Part 68

*=Zoological Garden= (adm. ½ pias.; on Sun. afternoon, when a band plays, 5 pias.), containing many Egyptian and Sudanese animals and an aquarium. The grounds, 50 acres in area, with their superb royal palms (Oreodoxa regia) and pond for aquatic flowers, are in themselves worth seeing.

_Gîzeh_ and the _Pyramids_, see pp. 461–463.

d. Environs.

=1.= The *=Mameluke Tombs=, to the E. of the old town, erroneously called the _Tombs of the Caliphs_ (comp. F, 3, 4), date mostly from the second Mameluke dynasty (pp. 444, 445). They are most easily reached, on donkey-back (p. 441), from the Bâb en-Nasr (Pl. E, 2; p. 449).

Passing a large _Moslem Cemetery_ (Pl. E, F, 2) we come first to the N.E. group of the tombs, all much ruined. These are the _Tomb Mosque of Emîr el-Kebîr_, son of Bars Bey (p. 446), the *_Monastery Mosque of Sultan Melek el-Ashraf Inâl_ (1453–68), an irregular quadrangle of 115 by 51 yds., with a fine minaret and dome, and the cubical _Tomb of an Emir of El-Ghûri_ (p. 449).

We now turn to the S. to visit the *_Monastery Mosque of Sultan Barkûk_ (p. 448), partly restored of late. It forms a square of 80 yds. each way. The two handsome minarets have been deprived of their bulb-like summits. In front of the mihrâb is a small dome. Of the two mausoleums that on the N. was built in 1400–5 by Barkûk’s sons Farag and Azîz; that on the S., together with the monastery (Khânkâ), was completed by Farag in 1410.

The old chief portal, with its stalactite niche, is on the N. side. To the right of it is a sebîl with an elegant kuttâb (p. 445). On the left are the ruins of the three-storied monastery and a dilapidated hall connecting the monastery with the tomb of Barkûk’s father, Sharaf ed-Dîn Anas (d. 1382).

From the present entrance in the outbuilding at the S.W. angle we pass through a vestibule and a corridor to the quadrangle (sahn) with its fountain (hanefîyeh). The lîwâns, borne by pillars, are roofed with flat domes, some of which have fallen in. The beautifully proportioned sanctuary, with nave and two aisles, contains three plain prayer-recesses and a stone *Pulpit presented by Kâït Bey (1483; see below). Large double portals lead to the left to the mausoleum of Barkûk and his sons, and to the right to the tombs of the ladies of the family.

Within a walled court a little to the W. are the _Tombs of Emirs Suleimân ibn Selîm_ (d. 1526) and _Ahmed_. The dome of the former is richly adorned with trellis-work set in lozenge-shaped meshes, and shows remains of the inscribed frieze of blue fayence.

A few minutes’ walk to the S.W., past the large flattened dome of the Turkish _Mabed er-Rifaîyeh_, brings us to the _Hôsh of Kâït Bey_ (1468–96), once 330 yds. long, the largest family burial-place at Cairo, now occupied by a whole village. A dilapidated dwelling-house (rab), 86 yds. long, and trough, and the tomb-mosque still exist.

The *_Tomb Mosque of Kâït Bey_, the finest of all the Mameluke tombs, at once strikes the eye with its wall decoration in coloured stripes, the delicate network of the dome of the mausoleum, and the graceful minaret, 131 ft. high. Between the minaret and the railed-in sebîl is the chief portal with its trefoil arch, leading into a vestibule containing the throne of the sultan. The adjoining sanctuary, with its pavement in coloured mosaic, its two inscription-friezes, its kamarîyehs, and stained-glass windows, has been almost entirely renewed. The mimbar or pulpit also is modern. The lîwân opposite still has its fine old timber ceiling. The mausoleum, on the S.W. side of the sanctuary, also shows great wealth of colouring. A colonnade adjacent contains the tombs of the sultan’s four wives.

We now follow the Shâria es-Sultân Ahmed and (to the right) Shâria Karâfet el-Mamalik, cross the so-called _Windmill Hill_ (Pl. F, 3), the central great mound of débris on the E. side of the old town, and thus regain the Fatimite city (Shâria esh-Sharawâni, p. 446). On the way, from the ‘Point de Vue’ marked on the Plan, we have a fine *View of the city of tombs and the Mokattam Hills behind us.

The Shâria Karâfet Bâb el-Wezîr, the S. prolongation of Shâria es-Sultân Ahmed, leads to the _Citadel_ (comp. p. 453).

=2.= EXCURSION TO THE HELIOPOLIS OASIS AND HELIOPOLIS-ON. The new _Heliopolis Oasis_ is most quickly (10 min.) reached from Cairo by the Metropolitan Railway (p. 441), or by railway and electric tramway viâ _Palais de Koubbeh_ (20–30 min.; comp. below); tramway No. 10 in ca. 50 min., see p. 440; cab, see p. 441.

