The walk to the Pasha's Serai was mostly uphill with some downhill walking that was harder as the veil kept me from keeping my balance then we would go up some more. Once out of sight of the town the Pasha got off his horse to give to the soldier to ride to the Serai and tell them of our arrival. He untied me and walked next to me telling me stories of his youth along this road.
It was hot under the abaya and was getting hotter as the sun rose. After hours of trekking we were in a narrow canyon with a low cliff to our left next to which gurgled the stream moving fast downhill. There was a row of trees between the road and the stream. At the next curve in the road there was a view of the mountains rising and on a hill in front to the range was a castle, The Serai.
The Serai was two stories, the second added later. The base, original fortress was windowless black stone and now on top was lighter stone with large windows. It was not a attractive as the castles of England but it was slightly more elegant than the old stone fortresses now abandoned.