The mosque of Tulan is the oldest in Cairo. It is said to have been built on the spot where the ark rested, and where Abraham offered to God the ram in sacrifice instead of his son. Around the minaret is a spiral staircase of ancient and unusual design, and this I ascended to get a view that is considered the finest in the city. The wooden pulpit of the Tulan mosque dates from the Thirteenth Century, and is famous for its wonderful carvings. Around the top is a frieze of carved wood, exhibiting an old Arabic inscription. This wood was taken from the ark itself, it is said, and has been preserved from the time of Noah.
We visited one beautiful mosque that had originally been built for the private use of a sultan, but now is devoted to the public. The columns were all of red granite and the decorations were in ebony, ivory, gold, turquoise and other precious stones, quantities of mother-of-pearl being inlaid in the woods. The walls were largely of black and white marble, and granite blocks of red, grey, white and black. The effect of such combinations can be nothing less than gorgeous.
Mohammed Ali was the founder of the present Khedivial family, and his name is greatly revered throughout Egypt. Connected with his mosque is the Citadel, which was constructed of stones taken from the Gizeh pyramids. It is situated on an elevation and commands a view of the entire city. Wherever you may be in Cairo you can see the Citadel and the spires of the Alabaster Mosque. It was in this citadel that the Mamelukes were murdered by order of Mohammed Ali in 1811. Three hundred and sixty perished, and the legends relate that but one escaped. He leaped his horse over a parapet seventy-five feet above the pavement below, and although the horse was crushed the Mameluke escaped and fled into Upper Egypt, where his daring courage availed him nothing, for he was captured and killed.
The Khedivial Library is one of the most interesting sights in the city. It contains the oldest manuscript copies of the Koran in existence, and all that could be collected in the East since printing came into fashion. Huge parchment tomes are some of these works, so exquisitely illumined that we wonder at the dexterity of the ancient penmen. The first book cover — hand-worked, of course — that is known to have been made is in this famous collection, and the volumes range from the great unwieldy parchments down to the tiniest manuscript books. In one manuscript, containing the Koran complete, is an inscription stating that one person worked steadily for thirty years in preparing it. Most of the collection dates from the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries, and the library is generally acknowledged to possess the finest existing specimens of Arabian art. The colors employed in the initials and decoration of the pages are pigments procured by crushing precious stones to a powder. Rubies, emeralds and turquoise are generally used, and the colors are today as brilliant as those of the gems themselves. Quantities of the purest gold, hammered into thin sheets, was also used, and does not seem to tarnish with time.
One of our experiences in Cairo was visiting a native theatre in company with some friends we had made who were stopping at our hotel. The American women were the only females in the audience, and we sat at tables and drank coffee during the performance, while the men smoked. To the throng of natives surrounding us we were naturally the center of attraction, and divided such honors with the “ladies” on the stage.
The stage was a barren looking place, the back and sides occupied by a line of men musicians who produced unearthly, discordant sounds that would put to shame the drone of a cracked bagpipe. The performers were women who sang and danced, but their performances were not as interesting as their appearance. For here we saw the Turkish and Arabian girls without their veils, and they were gorgeously dressed in velvets, satins and silks of vivid hues. Golden bangles were in their hair, which was plaited into many small braids. The natives applauded them by uttering long drawn “Ah-h-h-h’s” instead of clapping their hands.
One evening our dragoman secured us an invitation to a high-class Egyptian wedding. It was the third day of the ceremony, so we wore our very best clothes and carried elaborate bouquets to present to the bride. In our party were two ladies from Pittsburg besides L. F. and myself. The streets leading to the place were all elaborately decorated. When our carriage drew up before the great canvas pavilion that had been erected next to the house of the bride’s father, a brass band saluted us with an American air. We found inside the pavilion rows of men seated in easy chairs and smoking or drinking Turkish coffee. All were very grave and sedate and conversed only in low tones. Dozens of cut-glass chandeliers were suspended from the ceiling, while marvelous rugs covered the ground. L. F. was given a seat beside the famous Araby Pasha, who was the leader of the great rebellion against the English, and had just been allowed to return from exile. The bridegroom and his brother, who had welcomed us elaborately, now escorted us three ladies to the house, where we were placed in charge of the eunuchs and taken to the harem to be introduced to the bride. The lady was sixteen years of age and dressed much as an American girl would have been, in white satin and a bridal veil. Her prospective husband has not yet seen her, and she is to be “Wife Number Two.”
