Reminiscences of Travel in Australia, America, and Egypt Part 10

There can be but few secrets in the various trades, as the workshops are all shallow, and open to the streets. All the jewellers are in one street about 8ft. in width, each of them being provided with a safe, obviously of English manufacture. I do not think, however, that the bellows used by them were made in Birmingham, for it was curious to note that they had no valves. At the end of the jewellers' street sits an old fellow like Abraham or Isaac, weighing precious metals in a pair of evidently very accurate scales. This man acted as general weigher for the trade, and his operations were carried on in the face of the public.

Leaving the bazaars we met a crowd of natives gesticulating, shouting, and frolicking in a very excited manner. Standing aside to allow the throng to pa.s.s, we found it was a bridal procession conducting a bride to her husband's home. A few tattered minstrels walked in front, making a hideous noise on pipes and drums, while a gang of young men jumped and danced about, and indulged in the wildest horse-play. The women were ornamented with strips of gilt paper and coloured ribbons, and had their cheeks thickly coated with rouge. The bride walked under a canopy consisting of four poles covered with canvas and was quite enclosed.

Sometimes this portable tent would collapse upon the fair one, whose struggles were prominently manifested by bulges in the canvas. The whole party seemed to be making the most of the occasion.

We next visited the mosque of Sultan Ha.s.san, which was built in the 14th century, at a cost of 600 per day for the three years it took to complete. It is the finest mosque in Cairo. While standing beside the Sultan's tomb within the mosque our guide related its history. He said that for three years the Sultan had been absent from Egypt on pilgrimages, and that during his absence his Grand Vizier declared himself Sultan. Ha.s.san hearing of this returned to Cairo in the disguise of a poor pilgrim, and finding that he had still many adherents he consulted with some of the princ.i.p.al of them as to the best way of regaining his rights. He first obtained permission to build this mosque, and when it was finished his partisans a.s.sembled in the building in large numbers.

[Picture: The Mosque of Sultan Ha.s.san]

Ha.s.san, still in the pilgrim's habit, rose to preach to the people-this was the preconcerted signal for a general ma.s.sacre of the usurper and his supporters; and thus Ha.s.san recovered his throne. At the entrance to the mosque our boots were covered with sandals, so that our feet might not touch the holy floor; but custom does not demand the removal of the hat.

In the court-yard is a fountain where the faithful perform their ablutions before prayer. In front of the niche looking towards Mecca were about a dozen persons at their devotions. Just in advance of them stood a mollah or priest, and as he bowed his head or kneeled they did the same, concluding with chanting or singing a prayer. Whilst we were looking around a little boy was following us, keeping a sharp look out lest our slippers should come off, and if they showed any signs of coming loose he at once brought up a man to fasten them.

One of the sights of Cairo is the egg-hatching establishment. This inst.i.tution is rendered necessary, because the hens are too idle to hatch their eggs in this country, consequently the operation has to be artificially performed. The people bring their eggs to the hatching place and receive one chicken for every two eggs. I observed the Egyptian eggs are very small, due also to the laziness of the hens, doubtless.

We next visited the citadel and the mosque of Mohammed Ali, a magnificent pile, built early in this century. In the courtyard of this place the Mamelukes in 1811 were ma.s.sacred by order of Mohammed Ali. Fearing their power he invited them to the mosque, and closing the gates slaughtered them all, save one who escaped by leaping with his horse from the parapet. The horse was killed, but the rider was uninjured. About 450 persons were here ma.s.sacred, and 800 in other parts of the city. The citadel commands a magnificent view of the city and surrounding country, and every evening large parties of tourists a.s.semble there to see the sunset.

The excursion to the Pyramids of Gizeh is now much more easily made since Ismal completed the carriage road by way of compliment to our Royal Princes on their visit. Our party was conveyed in carriages, while donkeys had been previously sent forward for the use of the ladies.

While on the carriage-road the view of the Pyramids is altogether lost till within a mile of the end of the journey, acacias having been thickly planted on either side of the road. On leaving the carriages we were at once surrounded by beggars, who continued to infest us all the time we were in the neighbourhood. Some were loud, almost menacing in their demands, others soft and insinuating. One kind, which I call the "quiet devil" or "familiar," creeps by your side, and whispers in your ear confidentially that he is "a good man"; that the others are "bad men"; that he will not bother you for anything; that you are "a good man"; that he will "help you, and keep off the others." But alas! he too is sure to whisper in conclusion _backsheesh_. If the road is a little rough these "good men" seem to fancy you cannot get on without help, so one on each side puts a hand under your arm and half carries you along. It is quite useless to protest; they look at you as though they would say, "poor man!

he thinks he can walk by himself; but we know better; he would fall at once did we not hold him up." And then, when we reach level ground again, there is a universal chorus of-_'sheesh_, _backsheesh_.

