Part 4
Now let us take a ride into town or some objective point; and, if you are fond of fun,--and I know you are,--here is where you get it. As soon as you step ashore, and they see there is a chance to let a donkey, they will make a rush for you, every man praising up his own animal, shouting in an unknown tongue and gesticulating to the best of his ability. At first you will think you are going to have a street fight on your hands at once. Then they will begin to grab hold of you, and you will make up your mind that you are going to be quartered, and each quarter is going off on a separate donkey, and you will have four backsheesh to pay instead of one. But all is, when things begin to grow interesting, say to them, “Hands off!” and mount the first good-looking donkey you can get at, and you will be surprised to see how quickly things quiet down. No one finds any fault, and the man that secures the job is happy. The next thing is to make your donkey boy understand where you wish to go. Then you are off with a rush. The young man follows his donkey with a whip or cane, and will give you all the speed you want, using his cane over the hind parts of his animal, and shouting at top of his voice, “Zah, hoo, zah, hoo!” but having sympathy for the donkey, and not wishing for such speed, you begin to wave your hand backward, and shout, “Slower, slower!” and, unless you are persistent in your demands, you will still keep up the rush. Either way you are sure to get there all right, then alight from your donkey and go where you please. When you return, you will find your donkey boy waiting for you. When you return to the boat and pay for your ride, it makes no difference what you give them, they will want more. The disposition with the natives is to get all they can out of the tourist. Many a time in selling their wares they will take one-eighth of what they asked in the first place. But such is life in Egypt. It is impossible to go out from the steamer into town without having from three to six of these natives following you, offering to guide you, for which they expect backsheesh, or else they are trying to sell you scarabs or some unearthly thing you care nothing about. A polite invitation for them to leave amounts to nothing. You have to go for them with a cane, and give them to understand you mean business.
The sad thing of this country is the halt, maimed, lame, and blind you meet at every turn, begging. Some of the most pitiable-looking creatures! It makes the heart sick. If a man could be a many times millionaire with a heart to give, this would be a splendid field for him.
The Nile seems to be the pride of Egypt. The people all come to it with their herds to water, also to drink themselves. Their washings are done on its shores.
Money seems to be worth more than in America, and is in smaller denominations. They have here parion, millims, and piastres. The parion is a small copper coin, value one-eighth of a cent. Two parion, a larger piece, one-fourth of a cent. The millim is very small, with silver in it, value one-half cent. Two millim, one cent. A piastre is a trifle over five cents, then there is one-half piastre. The five piastre piece, twenty-six cents, is the size of our quarter. The ten piastre piece, fifty-two cents, and twenty piastre piece, one dollar and four cents, correspond to our half-dollars and dollars. The quality of their silver is better than ours, and stands on equal footing with French gold.
We remain here about ten days, then go into Palestine, where horses take the place of donkeys.
V.
CAIRO, April 5, 1895.
The Congregational Oriental party is at this time nicely located at the D’Angleterre and new hotels that would do credit to any American city. Many of the clerks and waiters speak English, and are very polite and attentive. While we expect to remain here until the 13th, yet we are not anxious to have the hour of our departure arrive.
Cairo seems to be the Chicago of Egypt, a place of some four hundred thousand inhabitants, about twenty thousand of them English and Americans. The bulk of the residents are Mohammedans. This place was founded about A.D. 850. Touloun, a Moslem, was its first governor. In 1170 the famous Saladin usurped the throne; in 1250 the Mamelukes took possession; in 1517 it was stormed and captured by the sultan, Selim. To-day England has a powerful grip on Egypt. The khedive ran the country badly in debt. England took the bond until she stepped in, and said, “We must control the property.” The Egyptian army is officered by English. In fact, they keep many of their soldiers here, and Egypt feeds them; yet England can take them away any time she chooses. The khedive lives in Cairo, and rules some six millions of people; yet he is ready to take off his hat to Johnny Bull whenever he meets him. The six millions of people in Egypt are largely Mohammedans, some half million Coptics. Here and there you will find people from Nubia, Soudan, and India. The people are a copper color, excepting those from Soudan, they being black and shiny, but, unlike the negro, have not the thick lips and curly hair. The Egyptians are straight, fine forms, white teeth; and many of them, aside from color, are handsome. They are not vicious, and are easily managed by those in authority.
The condition of women in the country is deplorable. The laws of the Mohammedans give a man a right to have four wives if he wishes for them. He buys them, the usual price being twenty-five dollars, paid for in any kind of goods the man may happen to have. If he wishes to get rid of them, the law requires him to support them nine months; and the woman has to take care of and support the children until eight years old. So you see divorce is an easy matter; and they are sure to send the wives off when they get to be old, and take young wives in their place. The law in these matters is a mere letter, and many of the well-to-do Arabs have twenty wives instead of four; and many times they are sent off with a piastre (five cents) instead of nine months’ support. The man rides his camel or donkey, and the wife walks or runs behind. Sometimes they send them out on a two-wheel cart to air them.