This was the harem of the bride’s father, and we saw all the inmates, as well as all the visiting ladies who were attending the wedding ceremonies. Some were very magnificently clothed and wore splendid diamonds of enormous size, as well as a profusion of other jewelry. The rooms of the harem were furnished luxuriously with handsome embroidered draperies and gift furniture. The bride displayed many fine presents of gold and silver and jewels. She was gracious to us, but could speak no English. To amuse her guests were troops of dancing and singing girls, jugglers, snake charmers, etcetera. Every second minute Turkish coffee in dainty cups was offered us, and cigarettes, which to their surprise, we didn’t indulge in. After an hour or so we returned to the pavilion where the men were gathered, and heard Arabian songs and music. A special dinner had been prepared for us, and besides our party were three Arabian gentlemen of position who could speak a very little English and French. We were ushered into a small room of the palace and served at a round table, in true Arabian style. Excepting the soup, all of the elaborate courses were eaten with our fingers, there being no knives or forks. A big platter was placed in the center of the table and we grabbed the food with our fists. There was a waiter for each guest, however, and the dishes were of gold and silver, finely worked. Afterward these slaves poured water over our hands from silver jugs, the drops falling into an enormous silver basin set upon a pedestal, around which we all thronged. Then we wiped our hands upon our napkins and separated — the men to the pavilion, the women to the harem again. We found the women eating there, too, but not so elaborately as we had done. Black slaves waited on them, and big eunuchs ordered the native women around in rough voices. One of the bejeweled haremites, for some slight misdemeanor, received a severe blow or cuff on the side of her head that nearly knocked her over. Neither she nor anyone else resented it. I was glad when L. F., having had enough of the entertainment, sent for us to go home.
We have visited the Island of Rhoda, where Pharaoh’s daughter found Moses in the bulrushes. The imperial harem is still standing, but is deserted. On this island is the Nileometer, by means of which the overflow of the Nile, or rather the height to which it rises, has been measured and recorded since A.D. 617. The “well of the Nileometer” has been constantly repaired, but the carven marble pillar is the same that was originally placed there.
In Old Cairo is the first Coptic or Christian church in Egypt. In was erected over the spot where Joseph and Mary, with the Christ child, were supposed to have rested during the flight into Egypt to escape Herod’s edict. We were even shown the identical stones upon which the wanderers sat, and the stone couch where Joseph slept. In this ancient church — which you enter through an old Roman gateway, heavily studded with brass and iron — are many paintings of great antiquity and many rare carvings, collected during nine-hundred and fifty years of constant use. Among other things are three queer pulpits, one carved to represent Christ, and the others on either side of it the two
thieves, crucified with him.
We have seen the ancient Roman wall that formerly encircled Babylon, with its inner and outer gates, and visited the tombs of the Mamelukes and of the former Sultan and the Khedives. The tombs last mentioned are splendid with gold work, precious stones and rare woods. One of their characteristics is that above the tombs of the rulers are carved marble fezes, while above the tombs of the royal women are carven crowns with long braids of hair hanging down from them. These emblems are covered with gold leaf except in the cases of those men who had made the pilgrimage to Mecca, when the fezes or turbans were colored green.
When tired with regular “sight seeing” we have spent quite a little time among the native bazaars — principally those situated in the famous Mouski. The shops are all small, and at every one they entreat you to buy. It is not considered good form to pay what is asked; you are expected always to haggle and bargain, and in the end get the article for about half what is first demanded. The Egyptian merchant would be more grieved if you refused to “bargain” than if you refused to buy. To pay his price deprives him of half the pleasure of doing business. The bazaars are really fascinating, and we see many curious things there and buy many that we do not care for and can never use.