The =Heliopolis Oasis= or _New Heliopolis_ (hotels, see p. 440), called by the Arabs _Masr el-Gedida_, _i. e._ ‘New Cairo’, is a new ‘suburb’, founded in 1906 by a Belgian company, about 5 M. to the N.E. of Cairo. On this healthy site an entirely modern town, consisting of villas and buildings mostly in the Moorish style, is being laid out on an ambitious scale. Broad avenues planted with trees and streets pleasantly interspersed with spacious squares intersect the town, while recreation grounds of every description and a race course provide for the residents’ entertainment.—Heliopolis Oasis is connected with Cairo by a beautiful _Avenue_ (cab, see p. 441), the favourite promenade of the inhabitants and visitors in Cairo, which, close to the Oasis, passes the not yet completed _British Barracks_.

The visit to HELIOPOLIS-ON may be combined with the route just described by way of rail. station _Palais de Koubbeh_ (tramway, see below). If, however, we make our visit from Cairo direct we go by railway from the Pont Limûn Station (p. 439; trains every ½ hr., in 21 min.; also several fast trains in ¼ hr.; return-fare 4½ or 3 pias.).

The train crosses the _Ismaîlîyeh Canal_ (p. 438). 2 M. _Demîrdash_, or _Demerdache_, station for the villa-suburb of _Abbâsîyeh_. 4¼ M. _Palais de Koubbeh_, with the Khedivial Palace; from the station an electric tramway, in connection with the trains, runs to the S.E. to (1 M.) the _Heliopolis Oasis_ (see above). 5 M. _Ezbet ez-Zeitûn_, a group of villas; 6¼ M. _Matarîyeh_.

At the village of _Matarîyeh_ (hotel), in a garden to the right of the road, is the _Virgin’s Tree_, a sycamore marking the spot where the Holy Family is said to have resided during their exile in Egypt. A little to the E. of the station is an _Ostrich Farm_ (adm. 10 pias.), with a belvedere.

From the Virgin’s Garden the Shâria el-Misalleh (obelisk street) leads to the N. to the site of =Heliopolis-On=, one of tho most ancient places in Egypt, famous for the cult of the falcon-headed sun-god Rē-Harakhtē. The _Obelisk_ of red granite is the oldest in the land. Scanty fragments of the temple and of the town-wall are the only other ruins.

3. We may next visit =Old Cairo= (tramway No. 4, p. 440).

The route is by the SHÂRIA MASR EL-KADÎMEH, the continuation of Shâria Fum el-Khalîg (Pl. A, 7; p. 455). On the left, at its beginning, is a hexagonal _Water Tower_, which once supplied an _Aqueduct_ (El-Kanâtir) built by El-Ghûri (p. 449), extending to Bâb el-Karâfeh (Pl. E, 7), and still traceable in its ruins, 66 ft. high.

About ¼ M. beyond the new Abbâs Bridge (p. 461) the Shâria Gâmia Amr, on the left, leads to the picturesque old Coptic convent _Deir Abû Sefein_ and the Amru Mosque (see below).

From the tramway-terminus in the poor little town of _Old Cairo_ (Masr el-Kadîmeh, p. 443) we follow the street to the Gîzeh steam-ferry (p. 461), turn to the left past the police-station, and in the Shâria es-Saghîr to the left again. This brings us to _St. Georges_, a station on the Helwân railway (see p. 439). On the E. side of the railway is the site of—

=Babylon= (p. 443), a Roman castle, of which the only remains are parts of the outer walls and a _Gateway_, on the S.W. side, with two projecting towers.

Within the precincts of the ancient fortress now lies _Kasr esh-Shama_, a village inhabited chiefly by Copts, with a synagogue, five mediæval Coptic churches (_El-Moallaka_, _Abu Sergeh_, etc.), and the Greek _Convent of St. George_ (W. side). One of the entrances is between the convent and an old tower.

From the N.E. angle of the fortress, skirting the rubbish-mounds of _Fostât_ (p. 443), we reach (10 min.) the Amru Mosque, surrounded by cemeteries and potteries, where the porous kullehs are made, and conspicuous by its red and white striped façade.

The =Gâmia Amr ibn el-Âsî=, commonly called the _Amru Mosque_ by Europeans, is named after the general of caliph Omar (p. 443). It was originally a small edifice built in 642, probably of crude bricks, but it was repeatedly rebuilt or restored, as in 698 and 827, and notably by Saladin in 1172, after the invasion of king Amalarich of Jerusalem and the burning of Fostât in 1168. Other restorations took place in the three following centuries. The two minarets are modern.

The INTERIOR, a slightly irregular rectangle, 132 by 108 yds., though sadly ruinous, is of impressive dimensions. The six-aisled sanctuary contains 21 series of arcades (with pointed arches) running towards the kibla (prayer niche facing Mecca). The three outer rows of columns on each side are continued by those of the N.E. and the S.W. lîwâns, of which, however, the bases alone remain. The lîwân on the side of the quadrangle next the entrance has a single arcade only. The Roman and Byzantine columns from Memphis (p. 464), once 366 in number it is said, have been utilized without regard to symmetry or congruity.