The marriageable age for girls is twelve, boys eighteen. We have seen many a young wife about that age with her baby in her arms. They never educate the girls.
The laws of the Coptics are different. Only one wife is allowed.
When the prow of our steamer was headed northward on the Nile, we had but little to do upon our return but watch the scenery and the villages. There are a few towns that show thrift, with some modern-looking buildings; but the majority are the old mud houses, and the walls are built up some seven feet high, then poles thrown across and a covering of straw to keep the sun out. Not having rain up the Nile, the roof is of minor importance. We went through many of those villages, and into some of the houses, where you will find in one room donkeys, pigs, hens, and the natives all living together; and a good, nice Vermont hog-pen is a palace to some places we saw.
There seems to be a disease of the eyes among the children in Egypt, and the flies gather on them. We have seen children with their eyes so covered with flies you could hardly tell whether they had eyes or not; and they seem to make no effort to keep them off. This, I think, is the reason why there are so many blind people here. It is said that one in twenty is blind, either one eye or both. There are no hospitals or places for the poor, so all they can do is to sit and beg. It seems as though the condition of the people in Upper Egypt is worse than here in Cairo.
I have been wandering with you through the country. I will now try to give you a glimpse of Cairo. While there are camels and donkeys here, you will see some of the streets full of fine horses and carriages. The officers of the government and many of the wealthy have their fine turnouts. They have their sais, who are the most sylph-like beings imaginable. They can run hours without tiring. They wear a richly decorated garment, embroidered in gold arabesques, a wide silk sash with ends floating in the air, with loose gauze sleeves, white, falling to the waist, and a short skirt coming to the knees of same material. A wealthy man will have two of these men, who run abreast of each other. Sometimes you will see one alone. They carry a wand some five feet long, brought against the shoulder, when they run before the carriage. The coachman drives his team rapidly. The sais run with great speed, keeping about one hundred feet in advance, shouting to anything or anybody that is in the way to clear the track. I have never come in contact with them; but I enjoy watching them exceedingly, they look so fine and run so gracefully.
The new part of Cairo where we are located is modern in appearance, broad streets, fine public buildings, stores filled with fine-looking goods, etc.; and, if it was not for the Oriental toggery going through the streets, you would almost think you were the other side of the Atlantic.
When you leave your hotel, the first thing you meet is an Arab with a donkey. He knows a few words of English; and he says: “Fine donkey, nice donkey to ride. Donkey take you to bazaar. Fine donkey, ride easy, good donkey.” No matter how strong your assertions are that you do not wish to ride, he will follow you a long distance. Another conveyance is the pasta Baluak. This annoys no one. It looks like a small street-car, seats running crosswise, so you enter on the side. The car is much wider than the running gear. There are four small wheels underneath. They hitch on a pair of horses, and go where they please in the highway. The passengers get on and off at their pleasure, paying for their ride. Very convenient where there are no horse or electric cars, things we have not seen in Egypt.
Cairo is said to have a thousand mosques. It seems to be a city of domes and minarets, some of them very handsome. We have been in several of them. They differ from the Catholic cathedrals, being entirely free from statuary, figures, or pictures. The Mohammedans are decidedly opposed to anything of the kind. In one of the squares of Cairo is a statue, upon a horse, of Abram Pasha; but, when it was erected, it met with great opposition. The alabaster mosque is one of the finest, solid columns of pure alabaster. In every one of these buildings on the east side is a circular recess, beautifully inlaid; and in this mosque this was solid onyx of the finest quality. Toward this recess every one faces when he worships: this points him toward Mecca. In the front court of this alabaster mosque is a closed fountain, some fifteen feet in diameter, with a canopy top. Around the outside are round onyx stones, about twelve inches high and twenty inches in diameter. In front of each one of these stones is a faucet. Before the man is allowed to worship in the mosque, he kneels on one of those stones, opens the faucet and washes his feet, face, head, mouth, nose, and ears. Then he enters the mosque, and performs his devotions. The floor is covered with mattings or carpets. The building is profusely lighted, having more or less colored glass, and must look fine in the evening when lighted.
We visited the oldest church in Cairo, built over one thousand years ago. It is a Coptic church, still in use. We also visited a mosque built about the same time.