Saturday we devoted to another visit to the Museum. One department is devoted to exquisite specimens of papyrus, the writing on which is painted and finely embellished. The papyrus is so jealously guarded that it is kept covered with heavy cloths, which are removed by attendants long enough for the visitor to examine the writing and then recovered. This method prevents the colors from fading and also renders theft impossible.
From the tombs discovered and opened have been taken and brought to the museum many ancient articles of household use, such as kitchen utensils, beds, chairs and stools, baskets, water bottles, rings, funeral statues, small but exquisitely carved figures and busts, mirrors of copper and gold; bronze images of the gods; scarabs formed of precious stones, and even chariots and harness for the war horses. These are from different periods or dynasties and depict the progress of Egyptian civilization.
One of the most interesting collections is that of jewelry — especially that which has been found in a pyramid at Dashur. This belonged to two princesses and consists of gems set in gold of most wonderful workmanship, showing the marvelous art of the goldsmiths two-thousdand years before the Christian era. Some of it would shame the most expert workmen of today. The best specimens include chains with delicate and dainty links, bracelets with double hinges, rings of many novel designs, gold toilet boxes, breast plates of gold inlaid with precious stones, small gold and silver Nile barges with perfectly formed rowers and passengers, and similar ornaments. The most beautiful chain was one with pliable links that was thirty-six inches in length and ended in heads of geese. This method of chain making is in use today. I noticed a golden fan with small hollows on the points where ostrich feathers had once been set. There are many daggers, and chased golden bowls for the table and the toilet.
The mummy-cases from the later dynasties are painted with the features of the occupant, done in life-like colors, with the hair heavily gilded. These paints seem as fresh as the day they were applied, and the portraits are far better preserved than are the mummies themselves. These turn to a dark leathern hue when exposed to the air.
There is enough in this museum to keep one busy many months, as well as to repay one for a trip to Egypt. But so numerous are the treasures garnered from the past in this land of mystery and fascination that I doubt if anyone ever gives the museum the full amount of attention it deserves.
Of course we have put in a day at the Pyramids. The weather was perfect and we had a very delightful trip, taking our luncheon at the Mena House, which is a fine hotel built almost in the shadow of the pyramids. In awed wonder we walked around the huge monuments and the time-defying Sphinx, and then descended to the granite Temple of the Sphinx that is near to it. Campbell’s tomb is not far away — named after an English discoverer. The Pyramids of Gizeb are built on a rocky plateau, and were originally nine in number, although but three now remain. They are named Cheops, Kephren and Mycerinus, from the kings who built them. The six that are missing were all smaller and their stones were lugged to Cairo to be used in constructing other buildings with, only the rubbish of their foundations remaining to mark their location. Also in the neighborhood are ruins of several temples or dwellings where the priests and care-takers of the Pyramids originally lived. The Pyramid of Cheops is the largest and oldest, dating from 3733 B.C. It is called the Great Pyramid. Kephren is next in size and Mycerinus third. The sides of all were once smooth, the “steps” being covered with dressed red granite slabs toward the bottom, and limestone slabs toward the top, forming regular slopes. But the fine granite was also carried away to be used in other buildings, and but traces of it now remain. Cheops and Kephren were brothers, whose joint reigns extended one-hundred and six years. The names of all these kings were discovered inside the pyramids.
As for the Sphinx, it looks just as you would imagine it might, from pictures and descriptions. The lion’s body with the man’s face, grand and majestic as ever in spite of the centuries it has watched come and go, lies facing the rising sun with a countenance calm and commanding in spite of the mutilations caused by the wanton cannonball practice of Napoleon’s despoiling army. Records show that the Sphinx was old when the pyramid of Cheops was built. It is carved from the solid rock and is supposed to typify the strength and courage of a lion united with human wisdom. In the temple of the Sphinx (made from the largest blocks of granite ever quarried) were found nine black marble statues of King Kephren. I saw these in the Museum, but only one was perfect, the others being more or less broken. This temple has excited the wonder of modern architects, not alone because of the enormous size of the blocks of granite used, but because they were all put together with keystones, no mortar or cement being used.
