The principal imports from Europe are woollen cloths (chiefly from France), calico, plain muslin, figured muslin (of Scotch manufacture, for turbans), silks, velvet, crape, shawls (Scotch, English, and French) in imitation of those of Kashmeer, writing-paper (chiefly from Venice), fire-arms, straight sword-blades (from Germany) for the Nubians, etc., watches and clocks, coffee-cups and various articles of earthenware and glass (mostly from Germany), many kinds of hardwares, planks, metal, beads, wine and liqueurs; and white slaves, silks, embroidered handkerchiefs and napkins, mouth-pieces of pipes, slippers, and a variety of made goods, copper and brass wares, etc., from Constantinople:—from Asia Minor, carpets (among which, the seggádehs, or small prayer-carpets), figs, etc.:—from Syria, tobacco, striped silks, ’abáyehs (or woollen cloaks), soap:—from Arabia, coffee, spices, several drugs, Indian goods (as shawls, silks, muslins, etc.):—from Abyssinia and Sennár and the neighbouring countries, slaves, gold, ivory, ostrich-feathers, kurbágs (or whips of hippopotamus’ hide), tamarind in cakes, gums, senna:—from El-Gharb, or the West (that is, northern Africa, from Egypt westwards), tarbooshes (or red cloth scull-caps), burnooses (or white woollen hooded cloaks), heráms (or white woollen sheets, used for night-coverings and for dress), yellow morocco shoes.
The principal exports to Europe are wheat, maize, rice, beans, cotton, flax, indigo, coffee, various spices, gums, senna, ivory, ostrich-feathers:—to Turkey, male and female Abyssinian and black slaves (including a few eunuchs), rice, coffee, spices, henna, etc.:—to Syria, slaves, rice, etc.:—to Arabia, chiefly corn:—to Sennár and the neighbouring countries, cotton and linen and woollen goods, a few Syrian and Egyptian striped silks, small carpets, beads and other ornaments, soap, the straight sword-blades mentioned before, fire-arms, copper wares, writing-paper.
To convey some notion of the value of money in Cairo, I insert the following list of the present prices of certain common articles of food, etc. In the country towns and villages, most kinds of provisions are cheaper than in the metropolis: meat, fowls, and pigeons, about half the prices here mentioned: wheat and bread, from about one third to half.
| P. | F. | (£ | s. | d.) | |
| Wheat, the ardebb (or about five bushels), from 50 P. to | 63 | 0 | (0 | 13 | 2⅕) |
| Rice, the ardebb, about | 240 | 0 | (2 | 8 | 0 ) |
| Mutton or lamb, the ratl | 1 | 0 | (0 | 0 | 2⅖) |
| Beef, do. | 0 | 35 | (0 | 0 | 2⅒) |
| Fowls, each, 1 P. 10 F. to | 1 | 20 | (0 | 0 | 3⅗) |
| Pigeons, the pair, 1 P. 10 F. to | 1 | 20 | (0 | 0 | 3⅗) |
| Eggs, three for | 0 | 5 | (0 | 0 | 03୵10) |
| Fresh butter, the ratl | 2 | 0 | (0 | 0 | 4⅘) |
| Clarified butter, do. 2 P. to | 2 | 10 | (0 | 0 | 5⅖) |
| Coffee do. 6 P. to | 7 | 0 | (0 | 1 | 4⅘) |
| Gebelee tobacco, the ukkah, 15 P. to | 18 | 0 | (0 | 3 | 7⅕) |
| Sooree do. do. 5 P. to | 10 | 0 | (0 | 2 | 0 ) |
| Egyptian loaf-sugar, the ratl | 2 | 0 | (0 | 0 | 4⅘) |
| European do do. | 2 | 10 | (0 | 0 | 5⅖) |
| Summer grapes do. | 0 | 10 | (0 | 0 | 0⅗) |
| Later do do. 20 F. to | 0 | 30 | (0 | 0 | 1⅘) |
| Fine biscuit, the kantár | 160 | 0 | (1 | 12 | 0 ) |
| Water, the kirbeh (or goat’s skin), 10 F. to | 0 | 20 | (0 | 0 | 1⅕) |
| Fire-wood, the donkey-load | 11 | 0 | (0 | 2 | 2⅖) |
| Charcoal, the ukkah, 20 F. to | 0 | 30 | (0 | 0 | 1⅘) |
| Soap, the ratl | 1 | 30 | (0 | 0 | 4⅕) |
| Tallow candles, the ukkah | 8 | 20 | (0 | 1 | 8⅖) |
| Best wax do do. | 25 | 0 | (0 | 5 | 0 ) |
Note.—The “ratl” is about 15¾ oz., and the “ukkah” nearly 2¾ lbs., avoir-dupois. The “kantár” is 100 ratls. P. denotes Piasters: F., Faddahs. For a full account of Egyptian measures, weights, and moneys, see the Appendix.
