Wed May 8. [8 May 1907] Grey and clouds blowing up over K. Euren
D. One donkey not enough, so F. [Fattuh] rode off into the village and
reappeared driving another. So we set off at 7 and at first rode round
the mt above the R. [Roman] Road that Ramsay told me to find. Then
I saw the old Konia [Konya (Iconium)] road beneath in the valley and
went down to it but cd see no definite trace of the R. road. So to Eiret
round about which is a large tract of rujm. Many old stones in the
houses, and some bits of carving, worked with a rude cross mostly. A
couple of mouldings in the mosque wall and 2 double columns in the
little court. Also an inscribed sarcoph. Very cold and rained hard.
We rode S up a valley where there were many traces of paved road
and so up onto basalt, the blocks cut away for the road and much
paving but I do not think it was Roman. Just above Bulunia a pinacle
of rock with some square cut caves in it and a ruined wall on top, but I
cd not get up. Across a deep valley at Bulunia in streaming rain and
up the other sides onto a mt plateau. The rain stopped and the sun
came out a little. Round under the foot of Kajali D and down into the
valley at the bottom of which is Tulasa, a small village. Up the
opposite side again and down a little across a plain and so up onto
the hill where Kilisra stands. The basalt breaks out again here and all
round the village there are broken walls of it honey combed with rock
cut houses. The village itself is built in and among them. We arrived
about 2. Rode through it to find an oda and were shown 2 perfectly
disgusting ones near the mosque above stinking stables. I definitely
refused to lodge there and was taken back to the first house in the
village where there is a charming oda on the roof of Shakir Agha's
house. Here I waited for a little and eat bread for my lunch was with
the donkey and I had had none. It was now fine again and I went out
and saw all the caves to the N of the village. They are evidently
houses, niches and seats and fireplaces, often rooms one above the
other approached by rock cut steps which have broken away often
(the rock is very soft). A sort of conglomerate. Most of the doors are
square; some have a rough arch inscribed round the door (in one I
saw a rude attempt at representing columns and caps) some a
pediment. Some have the front cut away in an arcade which is carried
round the corner in a single arch. In many the whole rock is broken
away and only the back wall remains. Nearly all have sort of divans
along the walls, many a deep niche like a fireplace, but no opening
for smoke. Many have small windows. After tea I went to the S of the
village crossing the lovely valley full of flowering fruit trees and
scented with apple blossom. One of the two big arched caves has an
inscrip over the arch. It is elaborately cut inside with arches against
the inner wall and a staircase which leads nowhere. (In one on the E
of the village I saw the imitation ribs of a barrel vault). There is near it
an open cave with 2 arches which may have been a tomb.
Something like a grave is cut into the floor. This sort of grave in
several. In the valley below the village is one with rude horseshoe
arched niches inside and out something like the Selleh[?] chapel. In
this village are 3 feather tailed Slughy dogs. They do not know where
they came from. The houses here are not really very different in plan
from the caves. They are built one above the other with ladders
between like the caves. My host's big room which is charming, is no
more nor less than a cave and the horses are lodged in the big vaults
of it. You go in from the top climbing and burrowing down.