[by George Horsfield and possibly Agnes Conway]
​G. H.
​
In excavating shaft grave the 3rd down in front of Triple Dushara Tomb – certain pots were found when the shaft was excavated - this being full of sand and stones. The chamber is nearly full to the roof with sand – it is about 2 m. high.  In the centre 50 cents. above the floor has been found a “charred” mass of bones and on top pots – evidently a burial with offerings?  
 
The pots – some of them have been found before – but this is the first group – we have examined 47 graves up to date and 3 have given evidence of an undisturbed burial while the rest gave indication of the method employed.  
 
AEC and Dr Nielsen climbed Jebel en Mer in the morning.  The stairs are in fairly good preservation, but very small; not comparable to those up El Hubta or el Biyara, and we were both unable to see why Jebel en Mer should have been called a special holy mountain.  (It wasn’t)!  There is not even one Dushara niche on it!  Dalman’s 1st sanctuary consists merely of two water basins to catch water from the mountain, opposite a small cave with a made door.  On the way up to the terrace on which it is is the small relief of a Roman soldier.  The top of the mountain is small in area and strewn with Byzantine pottery.  One large cave with remains of a staircase going up to it, has a lot on the ground. The rest of the area, all embraced in Dalman’s sanctuary No. 2, looks merely like a water-collecting system to fill a large Byzantine ? cistern lying below it which has a low curved arch in position.  The stones are very large.  Some stones lying above the water system may have belonged to a dwelling of some sort, but I could make nothing of it.  

Visited the dig in the afternoon and started exploring the ridge behind our camp for the first time. It begins with houses, probably a continuation of the Siyagh quarter, and goes on with tombs, some of which look as though they may have undisturbed burials. 
 
The interest of the find of Nabataean pottery with an undisturbed burial, fired me to write my first letter to Henry Mond.

Reference: Horsfield, G. [and possibly Conway, A.] 1929 (transcribed by A. Thornton). Petra Exploration Fund Diary. "Business Papers to be Kept", Horsfield Collection Box 8, UCL Institute of Archaeology, 28 April: 59-60. ​

[possibly George Horsfield and Agnes Conway]
​
Removed from Ma’aisera to Syagh [sic] and cleared two rooms and seven graves and three Tomb chambers – found nothing.  Operating on a shaft grave which has produced so far from the shaft a glass bottle – a fragment of lamp – and a piece of pierced stone-diamonds which has probably formed part of a window grill.
 
Ma’aisera has belied its hoary appearance.  It seems certain from the facts and evidence obtained that it dates from near 1 BC or 14 A.D. allowing a margin on either side.  The Assyrian Tombs do not seem more ancient.  Two arrangements of insides were noticed – a single grave deep and large at the side – which took nearly half floor area – or this in combination with niches at the back for burials, or alone.  The Tombs with Dushara symbols (Triple Dushara Tomb) from the fact of cremation were the most interesting – but as no pottery or object was found then date is uncertain – but in the case of others (No. 3 below particularly) a large amount of “burnt” bones was obtained in fragments – and the signs of burning have been noted on several occasions – but never with the conclusive evidence as to means as that obtained in Triple Dushara in five cases. 
 
The use of sand has obtained in every tomb or grave opened which was wholly or partially undisturbed – and the disappearance of the corpse caused the sand to fall and in several cases where the covers were in place there was a space between the sand and the cover.  
 
The burial images were various – the austere Dushara method with nothing – with the symbol carved in the wall above and at its side a lamp niche – or a profusion of common pots – an iron ring and a bronze cylindrical vessel or just a juglet at the feet.  
 
A.E.C. spent the morning photographing in the Farasas; exploring the Wady en Iver [sic], where Dalman calls a room with a horned altar scratched on the walls a sanctuary, and trying in vain to find the inscription to the Divine Obodat at the end of the En Iver [sic] Valley.  Neither Brunnow nor Dalman give instructions that can be followed on the spot. Photographed in the Siyagh in the afternoon and went to the dig on El Habis with Mr Horsfield. 

Reference: [unsigned, possibly Horsfield, G. and Conway, A.] 1929 (transcribed by A. Thornton). Petra Exploration Fund Diary. "Business Papers to be Kept", Horsfield Collection Box 8, UCL Institute of Archaeology, 1 May: 63-65. 

[possibly by Agnes Conway]
​
Photographed the Siyagh from El Habis, El Habis from El Ma’aisera and the Deir ridge from the latter.  It takes almost a whole morning to take 6 half-plate photographs in different places if it entails setting the thing up afresh each time.  

To the Deir in the afternoon, looking at the Roman houses and cisterns and grasping that the Temple is not a tomb, but has the outline of a horned altar in the niche.  The water channel from the Mountains that feed the row of cisterns is the largest I have seen in Petra.  Dalman’s so-called sanctuary No. 496, which looked like a grave in the distance, is a Syrian arched entrance to a trichinium with a Roman horned altar on the left.  I imagine it must be a house, and is the only one I know with an arched entrance in Petra. The view over the Ghor at sunset was clear and all the Sinai peninsular visible to me for the first time.  The light beyond the black Siyagh was extra-ordinarily beautiful.  