There are in Cairo numerous buildings called “wekálehs,”[[434]] chiefly designed for the accommodation of merchants, and for the reception of their goods. The wekáleh is a building surrounding a square or oblong court. Its ground-floor consists of vaulted magazines for merchandise, which face the court; and these magazines are sometimes used as shops. Above them are generally lodgings, which are entered from a gallery extending along each of the four sides of the court; or, in the place of these lodgings, there are other magazines; and in many wekálehs, which have apartments intended as lodgings, these apartments are used as magazines. In general, a wekáleh has only one common entrance; the door of which is closed at night, and kept by a porter. There are about two hundred of these buildings in Cairo; and three-fourths of that number are within that part which constituted the original city.
It has already been mentioned, in the Introduction to this work, that the great thoroughfare-streets of Cairo generally have a row of shops along each side, not communicating with the superstructures. So, also, have many of the bye-streets. Commonly, a portion of a street, or a whole street, contains chiefly, or solely, shops appropriated to one particular trade[[435]]; and is called the Sook (or Market) of that trade; or is named after a mosque there situated. Thus, a part of the main street of the city is called “Sook en-Nahháseen,” or the market of the sellers of copper wares (or simply “the Nahháseen”—the word “Sook” being usually dropped); another part is called “the Góhargeeyeh,” or [market of] the jewellers; another, “the Khurdageeyeh,” or [market of] the sellers of hardwares; another, “the Ghóreeyeh,” or [market of] the Ghóreeyeh, which is the name of a mosque situated there. These are some of the chief sooks of the city. The principal Turkish sook is called “Khán El-Khaleelee.” Some of the sooks are covered over with matting, or with planks, supported by beams extending across the street, a little above the shops, or above the houses.
The shop (“dukkán”) is a square recess, or cell, generally about six or seven feet high, and between three and four feet in width; or it consists of two cells, one behind the other, the inner one serving as a magazine.[[436]] The floor of the shop is even with the top of a “mastab′ah,” or raised seat of stone or brick, built against the front. This is usually about two feet and a half, or three feet, in height; and about the same in breadth. The front of the shop is furnished with folding shutters, commonly consisting of three leaves, one above another: the uppermost of these is turned up in front; the two other leaves, sometimes folded together, are turned down upon the mastab′ah, and form an even seat, upon which is spread a mat or carpet, with, perhaps, a cushion or two. Some shops have folding doors instead of the shutters above described. The shopkeeper generally sits upon the mastab′ah, unless he be obliged to retire a little way within his shop to make room for two or more customers, who mount up on the seat, taking off their shoes before they draw up their feet upon the mat or carpet. To a regular customer, or one who makes any considerable purchase, the shopkeeper generally presents a pipe (unless the former have his own with him, and it be filled and lighted), and he calls or sends to the boy of the nearest coffee-shop, and desires him to bring some coffee, which is served in the same manner as in the house, in small china cups placed within cups of brass. Not more than two persons can sit conveniently upon the mastab′ah of a shop, unless it be more spacious than is commonly the case; but some are three or four feet broad, and the shops to which they belong five or six feet in width; and consequently these afford room enough for four persons, or more, sitting in the Eastern fashion. The shopman generally says his prayers upon the mastab′ah in the sight of the passengers in the street. When he leaves his shop for a few minutes, or for about half an hour, he either relies for the protection of his property upon the next shopkeepers, or those opposite, or hangs a net before his shop. He seldom thinks it necessary to close and lock the shutters, excepting at night, when he returns to his house; or when he goes to the mosque, on the Friday, to join in the noon-prayers of that day.—The apartments above the shops have been described in the Introduction.
THE SHOP OF A TURKISH MERCHANT IN THE SOOK CALLED KHÁN EL-KHALEELEE.