71. From Alexandria or Port Said to Cairo.
From Alexandria to Cairo, 130 M., express in 3, ordinary train in 6–6¾ hrs.; 1st cl. 87½, 2nd cl. 44 pias.—From Port Said to Cairo, 145 M., express (with dining-car) in 4–4¼, ordinary in 5 hrs.; 96 or 48 pias.—As to transport of luggage, see p. [431].—The buffets at the intermediate stations are poor.
Alexandria, see p. [431]. The Cairo railway, the oldest in the East (1855), rounds Lake Mareotis (p. [432]), which during the Nile inundation rises at places to the permanent way. On the left is the Mahmûdîyeh Canal (p. [434]).
On the right beyond (17 M.) Kafr ed-Dâwâr appear the first cotton-fields.—38 M. Damanhûr (pop. 22,100), the ancient Egyptian Timē-en-Hor (town of Horus) and Roman Hermopolis Parva, is now the capital of the province of Beheireh, which extends from the Rosetta arm of the Nile (p. [418]) to the Libyan desert.
The soil becomes more fertile. Villages of wretched mud-huts and a few groups of trees appear. We cross the Rosetta Arm. 64½ M. Kafr ez-Zaiyât.
76 M. Tanta (Buffet; Hôt. Khédivial, etc.; Brit. cons. agent, E. Erba; pop. 80,000), capital of the province of Gharbîyeh, between the Rosetta and Damietta arms (p. [418]), possesses a palace of the Khedive and an unfinished mosque of Seiyid el-Bedawi, a popular Egyptian saint, born at Fez (12th cent.). The great August fair (el-Mûlid el-Kebîr; ‘the great mûlid’, or nativity of the saint) is often attended by half-a-million persons, including a number of European merchants.
Farther on we pass several cotton-cleaning mills, evidencing the prosperity of this region, and then cross the Damietta Arm.
101 M. Benha (Buffet), junction of the Port Said (see below) and Suez lines, is noted for its fruit. 120½ M. Kalyûb (or Qualioub).
The Libyan hills become more prominent; so also the Mokattam Hills (p. [443]) and the citadel with the slender minarets of the mosque of Mohammed Ali (p. [454]). Gardens and villas appear. On the left are the site of ancient Heliopolis (p. [459]; obelisk not visible), Matarîyeh with its sycamores, Kubbeh, the residence of the Khedive, and the suburb of Abbâsîyeh (p. [459]).
130 M. Cairo (chief station), see p. [439].
Port Said, see p. [436]. The Cairo line at first skirts the W. bank of the Suez Canal (p. [437]). On the right lies Lake Menzaleh.
Beyond (28 M.) El-Kantara (‘the bridge’), the isthmus between lakes Menzaleh and Balah, traversed by the time-honoured military and caravan route from Egypt to Syria, we cross the bed of the latter lake, now largely drained.
We next cross El-Gisr (‘the barrier’), a hill 52 ft. high, between lakes Balah and Timsâh (‘crocodile’), once the most serious obstacle in the way of the canal.
49 M. Ismaîlîya, or Ismaïlia (Buffet; pop. 7000), junction for Suez, a quiet little town on the N. bank of Lake Timsâh.
The train now runs to the W. through the Arabian Desert, intersected here by the Wâdi Tûmîlât, and skirts the Ismaîlîyeh Canal (p. [454]).
Near (85 M.) Abu Hammâd begins the well-watered and well-planted E. part of the Nile Delta. To the S. of the railway lies the Biblical land of Goshen (Gen. xlv. 10), which was miserably neglected during the Turkish period, but has now awakened to new life.
97 M. Zakâzîk (Buffet; Brit. cons. agent, G. Diacono; pop. 60,000), capital of the E. Egyptian province of Sharkîyeh, favourably situated at the junction of several railways and on the Muizz Canal (part of the ancient Tanite arm of the Nile, see p. [418]), is a rapidly improving place. It is the chief seat of the Egyptian cotton and grain trade. The large cotton-mills give some quarters of the town quite a European look.—Near Tell Basta, ½ hr. to the S.E. of Zakâzîk, are the ruins of the ancient Bubastis (Egyp. Per-Bastē, the Pi-beseth of Ezekiel xxx. 17).
116 M. Benha, and thence to (145 M.) Cairo, see p. [438].
Cairo.[[7]]
Railway Stations. 1. Central Station (Pl. B, 1; Buffet), for Alexandria, Port Said, and Upper Egypt, to the N.W. of the town, beyond the Ismaîlîyeh Canal, ½ M. from the Ezbekîyeh.—2. Pont Limûn Station, or Gare de Matarîyeh, adjoining the central, for Matarîyeh (Old Heliopolis), for the electric line to the Heliopolis Oasis (see p. [441]), etc.—3. Bâb el-Lûk Station (Pl. B, 5), for Helwân (p. [464]).—The hotel omnibuses and the porters and tourist-agents (p. [441]) await the arrival of the express trains. Or an Arab porter, wearing a metal badge on his arm, may be engaged to carry luggage to an omnibus or a cab (tariff, see p. [441]). Heavy luggage is taken to the hotels in separate vehicles.
[7]. A Street is often called sikkeh or tarîk. A shâria (French chareh) is an avenue or boulevard; derb is a road (also caravan-route); hâra, a lane (also quarter of the city); atfa, a blind alley or cul-de-sac; mîdân, a square. Most of the names have been affixed, since the British occupation, in Arabic character and in English or French transliteration. It should be noted that in the Plan and in the text the English ee is replaced by the continental and more usual i or î and the French ou or English oo usually by u or û.
Hotels (mostly in the English style and excellent, but generally crowded in Jan.-March; advisable to telegraph for rooms from Alexandria or Port Said; closed in summer or charges reduced).
In the Town: *Shepheard’s Hotel (Pl. B, 3), Shâria Kâmel, with terrace, garden, restaurant, bar, post-office, etc., pens. from 80 pias., patronized by American and English travellers; *Savoy (Pl. B, 4), Mîdân Suleimân Bâsha, pens. from 80 pias., with excellent restaurant (déj. 30, D. 50 pias.); *Semiramis (Pl. A, 5), Kasr ed-Dubara, on the Nile, with garden and roof-terrace, restaurant, post-office, etc., pens. from 80 pias.; *Continental (Pl. B, C, 3), Place de l’Opéra, with terrace, restaurant, etc., pens. from 70 pias., frequented by English travellers; *Hôt. d’Angleterre (Pl. B, 3), Shâria el-Maghrâbi, with terrace, etc., pens. 70–80 pias.—*National (Pl. B, 3), Shâria Suleimân Bâsha, pens. from 50 pias.; New Khedivial Hotel (Pl. B, 2), Shâria Bâb el-Hadîd, pens. from 45 pias.; Eden Palace (Pl. C, 3), Shâria el-Genaïneh, pens. from 50 pias., frequented by English and American travellers; Villa Victoria (Pl. B, 3; private hotel), Shâria Shawarbi Bâsha, quiet and well-situated, pens. 70 pias.; Villa Nationale, Shâria Shawarbi Bâsha (Pl. B, 3), also a private hotel, with garden and tennis-court, pens. 50 pias.; Bristol & du Nil (Pl. C, 2, 3), Mîdân el-Khaznedâr, pens. from 65 pias., commended; Métropole (Pl. B, C, 3), Hâret Zogheb, pens. 50–60 pias., well spoken of; Hôt.-Pens. Rossmore House (English), Shâria el-Madabegh 13, pens. 40–50 pias.—Hôt. des Voyageurs (Pl. B, 2), Shâria Nubar Bâsha, pens. 45–50 pias., with good cuisine, patronized by the French; Hôt. Royal (Pl. C, 2), Shâria Wagh el-Birket, with bodega, pens. 60 pias.; Hôt. de Londres (Pl. B, 2, 3), Shâria Kâmel, pens. 40 pias.; Hôt.-Pens. Suisse, Shâria el-Genaïneh 10 (Pl. C, 3), pens. 33–40 pias.
On the Island of Gezîreh (p. [457]): *Ghezireh Palace Hotel, with restaurant, large gardens, daily concerts, etc., open Dec.-April, pens. from 80 pias. (electr. omnibus to station; motor to Shepheard’s and Semiramis Hotels frequently).
At the Heliopolis Oasis (p. [459]): Heliopolis Palace Hotel, a new extensive establishment of the first class, on the Metropolitan Line (p. [441]), with all modern appliances, a garden, pavilion, etc., open in winter only, pens. 80–150 pias.; *Heliopolis House, a first-class family-hotel, opposite the former, with a large terrace, restaurant, American bar, and concerts, pens. 40–50 pias.; Pens. Belle-Vue, with restaurant (déj. 12, D. 16 pias.), pens. 40 pias.
Near the Pyramids of Gîzeh (p. [461]): *Mena House Hotel, with restaurant, swimming-bath, tennis-courts, golf-links, riding-track, etc., open 1st Nov. to 15th May, pens. 60–100 pias.; Sphinx Hotel, near Kafr el-Haram (p. [463]), a village 10 min. to the S.E. of the tramway-station, new, pens. from 10s.
Restaurants at the hotels, with grill-rooms. Also Santi, in the Ezbekîyeh Garden, déj. 20, D. 25 pias.; St. James’s, Shâria Bûlâk, opposite the Egyptian Telegraph Office; Restaurant du Nil, Shâria Elfi Bey, déj. 14, D. 16 pias.; Hermes, Shâria Kâmel, opposite the Ezbekîyeh Garden.
Bars & Cafés. New Bar, Place de l’Opéra; Splendid Bar, Shâria Kâmel; Bar High Life, Shâria Wagh el-Birket 42.—European style, but not for ladies: Sphinx Bar, Shâria Bûlâk, with grill-room; Café Egyptien, opposite Shepheard’s Hotel, with female orchestra; Eldorado, Shâria Wagh el-Birket.—The Arabian cafés (kahwa’s) are small and dirty.
Confectioners. Lehrenkrauss, Shâria Kasr en-Nîl 34, with tearooms; Sault, Groppé, both Shâria el-Manâkh.
Beer. Restaurant Falck, Shâria el-Mahdi (Pl. B, C, 2, 3); Bavaria, Mîdân Kantaret ed-Dikkeh (Pl. B, 2), good restaurant (déj. 12, D. 15 pias.); Kemmler, in the street on the N. side of the Crédit Lyonnais (p. [442]); Flasch, near the Ezbekîyeh Garden.
Tramways (fare 1 or ½ pias. unless otherwise stated; separate compartment for women). The following are the chief lines: 1. From the Atabet el-Khadra (Pl. C, 3) to Place de l’Opéra (Pl. C, 3), Shâria Bûlâk (Pl. B, A, 3), Kasr en-Nîl (Egyptian Museum), Kasr el-Aïni (Pl. A, 7), Rôda, Gîzeh Village, and the Pyramids (Mena House, see above), every 30 (aftern. every 20) min.; fare 4 or 2 pias.—2. From the Atabet el-Khadra to Bâb el-Khalk (Pl. D, 4; Arab Museum), Shâria Khalîg el-Masri, Place Seiyideh Zeinab (Pl. C, 6), Shâria Mawardi, and the Abattoirs (beyond Pl. B, C, 7), every 7½ min.—3. From the Mîdân el-Khaznedâr (Pl. C, 3) to Kasr en-Nîl, Kasr el-Aïni (Pl. A, 7), Gezîret Rôda (p. [461]), Pont Abbâs II., and the Village of Gîzeh (p. [461]), every 10 min.; fare 2 or 1 pias.—4. From the Mîdân el-Khaznedâr to Mîdân Bâb el-Lûk (Pl. B, 4), Mîdân Ismaîlîyeh (Pl. A, 4, 5; for the Great Nile Bridge and Egyptian Museum), Shâria Kasr el-Aïni, Fum el-Khalîg (Pl. A, 7), and Old Cairo, every 6½ min.—5. From Kasr en-Nîl (Gezîreh, p. [457]) to Zoological Garden and Village of Gîzeh, every 10 min.—6. From Bûlâk (p. [454]) to Shâria Abou el-Ela (Pl. A, 3), Shâria Bûlâk, Atabet el-Khadra (see above), Bâb el-Khalk (see above), and the Citadel (Place Rumeileh; Pl. E, 6), every 3 min.—7. From Zabtîyeh (Shubra), to Central Station (Pl. B, 1), Shâria Clot Bey, Atabet el-Khadra, Mîdân Bâb el-Lûk (Pl. B, 4), and Mîdân Nasrîyeh (Pl. B, 5), every 3 min.—8. From Central Station (Pl. B, 1) to Shâria Abbâs (Pl. B, A, 2, 3), Shâria Mariette Bâsha (Pl. A, 4; Egyptian Museum), Kasr en-Nîl, Mîdân el-Azhâr (Pl. B, 4; Gare de Bâb el-Lûk), every 9 min.—9. From Ghamra (to the N. of Pl. D, 1) to Mîdân ez-Zâhir (Pl. D, E, 1), Bâb esh-Sharîyeh (Pl. D, 2), Muski, Bâb el-Khalk, and thence as No. 2, every 6 min.—10. From the Atabet el-Khadra (Pl. C, 3) viâ the Place de l’Opéra, Shâria Bûlâk, Shâria Imâd ed-Dîn (Pl. B, 3, 2), Bâb el-Hadîd (Pl. B, 1), and Abbâsîyeh to the Heliopolis Oasis (p. [459]), every 10 min.; in ca. 50 min.; fare 1½ or 1 pias.
Electric Railway (‘Métropolitain’) from the Pont Limûn Station (Pl. B, 1) every 10 min. (from 6.30 a.m. till 12 p.m.) to the Heliopolis Oasis (p. [459]), in 10 min.; fares 1st cl. 2, 2nd cl. 1 pias.
Steam Ferries between Bûlâk (Shâria Abou el-Ela; to the W. of Pl. A, 3; corresponding with tramway No. 6) and Gezîreh (p. [457]), and between Old Cairo (p. [460]; corresponding with tramway No. 4) and the village of Gîzeh (p. [461]).—Local Steamers from the Bûlâk Bridge (Pl. A, 4) to Bûlâk.