[Picture: Ascending the Great Pyramid]

On arriving at the little house at the foot of the Pyramids our guide Abaid summoned the Sheik of the village, who proceeded to detail two men for each person who intended to make the ascent-ladies and fat men being allotted four men each to help them up. The weather being extremely hot my sister and I were content to see the rest of the party make the ascent while we sat in a shady place at the base. A group of twenty Arabs of the most patriarchal aspect squatted on the ground in front of us in a half-circle; immediately our eyes fell upon any one of them he mutely extended one hand-not so much to help us as to be helped-instantly lowering it without complaint on our looking elsewhere. This would become monotonous. I would occasionally show by my look that I was annoyed, upon which the beggar would get a crack over his head from one of his neighbours.

The Great Pyramid of Cheops is 732ft. along the base line and 460ft.

high, covering an area of 536,000 square feet-about equal in extent to Lincoln's Inn Fields in London. Its height is about 60ft. higher than the cross on St. Paul's Cathedral. My wife managed the ascent very well, and also went with the rest to explore the interior, and all seemed greatly pleased with their exploits. A fee of two francs to the Sheik and a franc a piece to the helpers is the regular charge for each person; but even the Sheik is not above taking a little extra by way of _backsheesh_. Our party were quite ready for their lunch, which Abaid quickly spread out in the little house provided by the Government for the accommodation of visitors. We were shown into a large room, and while at table the doorways were filled with a hungry crowd, quarrelling, laughing, and jostling each other.

[Picture: View on the Nile]

Some of the bolder spirits at length got into the room, but our guide seizing his stick administered two or three heavy blows, and soon cleared them out. It was wonderful to see how tamely big men will allow themselves to be driven. Truly the stick is a great inst.i.tution in Egypt, although perhaps none but the ruling cla.s.s would acquiesce in the inscription found in one of the ancient tombs to the effect that "The stick came down from heaven-a blessing from G.o.d."

Before sitting down to eat, a boy brought water that we might wash our hands. The mode was certainly primitive. We had to hold our hands out of the window while he poured water over them. A noisy crowd of Arabs were sitting under another window, and a barber in the midst was operating upon the head of one of them, and it was really wonderful how cleverly he shaved, making a clean sweep of every lock and every hair. I asked Abaid if the men were under a vow, but he said it was because summer was coming on, and it would be cooler without hair.

[Picture: The Sphinx]

After a scene of great confusion in paying the various claimants, during which the Sheik had to make a vigorous use of his long stick, we started to see the Sphinx, which is about 500 yards off. Before leaving, I called the Sheik and gave him two francs, that he might instruct his men to keep the mob from us. This he accepted with great solemnity, and in parting shook hands in a most impressive manner.

[Picture: A Wash and a Shave]

The Sphinx is cut out of the solid rock, and is about thirty feet from the top of the head to the bottom of the chin, and about fourteen feet across the face, the body being 140 feet long. I could see no beauty in the face, the features being almost obliterated.

Near the Sphinx is a fine underground temple formed of immense granite blocks and polished alabaster. The pavement is of granite and is perfectly smooth. Some of the finest statues at Bulak were found in a well adjoining this temple.

Leaving our hotel at seven a.m., we started for Gizeh station _en route_ for Sakkara, the railway taking us as far as Bedrashen. We had engaged eleven donkeys for carrying our party and the food necessary for the whole day's refreshment. The confusion at Gizeh station in obtaining our tickets and getting the donkeys into the train was something tremendous.

Fortunately, the morning was rather cool.

On arriving at Bedrashen we had some difficulty in finding the right donkeys, and I had great misgivings about the prospective five hours'

ride; but at last we got fairly off, and by degrees my confidence returned. We soon reached Mitrahineh, the site of ancient Memphis, now only marked by a vast number of heaps and mounds of rubbish, under which are doubtless buried many treasures of ancient Egyptian art. A number of articles which have been recently dug out were shown in a rude enclosure; one or two of the statues beautifully executed. Lying in a pool, face downwards, is a statue of Ramses II. belonging to the British Museum, but the authorities of that inst.i.tution have not yet taken the trouble to remove it. The statue is 50ft. long, and is of siliceous limestone, very hard, and bearing a high polish. In one hand the figure holds a scroll bearing his name, and at his side is his little daughter, reaching to his knee. The face is still quite smooth, the features are sharply cut and delicately finished, and the expression perfectly preserved, looking really beautiful. Memphis was said by Herodotus to extend for six miles.

