Having avoided as much as possible marking the accentuation in Arabic words, I must request the reader to bear in mind, not only that a single vowel, when not marked with an accent, is always short; but that a double vowel, or diphthong, at the end of a word, when not so marked, is not accented (“Welee,” for instance, being pronounced “Wĕ′lee,” or “Wel′ee,”): also, that the accents do not always denote the principal or only emphasis (“Sháweesh” being pronounced “Sháwee′sh”); and that “dh,” “gh,” “kh,” “sh,” and “th,” when not divided by a hyphen, represent, each, a single Arabic letter.
As some readers may observe that many Arabic words are written differently in this work and in my translation of “The Thousand and One Nights,” it is necessary to add, that in the present case I write such words agreeably with the general pronunciation of the educated classes in Cairo. For the same reason I often use the same European character to express two Arabic letters which in Egypt are pronounced alike.
E W L
May, 1842.
CONTENTS.
| PAGE | ||
| Biographical Notice of the Author | [v] | |
| Preface | [ix] | |
| Advertisement to the Third Edition | [xviii] | |
| INTRODUCTION. | ||
| The Country and Climate—Metropolis—Houses—Population | [1] | |
| CHAPTER | ||
| I. | —Personal Characteristics and Dress of the Muslim Egyptians | [21] |
| II. | —Infancy and Early Education | [42] |
| III. | —Religion and Laws | [52] |
| IV. | —Government | [98] |
| V. | —Domestic Life (Men of the Higher and Middle Orders) | [120] |
| VI. | —Domestic Life, continued (Women of the Higher and Middle Orders) | [141] |
| VII. | —Domestic Life, continued (The Lower Orders) | [174] |
| VIII. | —Common Usages of Society | [179] |
| IX. | —Language, Literature, and Science | [188] |
| X. | —Superstitions (Genii, Saints, and Darweeshes) | [202] |
| XI. | —Superstitions, continued (Charms and Auguration) | [226] |
| XII. | —Magic, Astrology, and Alchemy | [242] |
| XIII. | —Character | [255] |
| XIV. | —Industry | [285] |
| XV. | —Use of Tobacco, Coffee, Hemp, Opium, etc. | [303] |
| XVI. | —The Bath | [307] |
| XVII. | —Games | [315] |
| XVIII. | —Music | [323] |
| XIX. | —Public Dancers | [347] |
| XX. | —Serpent-Charmers and Performers of Legerdemain Tricks, etc. | [352] |
| XXI. | —Public Recitations of Romances | [359] |
| XXII. | —Public Recitations of Romances, continued | [367] |
| XXIII. | —Public Recitations of Romances, continued | [380] |
| XXIV. | —Periodical Public Festivals, etc. (Those of the first three months of the Muslim year) | [391] |
| XXV. | —Periodical Public Festivals, etc., continued. (Those of the fourth and following months of the Muslim year) | [421] |
| XXVI. | —Periodical Public Festivals, etc., continued. (Those of the Solar year) | [451] |
| XXVII. | —Private Festivities, etc. | [463] |
| XXVIII. | —Death and Funeral Rites | [473] |
| SUPPLEMENT. | ||
| I. | —The Copts | [489] |
| II. | —The Jews of Egypt | [512] |
| III. | —Of late Innovations in Egypt | [515] |
| APPENDIX A. | ||
| Female Ornaments | [519] | |
| APPENDIX B. | ||
| Egyptian Measures, Weights, and Moneys | [532] | |
| APPENDIX C. | ||
| Prayer of Muslim School-Boys | [536] | |
LIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.
| The Doseh (see p. [416]) | [Frontispiece]. |
| Private Houses in Cairo | Facing page [5] |
| Court of a Private House in Cairo | ” ” [9] |
| A Käah | ” ” [16] |
| Men of the Middle and Higher Classes | ” ” [25] |
| A Lady in the Dress worn in private | ” ” [33] |
| A Woman of the Southern Province of Upper Egypt (sketched at Thebes) | ” ” [42] |
| Parade previous to Circumcision | ” ” [48] |
| Bridal Procession (Part I.) | ” ” [150] |
| Bridal Procession (Part II.) | ” ” [152] |
| Shops in a Street in Cairo | ” ” [289] |
| Shop of a Turkish Merchant | ” ” [293] |
| The Shádoof | ” ” [300] |
| A Sha′er, with his accompanying Violist | ” ” [359] |
| Funeral Procession | ” ” [477] |
| Sketch of a Tomb with the Entrance uncovered | ” ” [484] |