Cabs (comp. p. [431]), open victorias with two horses, abound in the European quarters and tourist-resorts. Closed cabs (landaus) usually have to be ordered, and the fares are higher. The Tariff (in cab) is for 1–3 pers. (each addit. pers. 2, trunk 1 pias.) as follows:
1. Drive within a radius of 4 kil. (2½ M.) from the Administration Building (Gouvernorat; Pl. D, 4), for 1 kil. 3, each addit. kil. 2 pias.; if dismissed outside the zone named, 2 pias. more per kil.; waiting, up to ¼ hr., 2 pias.
2. By Time (Arab, bis-sâa), in town 1 hr. 10, each addit. ¼ hr. 2 pias.; per day (12 hrs.) 70 pias.
3. Longer Drives. To the Citadel 10, and back 20 pias. (incl. stay of 1 hr.); to Old Cairo 12 or 18 pias. (halt of 1 hr.); to the Pyramids 50 or 80 pias. (halt of 3 hrs.); to the Heliopolis Oasis 30 or 50 pias. (halt of 2 hrs.).
A gratuity (bakshîsh) of 5–10 per cent over the fare is usually given. Complaints, with the number of the cab and other details, should be lodged at the police-office (p. [442]). During the season the demands of the cabmen are often exorbitant, but the mere mention of the dreaded word ‘karakól’ (prison) generally brings them to reason.
Motor Cabs (with taximeter): 3½ pias. for the first 1200 mètres (¾ M.), 1 pias. each addit. 400 mètres (¼ M.), waiting 1 pias. for each 5 min. In addition to these fares a surtax must be paid for each drive as follows: from or to the Mena House (Pyramids) 10 pias., Heliopolis 8 pias., Citadel, Gîzeh 5 pias., Gezîreh 3 pias.
Donkeys (Arabic homâr; per hour about 2, day 12 pias.) abound. They are pleasant on bridle-paths free from dust. The donkey-boys (hammâr) often lash the animals into a gallop, but this should be checked. Ala mahlak means ‘slow’, erbût or the English stop ‘halt’. The bakshish should be of course proportioned to the donkey-boy’s behaviour.
Post Office (Pl. C, 3; p. [446]), corner of Shâria Tâhir and Shâria el-Baidak. The outside-offices, for the sale of stamps only, are open from 7.30 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. (inland letter ½, in postal union 1 pias.; post-cards 3 and 4 mill.). The offices inside are open from 9 to 6.30, with a short break at 12.30. Lists of the over-sea mails are exhibited in the vestibule. Notice of the arrival of registered letters is sent to the addressee, who obtains delivery by producing the notice, stamped by the hotel or signed by some well-known person. Branch-offices at Shepheard’s, the Continental, Ghezireh Palace, and Mena House. Letter-boxes at all the hotels.
Telegraph Office. Eastern Telegraph Co. (Pl. B, 3), corner of Shâria Imâd ed-Dîn and Shâria el-Manâkh. Egyptian (Pl. B, 3), Shâria Bûlâk, corner of Shâria Imâd ed-Dîn.—Branches at Shepheard’s, the Crédit Lyonnais, and Ghezireh Palace.
Consulates. Great Britain, Shâria Gâmia esh-Sherkes (Pl. B, 4): consul-general and plenipotentiary, Sir Arthur Hardinge; consul, A. D. Alban; vice-consul R. M. Graves.—United States, Kasr ed-Dubara: consul-general and plenipotentiary, P. A. Jay; vice-consul, L. Belrose. Also French, German, Austrian, Italian, etc.
Tourist Agents. Thos. Cook & Son (Pl. B, 2, 3), Shâria Kâmel 6; Lubin, Shâria Bûlâk 5; F. C. Clark, near Shepheard’s; Hamburg-American Line, Hôt. Continental (Pl. B, C, 3); D. E. Munari, Shâria Kâmel 5.
Steamboat Offices. Khedivial Mail, White Star, Union Castle, Thos. Cook & Son (see p. [441]); Messageries Maritimes, Shâria el-Maghrâbi 10; Società Nazionale, Figari, Shâria el-Maghrâbi 33; Austrian Lloyd, Heller, same street, No. 2; North German Lloyd, Rumanian State Maritime Service, Sterzing, Place de l’Opéra 3; German East African Line, Fix & David, Shâria Mansûr Bâsha; Russian Steam Navigation & Trading Co., Alchewsky, Shâria el-Manâkh 6.—Notices of departure also posted in the hotels.
Police Office (Pl. D, 4; p. [450]; Zabtîyeh). About 300 officials, incl. a few Europeans, chiefly Italians, obliging to strangers and well organized. Complaints against the police must be lodged at the traveller’s consulate.
Banks. Crédit Lyonnais (Pl. C, 3), Shâria el-Bosta; Ottoman (Pl. B, 3), Shâria Imâd ed-Dîn 13; Bank of Egypt (Pl. B, 3, 4), Shâria Kasr en-Nîl 17; Anglo-Egyptian, Shâria el-Manâkh; National Bank of Egypt, Shâria Kasr en-Nîl 35; Deutsche Orientbank (Pl. B, 3), Shâria el-Manâkh 23; Banque d’Athènes.
Shops. Booksellers. Diemer, at Shepheard’s Hotel; British Library, opposite the Savoy.—Photographs, at Diemer’s; also sold by Dittrich, Shâria Elfi Bey; Paul, Shâria el-Manâkh 26.—Embroidery, Carpets, and various Oriental Articles (mostly made in Europe): Chellaram, Hôt. Continental; Madjar, at Shepheard’s; Spartali, opposite the Savoy; J. Cohen, Valliram Bros., and other dealers in the Khân el-Khalîli (p. [446]).—Arabian Woodwork. Parvis, next to Shepheard’s (large warehouse near the entrance to the Muski, p. [446]; to the left in the court); Haloun, Sikket el-Gedîdeh (Pl. D, 3); Furino, Shâria Suleimân Bâsha.—Antiquities (genuine) at the Egyptian Museum (p. [455]).
Physicians (addresses obtainable at the hotels, at Diemer’s, or at the chemists’). Dr. Keatinge (head of the Kasr el-Aïni school of medicine), Dr. Murison (of Victoria Hospital), Dr. Milton, Dr. Phillips, Dr. Tribe, Dr. Madden, and Dr. Richards, all English; Dr. Keichline, American.
Chemists. Pharmacie Anglo-Américaine, Place de l’Opéra; Pharm. Coscarelli, Shâria Abdîn 17; Pharm. Nardi, in the Muski; Anglo-German Dispensary, Shâria el-Bawaki 11; Savoy Pharmacy (Norton & Co.), Shâria Kasr en-Nîl 34; Stephenson & Co., Shâria el Manâkh 15.
Theatres. Khedivial Opera (Pl. C, 3; p. [446]; French or Italian), boxes dear; evening dress compulsory; office open 8–12 and 2–5.—Théâtre Abbas (Pl. B, 2), Shâria Kantaret ed-Dikkeh, Ital. operas and Fr. operettas.—Théâtre Printania (Pl. B, 3), Shâria Elfi Bey.—Ex-Verdi, Shâria Bâb el-Bahari 5, Arabian and Greek.—Nouveautés, Shâria Nubar Bâsha 9; Jardin de Paris, Shâria Imâd ed-Dîn; at both varieties.—Summer Theatre, mostly Italian pieces, in the Ezbekîyeh Garden (p. [445]).—Evening Concerts by English military bands on Tues. and Thurs. in the Ezbekîyeh Garden (p. [445]).
Churches. Church of England Services at All Saints Church (Pl. B, 3), Shâria Bûlâk (services at 8 and 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m.), and at St. Mary’s (Pl. A, 5), Shâria Kasr el-Aïni.—Church of Scotland (St. Andrew’s; Pl. A, 3), Shâria Bûlâk, to the S. of the Bridge of Abu’l Eileh.—American Mission (Pl. B, C, 3), opposite Shepheard’s.—Rom. Cath. (L’Assomption; Pl. D, 3), Shâria el-Banadkiah 2, in the Muski; St. Joseph’s, in the Ismaîlîyeh quarter (Pl. A, B, 4).—Orthodox Greek (St. Nicholas; Pl. D, 2, 3), in the Hamzâwî (p. [447]).—Coptic Cath. (Pl. D, 3) and Coptic Orthodox (Pl. C, 2).—New Synagogue (Pl. B, 3), Shâria el-Maghrâbi, and others.
Collections (closed on Frid. and Mohammedan festivals): Arab Museum (p. [450]), 9 to 4.30 (May-Oct. 8–1), adm. 5 (in summer 1) pias.—Egyptian Museum (p. [455]), 9 to 4.30 (May-Sept. 8.30 to 1), adm. 5 (in summer 1) pias.—Khedivial Library (p. [451]), exhibition-room 9–4, free.
Visitors are admitted to most of the Mosques (p. xxv) and to the Mameluke Tombs (p. [458]) daily except Frid. and at the hour of noonday prayer. Ticket (2 pias.) at the entrance. Fee of ½–1 pias. to the attendant who supplies slippers.
Three Days (when time is limited). 1st. Forenoon, Muski (p. [446]), Market Quarter (p. [446]), *Gâmia el-Azhar (p. [447]), Muristân Kâlaûn (p. [448]), *Gâmia el-Muaiyad (p. [450]), Bâb Zuweileh (p. [450]); afternoon, Mameluke Tombs (p. [458]) or Gezîreh (p. [457]) or Heliopolis Oasis (p. [459]).—2nd. Forenoon, Arab Museum (p. [450]; closed Frid.), Medreseh Kâït Bey (p. [451]), *Gâmia Ibn Tulûn (p. [451]); afternoon, *Gâmia Sultân Hasan (p. [452]), Citadel (p. [453]).—3rd. Forenoon, *Egyptian Museum (p. [455]; closed Frid.); afternoon, *Pyramids of Gîzeh (p. [461]).—Intercourse with natives, see p. xxv.—Guides, touts, and beggars should be summarily shaken off.
Cairo, Arabic El-Kâhira or Masr el-Kâhira, or simply Masr or Misr (after the old Semitic name of Egypt), lies in 30° 4′ N. lat. and 31° 17′ E. long., on the right bank of the Nile, about 12½ M. to the S. of the ‘cow’s belly’, where the river divides into the Rosetta and Damietta arms (p. [418]).—On the E. side of the city, which covers an area of about 11 sq. M., rise the reddish rocky slopes of the Mokattam Hills (p. [454]; about 650 ft.), marking the beginning of the Arabian desert.
Cairo, the largest city in Africa and in the whole of the Arabian world, is the residence of the Khedive and of all the chief authorities. The population is estimated at 630,000, including 50,000 Europeans, chiefly Greeks and Italians. The great majority of the citizens are Egypto-Arabian, Fellah (peasant) settlers, Christian Copts (also nearly pure descendants of the ancient Egyptians), Nubians, Turks, Armenians, and (about 6000) Jews; then negroes of many different tribes, Berbers and Arabs from the N. African seaboard, Bedouins (nomadic Arabs), Syrians, Persians, Indians. The street scenes in the older quarters are very curious and picturesque.
History. In hoar antiquity a suburb of Heliopolis (p. [459]) lay on the E. bank of the Nile, opposite the great Pyramids, and was called by the Egyptians Kherē-ohē, or place of combat, because the gods Horus and Seth, the tutelary deities of Upper and Lower Egypt respectively, are said to have fought there. The Greeks called it Babylon, probably in imitation of the Egyptian name of the island of Rôda, Perhapi-n-On, the ‘Nile city of On’ (Heliopolis). The Roman citadel of Babylon was garrisoned under Augustus by one of the three legions stationed in Egypt. In 611 A.D. the town was conquered by Amr ibn el-Âsî (p. [433]), who founded the new capital of the country in the plain to the N. of the fortress, a city which, unlike Alexandria, was to be free from the hated Christian element. On the site of his fostât or tent he built a mosque, and the new city then took the name of Fostât. Between Fostât and the citadel and adjoining the older suburb of El-Askar (of 815) the new quarter of El-Katâi was begun by Ahmed ibn Tulûn (868–83), founder of the Egyptian dynasty of the Tulunides, but it was burned down in 905. The Cairo of to-day owes its origin mainly to Gôhar, the general of the Fatimites (p. [323]), who conquered Egypt in 969 and founded a new town to the N.E. of El-Katâi and made it the residence of the caliph and head quarters of his army. At the hour when its foundations were laid the planet Mars (Arabic Kâhir, ‘the victorious’) is said to have crossed the meridian of the new city, whence it received its new name of Masr el-Kâhira or El-Kâhira, while Fostât was afterwards called, by way of distinction, Masr el-Kadîmeh or el-Atika (Old Cairo). In 973 Abû Teminn el-Muizz transferred his residence from Mehdia (p. [369]) to Cairo. Two centuries later the famous Saladin comes prominently on the scene. This was the Kurd general of mercenaries, Salâheddîn Yûsuf ibn Aiyûb, who, on the death of the last Fatimite in 1171, usurped the supreme power. He built a new citadel on the slope of the Mokattam Hills and enclosed the whole city with a wall 29,000 ells long (p. [453]), and Cairo soon became the most populous place in N. Africa next to Fez. Under the dynasty of the Aiyubides (1171–1250) and the Mameluke Dynasties (Bahrite, 1250–1382, and Circassian or Borgite, 1382–1517), the sultans chosen from the white body-guard, Cairo witnessed almost continuous scenes of revolution, rapine, and bloodshed. In 1302 it suffered severely also from an earthquake, and terribly in 1295 and 1492 from the plague. And yet, in spite or all these disasters, the city grew and prospered wonderfully.