Our dragoman, Hasham, is a Mohammedan; and we have a chance to study theology with him. They believe that Christ was a prophet, but Mohammed was a greater and later one. Many of them are very devoted, but their religion does not seem to bring them upon a very high plane of moral living. Hasham says he is coming to America. I have the impression that he is beginning to think that there is a better religion than he is now acquainted with.
We visited to-day the Palace Hotel, being shown all through it. This was built by the khedive for a palace, and cost eleven millions; but he found out that he had more palaces than he could support, and sold this one to a French syndicate for a hotel. The grounds are extensive, finely laid out with flowers, fountains, statuary, many beautiful trees, and about one hundred electric lights, with large globes to light the grounds in the evening, which must make it a perfect fairyland when lighted. It is located on the banks of the Nile, and their prices are from three to five dollars per day. They can take care of some two hundred, and have not been able to accommodate half that wish to stop with them. One hundred more rooms are to be added this summer. If you wish for the finest thing in Cairo, send in your name. You will not get nearer paradise in this section of country than there. We saw one arrangement that was beautiful. On some of the mirrors were painted vines and flowers, and it made it appear as though you were looking into a conservatory. It is the cheapest conservatory one can have, no danger of frost, and you will always have vines in blossom.
VI.
CAIRO, April 6, 1895.
This has been a great day in Cairo. The tomb of Mohammed in Mecca is kept covered with beautiful carpets of tapestry and embroidery, which are renewed every two years. This is the year for renewal, and they have with great labor and skill been prepared; and the 6th might be called the day of dedication. All business in Cairo came to a stand-still: everybody and everything was in gay attire.
8 A.M. was the hour to meet on Citadel Hill. We were there with our carriages promptly on time. Many of those beautiful carpets were spread over oval top stretchers, carried by men. Then there was a canopy for the tomb that was gorgeous and dazzling. This was on a sacred camel, and entirely covered the animal, the top being some ten feet above the camel’s back. These all passed close by our carriage. Some two thousand soldiers, with a large amount of cavalry, artillery, etc., all beautifully uniformed, and large bands of music. The khedive was in the procession. The people and carriages covered acres. The coverings for the tomb were taken from the citadel to a mosque; and in a few weeks another day will be set apart, and the goods will start for Mecca.
The night before the 6th they had what they call a feast. These goods were placed in one of the public buildings, brilliantly lighted; and eatables also were added, and all that wished went in. It was like a grand reception. When the whole thing was over, we decided we were lucky to hit so rare an occasion.
When we visited the oldest mosque, we saw the column with Mohammed’s hand holding a whip imprinted on it. They claim this column flew from Mecca to Cairo,--quite a flight.
When on Citadel Hill, we saw the place where Mameluke jumped his horse off a precipice, killing his horse, but by a miracle, as it were, saved his own life. This was when Mohammed Ali made a banquet, and invited all the head men of the different provinces, and at the right moment let his soldiers in upon them, killing several hundred, this Mameluke being the only one to escape.
When Abraham walked the plains of Mamre with the angels, and pursued the captors of Lot, Egypt had her large cities, and was the centre of art and learning. Even Rome and Athens had their first instalment of knowledge and science from this old country.
Saturday we took carriages, and drove ten miles to Heliopolis. Here was located the great institution of learning in the time of Pharaoh, the place where Moses and Joseph received their education. Here is the oldest obelisk in Egypt, and the old sycamore tree, said to be growing on the spot where the holy family rested, when they went down to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod.
The more you travel here in Egypt, the more you are impressed with its ancient historical interest.
I have given you thus far in this letter more of the new Cairo than of the old. There is a part of this city that is as ancient seemingly as are the eternal hills that are around it, and there is no way that you will get more of the Oriental life than to go with me through the bazaars. Here you will enter streets miles in length, some of them so narrow that only pedestrians and equestrians enter them. Each side is full of stalls, many of them not more than six by ten feet. On the floor is usually a rug, on which sit the merchants, many of them smoking their nargileh. These boxes or stores, and occasionally larger ones, are packed full of goods, many of the richest quality. In these bazaars you will find them manufacturing shoes, garments, silver and copper ware, etc., using the crudest tools imaginable, yet their work is fine. We saw articles in silver that were exquisite. The natives and their donkeys are going to and fro, good-naturedly jostling each other; and you can rejoice in one thing, that the large, fat people do not live in Egypt. If you are buying goods, you should pay about two-thirds the asking price. In buying expensive articles, it takes usually about three days and several cups of coffee to complete the bargain. You will find stores filled with attar of roses and the sweet-scented perfumes of Arabia and the Oriental country. The buildings usually jut over above the first story, the merchants living upstairs, the buildings so near together you can almost shake hands across the street; and, as you are aware there are acres covered in this way, you will have some idea of the wealth and stock in trade in Cairo.