It was conquered in turns by Persians, a.s.syrians, and Romans, each of whom did their share towards ruining it, and when at last the Mohammedans conquered the country, its doom was sealed, and the stones of its palace and temples taken away to build the new city of Cairo. The d.y.k.es being no longer kept in repair, the overflow of the Nile gradually piled up the mud year by year, and this, with the sand from the desert, has, in the course of ages, made Memphis little more than a name. Memphis is called in the Bible _Noph_, and in the time of the Patriarchs was the capital of Lower Egypt; but the prophecy of Jeremiah, xlvi. 19, has been literally fulfilled: "Noph shall be waste and desolate."

Leaving Memphis we go on to Sakkara, for thousands of years the ancient Necropolis or burying-ground. In the centre stands the great Step Pyramid, built in steps of comparatively small pieces of stone. It is said to be not only the oldest pyramid, but also the most ancient monument of any kind in the world. The cemetery is four and a half miles long by an average of three-fourths of a mile in width, and being full of holes it is necessary to be very careful in crossing it. The ground is strewed with skulls and other human bones, some of the former being of great thickness. Soon we reached the house of Mariette Bey, built for his use when he was engaged in his explorations, and here, by his permission, parties are at liberty to rest and take their lunch.

The first object of interest is the Serapeum, or Apis Mausoleum. When alive, the sacred bull was worshipped in a splendid temple at Memphis, and lodged in an adjoining palace. When dead he was buried in this mausoleum, in a vault excavated out of the solid rock, his body being placed in a huge sarcophagus hewn out of a single piece of granite, and hollowed into a regular square to receive the body. A cover, also of granite, and weighing many tons, was then placed over it. The size of the sarcophagus is 13ft. long, 7ft. 6in. wide, and 11ft. high.

This mausoleum had for ages been known to exist somewhere, but no one knew the locality. The ancient Strabo wrote, "There is also a serapeum in a very sandy spot where drifts of sand are raised by the wind to such a degree that we saw some sphinxes buried up to their heads, and others half covered." Mariette, recollecting this pa.s.sage, observed in 1860 a sphinx's head appearing through the sand, and it at once occurred to him that this must be the site of the avenue of which mention is made by another ancient writer, so he commenced a clearing and laid bare 141 sphinxes. To do this he had to make a cutting in the sand 70ft. deep; but at length he was rewarded by discovering the entrance to the mausoleum.

[Picture: The Serapeum, Sakkara]

There are several galleries for the different dynasties, but only one is now shown, the interments in which date from 650 B.C. down to 50 B.C.

The galleries extend for 400 yards, and there are now twenty-four sarcophagi in their places. Three of these are beautifully sculptured.

One of them is of polished granite, and although the engraving is only 1/16 in. deep, a mere scratch in the polish, it is as clear as when first done, over 2,000 years ago, and so perfect is the stone that it rings like a bell when struck.

From the Serapeum we proceeded to examine one of the tombs, also excavated by Mariette Bey. It is called the Tomb of Tih. Over the doorways of these ancient tombs it was the custom to inscribe the name and t.i.tles of the deceased, and also an invocation to the G.o.d of Tombs (the tomb having been built during life by the person himself), with these objects:-

1st.-To accord to deceased propitious funeral-rites, and a good burial-place after a long and happy life.

2nd.-To be favourably disposed to deceased in his journey beyond the tomb.

3rd.-To secure to him, to all eternity, the proper payment of funeral-offerings by his relations.

A list of these offerings is carved upon the walls, which are covered with sculptures representing the scenes in which the deceased had been engaged during life, ending with a representation of the conveyance of the mummy to the tomb. The tomb itself contains several apartments, in which the relatives met upon certain anniversaries to present votive-offerings, etc.

We were astonished to see the perfect state of preservation in which the tomb remains. The sculptures on the walls are as sharp and clear and the colours apparently as bright as when laid on. Sand is a good preservative when not in motion, and to this must the marvel be ascribed.

Over the door is the inscription giving Tih's name, and stating that he was a priest; and on the walls of the first chamber are representations showing statues of Tih being embarked in boats and oxen being brought for sacrifice, one of them being offered up. There is another showing Tih with his wife and family watching his people at work in the farmyard.

Some of them are bringing sacks of grain for the poultry; others are fattening the birds by making and forcing pellets of flour down their throats. Behind this there is a view of the farm-buildings, the roofs being supported on carved wooden pillars.