After his victory at Heliopolis in 1517 the Osman sultan Selim I. (p. [542]) marched into Cairo; Tûman Bey, the last Mameluke sultan, was captured and executed; and Selim caused the finest marble columns in the citadel to be removed to Constantinople. Cairo now became the seat of a bey (‘prince’), who was placed over the twenty-four Mameluke chiefs entrusted with the government of Egypt and was controlled by a Turkish pasha. Thenceforth the city was a mere provincial capital.
It was not till 1798 that Cairo again became prominent in history. After the Battle of the Pyramids Bonaparte had his headquarters for several months in the ancient city of the caliphs. From Cairo in 1799 he started on his Syrian expedition; and when he returned to France Kléber remained behind as commander-in-chief of the French troops. Kléber was assassinated in Cairo in 1800, and the following year the French garrison, hard pressed by the grand-vizier and the British troops, had to capitulate.
Under Mohammed Ali (1805–48), the new Turkish pasha, with whom begins the modern chapter in the chequered history of Egypt, and who did much to develop the resources of the country, the citadel of Cairo witnessed another tragedy in 1811, when by his order the last of the Mameluke beys were shot (comp. p. [453]). His successors, particularly Ismaîl (1863–79; Khedive or viceroy from 1867) and Tewfik (Arabic Taufîk; 1879–92), greatly improved and extended the city by the construction of new quarters (Ismaîlîyeh and Tewfîkîyeh, p. [454]), though to the prejudice of its mediæval architecture; and under the present Khedive Abbâs II. Hilmi (b. 1874) Cairo has expanded as far as the islands in the Nile. Since the defeat of the national party under Arâbi Bey (p. [433]) in 1882 the country in general and Cairo in particular have prospered greatly. The paramount British control of the administration is more noticeable at Cairo than at Alexandria or on the Suez Canal.
A convenient short history of Cairo is ‘The Story of Cairo’, by Stanley Lane-Poole, in the ‘Mediæval Towns Series’ (2nd ed., London, 1906). Comp, also ‘Cairo and its Environs’, by A. O. Lamplough and R. Francis (London, 1909, illus.; 20s.) and ‘The City of the Caliphs’, by E. A. Reynolds-Ball (Boston and London, 1897).
History of Art. The Arabian architecture of Egypt is founded partly on antique, on Byzantine, and on Coptic models which the conquerors of the country found ready to their hand, and partly on Persian types, developed under the Sassanides and adopted by the Arabs with the aid of native builders. The chief Arabian edifices at Cairo are the mosques, the fountains, and the tombs. The period of their construction extends from the time of the Tulunides (9th cent.) down to the conquest of Egypt by the Turks (1517). Of the earlier buildings, known to us only from the fantastic descriptions of Arabian authors, hardly a trace is left. The later edifices, partly of Arabian-Turkish type with Egyptian-Arabian ornamentation, seldom show much artistic merit.
The oldest mosques (gâmia, or chief mosque; mesgid, smaller mosque or chapel), such as the Amru Mosque (p. [460]) and that of Ibn Tulûn (p. [451]), are simple in plan. A quadrangle (sahn), answering to the atrium of the Byzantine basilica, is flanked with four flat-roofed colonnades (lîwân), which on three sides are single or double, while on the fourth side, in the direction of Mecca, the chief lîwân (sanctuarium) is composed of several aisles or arcades. The cruciform medreseh (school-mosque), of Persian origin, was first introduced by Saladin the Aiyubide. The lîwâns were now roofed with massive barrel-vaulting, and in their four corners were introduced schools or lecture-rooms for the four orthodox sects of Islam (Hanefites, Shafiites, Malekites, and Hambalites). To the second Mameluke dynasty (1382–1517) Cairo owes its most beautiful specimens of Arabian architecture. In the smaller mosques the lateral lîwâns were shortened, the court reduced in size, roofed in, and lighted from above, and the transepts were again roofed with flat timber ceilings. In the Turkish period, as in the case of the mosque of Mohammed Ali (p. [454]), the four lîwâns were often replaced by a single vaulted hall, preceded by a forecourt.
The minarets, always in three stories, are of the Pharos or lighthouse type (p. [434]; Arabic manara, light).
Most of the mosques built since the middle of the 14th cent. have a sebîl attached. This is a public street-fountain, roofed over, with a chamber above it (kuttâb) used as an elementary school.
The tombs of sultans and emirs are always connected with the mosques. The tombs of saints or sheikhs, on the other hand, as everywhere in the East, are independent buildings, domed like the burial-chapels in the mosques. The ordinary tombs of the Moslems are underground chambers; above the vault usually stands a sarcophagus or cenotaph (tarkîbeh). Wealthy families enclosed their tombs with halls for funeral festivals, rooms for the mourners, a dwelling for the custodian, etc., collectively called a hôsh.
Of the old palaces and caravanserais a few ruins only remain. The latter (okellas; Arabic wakkâleh) served also as warehouses (khân). Of the mediæval dwelling-house the so-called Bookbinder’s House (p. [449]) is a good example.
Sculpture and painting existed as independent arts under the Tulunides and Fatimites, being favoured by the Persians and the sect of the Shiites, but in the later Egyptian-Arabian art they survived only in the ornamentation of walls. The main features of this surface decoration consisted in curiously interlaced geometrical figures (entrelacs) and conventional foliage (arabesques). Both mosques and private houses often have charming kamarîyehs, or windows of perforated slabs of plaster, inlaid with coloured glass. The façades of the older houses are adorned also with picturesque oriel-windows and with mashrebîyehs, or balcony-gratings or lattice-work of beech-wood rods.
a. Northern Quarters.
The main thoroughfare here is the Shâria Clot Bey (Pl. B, C, 2; tramway No. 7, p. [440]), leading from the Railway Stations and the Limûn Bridge (Pl. B, 1) to the Mîdân el-Khaznedâr (Pl. C, 3), adjoining which, between the old Arabian Cairo and the new town (p. [454]), is the—
Ezbekîyeh Garden, the chief rallying-point of strangers. The name is derived from the Ezbek mosque which once stood here, built in 1495 in honour of a general of the sultan Kâït Bey (p. [458]). The grounds (adm. ½ pias.), 20 acres in area, laid out by Barillet in 1870, contain many rare trees and plants. The open spaces are planted with Lippia nodiflora instead of grass, which does not thrive in this dry climate. Among the attractions are a café, a restaurant, a summer theatre, and evening concerts (see p. [442]).
To the S. of the Ezbekîyeh Garden rises the Opera House (p. [442]), between which and the Hôtel Continental is the Place de l’Opéra (Mîdân et-Teatro; Pl. B, C, 3), with the monument of the famous general Ibrâhîm Pasha (d. 1848). From this point the Shâria Abdîn leads to the S. to the spacious Mîdân Abdîn, where the Khedivial Palace (Pl. C, 4, 5) rises on the left.
To the E. of the Place de l’Opéra, between the Ezbekîyeh and the Opera House, the Shâria et-Teatro leads to the small Mîdân Ezbek, in which are the Tribunaux Mixtes (Pl. C, 3; international law-courts). A parallel street, Shâria Tâhir, in which is the General Post Office (Pl. C, 3; p. [441]), on the right, leads to the Atabet el-Khadra, where the principal tramways intersect (p. [440]).
On the E. side of this square begins the *Muski, or Mouski (Pl. C, D, 3), which, with its continuations the Sikket el-Gedîdeh and Shâria esh-Sharawâni (Pl. E, F, 3), is 1 M. long, and forms the chief artery of the Oriental quarters, intersecting the whole of the old town. Externally these streets have lost their mediæval character, the shops appearing quite European, but the motley throng that surges through them at all hours is still quite Oriental.
At the end of the Muski, near the Sûk el-Kanto (Pl. D, 3), we enter the old Fatimite City (Masr el-Kâhira, p. [443]), to whose second wall, dating from 1074, belonged the still existing N. gateways Bâb el-Futûh and Bâb en-Nasr (Pl. E, 2; p. [449]), and the S. gateway Bâb Zuweileh (Pl. E, 4; p. [450]). The old town was bounded on the W. by the old town-conduit El-Khalîg, now Shâria Khalîg el-Masri (tramways Nos. 2 & 9, p. [440]).
The Gâmia el-Ashraf (Pl. E, 3), a small mosque built by Sultan Bars Bey (1422–38), at the point where the Sikket el-Gedîdeh is crossed by the old and important line of streets (1 M. long) between Bâb el-Futûh and Bâb Zuweileh, lies in the heart of the Market Quarter, which, though usually overcrowded, especially in the early morning, should by all means be visited.
Immediately to the left of the Shâria el-Khordagîyeh (Pl. E, 3; p. [448]), which leads from the mosque to the N., is the Sûk es-Sâigh (pl. siyâgh), the bazaar of the goldsmiths and silversmiths, who keep their wares under glass in their cramped little shops, selling them by weight (but often spurious).
On the opposite (E.) side of the same street is the Khân el-Khalîli (Pl. E, 3), founded in 1400 on the site of the Fatimite tombs, and once the centre of business. Vendors of silks and carpets, of trinkets and other wares are still located here. Buyers who are judges of carpets will select those of Bagdad or Brussa, but exorbitant prices are generally asked. The silk-stuffs of Lyons and Crefeld often do duty for those of Damascus. The main street of the khân, Sikket el-Bâdistân, contains two pretty Arabian gates.
To the S. of the mosque of El-Ashraf runs the Shâria el-Ashrafîyeh (Pl. E, 3), whence the Shâria el-Hamzâwî es-Seghîr diverges to the right. This street, continued by the Shâria el-Hamzâwî el-Kebîr (Pl. D, 3), forms the Sûk el-Hamzâwî, the market of the Christian traders (Syrians and Copts). Here, immediately to the left, is the Shâria et-Tarbîyeh (Pl. E, 3), with the Sûk el-Attârîn, or spice-market (comp. p. [335]).
Opposite the entrance to the Hamzâwî is the Shâria es-Sanâdikîyeh (Pl. E, 3), also called Sûk es-Sudân, for the produce of the Sudan (india-rubber, dûm-palm nuts, etc.).—The last side-street on the left, the Shâria el-Halwagî (Pl. E, 3; the direct way to the university from Shâria esh-Sharawâni, p. [446]), is the seat of the Booksellers (over 20 shops).
In the Shâria el-Azhar, behind the small Mosque of Mohammed Bey Abû Dahab (1770), is the chief entrance of the—
*Gâmia el-Azhar (Pl. E, 3, 4; adm., see p. [442]; photographing prohibited), ‘the flourishing’, the finest building of the Fatimite period. It was completed by Gôhar (p. [443]) in 973, and converted into a university by caliph El-Azîz in 988, but after the earthquake of 1302 was almost entirely rebuilt by Emir Salar. The venerable edifice, whose rectangular plan is still distinctly traceable, was again materially altered by the wealthy Abd er-Rahmân Kikhya in 1759. The university is still considered the most important in the territories of Islam. In 1909 there were 10,000 students (mugâwirîn) and 319 teachers (sheikhs). The rector is called the Sheikh el-Azhar.
Adjoining the N.W. façade, erected by Abbâs II. (p. [444]) in the neo-Arabian style, is the Bâb el-Museiyinîn (‘barber’s gate’), built in the time of Abd er-Rahmân, now the chief entrance, where a guide is assigned to the visitor. Adjacent to the gateway, on the right, is the Mesgid Taibarsîyeh, restored by Abd er-Rahmân, containing a superb mihrâb or prayer-recess of 1309, richly adorned with mosaics. On the left is the Zâwiyet el-Ibtighâwîyeh, also of the 14th cent., now the library.
The handsome inner portal, built along with the contiguous minaret by Kâït Bey (p. [458]), leads into the sahn (p. [444]), or chief quadrangle, flanked with five minarets, and always enlivened by knots of students, mostly grouped in their various nationalities. The colonnades, restored in the time of Tewfik (p. [444]), have the Persian keel-arches, in special favour with the Shiites, the walls above which are tastefully decorated with medallions and niches and crowned with pinnacles. The lateral lîwâns on the N.E. and S.W. sides of the quadrangle are allotted to students of different countries and provinces as sleeping-apartments and studies (riwâk). The court of ablutions (p. [63]), behind the N.E. lîwân, dates from the time of Kâït Bey.
The Chief Lîwân, or sanctuary, on the S.E. side of the quadrangle, with its 140 antique and Byzantine marble columns, forms the great lecture-room. No lectures are given on Thursdays or during the fasting-month of Ramadan. The low front half of this great hall, with its four much restored rows of arcades, belongs to the original building. The dome of the vestibule, the broad transept borne by two rows of columns, and the dome of the old mihrâb, all point to the Sidi Okba mosque of Kairwan (p. [374]) as their prototype. The raised inner half of the sanctuary, with its two prayer-niches, was added by Abd er-Rahmân.
The dilapidated Okella of Kâït Bey (1496), behind the S. angle of the university, with its sebîl (p. [445]), has a charming façade.
We next visit the N. half of the old city of the Fatimites. In the Shâria el-Gohergîyeh (Pl. E, 3), in line with Shâria el-Khordagîyeh (p. [446]), we are struck with the façades (on the left) of the Muristân Kalâûn, the Medreseh Mohammed en-Nâsir, and the Barkûkîyeh, on the site of the Fatimite palaces.
The Muristân Kalâûn (Pl. E, 3), a great hospital begun by the Mameluke sultan El-Mansûr Kalâûn (1279–90) in 1285, shows the influence of the European architectural style which the Crusaders had introduced into Syria. The massive portal, flanked with a minaret 192 ft. high, leads into a long corridor. On the left is a small Mosque, partly restored. On the right is the *Tomb of Kalâûn, completed in 1293 by his son Mohammed en-Nâsir (1293–1340), one of the most beautiful Arabian buildings in Cairo. The square hall has a rich timber ceiling; the mosaics of the walls and central pillars are composed of marble and mother-of-pearl, and the superb prayer-niche is enriched with porphyry columns and dwarf arcades. The wards for the sick and lecture-rooms, grouped round the large quadrangle, now partly used as store-rooms and workshops, are sadly disfigured.
