on the Mudir, a Turk
from Diarbekr [Diyarbakir (Amida)]and the Sanitary Inspector, a Turk
from C'ple [Istanbul (Constantinople)]. Two splendid stone minarets
of the 15th c rise high out of the ruined town below, one belonging to
the mosque near the ruined bridge, the other to the J. el Muluk higher
up. The Tigris very high but I was shown two figures, apparently of
warriors carved on the SW side of the first pier in the river, the water
washing up to them. The J. el Muluk contains the tomb of Suleiman,
much destroyed, woodwork all broken and date inscrip gone. Above
it is a more ruined mosque with exquisite work, very bold, on the
mihrab and on the arch before the mihrab. Then to the E an
(unfinished) J. el Banat (no inscrips) and another mosque near the
wall, much ruined with a fragment of inscrip on the gate which I
photographed next day. Some of the paved streets of the town can
still be seen. There is a graveyard (old) outside the wall and the town
seems to have spread far beyond the wall. The whole cliff behind is
honeycombed with caves. Bar 28.1.