Reference: [unsigned, possibly Conway, A.] 1929 (transcribed by A. Thornton). Petra Exploration Fund Diary. "Business Papers to be Kept", Horsfield Collection Box 8, UCL Institute of Archaeology, 3 May Part 2: 66-67. ​

[possibly by both George Horsfield and Agnes Conway] 

One grave in South group produced pots of no great interest.  At the N. end the Tomb remarked yesterday has grown more interesting – a doorway with an arched moulding over an architrave has appeared North of the Crack.  The doorway was found from inside and is now in process of being dug out.  One piece of pottery has turned up.  Red painted in black – new pattern – fragment.  
 
A.E.C. and Dr. Nielsen went to the Wady el Darraj, after seeing the Khazneh, to find Dalman’s 4th sanctuary of El Kantarah – Dr Nielsen found this and regarded it as quarry cutting, after A.E.C. had got tired of looking and departed with Mahmud to the Wady Muzlim to see the Sik tunnel.  This is a huge cutting in the white rock; very long and very impressive. She walked the whole length of the wady, with Mahmud’s help, till it suddenly ended in the Sidd el Magin. There are remains of a stone built arch towards the N.  The rock pools were full of water at the bottom of precipices of red sandstone; and Mahmud 4 times lifted her down the precipice and waded with her in his arms to safety!  
 
Photographed houses on El Habis in the afternoon.

Reference: [unsigned, possibly Horsfield, G. and Conway, A.] 1929 (transcribed by A. Thornton). Petra Exploration Fund Diary. "Business Papers to be Kept", Horsfield Collection Box 8, UCL Institute of Archaeology, 6 May: 68-69. 

[By George Horsfield] 
​
Transported the party to El Barid for third and final visit.  Spent 2 ½ hours examining site – especially the double Ba’al at W. end. This is carved from the rock in a continuation of the Sik to the West and is reached by a flight of steps about 30! Siks seem to be the product of a fissure in the [blank] sandstone  which is then filled in with a perpendicular stratification which is softer and more friable – the sides have a crystalline coating of a slight thickness – one or two cents.  This stratification being weaker and character wears away, hence these splits in the rocks.  The El Barid is incomplete and man has manufactured an image of God out of it. The same stratification are frequently used for carving stairs out of at Petra.  The image is about 6 metres high, separated on both sides from the walls - which on S side is a narrow passage – on the other narrower by which you may climb on top.  The front shows a Dushara and on left Allah in the usual manner.  The [sic] look roughly square from the ground and  [blank] worn.  The cutting between A & D is continued all the length of the rock which is some 8 metres – it is shallow about 15 cents. wide and varies in depth, never more than 30 cents.  It is not straight but curves at W slightly to N.  Its purpose seems to have been to isolate the images so that at the moment the solar Disk sank to this level, they would stand out black and distinct – as indeed they would to-day if a tree did not intervene.  
 
Continued on to the Numara pass passing two obelisks on left – on one pedestal carved in rock. The way was easy to find as it is a continuation of path formerly taken past Hormuz.  The road is pleasant until it falls into the Wadi below phosphoritic ridge – when it becomes very difficult and tortuous.  The road is used by camels for the remains of a lately dead and devoured one were seen by side of road.  This journey took 1 ½ hours – found pools of water after recent rains. 
 
Returned directly to Petra and arrived back at 5.0 pm having been out 11 hours – mostly on horseback. 

Reference: Horsfield G. 1929 (transcribed by A. Thornton). Petra Exploration Fund Diary. "Business Papers to be Kept", Horsfield Collection Box 8, UCL Institute of Archaeology, 10 May: 72-74.

[possibly by Agnes Conway]

A.E.C. rode with Mr Horsfield to Al Khan and the Birka and climbed up to the castle of El Wejra from the West, in the morning. Photographed the large triclinium house in the Hadrianic suburb in the afternoon.  

Reference: [unsigned, possibly Conway, A.] 1929 (transcribed by A. Thornton). Petra Exploration Fund Diary. "Business Papers to be Kept", Horsfield Collection Box 8, UCL Institute of Archaeology, 11 May Part 1: 74. 

[By George Horsfield]
​
Nearing to El Guaiweiyka which lies to N of road to Sik.  Arrived there and were in doubts as to passage – sent men out to explore. Returning, descended into bed of wad. All the directions hopeless – taken from book!  Got up without difficulty – quite uninteresting – nor is it large – or strong; it may be crusading but the work is feeble and mostly built with mud.  Saw remains of walls, towers and reservoirs.  Observed steps on two flights to NW apparently Nabataean – also apse end of chapel with Birket under.  It lies same level as surroundings but is cut off by deep Wad - all ascents from this were protected so that it was strong – from raids – but incapable of standing a siege with engines.  
 
Returned same way but mounted by bridge – but it was difficult to see how bridge joined the two sides.  It is in a very bad state – saw reservoir on land side.  There seemed to be no road.

Reference: Horsfield G. 1929 (transcribed by A. Thornton). Petra Exploration Fund Diary. "Business Papers to be Kept", Horsfield Collection Box 8, UCL Institute of Archaeology, 11 May Part 2: 75-76.

[By George Horsfield]
May 12th. 
 
Busy packing.
 
May 13th.  
 
Do.