The adjoining *Medreseh Mohammed en-Nâsir (Pl. E, 3), dating from 1303, also is in a ruinous condition. It is entered by a Gothic church-portal brought from Acre in Syria. The fine minaret, the sanctuary (on the left), and the tomb of the founder (on the right) show remains of tasteful stucco decoration recalling the Alhambra (p. [79]).
The Barkûkîyeh (Pl. E, 3), the medreseh of the Mameluke sultan Barkûk (1382–99), with its octagonal minaret, has suffered from the gaudy modern painting of the sanctuary and of the mausoleum, in which reposes a daughter of Barkûk. The dikkeh for the prayer-reciter (p. [180]) is modern.
Farther to the N. in the same line of streets is the lively Shâria en-Nahhâsîn, in which is the market of the coppersmiths. On the right is the façade of the Dâr Beshtâk Palace (Pl. E, 3), erected by Emir Beshtâk in 1330, but now entirely altered. At the next bifurcation we come to the *Sebîl Abd er-Rahmân (p. [447]), one of the finest structures of the kind. Upstairs the hall of an elementary school affords from its windows a capital view of the busy Nahhâsîn Street.
Farther on the main street is called Shâria el-Margush el-Barrâni. Immediately to the right is the Gâmia el-Ahmar (Pl. E, 2; ‘red mosque’), built in 1125 by the grand vizier of the Fatimite Amr ben Mustali. The fine façade, recently brought to light in part, with its high pointed niches in square framework alternating with smaller niches in two stories, shows the oldest stalactite vaulting in Cairo, and is therefore historically interesting.
Near the end of the same thoroughfare, here called Shâria Bâb el-Futûh, we come to the entrance, on the right, of the ruinous Gâmia el-Hâkim (Pl. E, 2), begun, outside the oldest town-wall, by El-Aziz (p. [447]) in 990, on the model of the mosque of Ibn Tulûn (p. [451]), and completed by his son El-Hâkim in 1012. The two minarets, with their heavy square setting, rise from the middle of the second town-wall (p. [446]), which is here well preserved. Their superstructures, crowned with domes and resembling an Arabian censer (mabkhâra), belong to the period when the mosque was restored after the earthquake of 1302.
The two ancient gate-towers, the Bâb el-Futûh (Pl. E, 2; ‘gate of the conquests’) at the end of the street and the neighbouring Bâb en Nasr (‘gate of victory’; reached by the Shâria el-Kassasineh), which was pierced with loopholes in the time of Bonaparte, recall the late-Roman and Byzantine gateway castles. The town-wall (adm. 2 pias.) affords an interesting survey of the whole group of buildings.
We now return to the Gâmia el-Ashraf (p. [446]) to complete our visit to the S. part of the old town of the Fatimites. At the beginning of the Shâria el-Ghûrîyeh (Pl. E, 4), the continuation of the Shâria el-Ashrafîyeh (p. [446]), rises the double monument of the Mameluke sultan Kânsûh el-Ghûri (1501–16), with its fine façades: on the right is the Medreseh el-Ghûri (Pl. E, 3, 4), whose minaret, 213 ft. high, is incongruously crowned with five modern dwarfed domes; on the left is the Mausoleum, with its charming sebîl. The sultan, who fell in Syria, was not, however, buried here.—A few paces to the E., in the Shâria et-Tableta which leads to the Azhar mosque (p. [447]), is the Okella of El-Ghûri (Pl. E, 3, 4), now entirely disfigured.
In line with the Shâria el-Ghurîyeh, farther to the S., is the Shâria el-Akkâdîn (Pl. E, 4). A little to the E. of it, in the side-street Hôsh Kadam (No. 12), is the so-called *Bookbinder’s House (Beit Gamâl ed-Dîn; Pl. E, 4), built in 1637 by the president of the merchants’ guild, an admirable example of an Arabian dwelling-house (fee 2 pias.).
A crooked passage (dirkeh) leads into the court of the Salamlîk, the apartments of the owner, with two well-preserved façades. In the S.W. angle are stairs ascending to the Makad or reception-room, an open colonnade with two arches. Adjoining it is an oriel-window closed with mashrebîyehs (p. [445]), from which the women could overlook the court. Farther on we come to the handsome Kâa, the banqueting-room of the harem, adorned with superb mosaics. In the centre of it is a lower chamber (durkâa) roofed with a wooden dome. The flat timber ceilings of the two lîwâns, or lateral rooms, are very fine.
Still farther to the S., in the same line, runs the Sukkarîyeh (Pl. E, 4), the market for sugar, dried fruit (nukl), fish, candles, etc.—On the right rises the—
*Gâmia el-Muaiyad (Pl. D, E, 4), begun by the Mameluke sultan Sheikh el-Mahmûdi Muaiyad (1412–21), and completed a year after his death. In plan it resembles the convent-mosque of Barkûk (p. [458]). The sumptuous portal, with its striped marble enrichment and stalactite or honeycomb half-domes, is well preserved. The *Bronze Gate, the finest in Cairo, was brought from the mosque of Hasan (p. [452]). The main court and the lateral lîwâns, with their heavy modern outer walls, now form shady grounds. The sanctuary, restored in 1880, is a splendid hall of three arcades with lofty stilted arches. The decoration of the back-wall and the coloured wooden ceiling are charming. To the left of the sanctuary is the mausoleum of the sultan, and to the right that of his family. The two minarets, 167 ft. high, rise from the platform of the Bâb Zuweileh (Pl. E, 4; p. [446]), or Bâb el-Mitwelli, the S. gate of the Fatimite city.
From the Bâb Zuweileh the Shâria Taht er-Rebâa leads to the W. to the Place Bâb el-Khalk (Pl. D, 4; see below); to the S. run the Kasabet Radowân, a Shoemakers’ Market, where the favourite red slippers (p. [97]) are sold, and the Shâria el-Khiyamîyeh, the bazaar for gaily coloured Tent-Covers, leading to the Shâria Mohammed Ali (see below).
To the E. of the Bâb Zuweileh runs a line of streets, bending round to the S., to the Citadel (p. [453]). Nearly opposite the gate, at the corner of Kasabet Radowân and Derb el-Ahmar, is the small Mosque of Sâlih Telâyeh (Pl. E, 4), dating from the reign of El-Âdid, the last of the Fatimites (1160). The sanctuary contains some beautiful stucco ornamentation in the Syrian-Arabian style.—In the Derb el-Ahmar, farther on, to the left, rises the small *Mosque of Emir Kijmâs (Pl. E, 4), built in 1481 by a master-of-the-horse of Kâït Bey (p. [458]). The interior is a perfect gem of its kind.
Farther on this line of streets is called Shâria et-Tabbâneh. On the right rises the *Mosque el-Merdani (Pl. E, 5), one of the largest in Cairo. It was built by the cup-bearer of sultan Mohammed en-Nâsir (p. [448]) in 1338–40 and after having almost fallen to ruin was recently restored. The sanctuary is still separated from the court by its old maksûra, or wooden screen. The prayer-recess and its sides are lavishly enriched with costly mosaics. The dome in front of the prayer-niche, partly restored with cement, rests on ancient Egyptian granite columns.
b. The South-Eastern Quarters.
Starting from the Place Atabet el-Khadra (p. [446]) the featureless Shâria Mohammed Ali (Pl. C-E, 3–6), 1860 yds. long, leads to the Citadel (tramway No. 6, p. [440]). After 8 min. it crosses the former town-conduit El-Khalîg (p. [446]). On the left is the Place Bâb el-Khalk, with the Gouvernorat (government-house; Pl. D, 4; containing the Police Office, p. [442]), and the superb new buildings of the Arab Museum and the Khedivial Library (1902).
The *Arab Museum, founded by Franz Pasha, a learned German architect, on the groundfloor of the building, contains a large and valuable collection of objects of art, mostly from old mosques and houses in Cairo. Adm., see p. [442]; entrance on the E. side. Director, M. Herz Bey.
In the Vestibule is shown a chronological list of the Mohammedan dynasties of Egypt.—Room I. Tombstones.—Room II. Sculptures in stone.—Room III. Stone sculptures, casts, mosaics.
Rooms IV-VIII. Wood-carving, including pulpits (mimbar), reading-desks for the Koran and tables (kursi), movable prayer-niches and Koran-boxes from mosques, mashrebîyehs (p. [445]).
Rooms IX & X. Metal-work. Fine bronze doors from the mosque of Sâlih Telâyeh (p. [450]) and elsewhere; a Koran-case with brass cover and silver enrichment, candlesticks, lustres in metal, bronze candelabra (tannûr).—Rooms XI & XII. Fayence, including tiles of European make, a favourite wall-decoration in Arabian houses of the 18–19th centuries.
Room XIII. Wall-incrustations in stucco; Arabian room from Rosetta.—Room XIV. Specimens of textiles; two Koran-cases covered with leather from the Hasan mosque (p. [452]).—Rooms XV & XVI. Enamelled *Mosque Lamps, the richest collection of the kind, mostly from the Hasan mosque.
The first floor of the building contains the Khedivial Library (Kutubkhâneh, entered from the Shâria Mohammed Ali), founded in 1870 and arranged by German savants. It consists of 68,000 vols. (about 32,000 being Oriental), including 2700 Korans. The illuminated Persian MSS. are extremely valuable. The Exhibition Room (adm., see p. [442]) contains also a fine collection of the coins of the Moslem rulers of Egypt.
We now follow, to the S.W., the long Shâria Khalîg el-Masri (Pl. D, C, 4–6; tramways Nos. 2 & 9, p. [440]) to a small square with the Gâmia es-Seiyideh Zeinab (Pl. C, 6, 7), and then turn to the S.E. into the Shâria el-Marâsîn (Pl. C, 7), near the end of which the Derb Tanaïfa leads to the right to the—
*Medreseh Kâït Bey (Pl. C, 7), in the Kalat el-Kabsh quarter of the city. Built in 1475, shortly after the sultan’s burial-mosque (p. [458]), and recently restored by Herz Bey, it offers a good example of the architecture of the second Mameluke dynasty (see p. [445]). The minaret is one of the most tasteful in Cairo. In the richly decorated interior we specially note the fine ornaments on the arches of the court-façades, the stalactites of the window-niches, the mosaic pavement, and the pulpit. The dome is modern.
The Shâria er-Rahaba and the winding Shâria Kalat el-Kabsh lead to the E. in a few minutes to the picturesque Shâria ez-Ziyadeh (Pl. D, 7), on the S.W. side of the—
*Gâmia Ibn Tulûn (Pl. D, 7), the oldest in Cairo next to the Amru mosque (p. [460]). It stands near the N. border of what was once the Katâi quarter, on the rocky Gebel Yeshkûr (33 ft.). It was erected by Ahmed ibn Tulûn (p. [443]) on Mesopotamian models in 876–9, immediately after the last extension of the Kairwan mosque (p. [374]), and was the largest of that period in all the lands of Islam. The total area of its precincts is 30,720 sq. yds., while the mosque itself, without the courts, forms a huge square of 150 by 132 yds. The external façades, which are almost undecorated, are relieved by pointed windows and niches and with shell-shaped half-domes and are crowned with pinnacles. We first pass through the E. forecourt to the sanctuary.
The chief quadrangle, about 99 yds. square, is enclosed by double arcades on three sides, while the sanctuary has four arcades (originally five, the fifth having collapsed in 1875). The façades of the court are relieved by pointed windows and rosettes in the spandrels above the brick pillars; still higher runs a frieze of rosettes, and the whole is crowned with pinnacles. In the interior the ornamentation framing the arcades and the foliage frieze on the wall-spaces are carved in stucco, exhibiting as yet none of the intricate forms of the Byzantine-Arabian style. The old prayer-recess with its fine Byzantine capitals and fragments of Byzantine glass-mosaics is noteworthy. The dikkeh (p. [448]) also dates from the earliest period. Above the dikkeh are remains of the original timber ceiling.
A prayer-recess in the fourth series of arcades dates from 1094. The pulpit, now bereft of its sumptuous incrustation, the wooden dome in front of the mihrâb, the plaster windows in the mihrâb wall, and also the dome in the court are all additions by the Mameluke sultan Melek el-Mansûr Lagîn (1296–1308).
The peculiar minaret in the great quadrangle, of which the square basement only was originally built of stone, offers a splendid *View of the vast city. We look down the Nile, to the N., to the Delta, and to the W. and S.W. we see the Pyramids.
The small Medreseh Serghatmash (Pl. D, 7) in Shâria el-Khedeiri, on the N. side of Ibn Tulûn’s mosque, built by a mameluke of sultan Hasan in the style of Hasan’s mosque (see below) in 1357, is interesting on account of its original unaltered dome.
We now turn to the E., past the effective marble Sebîl of the Mother of Abbâs I. (1849–54), and through the Shâria es-Salîbeh (Pl. D, 6) and the Shâria Shekhûn (Pl. D, E, 6), to the Place Rumeileh (Pl. E, 6; tramway No. 6, p. [440]), the starting-place of the Mecca caravans.
To the N. of this square, and at the end of the Shâria Mohammed Ali (p. [450]), rise the modern Gâmia Rifaîyeh (Pl. E, 6), of the reign of the khedive Ismaîl (p. [444]), and the famous—
**Gâmia Sultân Hasan (Pl. E, 6), the grandest medreseh in Egypt, erected for the Mameluke Hasan en-Nâsir (1347–61) probably by a Syrian architect. It rises on a shelving rock opposite the Citadel (p. [453]). The cruciform medreseh has been skilfully adapted to the precincts, an irregular pentagon, about 9470 sq. yds. in area.
The chief *Portal, 85 ft. high, whose side-pillars were originally to have borne two minarets, recall the Seljuk buildings of Konia. The façades terminate in a projecting stalactite cornice, crowned with modern pinnacles, and the walls are relieved by blind niches with round-arched windows in pairs. Over the detached mausoleum, which projects from the S.E. façade, rises a dome 181 ft. high, restored in 1616 in the Arabian-Turkish style, but said to have been originally egg-shaped. The minaret of 267 ft., at the S. angle of the medreseh, is the loftiest in Cairo, and after that of the Kutubia at Marakesh the highest in N. Africa.
