Sunday May 14. Dearest Mother. I left Diarbekr [Diyarbakir (Amida)] on Thursday 11th, had 2 long days' journey to Wiransheher [Viransehir] - the first 12 and the second 11 hours. The first day was through very charming country, rolling hills, partly cultivated and partly covered with oak woods which were in their first most delicious leaf. We camped near a tiny deserted village - the people had all gone out into tents for the spring pasturage - by a stream, in deep beautiful grass. Next day was not so pleasant for the country dropped slowly down into the Mesopotamian plain; it was a wilderness of basalt blocks, partly concealed by grass. Moreover it was rainy, windy and grey. Wiransheher was the head quarters of Ibrahim Pasha, the famous Kurd who was in league with Abdul Hamid. His overthrow was the first act of the Constitutional Govt. and though it was accomplished in a manner rather barbaric, there can be no doubt that the country has profitted by it. His sons have, since their father's death, been pursued by the vengeance of their rivals, men in no way better than Ibrahim Pasha, but less determined, less powerful. Three are now detained in Diarbekr - the eldest of them came to see me there, praying me to intercede for them with Mahmud Shevket Pasha - which I shall do if I go to C'ple [Istanbul (Constantinople)] for I think the time for mercy has arrived. Before I left Wiransheher I called on Ibrahim Pasha's widow - or one of his widows - Khanza Khatun, a very remarkable woman. She was renowned for her beauty and though she is now old, you can see the traces of it in the fine shape of the face and in the splendid carriage of the head. Her deep set eyes have some of the old fire in them and as she came out to greet me she looked "like one who wins and not like one who loses." We sat together on a carpet outside the house by the edge of a spring, among willow trees: it was early morning, the women were churning the sour curds in skins hung from the willow branches. The men of her household stood back while we discussed her position and the possibility of the sons' return. She manages all the estates, which are still very large, during their absence. She wore a long European man's coat over her dress, and an Arab cloak over that; on her head the male keffiyeh, silk kerchief, bound over the brow with a thick roll of black silk. I looked back after I had bidden her farewell and mounted; she stood under the willow trees with shrouded head and gazed after me with her deep set eyes - a very striking figure. "Rijal![?]" murmured Fattuh as we rode away. "She is a man!" I must relate to you another silly talk with Fattuh. He made for me in Diarbekr some very good little mutton sausages. "Oh Fattuh" said I thinking to improve my Arabic "what is the name of these?" "Effendim?" said Fattuh "these? their name is sossigio." We rode straight south over the desert from Wiransheher to Ras el 'Ain [R'as al 'Ayn]. It was all deep in grass and flowers but since there is little or no water, I saw no living soul for the greater part of the way, which is a very long one. I expected to find at Ras el Ain no other person than Oppenheim who had told me he was going to excavate a Hittite mound here this spring. The mound is here, Hittite stones and all complete, but no Oppenheim. I cannot think what has become of him. However I found here charming old Mr Andrus, from Mardin; we had arranged to meet here and I had sent him a telegram from Diarbekr saying I should arrive on Saturday. We have spent a delightful day in spite of Oppenheim's absence. Ras el 'Ain is the head of the Khabur. The river starts here, full fledged, in a series of great springs, very beautiful to see. The mounds of many successive towns are scattered round these immense pools, and last of all a Circassian colony has reinhabited the site, delightful people by whom we have been entertained with much tea and cakes. When first they came here, 40 years ago, they began building villages and cultivating all down the Khabur, but the Govt (very unwisely) left them to take care of themselves and they had to withdraw before the lawlessness of the desert. They would have been a fine wedge of settled civilization driven into the wilderness. There was, by the way, a great Shammar raid across this country 10 days ago - Shammar against Shammar, they leave the Circassians in peace for they are afraid of them. Nor will they touch me. Did I tell you that I got my permit for the citadel church in Diarbekr from Mahmud Shevket? It was a great triumph but unfortunately the church proved to be not very interesting. I can't see any reason to believe that it is earlier than the 9th century. However anyway it's done. The Government is 2 hours from here and I sent a message to the Kaimmakam and asked him for zaptiehs to Harran [Altinbasak (Carrhae)]. He replied with the enclosed epistle. Fortunately the arrival of the zaptiehs was a demonstrable fact, though the letter is difficult to understand, but perhaps you, being a better master of the French tongue than I am, will be able to make more of it.
