Photographs taken by the sitters (c. 1912)

After the second season's excavations in the summer of 1912 Lawrence planned to go tramping again in Syria. The illness he had contracted while travelling alone the previous summer made him more cautious than before, and he now intended to take Dahoum with him as a servant. Dahoum would also be a useful companion as Lawrence’s command of Arabic was still fairly limited.

The official letters of introduction he had asked for from the Turkish authorities turned out to be phrased in such resounding terms that he feared to use them. He wrote home: 'It is rather quaint that a person of my superlative attainments should travel with a donkey and a boy to push it.'¹

In the event there as an epidemic of cholera in the region, and they were unable to make any long journeys. They went on some shorter expeditions, however, and on one or two of these Lawrence wore Arab dress. His object was to avoid attracting attention when looking discreetly at antiquities he might want to purchase.

The photograph in which Lawrence appears probably records one of the first occasions on which he tried wearing Arab clothes. The outer garments and head-dress were borrowed from Dahoum.

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1. T. E. Lawrence to his family, 24.6.1912, HL p.219.