Interior (undergoing restoration). The old court of ablutions on the N.W. side of the building is again in use. The chief portal of the medreseh leads into a vestibule with a stalactite dome. We then pass through a second vestibule and a corridor to the main quadrangle, 38½ by 35 yds., containing the ruinous meidâ, or basin for ablutions, and a Turkish fountain (hanefîyeh), both disused. The four lîwâns, with their massive barrel-vaulting, are entered from the court by lofty marble portals, and are in this exceptional case all used as halls of prayer. The four small medresehs in the angles of the outer precincts, each with its court and lîwân, served as lecture-rooms and dwellings.
The sanctuary, 76 ft. in height, is adorned with a *Frieze bearing an inscription in Cufic (or old Arabic) characters, carved in stucco on a beautiful groundwork of arabesques. The wall of the mihrâb is richly decorated with marble. Of the once sumptuous furnishings the mimbar (pulpit), the dikkeh (reading-stand), and the wire-chains of the countless lamps (see p. [451]) and candelabra are now the sole relics.
To the right of the pulpit a bronze door, inlaid with gold and silver, leads into the sultan’s *Mausoleum, a domed chamber of 23 yds. square, 92 ft. in height. The only remains of the original dome are the wooden spandrels of the stalactites. The inscriptions on the wooden frieze are in the round characters (naskhi) used since the time of Saladin.
The Citadel (Pl. E, F, 6; ‘El-Kala’), commanding the city but itself overtopped by the Mokattam hills (p. [454]), was built by Saladin after 1166, in connection with the third town-wall (p. [444]), on the model of the Crusaders’ castles in Syria. The only remains of that building are the E. outer wall and several towers in the interior. The palaces of the Aiyubides (1171–1250), already half in ruins when Selim I. entered the city (1517), have entirely disappeared. The first restoration of the fortress dates from the reign of El-Ghûri (1501–16).
The direct way to the Citadel from the Place Rumeileh is by a street beyond the huge gate-tower Bâb el-Azab (Pl. E, 6), where the Mameluke leaders were shot by order of Mohammed Ali (p. [444]) in 1811. The chief approaches, ascending from the broad Shâria el-Maghar (Pl. E, 6), are the Shâria Bâb el-Gedîd and the Shâria ed-Defterkhâneh. The latter, for foot-passengers only, passes the S. side of the Defterkhâneh (Pl. F, 6; state-archives). The Bâb el-Gedid (Pl. F, 6; ‘new gate’) leads into the outer court of the Citadel. We then pass through the Bâb el-Wastâni (‘middle gate’) into the main court, where the ‘alabaster mosque’ faces us and the mosque of Nâsir rises on the left.
The Gâmia en-Nâsir (Pl. F, 6), built by En-Nâsir (p. [448]) in 1317, later used as a military storehouse and a prison, has now been cleared out, but may be seen by leave of the British military authorities. The fortress-like façade, and the portals in particular, show traces of Romanesque influence. The peculiar minarets, with their bulbous domes, are adorned with coloured fayence in the Persian style. The finest columns in the court are Byzantine; others are antique. The sadly disfigured lîwâns still retain their old coloured fretwork ceiling. The dome in front of the prayer-niche, which has collapsed with the exception of its drum, rests on ancient Egyptian granite columns, as in the mosque of Merdani (p. [450]).
The Gâmia Mohammed Ali (Pl. E, F, 6), known as the ‘alabaster mosque’ from the building-material chiefly used, was begun by Mohammed Ali in 1824 but completed only in 1857 by his successor Saîd. The architect was the Greek Yûsuf Boshna of Constantinople, who built it on the model of the Nuri Osmanieh mosque (p. [550]) with a staff of Greek workmen. The tall and unduly slender minarets form one of the chief landmarks of Cairo. The forecourt, with its hanefîyeh (fountain with taps), is flanked with arcades. The *Sanctuary, a domed Byzantine hall, borne by four square pillars, is grandly proportioned and beautifully lighted. To the left of the entrance is Mohammed Ali’s tomb (d. 1849).
From the S.W. wall of the Citadel, opposite the Viceregal Palace, we enjoy, especially towards evening, a magnificent *View of the city with its countless minarets and domes. To the N. and W. are the windmill-hills and the green plains watered by the Nile. To the W. rise the Pyramids of Gîzeh.
The view is far grander from the **Mokattam Hills, or Gebel Giyûshi, a fine standpoint being the conspicuous Gâmia Giyûshi, a Fatimite mosque (1085), reached in ½ hr. from the Bâb el-Gebel (Pl. F, 6), the ‘hill-gate’ of the citadel. A side-path to the right leads to the Convent of the Bektashi (Turkish dervishes), picturesquely situated on the bare hill-side.
From the Bâb el-Attaba (Bâb el-Atabeg; Pl. F, 5), the N. gate of the Citadel, we proceed past the cemetery Karâfet Bâb el-Wezîr (Pl. F, 5) to the Mameluke tombs (comp. p. [458]).
c. The New Town.
To the W. of the Ezbekîyeh Garden and the Place de l’Opéra (p. [446]), to the W. also of the fashionable Shâria Kâmel (Pl B, C, 2, 3) and of the Shâria Abdîn (Pl. C, 3, 4), lie the new Ismaîlîyeh and Tewfîkîyeh quarters, extending to the Nile and the Ismaîlîyeh Canal, the latter quarter, named after Tewfik (p. [444]), being the most recent. They contain several of the large hotels, most of the ministerial and consular offices, the chief banks, and many palaces of wealthy European, Levantine, and Egyptian magnates.
Ismaîlîyeh and Tewfîkîyeh are separated by the broad and busy Shâria Bûlâk (Pl. B, A, 3; tramway No. 6, p. [440]), which leads from the Ezbekîyeh Garden to the Abu’l-Eileh Bridge (Pl. A, 3) and Bûlâk. From October to December the banks of the Nile present a very busy scene, the state of the river being then most favourable for the goods-traffic from Upper Egypt, Nubia, and the fertile Delta.—Steam-ferry to Gezîreh (p. [457]; bridge now being built).
The direct way to the Nile is by the Shâria Kasr en-Nîl (Pl. C-A, 3, 4), diverging from the Shâria Abdîn to the S. of the Place de l’Opéra. It crosses the round Mîdân Suleimân Bâsha and ends at the Mîdân Mariette Bâsha (Pl. A, 4), near the Egyptian Museum.
A little to the S. is the Mîdân Ismaîlîyeh (Pl. A, 4, 5; tramway No. 4, p. [440]). On the S. side of it runs the Shâria el-Kubri, to the W., to the Great Nile Bridge (p. [457]), while from it to the S. stretches the long Shâria Kasr el-Aïni (Pl. A, 5, 6). In the latter street, immediately to the left, is the free Egyptian University (Pl. A, 5), founded in 1908, the purpose of which, in contrast to the old Gâmia el-Azhar (p. [447]), is to offer Mohammedans a liberal modern education. Farther on, to the left, opposite the handsome houses built on the site of the palace Kasr ed-Dubara, are the Ministries of Public Works and War (Pl. A, B, 5) and the building of the Sudan Agency; on the N. side of the grounds is the Geological Museum.—Still farther to the S. the street is prolonged by the Shâria Fum el-Khalîg (Pl. A, 7), leading past the native (Government) hospital Kasr el-Aïni (Pl. A, 7) and close to the narrow E. Arm of the Nile (Bahr el-Khalîg), opposite the island of Rôda (p. [461]), to Old Cairo (comp. p. [460]).
The **Egyptian Museum (Pl. A, 4; El-Antikkhâneh) is now housed in a new building (1897–1902) in the Shâria Mariette Bâsha, near the Great Nile Bridge. The collection, the greatest of its kind, founded in 1857 by the French Egyptologist Aug. Mariette (1821–81), consists of Egyptian and Græco-Roman antiquities found in the Nile Valley. Adm., see p. [442]. Director, M. G. Maspero.
The two long colonnades adjoining the vestibule, are destined for casts. They terminate in two pavilions, containing, on the left, the Library and, on the right, the office for the sale of duplicates, photographs, and scientific publications.
The Ground Floor contains the large stone monuments, including the sarcophagi in the Grande Galerie d’Honneur, beyond the vestibule.
From the W. (left) wing of the Grande Galerie we first enter, to the right, Rooms A-D, containing memorials of the Old Empire (3rd–6th Dynasties; about B.C. 2900–2350). Noteworthy among the master-works in Room B are: *74. Wooden statue of a man, known as the Sheikh el-Beled (village magistrate); 73. Statue in diorite of king Khephren (p. [463]); 78. Figure of an official, writing. Case B: *114. Nofer, the brewer; 115. Wooden figure of a man in a cloak.—Room D: *163. Statues in limestone of prince Ra-hotep and his wife Nofret; 167. Statue of king Phiops I., in embossed copper, with eyes of enamel; 164, 165. Statues in limestone of the priest Ra-nofer.
Rooms E-H contain objects dating from the Middle Empire (12–14th Dynasties; about B.C. 2000–1680) and the era of the Hyksos (Syrian conquerors; 15th and 16th Dynasties; about 1680–1580). In Room F: 194 (in the middle). Wooden statue of the tutelary genius (Ka) of king Hor; 199. Limestone statue of king Amenemhêt III.—Room G: 206 (in the middle). Sacrificial chamber of Harhotep, with drawings of the furniture of the deceased; 207. Ten colossal statues of Sesostris I. in limestone.—Room H: 260. Tombstone of Prince Mentuhotep.
Rooms I-P and the large Atrium Central, or covered court, are set apart for monuments of the New Empire (17–20th Dynasties; about B.C. 1580–1090). Room I: 300 (on the right). Triumphal monument of Thutmosis III. (1501–1447); 338, 339. The goddess Hathor, as a cow, in the ancient chapel (naos); *291. Head of king Haremheb (?), in black granite; 312. Bust of the goddess Mut (?); 327. Statue of the aged Amenhotep; *334. Statue of Thutmosis II., in slate; 341. Statue of Isis, mother of Thutmosis III.—Room J: 316. Statue of the god Khons.—Room L (beyond the N. gallery): 364. Sacred barge in red granite.—Portique du Nord (beyond the covered court): 398. Memorial stones of kings Amenophis III. (‘Memnon’; 1411–1375) and Merenptab (p. [457]).—Room M: 378. The famous tablet of Sakkâra (p. [464]), with its list of kings; 390. Statue of the god Ptah.—Rooms N and O: Chiefly objects of the Ramesside period (19–20th Dynasties). Room N: 616. Granite head of Ramses II. (about 1292–1225), best known of all the Egyptian kings for his immense building enterprise.
Rooms Q-S: Foreign (B.C. 1090–663) and Late Egyptian (663–332) Dynasties. Room Q: 1016. Statue of the goddess Toëris in the form of a hippopotamus, an admirable work in green stone (26th Dynasty; 663–525); 667. ‘Pithom Stele’ or memorial stone of Ptolemy Philadelphus, from Pithom.—Room S: Ethiopian period (25th Dynasty; 712–663); 685. Alabaster statue of queen Amenertaïs.
Rooms T, V, and X: Ptolemaic (B.C. 332–47; comp. p. [433]), Roman (B.C. 47–395 A.D.), and Coptic monuments. Room T: 719. Marble bust of a Gaul, a Greek original from Thasos; 728. The famous trilingual Decree of Canopus (B.C. 238), in sacred (hieroglyphic), popular (demotic), and Greek characters.—Room V: Coptic objects.—Room X (Case A): 688. Bust of prince Mentemhēt, and 689. Bust of king Taharka (688–663; the Tirhakah of the Bible), both with negro features.
The Upper Floor contains the smaller antiquities, the objects found in the royal tombs of Thebes in Upper Egypt, and the mummies.
We begin with the Great Gallery, where the coffins and mummies of priests of Ammon are exhibited.
In the Salon Méridional, adjoining the central court, and (to the right) in Rooms A and B, are vessels, implements, toilet requisites, musical instruments, lamps, candlesticks, candelabra etc.; in Case G of the South Hall is the *Wooden war-chariot of Thutmosis IV. (1420–1411), with beautiful reliefs. Also in Room A (later to be reserved solely for Coptic objects), Coptic utensils.—Rooms C-F: Burial equipments, including figures of the dead, amulets, jars for the entrails of the deceased (so-called Canopi).
Rooms G-I: MSS. on papyrus or linen; wooden tablets, potsherds (ostraca), and slabs of limestone, used as cheap substitutes for papyrus.—Rooms J-L: Furniture and utensils.
Rooms M, N, and Gallery O (to the N.): Chiefly Greek and Roman antiquities and foreign objects. In glass-cases C and D of Room N are (Nos. 433, 434) the famous clay tablets from Tell el-Amarna in Central Egypt, with cuneiform inscriptions, being letters from Babylonian kings and the Hittite kings of Arsapi to Amenophis III. (see above).
The Salon Septentrionale, adjoining Gallery O, contains statues of gods and requisites for their cult. Case B: 886. Hair-pin in the form of a papyrus stem (Middle Empire); 888. Small bowl in the form of a dog holding a fish in its mouth; without number, Head of a woman with a wig; *891. Funerary statuette of the vizier Ptahmosē.—We now cross Gallery O to—
Room P, with its rich collection of *Trinkets, illustrating the development of the Egyptian goldsmiths’ art from the earliest age down to the Byzantine period (A.D. 395–640). Case IV, B, in a recess on the right, contains jewellery found at Abydos in Upper Egypt (bracelets from the tomb of king Zer, 1st Dyn.), dating from the earliest period, and already showing a high degree of skill. To the Middle Empire belong the *Tomb Treasures of Dahshûr (p. [464]; trinkets of princess Khnumet, etc.), in the centre of the room, showing the Egyptian goldsmiths’ art in its highest perfection. Admirably executed are also the *Trinkets of queen Ahhotep, mother of king Amosis, the Hyksos conqueror (1580 B.C.; p. [455]), of the New Empire (niche on the right, case IV, G-M.). The 20th and 21st Dynasties also are represented by treasures from Bubastis (p. [439]; Case XII). The extensive collection of Græco-Roman and Byzantine jewellery, partly pure Greek in style, partly of ancient Egyptian pattern, also merit notice. To the former class belongs notably, in a niche to the left (stands VII, X), the *Treasure of Tukh el-Karâmûs, of the early Ptolemaic era (about 300 B.C.).
