Thurs 26. [26 April 1900] Up at 5 and after breakfast rode down and photographed the lions on the palace. It was quite cold till the sun rose. All off at 6.30 and up the Wady es Sir [Wadi es Sir], extremely lovely with lots of oak (fash) and also balut, corn fields and a fine cave up above with windows. Passed an encampment of Abbad (Ababid in the plural) and many mills with acqueducts [sic] leading to them, some ruined some working. About 8 we reached Es Sir [Wadi es Sir] a Circassian village, beautifully clean and tidy, from whence a good road led over the hill top to the Zerka [Zarqa] valley (Jebbeh). We reached Es Sir at 8 and Amman ['Amman (Rabbah)] at 10.30 and camped by the stream under the theatre. We promptly lunched, paid a visit to some Circassian ladies, the 2 wives of one man, slept and at 2.30, I went off with a friendly dwarf called Eudris to see the lower ruins - a bridge, thermae, upper bridge, and basilica. A small boy had stolen my crop - I found him and boxed his ears and got my crop back. Near us is the Odeon with some charming elaborate cornices inside. I came back and had tea and went with the Rs [Rosens] up to the Acropolis passing a lovely bit of a mausoleum and some pillars of a temple. The top crowned with walls and ruins which the Circassians are carrying away piecemeal. A temple with the bases of the columns in situ, many bi'rs, a more modern corner fort on the wall and a lovely 4 domed building beautifully niched and carved inside. Many stories of treasure were told us. Came down by a nice path along the hillside, visited the other ruins again drank coffee with a man in the street and so home. Cold night.