One of the features of Cairene life is the universal use of donkeys by all classes of the people; ancient women shrouded from head to foot in black gauze, old men with long grey beards, and noses not much shorter—their heads wrapped in turbans, and robes covering the donkeys’ backs—jogging along, rubbing against the British tourist, the latter looking anything but grave and serious on his Jerusalem pony. Our party certainly did not look more bizarre than others; but we should not feel inclined to enter Birmingham in the same state as we often entered and left Cairo.
One morning we got up early for a donkey-ride across the Nile to see, amongst other things, the garden and farm produce arrive from the country round. Crossing the Nile we turned down a fine avenue of sycamores, two or three miles long. The Khedive’s gardens lie on one side and the river at the other. Moored to the river bank was an Englishman’s dahabieh or Nile boat. A party had just returned from the cataracts, and on the upper deck we observed a dead crocodile. Riding by one palace towards another, we passed a crowd of people on their way to market, with bullocks, goats, camels laden with clover, women with the round cakes so common here, and a great variety of other things. Presently we sighted the Pyramids, one side lit up with the morning sun, while another was in deep shadow. The Sphinx was also plainly to be seen.
Leaving the Gizeh Road leading to the Pyramids we turned towards Cairo, our donkeys instantly knowing that we were homeward-bound, and needing no persuasion to gallop back to breakfast. On nearing the bridge we came upon hosts of camels, donkeys, and oxen laden with produce, and being assessed for the octroi or town-tax. The police were armed with long spikes, which they pushed into the load to ascertain if anything else was packed inside. It was an interesting scene—the busy crowd, the magnificent river, and the brilliant morning sunshine making up a picture not easily forgotten.
One of the most interesting drives in the neighbourhood of Cairo is to Heliopolis—part of the way lying through a fine avenue of acacias—and passing the old camping ground used as a rendezvous by the Mecca pilgrims. It is the old caravan road, and stretches far away into the desert, from which came to us a delightfully fresh breeze. We also passed the Abbaseyeh Palace, built by Abbas Pasha, who, fearing assassination, lived here in seclusion, keeping sentinels on the towers to give warning of the approach of a mob, and dromedaries and fleet horses always ready saddled for escape into the desert. He was, however, murdered at last in spite of all his precautions.
Along the road are some beautiful plantations of palms, oranges, and lemons, castor-oil and other plants growing in the greatest luxuriance. Heaps of oranges were lying on the ground. After driving through a fine olive plantation we came out upon an extensive plain, where, in 1517, Sultan Selim defeated the last of the Mameluke Dynasty, and made Egypt a Turkish province. Here too, in 1800, the French defeated the Turks and regained possession of Cairo. Our guide called a halt in order to show us a fine old sycamore, called the virgin’s tree, under which Joseph and Mary are said to have rested during their flight into Egypt. I asked Abaid if he believed the story. Placing his hand upon his heart and bowing his head, he replied, with something of the sententiousness of a Dr. Johnson, “Sir, I am a Christian!” I felt inclined to tell him that I also was a Christian, but that I did not believe it; but then why should I disturb his honest belief? Soon the obelisk of Heliopolis came in view, and we knew we were near it by the crowd of youngsters swarming round the carriage. But I adopted my old plan of being the first to ask for backsheesh, causing them to laugh so heartily that they could hardly take up the cry.
The obelisk is about 6ft. square at the base and about 68ft. high; it is the oldest in Egypt, and was erected by the founder of the twelfth dynasty. The inscriptions on its four sides give its history and the account of its erection about 3,000 B.C.