Gallery Q (continuation of Gallery O) and Rooms R-U contain *Mummies of the kings of the New Empire, from the ravine Deir el-Bahri near Thebes. In Gallery Q: 1187. Mummy of Merenptah, son and successor of Ramses II.; 1251. Gilded coffin-lid of queen Ahhotep (see above).—Room S: Furnishings from the tombs of Thutmosis III. (p. [456]) and Amenophis II, (B.C. 1447–1420); wooden figures, boxes, shrouds, wigs, etc.—Room T: *Coffins and furnishings from the tomb of the parents-in-law of Amenophis III. (p. [456]).
Rooms V-Z, Gallery A′, and the last Rooms B′–D′ contain requisites for the cult of the dead. Room V: Scarabæi (beetle-stones), used as amulets and as seals.—Room Y: Objects found in tombs of the Middle and New Empires; in cases D and E, 1337, 1338. Forty Egyptian soldiers and forty negro soldiers, carved in wood.—Room C′: 115–117. Coffins and mummy of Oment, priestess of Hathor and lady of the royal harem (11th Dyn.), with tattooed body.—Room D′: Relics of the earliest period, mostly from the royal tombs at Abydos (see p. [456]).
The Great Nile Bridge (Pl. A, 5; Arabic Kubri Kasr en-Nîl), 427 yds. long, at the end of Shâria el-Kubri (p. [455]), connects the new town with Gezîreh. It is usually opened from about 1.30 to 3 p.m. for the passage of vessels (see notices).
The island Gezîret Bûlâk, or simply Gezîreh (‘island’), is the favourite residence of the fashionable world. The *Park (café near the bridge) at the S. end is much frequented, especially in the afternoon, and is skirted by a pleasant drive shaded by lebbakh-trees. Passing the Race Course and the grounds of the Khedivial Sporting Club, we reach the N. part of the island with its handsome villas, the Ghezîreh Palace Hotel (p. [440]; built by Franz Pasha in 1863–4 as a viceregal palace), and the interesting Aquarium (8.30 to 5 o’cl., 2 pias.; Frid. 5 pias.).—Steam-ferry to Bûlâk (p. [454]).
From Gezîreh a road crosses the sometimes dry W. arm of the Nile, above the so-called English Bridge, and leads to the S. to the village of Gîzeh (tramways Nos. 3 & 5, see p. [440]). On the right, beyond the Gîza Garden, is the Polytechnic School. Farther on, opposite Rôda (p. [461]), is the—
*Zoological Garden (adm. ½ pias.; on Sun. afternoon, when a band plays, 5 pias.), containing many Egyptian and Sudanese animals and an aquarium. The grounds, 50 acres in area, with their superb royal palms (Oreodoxa regia) and pond for aquatic flowers, are in themselves worth seeing.
Gîzeh and the Pyramids, see pp. [461]–463.
d. Environs.
1. The *Mameluke Tombs, to the E. of the old town, erroneously called the Tombs of the Caliphs (comp. F, 3, 4), date mostly from the second Mameluke dynasty (pp. [444], 445). They are most easily reached, on donkey-back (p. [441]), from the Bâb en-Nasr (Pl. E, 2; p. [449]).
Passing a large Moslem Cemetery (Pl. E, F, 2) we come first to the N.E. group of the tombs, all much ruined. These are the Tomb Mosque of Emîr el-Kebîr, son of Bars Bey (p. [446]), the *Monastery Mosque of Sultan Melek el-Ashraf Inâl (1453–68), an irregular quadrangle of 115 by 51 yds., with a fine minaret and dome, and the cubical Tomb of an Emir of El-Ghûri (p. [449]).
We now turn to the S. to visit the *Monastery Mosque of Sultan Barkûk (p. [448]), partly restored of late. It forms a square of 80 yds. each way. The two handsome minarets have been deprived of their bulb-like summits. In front of the mihrâb is a small dome. Of the two mausoleums that on the N. was built in 1400–5 by Barkûk’s sons Farag and Azîz; that on the S., together with the monastery (Khânkâ), was completed by Farag in 1410.
The old chief portal, with its stalactite niche, is on the N. side. To the right of it is a sebîl with an elegant kuttâb (p. [445]). On the left are the ruins of the three-storied monastery and a dilapidated hall connecting the monastery with the tomb of Barkûk’s father, Sharaf ed-Dîn Anas (d. 1382).
From the present entrance in the outbuilding at the S.W. angle we pass through a vestibule and a corridor to the quadrangle (sahn) with its fountain (hanefîyeh). The lîwâns, borne by pillars, are roofed with flat domes, some of which have fallen in. The beautifully proportioned sanctuary, with nave and two aisles, contains three plain prayer-recesses and a stone *Pulpit presented by Kâït Bey (1483; see below). Large double portals lead to the left to the mausoleum of Barkûk and his sons, and to the right to the tombs of the ladies of the family.
Within a walled court a little to the W. are the Tombs of Emirs Suleimân ibn Selîm (d. 1526) and Ahmed. The dome of the former is richly adorned with trellis-work set in lozenge-shaped meshes, and shows remains of the inscribed frieze of blue fayence.
A few minutes’ walk to the S.W., past the large flattened dome of the Turkish Mabed er-Rifaîyeh, brings us to the Hôsh of Kâït Bey (1468–96), once 330 yds. long, the largest family burial-place at Cairo, now occupied by a whole village. A dilapidated dwelling-house (rab), 86 yds. long, and trough, and the tomb-mosque still exist.
The *Tomb Mosque of Kâït Bey, the finest of all the Mameluke tombs, at once strikes the eye with its wall decoration in coloured stripes, the delicate network of the dome of the mausoleum, and the graceful minaret, 131 ft. high. Between the minaret and the railed-in sebîl is the chief portal with its trefoil arch, leading into a vestibule containing the throne of the sultan. The adjoining sanctuary, with its pavement in coloured mosaic, its two inscription-friezes, its kamarîyehs, and stained-glass windows, has been almost entirely renewed. The mimbar or pulpit also is modern. The lîwân opposite still has its fine old timber ceiling. The mausoleum, on the S.W. side of the sanctuary, also shows great wealth of colouring. A colonnade adjacent contains the tombs of the sultan’s four wives.
We now follow the Shâria es-Sultân Ahmed and (to the right) Shâria Karâfet el-Mamalik, cross the so-called Windmill Hill (Pl. F, 3), the central great mound of débris on the E. side of the old town, and thus regain the Fatimite city (Shâria esh-Sharawâni, p. [446]). On the way, from the ‘Point de Vue’ marked on the Plan, we have a fine *View of the city of tombs and the Mokattam Hills behind us.
The Shâria Karâfet Bâb el-Wezîr, the S. prolongation of Shâria es-Sultân Ahmed, leads to the Citadel (comp. p. [453]).
2. Excursion to the Heliopolis Oasis and Heliopolis-On. The new Heliopolis Oasis is most quickly (10 min.) reached from Cairo by the Metropolitan Railway (p. [441]), or by railway and electric tramway viâ Palais de Koubbeh (20–30 min.; comp. below); tramway No. 10 in ca. 50 min., see p. [440]; cab, see p. [441].
The Heliopolis Oasis or New Heliopolis (hotels, see p. [440]), called by the Arabs Masr el-Gedida, i. e. ‘New Cairo’, is a new ‘suburb’, founded in 1906 by a Belgian company, about 5 M. to the N.E. of Cairo. On this healthy site an entirely modern town, consisting of villas and buildings mostly in the Moorish style, is being laid out on an ambitious scale. Broad avenues planted with trees and streets pleasantly interspersed with spacious squares intersect the town, while recreation grounds of every description and a race course provide for the residents’ entertainment.—Heliopolis Oasis is connected with Cairo by a beautiful Avenue (cab, see p. [441]), the favourite promenade of the inhabitants and visitors in Cairo, which, close to the Oasis, passes the not yet completed British Barracks.
The visit to Heliopolis-On may be combined with the route just described by way of rail. station Palais de Koubbeh (tramway, see below). If, however, we make our visit from Cairo direct we go by railway from the Pont Limûn Station (p. [439]; trains every ½ hr., in 21 min.; also several fast trains in ¼ hr.; return-fare 4½ or 3 pias.).
The train crosses the Ismaîlîyeh Canal (p. [438]). 2 M. Demîrdash, or Demerdache, station for the villa-suburb of Abbâsîyeh. 4¼ M. Palais de Koubbeh, with the Khedivial Palace; from the station an electric tramway, in connection with the trains, runs to the S.E. to (1 M.) the Heliopolis Oasis (see above). 5 M. Ezbet ez-Zeitûn, a group of villas; 6¼ M. Matarîyeh.
At the village of Matarîyeh (hotel), in a garden to the right of the road, is the Virgin’s Tree, a sycamore marking the spot where the Holy Family is said to have resided during their exile in Egypt. A little to the E. of the station is an Ostrich Farm (adm. 10 pias.), with a belvedere.
From the Virgin’s Garden the Shâria el-Misalleh (obelisk street) leads to the N. to the site of Heliopolis-On, one of tho most ancient places in Egypt, famous for the cult of the falcon-headed sun-god Rē-Harakhtē. The Obelisk of red granite is the oldest in the land. Scanty fragments of the temple and of the town-wall are the only other ruins.
3. We may next visit Old Cairo (tramway No. 4, p. [440]).
The route is by the Shâria Masr el-Kadîmeh, the continuation of Shâria Fum el-Khalîg (Pl. A, 7; p. [455]). On the left, at its beginning, is a hexagonal Water Tower, which once supplied an Aqueduct (El-Kanâtir) built by El-Ghûri (p. [449]), extending to Bâb el-Karâfeh (Pl. E, 7), and still traceable in its ruins, 66 ft. high.
About ¼ M. beyond the new Abbâs Bridge (p. [461]) the Shâria Gâmia Amr, on the left, leads to the picturesque old Coptic convent Deir Abû Sefein and the Amru Mosque (see below).
From the tramway-terminus in the poor little town of Old Cairo (Masr el-Kadîmeh, p. [443]) we follow the street to the Gîzeh steam-ferry (p. [461]), turn to the left past the police-station, and in the Shâria es-Saghîr to the left again. This brings us to St. Georges, a station on the Helwân railway (see p. [439]). On the E. side of the railway is the site of—
Babylon (p. [443]), a Roman castle, of which the only remains are parts of the outer walls and a Gateway, on the S.W. side, with two projecting towers.
Within the precincts of the ancient fortress now lies Kasr esh-Shama, a village inhabited chiefly by Copts, with a synagogue, five mediæval Coptic churches (El-Moallaka, Abu Sergeh, etc.), and the Greek Convent of St. George (W. side). One of the entrances is between the convent and an old tower.
From the N.E. angle of the fortress, skirting the rubbish-mounds of Fostât (p. [443]), we reach (10 min.) the Amru Mosque, surrounded by cemeteries and potteries, where the porous kullehs are made, and conspicuous by its red and white striped façade.
The Gâmia Amr ibn el-Âsî, commonly called the Amru Mosque by Europeans, is named after the general of caliph Omar (p. [443]). It was originally a small edifice built in 642, probably of crude bricks, but it was repeatedly rebuilt or restored, as in 698 and 827, and notably by Saladin in 1172, after the invasion of king Amalarich of Jerusalem and the burning of Fostât in 1168. Other restorations took place in the three following centuries. The two minarets are modern.
The Interior, a slightly irregular rectangle, 132 by 108 yds., though sadly ruinous, is of impressive dimensions. The six-aisled sanctuary contains 21 series of arcades (with pointed arches) running towards the kibla (prayer niche facing Mecca). The three outer rows of columns on each side are continued by those of the N.E. and the S.W. lîwâns, of which, however, the bases alone remain. The lîwân on the side of the quadrangle next the entrance has a single arcade only. The Roman and Byzantine columns from Memphis (p. [464]), once 366 in number it is said, have been utilized without regard to symmetry or congruity.
In the centre of the court, now planted with trees, is a hanefîyeh (18th cent.). In the N. angle of the sanctuary is an uninteresting monument over the supposed tomb of Sheikh Abdallah, son of Amr, erected by Abbâs I. (1849–54). On the almost intact S.W. wall of the sanctuary are curious wood-carvings, still purely Byzantine (9th cent.).
4. The Pyramids of Gîzeh should be visited on a calm and clear day, as the sand-drift is most trying in windy weather. (Umbrella or dark-coloured spectacles advisable to protect the eyes from the glare.) The excursion takes at least 4 hrs., or, including Sakkâra, a whole day. Those who are pressed for time visit the Great Pyramid, the Sphinx, and the Granite Temple only. (Tramway No. 1, see p. [440]; carr. in 1–1¼ hr., p. [441].)
The tramway diverges at Old Cairo (p. [460]), about 770 yds. to the S. of the Water Tower, to the right from line No. 4, and crosses a branch of the Nile to the island of Rôda (Gezîret Rôda), at the S. end of which is the old Nilometer (Arabic Mikyâs), dating from the time of the Omaiyade caliph Suleimân (716), but often restored since.
We next cross the main channel of the Nile by the Pont Abbâs II. (opened 10–11 a.m. and 3.30 to 4.30 p.m. for the passage of vessels) to the village of Gîzeh (Tues. market), at the N. end of which, about 550 yds. below the steam-ferry (p. [460]), our tramway joins the branch from Gezîreh (p. [457]).
Leaving the Nile, and passing a station on the Upper Egyptian railway (p. [463]), we still have a run of 5 M., nearly due W., to the Pyramids, the huge angular forms of which gradually become more distinct and soon stand out in clear outlines.
