Thurs 27. [27 April 1905] Off at 6 with Ali Onbashi and Fattuh. Awful
scene with Mikhail because I put Fattuh on his horse. He declared he
would stay behind - and did! We rode across a little bit of plain and
up into rocky hills covered with wild olive and bay and serkis. After 2
hours or so we came to some Yuruk tents and a charming old man
guided us into the next valley. There we left our horses and Fattuh
and I climbed up the hill to Shehir. Quite a big town, lots of tombs one
with a recumbent figure. All the building very poor - the ornament
despicable or non existing. Found a very curious church which I was
about to measure when I found I had left my pencil in my saddle bags.
At that moment one sent from Heaven appeared and produced a
scrap of pencil. So back to the horses and to a Yuruk encampment
where I lunched under a tree at 10.30 with gifts of milk and eiren and
coffee to follow. Ali meantime was given a large repast[?]. I might
give no tips. So down hill to a ruined site marked in Kiepert. I made
out a very small church apse but it was too ruined to do anything with.
The large buildings perhaps a fortified monastery. It seemed to stand
round a court. Down to a kahwe[?] by the sea and so along a good
road between myrtle and olive to Lamas at the bottom of the gorge.
There is a ruined castle on a mound and a khan by the river. It began
to rain hard and hail. We rode on and passed under an enormous
acqueduct [sic] which runs to Korghas [Corycus]. Then inland and up
a hill at the top of which we passed the gate of Ak Kale. Saw several
Roman milestones. Violent hail and when we got to the place we had
told the mules to camp, they were not there. An old man told us they
had tried the water, found it bad and gone on to Injirle Keui, no, Ayash
it turned out to be, another hour. The road and sands were thick and
deep in hail of enormous size. The leaves and green beans of the
Kharob trees all knocked off. At every valley we saw the great
acqueduct. So we reached our tents at 4 and found that Mikhail was
not there and a zaptieh had come from Alata to ask what was to be
done with him. The mules had only just arrived and were busy
pitching tents in a marsh. I had tea and walked round to see the
masses of tombs. There is a big theatre just opposite to me and a
temple on the hilltop to the right. Between me and the sea is an
immense columned building and the apse of a church but all the rest
is deep in blown sand. Fattuh cooked my dinner and I wrote letters to
various consuls till bed time. I met with Mullah Muhammad in a tomb
and engaged him to guide me next day.