Urfa [Sanliurfa (Edessa)] Thurs 18. [18 May 1911] We had two long and rather difficult days from Ras el Ain [R'as al 'Ayn] to Harran [Altinbasak (Carrhae)]. The way lay over a very arid desert called the Jebel Tektek [Tektek Daglari] - it isn't really a mountain, not to notice it at least, but rolling barren ground lifted a little above the level of the Mesopotamian plain. We could get no corn at Ras el 'Ain and therefore had to do the journey on grass, which meant stopping 2 hours in the middle of the day to let the horses feed - and there was really nothing for them to feed on. Then there was also trouble about a guide; my soldiers knew nothing of the desert way and I set out from Ras el 'Ain with only a compass to direct me, and a map. But the good old head of the Circassians, Hassan Beg, sent a boy after me and it was as well he did, for though we should probably have found a way through, the water was scanty in the extreme and not easy to find. The first day we met no people and saw only the very smallest traces of former habitation. The second day we passed a very interesting fortress - I expect it was a part of Justinian's line of fortification against the Persians, but unfortunately I had not time to plan it: lack of food obliged us to push on. Then we came to a large ruined town, quite deserted and full of dead sheep. The only inscriptions I saw were Cufic but I think it must go back to an earlier period. There was a large encampment of Arabs not far from it and near them we stopped and pastured our horses. Soon afterwards we reached the crest of the high ground and saw the great mound of Harran Bellow us, two or 3 hours away in the fertile plain. We got into camp at 7 PM having started that morning soon after 5 AM. Harran is said to be the place where Abraham met Rebecca, at any rate it was out of this region that the Jewish tribes migrated to Canaan, and the huge village mounds that are scatterd thickly over the plain are an indication of its early importance. I had come there to see the ruins of a very splendid mosque of the early Abbasid period. We camped in the great court and I spent nearly 3 hours next morning photographing it stone by stone. It was wonderfully interesting. There is no town now, only a collection of mudbuilt huts inhabited by half-settled Arabs, and the mound with an immense ruin field round it, all inclosed by the remains of a fine stone wall. There was a very ancient moon cult here, as old as Abraham probably; the Emperor Julian came to propitiate the goddess before he set out on his fatal campaign. So we rode into Urfa over the fertile plain, and were not sorry for once to have done with desert and with marches 12 hours' long. The town lies on the lower slopes of the hills, and I camped above it in a terraced garden which was once a café but has fallen into disuse, fortunately for us. I have spent the day here: it's a beautiful place and like Harran and Hierapolis it goes back into the dimmest mists of Oriental history, of which it preserves the memory in sacred pools stocked with unmolested fish which may not be caught because (though the pious Mohammadan who says his prayers by the Pool of Abraham and feeds the fish with corn is unaware of the reason) - because they were once consecrated to the goddess Atergatis. The pool itself with its mosque and cypress trees is one of the loveliest places I have seen in Turkey. I spent a long time there under pretence of feeding the fish but really because after weary days of desert it was impossible to drag oneself away from the beauty of clear water and trees and graceful towers. Then I called on all the authorities who were most pleasant and came back to lunch in my high garden. The town was in a great state of excitement because of the arrival of a division of infantry on their way from Diarbekr [Diyarbakir (Amida)] to Yemen - whence few of them will return, poor dears. I could see them marching in along the road and when they neared their camp, which is in the plain Bellow mine, I rode down and photographed their arrival, having been specially invited by the Commandant to do so. Then I met one of the American missionaries, whom I had seen once in Aleppo [Halab], and went with him to have tea with his wife, and I am now going to dine with them.

Birejik [Birecik] Sat 20. [20 May 1911] We left Urfa [Sanliurfa (Edessa)] on Friday morning. Our way lay through rolling country, partly cultivated and of no very great interest. It was diversified by our meeting many caravans of Aleppine muleteers with whom my men exchanged greetings and finally by meeting Meissner Pasha, who is at the head of the Baghdad rly construction, with 6 engineers, all going down to Baghdad on rly business. I knew he was on the road and when we met I stopped and told him who I was and we had a little talk - I wish it had been longer for I became deeply attached to him on the spot. However we made an appointment in Baghdad two years hence and he asked me to go and see his wife, who is in Aleppo [Halab], which I shall do. It has become really hot and this morning we set out before sunrise, while it was still cool. But we did not avoid heat, and it is still, at 6 PM, 87¯ in the shade. I do not mind it but it makes the horses languid. Birejik is the Zeugma, one of the most famous of the Euphrates passages. Here Crassus passed over the river to his defeat at Harran [Altinbasak (Carrhae)]: the eagles of the 5th legion turned backwards from the bridge of boats, but he would not heed the omen. The castle stands upon a high ridge of rock, long and narrow like a sword; the town lies clustered at its foot along the steep river bank to the south - a splendid place it is. I have pitched tents on the right bank of the Euphrates, for we have crossed and are now in Syria again. Tomorrow I go to Carchemish [Barak (Karkamis)] in the hope of finding Mr Hogarth there. Reports are various: Meissner Pasha said he had left, but here they tell me he is still at work. Anyway it's not much off my road to Aleppo.

Mon 21 [21 May 1911] Just after I had written to you the Kaimmakam and the Commandant came over to call on me and told me that Mr Hogarth had left but that Mr Thompson was still at Carchemish [Barak (Karkamis)]. Accordingly I went there - it was only 5 hours' ride - and found Mr Thompson and a young man called Lawrence (an interesting boy, he is going to make a traveller) who had for some time been expecting that I would appear. They showed me their diggings and their finds and I spent a pleasant day with them. I was off early this morning and rode over the great undulating North Syrian plains for 11´ hours. It was rather a dull ride though the country was all green with corn, but fortunately there was a wind so that it was not very hot. Mr [letter incomplete]