The terminus of the tramway is near the large Mena House Hotel (p. [440]), on the N.E. border of the Libyan Desert. Adjacent is a Greek restaurant. The road then ascends in a curve to the (½ M.) plateau of the Pyramids.
Near the tramway-terminus is a station for donkeys and camels (5 pias. per hour; see also pp. [173], 174).—The plateau is open to the public and may be quite well explored without a guide. Tickets of admittance to the monuments themselves are sold at a stall next to the Viceregal Kiosque, at the N.E. corner of the Great Pyramid. Guides (Bedouins) also are obtained here on application to their sheikh (recognizable by the rosette on his breast). Ticket for the ascent of the Great Pyramid 10 pias. (for the interior, also 10 pias.); for the other monuments 5 pias.; for the entire expedition, including the ascent of the Great Pyramid and the visit to its interior, 20 pias.—Bakshîsh optional, but it is usual to give a few piastres. No attention should be paid to beggars or to vendors of ‘antiquities’. Unofficial guides who try to thrust themselves on visitors should be repelled, with the aid of the police if need be.
The **Pyramids of Gîzeh form the second and most imposing of the six groups of pyramids extending along the border of the Libyan desert, in a line of about 19 M. in length. To the N.W. is the Abu Roâsh group, towards the S.E. are the groups of Zâwyet el-Aryân, Abusîr (p. [464]), Sakkâra (p. [464]), and Dahshûr (p. [464]). The Arabs call them ahrâm (sing, háram).
The Pyramids of Gîzeh, creations of the 4th Dynasty (about B.C. 2850 to 2700), rank among the oldest monuments of human industry, and their colossal proportions extort from us to-day the same astonishment that was felt in antiquity by Greek and Roman travellers. We marvel both at the technical skill shown by the Egyptians in their construction, and at the might of the kings, who must have had the services of many thousands of their subjects at command. The pyramids are believed to have been built in layers. Each king at his accession began to erect his tomb-pyramid on a small scale. If wealthy or long-lived he enlarged the original design, and after his death the outer covering was added.
The **Great Pyramid, erected by Kheops or Cheops, the Khufu of the Egyptians, was called by them Yekhwet Khufu (the ‘glorious place of Khufu’). Herodotus (II, 125) states that 100,000 men were employed for three months every year in building it. The outer covering, with the exception of a few fragments on the base below the entrance, has disappeared. Each side is now 248 yds. in length (originally 255 yds.). The perpendicular height is 450 ft. (once, to the apex, 480 ft.). The sides rise at an angle of 51°50′. The solid content of the masonry, deducting the nucleus of rock and the chambers in the interior, was formerly about 3,302,500 (and is still about 3,081,100) cubic yards. This stupendous structure is composed of yellowish limestone blocks, quarried in the vicinity and containing numerous fossils, chiefly nummulites (a kind of snail-shell), while the incrustation consisted of blocks of a finer white limestone from the Mokattam quarries.
The Ascent of the Pyramid, though free from danger, is very toilsome. The visitor is helped up the steps, mostly 3 ft. high, by three Bedouins, two holding his hands and the third pushing behind. We may reach the top, a platform of 11 yds. square, in 10–15 min., but a more leisurely ascent is advisable. The *View of the yellow sands and bare rocks of the great desert-plateau, on which rise the Sphinx, the smaller pyramids of Gîzeh, and the more distant tombs stretching as far as Dahshûr, awakens solemn thoughts of death and eternity. At our feet stretches a tract of rich arable land, luxuriantly clothed with blue-green vegetation and entirely inundated in autumn. To the E., beyond the glittering river, rise the citadel of Cairo and the warmly-coloured Mokattam hills.
The Interior of the Pyramid will not interest ordinary travellers. The air in the passages, hall, and tomb-chamber is hot and stifling and makes the visit very disagreeable.
From the E. side of the Great Pyramid, where a Temple for the cult of the dead once stood, we walk past the Three Small Pyramids of relatives of Kheops to the Sphinx, which rises from the sand of the desert some 350 yds. to the S.E.
The **Sphinx, the most famous monument in this vast burial-ground, probably once a natural rock, has the form of a recumbent lion with the head of a king (Khephren?), wearing a head-cloth adorned with the royal serpent. In front of the breast is the image of a god, much weather-worn. The head also is sadly mutilated, the nose and beard have broken off, and the reddish tint which once enlivened the face has almost entirely disappeared. But in spite of all injuries the monument preserves a striking expression of strength and majesty. The eyes have a pensive, faraway look, the lips wear a half-smile, and the whole face is of graceful and beautiful type. The height of the monument, from the pavement on which the fore-legs of the lion rest to the crown of the head is about 66 ft.; its length, from the lion’s fore-paws to the root of the tail, is about 186 ft. On the top of the head is a cavity.
Some 48 yds. to the S.E. of the Sphinx are the remains of the *Granite Temple, or Sphinx Temple, a large building of hewn stone. It was once the sacred entrance through which the Pyramid of Khephren (see below) was approached from the valley below. The edifice is a fine example of majestic simplicity, and the very hard stone has been treated with marvellous skill. The exterior of the temple is buried in rubbish. The two main halls are rectangular, and the beams of their ceilings rested on granite pillars.
The Circuit of the Pyramid Plateau (1½–2 hrs.) is interesting. From the Great Pyramid we walk to the W. to the great Burial Ground of the relatives and officials of the royal family, as well as of the priests and officials of the temples of the dead. The square tombs (mastabas) are ranged in straight lines like streets, affording a good example of an Egyptian necropolis. On the way we pass the Tomb of Shepses-kef-onekh, dating from the 5th Dynasty (about 2700–2550 B.C.).
Through a cleft in the rock, near the Quarry which yielded the stone in the reign of Ramses II. for the temple of Heliopolis (p. [459]), we descend to the artificially levelled plateau of the—
Second Pyramid, Egyp. Wer-Khefrē (‘great is Khefrē‘), built by Khephren (Khefrē). Standing on higher ground, it looks larger than the Pyramid of Kheops. Its perpendicular height is 447 (once 454) ft.; each side is 230 (formerly 235) yds. in length; its sides rise at an angle of 52°20′. The masonry has a solid content of 2,173,552 (once 2,445,377) cub. yds.
The foundations of the Temple of the Dead, on the E. side of the pyramid, were excavated in 1908. On the W. side of the pyramid we observe an Inscription and several Rock Tombs. Adjacent is a mummy shaft (caution advisable).
The road now leads to the S.W. to the Third Pyramid, Egyp. Neter-Menkewrē (‘divine is Menkewrē‘), built by Menkewrē, the Mykerinos of Herodotus. Its perpendicular height is 204 (once 218) ft., while its sides rise at an angle of 51°; each side of the base measures 118 yds. The stones are unusually large. To the S. rise Three Small Pyramids.
We next walk to the remains of the Temple of the Dead to the E. of the third pyramid and then follow the ancient paved track by which the stones were once brought up from the Nile valley. On the way, among several Rock Tombs, are the ruins of an unfinished pyramid. Passing a very ruinous family burial-place of the 26th Dynasty, called Campbell’s Tomb after its discoverer, we now descend to the Granite Temple (see above), and walk to the N.W., past the Sphinx (p. [462]), to the Three Small Pyramids (p. [462]) near the Pyramid of Kheops.
Lastly we may visit the Rock Tombs of the Ancient Empire, near the Arab village Kafr el-Hâram. The best-known, the ‘Tomb of Numbers‘, contains badly preserved reliefs (counting of cattle).
5. The Excursion to Memphis and Sakkâra is easily made in one day. Provisions (supplied by the hotels in lieu of déjeuner), candles (obtainable also at Bedrashein), and if possible an acetylene lamp should be taken. We start early from the chief station (first train usually at 7 a.m.) by the Upper Egyptian line for Bedrashein (1 hr.; fare 16½ or 8½ pias.), where donkeys are in waiting (to Sakkâra and back 10 pias.; bargain should be made in presence of the Bedouin sheikh). The ride back takes fully 1½ hr. (train for Cairo at present 4.56 p.m.). Tickets for the monuments (5 pias.) are sold by the custodians or at Mariette’s House (p. [465]).
Robust travellers may ride from Sakkâra along the margin of the desert, or viâ the pyramids of Abusîr, in 2½–3 hrs. to the Mena House Hotel (p. [461]). The charge (15–20 pias.) should be agreed upon with the donkey-boy at the Bedrashein station. In the reverse direction we may go by tramway to Gîzeh (comp. p. [461]), and ride thence viâ the Pyramids of Gîzeh to Sakkâra (donkey 20, camel 30 pias.; comp. pp. [173], 174). Or we may drive in a desert-car (80 pias.) from Mena House Hotel along the border of the desert to Sakkâra.
The Railway, passing Bûlâk (p. [454]), runs to the N.W. and crosses the Nile. 2 M. Embâbeh, noted for the ‘battle of the Pyramids’, in which Bonaparte defeated the Mamelukes in 1798.—Describing a circuit the train next comes to (6¼ M.) Bûlâk ed-Dakrûr, on a Nile canal. At (8 M.) Gîzeh (p. [461]) we sight the Pyramids (p. [461]) on the right, and then, on the left, Old Cairo (p. [460]) and the long range of the Mokattam (p. [454]), continued to the S.E. by Gebel Turra. Next, on the left, is Gezîret Tirsâ, an island in the Nile.
14½ M. Abu Nemrûs. On the right rise the hills bordering the Libyan desert, with the pyramids of Abusîr. Beyond (17½ M.) El-Hawamdîyeh the step-pyramid (p. [465]) is visible for a short time. To the left, at the foot of Gebel Turra, lies Helwân (Hélouan), a winter health-resort.
20½ M. Bedrashein, on the E. side of the railway.
From the railway-crossing we ride to the W., past the village (Wed. market), by a road through green fields, which are entirely flooded in autumn, to the (20 min.) palm-grove of Bedrashein.
In the foreground, shaded by palms, lies the site of Memphis, now a heap of débris, the oldest capital of Egypt, founded under the name of ‘White Walls’ about 3400 B.C. by Menes, the first historical king. The vast area of the ruins seems to have extended, down to the 12th cent. A.D., as far as Gîzeh. The chief quarters of the city probably lay on the fields of Bedrashein and Mit-Rahîneh.
The road forks 20 min. beyond Bedrashein. The Summer Route, impassable during the inundations, leads to the left in about 8 min. to the two *Colossal Statues of Ramses II. (p. [456]), both now prostrate, which once stood at the entrance to the famous temple of Ptah. The first is 25 ft., or including the crown 31½ ft., long; the second, protected by a mud-hut (adm. 4 pias.), is 42 ft. in length.
We now ride on, leaving the village of Mit Rahîneh at a little distance to the right, towards the palm-grove of Sakkâra, at the foot of the desert-plateau. On the yellow sand of the desert rise eleven pyramids. To the extreme left (S.) is the necropolis of Dahshûr, where the ‘blunted pyramid’ or ‘pyramid of the two angles’ catches the eye. To the right (to the N.W. of the huts of Sakkâra) rise the Onnos and step-pyramids (see below).
Turning to the N. near Sakkâra, ½ hr. beyond the statues of Ramses, and skirting the palm-grove, we ride towards the ruins of some mud-built houses. The Winter Route from the bifurcation mentioned at p. [464] makes a long bend to the N. and leads through the palm-grove of Bedrashein and past the ruins of the brick houses of ancient Memphis; it then crosses a sluice-bridge, passes on either side several ponds, and rejoins the summer route.
We now ascend to the sandy plateau and overlook the *Necropolis of Sakkâra. This vast area, about 4½ M. long from N. to S. and from 550 to 1600 yds. in breadth from E. to W., has afforded material for repeated exploration.
We ride straight to the *Step Pyramid (Arab. El-Hâram el-Mudarrag), the great landmark of Sakkâra. This was the tomb of king Zoser (3rd Dynasty, about 2900–2850 B.C.), and is still older than the pyramids of Gîzeh. It is 196 ft. high, and each step recedes about 6½ ft.
About 330 yds. to the S.W. of the Step Pyramid rises the Pyramid of King Onnos (or Unis; about 2550 B.C.), which is easily scaled. The view embraces all the pyramids from Dahshûr to Gîzeh. The central chamber and burial-vault in the interior (shown by the custodian) are full of hieroglyphic inscriptions, the oldest religious Egyptian text known.
Beyond the Step Pyramid, in the direction of Mariette’s House, we suddenly obtain a striking view of the pyramids of Abusîr and Gîzeh to the N.; in the palm-shaded Nile valley, bordered by the yellowish-grey desert, we observe in the distance the mosque of Mohammed Ali (p. [454]).
When the road forks we ride to the left to the Mastaba of Ptahhotep, the tomb of the highest state-official of a king of the 5th Dynasty (about 2700–2550 B.C.). The interesting, delicately executed wall-reliefs, like those of the almost contemporaneous mastaba of Ti (p. [466]), are among the finest of the Ancient Empire but are imperfectly lighted. The richest wall-decoration is in the sacrificial chamber (funeral repast, rural scenes, etc.).
We now repair to Mariette’s House, a little to the N., where the famous Egyptologist lived during the excavations. We rest and take luncheon on the terrace here. (Custodians 2½–5 pias.; Arabian coffee provided if desired.)
A few min. to the W. of Mariette’s house is the *Serapeum, with the underground rock-tombs of the sacred bulls of the god Ptah.
Apis, the sacred bull, had a temple of his own at Memphis, and after death was buried with great pomp. He represented man in a future state as identified with the god Osiris, and his tomb was a favourite goal of pilgrims. Hermits too sometimes lived in the narrow cells of the tomb. After Ptolemy I. had introduced the cult of Serapis (p. [435]) into Egypt, this new god was identified with Osiris-Apis (Egyp. Oser-hapē, Gr. Osorapis).
