The road follows the bank of the sea. After 18 min, we leave the 'Ain el-Jehayyir to the left; it contains pretty little fish (Cyprinodon Sophiae), but its brackish water should not be drunk except in case of necessity. We then leave the sea and ascend the Wâdi ed- Dabr, deeply eroded by its brook, and partly overgrown with under wood, where game is said to abound (partridges, wild pigeons, hares, etc.). After 35 min. we enjoy a line view of the Jordan valley and the Dead Sea. The route then leads to the left, skirting a deep ravine, and affording several other points of view. To the right we soon perceive the pass of Nekb Wâdi Mûsâ, and in 35 min. we enter the Wâdi el-Kenêtera. Along the way-side are numerous heaps of stone (shawâhid), in token that En-Nebi Mûsâ is now visible.

En-Nebi Mûsâ (Tomb of Moses'), of which we have no notice earlier than the 13th cent., is a Muslim pilgrim-shrine. Annually, in April, the spot is visited by a great Muslim pilgrimage, accompanied by a number of half-naked fanatical dervishes, who parade the streets of Jerusalem the whole of the previous morning, shouting their 'la ilâha ill-Allâh !'

We continue our ride through the valley. After 40 min. the Jebel el-Kahmûn rises on our right, and we reach the table-land of El-Bukê'a, which ascends towards the S.S.W. This plain is covered with willows in spring, and is frequented by Beduins of the tribe of Htêm. The view hence of the Dead Sea, far below the mountain spurs, is grand and beautiful. In the Wâdi Bukê'a, below us to the left, Beduin encampments may frequently be seen. After 42 min. we cross the Wâdi Kherabîyeh, which like all these valleys descends towards the E. In 1/2 hr. we reach the rain-reservoir of Umm el-Fûs. After 20 min. another heap of stones on the way-side. After 35 min. more we lose sight of the Dead Sea, and descend by a bad path into the Wâdi en-Nâr, or Kidron valley, the floor of which is reached in 28 minutes. We are now surrounded by a barren wilderness. The path then ascends by means of steps, and in 20 min. reaches the top of the hill near a watch-tower, where our goal, the monastery of Mâr Sâbâ, now lies before us. Adjoining the gate rises a second tower, called the 'Tower of Eudoxia', where a watchman is posted who scans the mountains and valleys far and wide.