[Picture: From the Tomb of Tih]

In the middle there is a pool where ducks are swimming, while cattle are seen pasturing in the fields around. Among the birds Tih kept are cranes and pigeons, ducks and geese. He had also cattle of every size and kind, including antelopes, gazelles, and wild goats. Then come the boats filled with jars and bales transporting farm produce down the Nile. In another place men are shown carrying fruits and vegetables, and pigeons in cages. Farther on are seen men drawing statues enclosed in temples of wood, half-a-dozen dragging with ropes, while one pours water on the road to make it easier. In another room Till is shown as a sportsman in a boat; in one hand he holds a decoy-bird, while with the other he hurls a curved stick like an Australian boomerang. In the water are seen crocodiles and hippopotami: a crocodile and hippopotamus are fighting, the latter being evidently victorious; some of the servants are trying to catch them, and the hippopotamus is just being hooked with a sort of harpoon. (This scene recalls the verse in Job, "Canst thou draw out the leviathan with a hook?") Here again the fish are being drawn in nets into the boats, while the work of the farm goes vigorously on. Cows are seen crossing a ford and browsing in a field, while herdsmen are driving a flock of goats. Oxen are ploughing just as we saw them in the fields to-day, and with a very similar plough. The seed is being sown, corn reaped, and men with three-p.r.o.nged forks are gathering it into heaps while the oxen are treading it out. In another place the corn is being tied into sheaves, and donkeys are being brought up with much fuss and use of the stick to take it to the granaries. Some of these scenes are drawn with inimitable humour. Carpenters are engaged in making furniture, and shipwrights in building boats, while Tih is always present directing each operation.

The Egyptians were said by Diodorus to call their houses hostelries, and their tombs their everlasting homes.

We now remounted our donkeys, and for an hour rode over the sandy desert through dreadful mud villages, from which all the population turned out as we pa.s.sed, crying with all their might-_'sheesh_, _'sheesh_, _backsheesh_, _'sheesh_, _'sheesh_.

Pa.s.sing several strings of camels-which I described as "camelcades,"

coining a word for the purpose-we soon regained the delightfully fertile country which is watered by the Nile. For more than two hours we trotted and galloped along through a very rich country, where hundreds of acres of date-palms were growing-where the young corn was waving, and peas, beans, and cuc.u.mbers in great luxuriance-no more dust nor sand, but a pleasant breeze and bright sun, with nothing to mar the pleasure except the sight of the wretched natives. Most of the children are absolutely naked, while their parents' clothes are of the most limited description.

[Picture: A Camelcade (sketched by the Author)]

We halted for lunch under some palm-trees by a branch of the Nile, and then proceeded to the carriages, which we had ordered to meet us in the Gizeh road. Some of us had to ride back into Cairo on our donkeys, and on our way we pa.s.sed the Khedive, who cordially acknowledged our salutation. All our party agreed in saying that to-day's excursion was one of the most delightful we had ever had.

[Picture: Prayers in the Desert]

CHAPTER XI.

Friday being the Mohammedan Sabbath we devoted this day to the Dancing and Howling Dervishes, as they hold their princ.i.p.al _zikr_ or ceremonial on that day. We first visited the convent of the dancing Dervishes and witnessed one of their performances, and certainly a curious spectacle it was. In the centre of the room a s.p.a.ce of about 50ft. in diameter is railed off, and about twenty solemn-looking men in hats like the tall "tile" without brims are sitting opposite the door. They looked like a lot of ancient "Friends" at the head of a meeting. In the gallery above were some musicians, one of whom was playing a flute in a melancholy manner, and another reciting a prayer. At a certain point the Dervishes within the circle bow and rise, and taking off their outer garments begin walking round the enclosure with solemn steps and slow, headed by the Chief Priest or Sheik. On pa.s.sing the carpet upon which the Sheik has been sitting they turn and bow, and this is repeated two or three times; then they go into the middle of the enclosure, spreading out their garments like ladies in the old minuet; the music quickens, and they begin to whirl around on one foot, occasionally touching the ground with the other. The performers' eyes are closed (or appear to be so), but they keep on in perfect order-never touching one another-while the old Priest walks about among them. Some of the more experienced Dervishes can revolve fifty or sixty times a minute, keeping it up for nearly half an hour. It was a curious proceeding altogether, and, for a wonder, no _backsheesh_ was demanded, the Priests being supported by endowments and occasional gifts from the Khedive. Mounting our donkeys we rode off to the Howling Dervishes, where we found them in full howl. About twenty of them were engaged in making the most hideous noise imaginable. These fellows had their hair very long and s.h.a.ggy, and threw it about their heads in the wildest manner. Every time they raise their heads they utter the word _HU_ (G.o.d alone), which sounds like the yell of a wild beast, at times the excitement rising to such a height that some of them would foam at the mouth and fall to the ground apparently in a fit. They wound up their proceedings with a prolonged howl and a deep grunt. These Dervishes, like their dancing brethren, are supported by Government endowment.