The temple over the Apis tombs has disappeared, and so too has a second temple erected here by Nektanebos (358–341 B.C.), to which the great sphinx avenue ascended from the plain below. The main passage to the tombs, which was constructed by Psammetichos I. (663–609), is now alone accessible. In the tomb-chambers are still preserved 24 of the huge sarcophagi in which the mummies of the Apis bulls reposed.
The famous *Mastaba of Ti, to the N.E. of Mariette’s house, is still deeply imbedded in the sand. This was the tomb of the royal architect of king Nuserrē (5th Dyn.). The most beautiful of the reliefs are in the tomb-chamber, which is entered from the road through two vestibules and two passages. We note particularly, on the E. wall, Harvest and Boat-building; on the S. wall, Sacrifices to the dead; on the N. wall, *Scenes from life in the Delta marshes.
Those who do not intend to ride on to Gîzeh may, on their way back, glance at the Tomb of Merekura, of the early 6th Dynasty, and at the Street of Tombs near it, of like date (including the Tomb of Enkhmē-Hor, also called the ‘Tomb of the Physicians’, etc.)
For full details, see Baedeker’s Egypt.
72. From Alexandria or Port Said to Beirut (Smyrna, Constantinople) viâ Jaffa.
464 (or 261) M. Steamers (mostly small and old; agents at Alexandria, see p. [432]; at Port Said, p. [437]; at Jaffa, p. [467]; at Beirut, pp. [481], 482). 1. Messageries Maritimes, S. Mediterranean line (coming from Marseilles, and touching at Alexandria): from Port Said on Frid. (returning Mon. or Tues.) to Beirut, alternately direct in 1 day and viâ Jaffa in 2 days; fare from Port Said to Jaffa 35 or 25 fr., to Beirut 65 or 55 fr.—2. Austrian Lloyd (Trieste and Syria line; comp. R. 68; touching at Alexandria): from Port Said on Mon. aft. viâ Jaffa and Haifa to Beirut in ca. 2½ days (returning Thurs. night); fare from Port Said to Jaffa 33 or 22 K, to Beirut 75 or 52 K.—3. Khedivial Mail Co. (coming from Alexandria), from Port Said on Sun. aft. viâ Jaffa and Haifa in ca. 1½ days to Beirut (going on, every alternate week, to Alexandretta and Constantinople), returning from Beirut Sun. foren.; fare from Port Said to Jaffa £ 1 E 35 pias. or £ E 1, to Beirut £ 2 E 60 pias. or £ E 2.—4. Russian Steam Navigation & Trading Co. (Syria and Egypt circular line; coming from Alexandria), from Port Said on Mon. or Sat. nights viâ Jaffa and Haifa in ca. 2 days to Beirut (going on to Smyrna and Constantinople), returning from Beirut Tues. or Wed. aft.; fare 60 or 44 fr. (to Jaffa 36 or 26 fr.).—5. German Levant Line, cargo-steamers from Alexandria twice monthly viâ Jaffa and Haifa to Beirut (comp. R. 65).—6. Società Nazionale (Lines VII, VII bis; coming from Alexandria), from Port Said each monthly viâ Jaffa to Beirut in ca. 2 days.
As to passports, see p. [491]; Turkish money, p. [536].
Alexandria, see p. [431]; Port Said, see p. [436]. The flat Egyptian coast disappears soon after we leave Port Said.
Nearing Jaffa we survey the hill-country of Judaea, with the heights around Jerusalem and (to the N.E.) the mountains of Samaria, The broad coast-plain, flanked with low dunes, is the ancient Peleshet, the ‘plain’, stretching from the Egyptian frontier to Mt. Carmel (p. [468]), once inhabited by the Philistines (Pelishtîm).
Jaffa.—Arrival. The steamers anchor in the open roads. In winter, when a westerly gale is blowing, it is often impossible to land. Passengers must then go on to Haifa (p. [468]) or to Beirut (p. [481]). The arrangements for landing are unsatisfactory; in rough weather as much as 20 fr. is demanded. It is best to land in one of the boats belonging to the hotels or tourist-agents (see below; 6–7 fr. to station or to hotel, incl. baggage, on which a watchful eye should be kept), and to decline the services of other boatmen or of porters and dragomans (Arabic terjumân). The passport office and custom-house are in the S. angle of the harbour. Customs examination, see p. [537].
Railway Station to the N.E. of the town, 1½ M. from the harbour.
Hotels (charges should be ascertained at once; advisable to order rooms beforehand in the height of the season). Jerusalem Hotel and Hôt. du Parc, both in the German colony, pens. 12½, in the quiet season 8 fr.; Hôt. Kaminitz, in Rue Boustrous, leading to the German colony; Frank, in the German colony, with restaurant.
Tourist Agents. Thos. Cook & Son, opposite the Jerusalem Hotel; Clark, in the Hôt. du Parc; Dr. Benzinger, at Frank’s Hotel; Hamburg-American Line, Agence Lubin, both at the harbour.—Steamboat Offices all on the quay, to the N.E. of the custom-house.
Post Offices. Turkish in Rue Boustrous (also International Telegraph); German and Austrian-Hungarian, at the N.E. end of the quay; French, farther to the N.E.; Russian, on the quay, opposite the Quarantine Station.
Consuls. British Vice-Consul, J. Falanga.—United States Consular Agent, J. Hardegg.
Physicians. Dr. J. M. Keith (medical superintendent of the English Hospital); Dr. Lin (French); Dr. Lorch, Dr. Saad (both German).
Banks. Anglo-Palestine Co., Banque Ottomane, both in the Gaza Road; German Palaestina-Bank, Crédit Lyonnais, both on the quay.
English Church Services, on Sun. at 9.30 a.m. and 3.30 p.m.
Carriages. Drive 1 beshlik (3½ pias.); ½ day 10, day 20 fr.; to Jerusalem (7–8 hrs.) in the season 50–60 fr. (single seat 10–15 fr.), to Haifa (1½–2 days), 100–140 fr., according to weather.
Jaffa, Arabic Yâfâ, Gr. Joppa (pop. 47,000, viz. about 30,000 Moslems, 10,000 Christians, and 7000 Jews), originally a Phœnician colony in the land of the Philistines, is mentioned as early as the reign of Solomon (p. [472]) as the seaport of Jerusalem. The Maccabees (p. [472]) brought it under Jewish domination. During the Crusades it was repeatedly wrested from the Christians, and in 1267 it was destroyed by the Mameluke sultan Beybars. In 1799 the town was stormed by the French under Kléber (p. [444]).
The old town rises on a rock 118 ft. high, behind the Quay, built towards the end of the 17th century. Its streets are very dusty and in wet weather muddy.
The quay and its prolongation, the main arteries of traffic, lead in a curve towards the E. to the Market (Sûk), where the Semitic type of the inhabitants is very noticeable.
Beyond this market is a public garden with a Clock Tower erected by the town of Jaffa to commemorate the 25th year of the reign of the now deposed Sultan Abdul Hamid (1876–1909), and several Arabian cafés. The Gaza road leads thence to the right through the S. suburb. The Jerusalem road leads straight on through the new town and a number of orange-groves; after 12 min. a road diverges to the left to the Russian settlement, where we are shown the site of the house of Tabitha and her rock-tomb (Acts ix. 35). The Rue Boustrous leads to the left to the railway-station and the pleasant houses of the German Colony, founded in 1868 (about 350 inhab., chiefly of the ‘Temple’ sect).
A second colony of these Templars is Sarona, 1 M. to the N.E., behind the dunes, in the coast-plain of Sharon between Jaffa and Cæsarea, famed ever since ancient times for its fertility. The vine in particular thrives here admirably.
Beyond Jaffa the Steamer soon passes the mouth of the Nahr el-Aujâ, the largest river in Palestine next to the Jordan, and then, near the N. boundary of Judæa, the site of Apollonia (now Arsûf). Farther on we sight the scanty ruins of Caesarea Palaestina (Arabic El-Kaisarîyeh), a seaport founded by Herod the Great, which in the Roman period surpassed Jerusalem.
Beyond the Nahr ez-Zerkâ (‘blue river’, p. xxxiii), the Crocodile River of Pliny, come the little town of Tantûra, the Dor of the Old Testament, which classical authors say was a Phœnician colony, and then Atlît, the Castellum Peregrinorum of the Crusaders, the seat of the Knights Templar in 1218–91, with its grand ruins.
The beautiful outlines of *Mt. Carmel (1811 ft.; Jebel Mâr Elyâs, ‘sacred mount of Elijah’) become more distinct. On the hill-side is the Carmelite Monastery (558 ft.), the original seat of the order, which extended its sphere to Europe in 1238. Below it, on the evergreen N. slope of the range, rises a Lighthouse.
Most of the steamers call at the open roads of Haifa or Khaifa (Hôt. Karmel or Krafft, pens. 8–10 fr.; carr. at the tourist-office of Unger & Hermann, at G. Sus’s, etc.; Brit. vice-cons., P. Abela; U. S. cons. agent, Th. Struve; pop. 16,000), a rapidly rising commercial town, beautifully situated at the N. base of Mt. Carmel and on the S. shore of the Bay of Acre, not far from the site of the Sycaminum of antiquity. The trade is chiefly in the hands of the German ‘Temple’ sect, whose settlement presents a striking contrast to the prevailing Oriental squalor.
A Road leads from Haifa viâ Atlît and Tantûra (see above), and then inland viâ the Jewish agricultural colony of Zammarín (Hôt. Graff) and Kakûn (410 ft.) to Nàbulus or Nâblus (1870 ft.; Hôt. Nablus, German,) once Sichem, the capital of Samaria. After the war of 67 A.D. (p. [472]) it was re-founded by Vespasian as Flavia Neapolis. It is now a town of 27,000 inhab. (incl. 700 Christians and 170 members of the Samaritan sect). Fine view from Mt. Gerizim (2848 ft.; Arab. Jebel et-Tôr), to the S. of the town. A new road leads from Nâbulus, past Jacob’s Well (St. John, iv. 5–30), viâ El-Lubban and El-Bireh, to Jerusalem (p. [470]).
From Haifa viâ Derât to Damascus, 177 M., Railway. One train daily in 10 hrs.; fares, 1st cl., 142½, 3rd cl. 65½ pias. (note exchange at rail. stat.: 1 mejidieh = 19 pias.; 20 fr. = 86½ pias.; £ 1 = 109¼ pias.; £ 1 Turkish = 96 pias.). Most travellers, however, prefer the following profoundly interesting route, joining the train at Samakh (p. [469]).
We drive from Haifa to (24 M.) Nazareth (1145 ft.; Hôt. Germania, pens. 8–12½ fr.), the home of Christ, whence the Christians in the Levant are still called Nazarenes (Nasâra). Then past Mt. Tabor (1844 ft.; Jebel et-Tor; fine view), the traditional scene of the Transfiguration, and Kafr Kennâ, the Cana of the Bible (St. John, ii), to (4½ hrs.) Tabarîya (82 ft. below sea-level; Hôt. Tiberias or Grossmann, pens. 10–12½ fr.; pop. 7500, incl. many Polish Jews), the ancient Tiberias, once the capital of Galilee, and, after the destruction of Jerusalem (p. [472]), the chief seat of the Jewish nation. It lies high up on the W. bank of the Lake of Gennesaret, or of Tiberias, or Sea of Galilee (682 ft. below sea-level; 13 M. long, 7½ M. broad), through which flows the Jordan. During half of the year the climate in this profound Syrian valley is extremely hot.
From Tiberias we row down the lake in 2 hrs. to the rail. station of Samakh (610 ft. below sea-level; 54½ M. from Haifa). The train ascends the *Yarmuk Valley to (100 M.) Derât (1735 ft. above sea-level; Buffet), where it joins the main Hejâz line to Damascus (p. [484]; Kadem station).—For details, see Baedeker’s Palestine and Syria.
Beyond Haifa all the steamers skirt the coast of ancient Phoenicia at some distance from land, as the cliffs here endanger navigation, but the numerous small headlands, bays, and islands adapt it admirably for settlement. It once extended, far beyond Beirut, to the river Eleutheros, now Nahr el-Kebîr.
From afar we sight the lighthouse and forts of Akka or Acre, the ancient Akko (later Ptolemais). In 1104 it became the naval station of the Crusaders. Taken by Saladin in 1187 it was recaptured by Richard Cœur-de-Lion in 1191 and for a century was a great bulwark of Christianity. Under the name of St. Jean d’Acre it was the seat of the knights of St. John (p. [475]) after their expulsion from Jerusalem. Far to the N.E. rises Mt. Hermon (p. [489]).
Beyond the white Râs el-Nâkûra, the ancient Scala Tyriorum, and Râs el-Abyad, the Promontorium Album of Pliny, we sight a low headland on which lies the poor little town of Sûr, with a ruined church of the Crusaders, ruins of their fortifications, and a lighthouse. This was the ancient seaport of Tyre, once situated on two islands, but connected with the mainland by an embankment built by Alexander during his famous siege (332 B.C.).
Farther on we pass the mouth of the Nahr el-Lîtânî (p. [483]), here called Nahr el-Kâsimîyeh, and obtain a fine view of the coast-region in front of Lebanon; to the E. rise Jebel er-Rihân and Tômât Nîhâ (6070 ft.; ‘twins of Nîhâ’), snow-capped in winter, and to the N.E. the distant Jebel Sannîn (p. [483]).
Beyond Sarafant (ancient Zarpath or Sarepta) opens the broad bay of Saida, formerly Sidon, the oldest and, next to Tyre, greatest port of the Phœnicians, now girdled by rich vegetation.
Passing the mouth of the Nahr el-Auwâlî (ancient Bostrenus) and the Râs er-Rumeileh, the N. limit of the bay of Saida, we come to the far-projecting Râs ed-Dâmûr and the Nahr ed-Dâmûr, the ancient Tamyras, which in winter is one of the most copious rivers in the Lebanon region. Near Beirut begin the mulberry and olive groves and the vineyards of the fertile coast-plain.
We round the reddish hills of Râs Beirût (p. [483]), with the pigeons’ grottoes and lighthouse, and enter Beirut harbour (p. [481]).