In every Arab household the women's apartments are set off from the others; for it is part of the Mohammedan religion that women shall lead a life of seclusion, surrounded only by their children and female slaves.
The duties of these slaves are not laborious, though they may be monotonous. They consist mostly in waiting upon and serving their mistresses, who have scarcely more liberty than they. The negro slaves are a decided contrast to the white slaves, and are employed mainly in the kitchen and other domestic apartments.
Most of the slaves are well treated and lead happy and contented lives, since they can have no conception of a free, unfettered life such as the humblest tiller of the soil may enjoy when he lives in the land where the "red, white, and blue" floats in the air, a symbol of liberty to all who claim its protection.
CHAPTER LXXXIV.
GIZEH AND ITS PYRAMIDS.
On the opposite side of the river from Cairo, about three miles southwest, lies the village of Gizeh. It is situated not far from the boundary of middle Egypt just where the line of the great pyramids begins.
The neighborhood about Gizeh is somewhat noted, for it has twice been associated with the fate of Egypt in decisive battles—in 969 a.d. with the Fatimite army, and in 1798 with the French army under Bonaparte.
Ancient Gizeh was adorned with beautiful palaces and magnificent mosques. It was once a favorite resort for the merchants of Cairo, when they wished to be set free from the cares of a business life. Nothing remains now on the ancient site but a mere village. Piles of rubbish are all that mark the spot where magnificent buildings once stood.
One ancient custom still prevails in modern Gizeh, the process of hatching eggs in ovens. This custom has descended from the time of the Pharaohs.