While making our way through one of these streets, we turned to our right into a narrow lane, and entered an establishment for manufacturing furniture, saw beautiful fret-work and inlaid pearl. There was a scaffold in the shop that was ten by fifty feet. We went up a ladder to get on it, and I counted forty men and boys working on that space. Some were carving, others were working on inlaid pearl; but the work which interested us most was turning beaded work. They had a fillbow, the string around the piece of wood they were turning. With one hand they kept the piece of wood in motion. With the other hand and the toes of the left foot they held the chisel, and you would be surprised to see them sit there and rapidly perform that work. I have a piece of the work in my pocket-book that I shall take to America.
In the bazaars you will see the natives selling water, lemonade, licorice water, etc. You will hear them in all directions. They have a fancy glass bottle holding about a gallon, trimmed with brass chains and dangles. This they carry on the side with a strap or chain over the shoulder. Then with two bright copper or brass saucers in one hand they strike or chime them together in a musical way, being heard a long distance, and with the cup or tumbler that is hung to the bottle will, for half a piastre, let you have all you want. I drank some of the licorice water once, but have not been dry since.
The donkeys, many of them, have a necklace around the neck with a thousand or less little brass or nickel charms or tinklets. It is very nice in these crowded bazaars; for you will hear them as they come rushing along behind you, giving you a chance to take care of number one. While you are here, you had better go through the lace, tassel, and embroidery departments where they are manufacturing these goods by hand, then, as you leave for your hotel, come through the perfumery and spice bazaars. They will give you a chance to sample their goods; and you will return with the sweet odors of Mecca, attar of roses, etc., that will be about you the rest of the day.
We have visited the ostrich farm, thirteen hundred and fifty birds, a sight to behold, saying nothing about the eggs and feathers.
Monday, the 8th, we took carriages, and drove to the Pyramids, a drive of ten miles, one of the finest roads in the country, six miles as level and straight as you could draw a line, lined each side with the libbek trees, resembling our locust. This road was built by the khedive when the Suez Canal was opened; and Empress Eugénie came here, and was the first to ride over it. We are ready to take off our hat to the empress. The pyramid we visited, and most of the party went to the top. It was some four hundred and eighty feet high, and seven hundred and sixty feet square at the base, twenty feet square at the top. On the corners the stones were laid in a way to make steps some three feet high. So two Arabs would take a person, and in a short time walk them to the top.
On our way out to the Pyramids we met two hundred and seventy camels with produce going into Cairo. Met seventy on the bridge as we cross the Nile, twelve hundred sixty feet long. This would be quite a show if it was not in Egypt.
There are a large number of pyramids in Egypt, both small and great. These at Gizeh that we visited are the largest, and were built in the third and fourth dynasty, nothing standing to-day that dates back beyond them. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob gazed on them probably with as much wonder as the people of to-day. There has been some speculation by different writers as to what they were built for, but there is hardly a shadow of doubt that they were built as tombs for the kings. There are many passageways and apartments in them. The ancient kings had an idea of immortality, and that the body must be preserved, in order to save the soul. Hence, as soon as they had the power, they commenced to prepare for the future. This largest pyramid was built by Cheops, and was some twenty years building. It took ten years to build the roads to transport the stone. At times there were one hundred and sixty thousand men at work on it. Cheops was a tyrant, and his subjects disliked him cordially; and, knowing this feeling to exist, he did not dare to have his body placed in this wonderful tomb or pyramid he spent so many years building. He gave orders to his few friends to have him buried in some secret place. The monument remains, but its builder is forgotten.
If you wake up to-morrow morning at four o’clock or, in fact, any morning, and your windows are open, you will hear the muezzins from all directions, calling the hour of prayer. They are in the mosques, upon the balconies of the minarets. The call lasts but a few minutes, and sounds like chanting in an unknown tongue.
We all of us seem to be creatures of circumstances. That article seemed to strike the Oriental party favorably. Yesterday we were all invited to visit the residence of one of the noted sheiks of Egypt. He is a descendant of the Prophet, is very wealthy, has four hundred houses in Cairo to rent, besides large land estates. His name is El Sadatt. He has fifty servants in his residence, some three hundred in all. He received us very cordially. We found him sitting in the court. We had an interpreter; and his servants ushered us into a large reception-room, and passed the cigarettes and coffee. Every one partook of the latter, and was invited into his gardens. The gentlemen would have been glad to have seen the ladies of the house, but that was not allowable. A eunuch was called, and took the ladies into the harem, where they found a wife and two pretty daughters, and several girl-servants, probably slaves. When we departed, we gave him our cards; and he gave each of us one of his. We returned, feeling that we had seen some of the higher life of Egypt, as well as the low.