In the afternoon we rode donkeys all around the pyramids, in order to get a general idea of their size and grandeur. I feel that it is an accomplishment to have seen these marvelous monuments. The largest was thirty years in building, ten years of this time being occupied in building roads over which to haul the blocks of stone and getting the material upon the ground. They were the tombs of their builders, but were broken open and robbed as early as the Twentieth dynasty. Moderns are not the only vandals the world has known.
The Sphinx was long the place where the kings of Egypt came to worship the sun. Between its paws was found an altar bearing pictures of Thotmes IV sacrificing to the sun, which the ancient Egyptians considered the author of life.
In the afternoon I ascended to the top of the Great Pyramid — five-hundred and sixteen feet above the ground. Three Bedouins accompanied me, one holding fast to each hand while the other “boosted” from behind. The steps are from three to four feet in height, and the ascent so strenuous that I rested several times on the way up. The view from the top is considered the finest in the world, and I believe it. To the west, as far as the eye can reach, lies the yellow-brown desert; southward, in the distance, you see the pyramids of Dashur and Sakkhara, other groups similar to these of Gizeh. In the east is the Delta with its waving fields of grain, and the City of Cairo, with its teeming life, its thousand minarets and its mighty Citadel. The Nile winds below you like a ribbon carelessly cast to the winds, and over all is the glorious African sun and the turquoise sky. Around you cluster the Sphinx and the lesser pyramids. Standing here, at the apex of the most wonderful monument ever erected by the hand of man, one is bound to pause and reflect. I had a feeling that I was linked to all the centuries of the dead and gone civilization of this mystic land, and my impression of awe I shall never forget.
L. F. did not venture to climb the pyramid with me. He and our dragoman remained below to watch my ascent. Few women, and those mostly Americans, undertake the feat, but I feel amply repaid in spite of the fact that I have been very lame since my climb.
Tomo
rrow morning we leave Cairo for a three weeks’ trip up the Nile.
LETTER V. UP THE NILE
On Board the S. S. “Ramses,”
Ascending the Nile Nile traffic is controlled by “Cook’s,” that enterprising firm having made such voyages as ours possible by building dahabeahs and river steamers especially adapted for the purpose, and training a superior class of dragomen to explain the wonders of the great temples and palaces to the tourists. The most satisfactory way to visit the Nile country is to take passage on one of the three great floating hotels — of which the “Ramses” is the largest and finest — and travel through this vast cemetery of a dead civilization surrounded by the same luxuries and comforts you would find in Paris. L. F. has always scorned Cook’s Tourist Parties or any other “personally conducted” trips, preferring to travel independently; but if he wants to see the Nile he must use Cook, and having made up his mind to the ordeal he finds it very charming indeed. We have seventy passengers, almost all people of culture and position in the world. Fully two-thirds are American, for it is an expensive trip and Europeans as a rule travel where they can live cheaply.
We steamed away from Cairo at ten o’clock this morning and at one o’clock, after an early luncheon, we stopped at Sakkhara, the site of ancient Memphis. It requires a donkey ride, however, to travel from the Nile bank to the olden Egyptian metropolis, of which the only visible remaining traces are the two colossal statues of Ramses the Great, both in reclining positions. The first is a granite figure now twenty-five feet long, about six and a half feet of the towering crown of Upper and Lower Egypt having been broken off. In order to see the face, which is a remarkably fine one, we climbed upon the huge body and literally “walked over him.” The features of Ramses, here depicted, are kindly, handsome and dignified. His inordinate vanity is typified by his name appearing carved upon both shoulders, breast, and the kingly belt and bracelet. On one of his sides is engraved the figure of his favorite daughter, Bent-Anat. Near this statue is a stele of the god Apris dating from the Twenty-Sixth dynasty.
Complete Works of L. Frank Baum Page 896