In the centre of the court, now planted with trees, is a hanefîyeh (18th cent.). In the N. angle of the sanctuary is an uninteresting monument over the supposed tomb of Sheikh Abdallah, son of Amr, erected by Abbâs I. (1849–54). On the almost intact S.W. wall of the sanctuary are curious wood-carvings, still purely Byzantine (9th cent.).

=4.= The PYRAMIDS OF GÎZEH should be visited on a calm and clear day, as the sand-drift is most trying in windy weather. (Umbrella or dark-coloured spectacles advisable to protect the eyes from the glare.) The excursion takes at least 4 hrs., or, including Sakkâra, a whole day. Those who are pressed for time visit the Great Pyramid, the Sphinx, and the Granite Temple only. (Tramway No. 1, see p. 440; carr. in 1–1¼ hr., p. 441.)

The tramway diverges at Old Cairo (p. 460), about 770 yds. to the S. of the Water Tower, to the right from line No. 4, and crosses a branch of the Nile to the island of =Rôda= (_Gezîret Rôda_), at the S. end of which is the old _Nilometer_ (Arabic Mikyâs), dating from the time of the Omaiyade caliph Suleimân (716), but often restored since.

We next cross the main channel of the Nile by the _Pont Abbâs II._ (opened 10–11 a.m. and 3.30 to 4.30 p.m. for the passage of vessels) to the village of =Gîzeh= (Tues. market), at the N. end of which, about 550 yds. below the steam-ferry (p. 460), our tramway joins the branch from Gezîreh (p. 457).

Leaving the Nile, and passing a station on the Upper Egyptian railway (p. 463), we still have a run of 5 M., nearly due W., to the Pyramids, the huge angular forms of which gradually become more distinct and soon stand out in clear outlines.

The terminus of the tramway is near the large _Mena House Hotel_ (p. 440), on the N.E. border of the _Libyan Desert_. Adjacent is a Greek restaurant. The road then ascends in a curve to the (½ M.) plateau of the Pyramids.

Near the tramway-terminus is a station for donkeys and camels (5 pias. per hour; see also pp. 173, 174).—The plateau is open to the public and may be quite well explored without a guide. TICKETS of admittance to the monuments themselves are sold at a stall next to the _Viceregal Kiosque_, at the N.E. corner of the Great Pyramid. Guides (Bedouins) also are obtained here on application to their sheikh (recognizable by the rosette on his breast). Ticket for the ascent of the Great Pyramid 10 pias. (for the interior, also 10 pias.); for the other monuments 5 pias.; for the entire expedition, including the ascent of the Great Pyramid and the visit to its interior, 20 pias.—Bakshîsh optional, but it is usual to give a few piastres. No attention should be paid to beggars or to vendors of ‘antiquities’. Unofficial guides who try to thrust themselves on visitors should be repelled, with the aid of the police if need be.

The **=Pyramids of Gîzeh= form the second and most imposing of the six groups of pyramids extending along the border of the Libyan desert, in a line of about 19 M. in length. To the N.W. is the _Abu Roâsh_ group, towards the S.E. are the groups of _Zâwyet el-Aryân_, _Abusîr_ (p. 464), _Sakkâra_ (p. 464), and _Dahshûr_ (p. 464). The Arabs call them _ahrâm_ (sing, _háram_).

The Pyramids of Gîzeh, creations of the 4th Dynasty (about B.C. 2850 to 2700), rank among the oldest monuments of human industry, and their colossal proportions extort from us to-day the same astonishment that was felt in antiquity by Greek and Roman travellers. We marvel both at the technical skill shown by the Egyptians in their construction, and at the might of the kings, who must have had the services of many thousands of their subjects at command. The pyramids are believed to have been built in layers. Each king at his accession began to erect his tomb-pyramid on a small scale. If wealthy or long-lived he enlarged the original design, and after his death the outer covering was added.

The **=Great Pyramid=, erected by Kheops or Cheops, the Khufu of the Egyptians, was called by them _Yekhwet Khufu_ (the ‘glorious place of Khufu’). Herodotus (II, 125) states that 100,000 men were employed for three months every year in building it. The outer covering, with the exception of a few fragments on the base below the entrance, has disappeared. Each side is now 248 yds. in length (originally 255 yds.). The perpendicular height is 450 ft. (once, to the apex, 480 ft.). The sides rise at an angle of 51°50′. The solid content of the masonry, deducting the nucleus of rock and the chambers in the interior, was formerly about 3,302,500 (and is still about 3,081,100) cubic yards. This stupendous structure is composed of yellowish limestone blocks, quarried in the vicinity and containing numerous fossils, chiefly nummulites (a kind of snail-shell), while the incrustation consisted of blocks of a finer white limestone from the Mokattam quarries.

The ASCENT of the Pyramid, though free from danger, is very toilsome. The visitor is helped up the steps, mostly 3 ft. high, by three Bedouins, two holding his hands and the third pushing behind. We may reach the top, a platform of 11 yds. square, in 10–15 min., but a more leisurely ascent is advisable. The *View of the yellow sands and bare rocks of the great desert-plateau, on which rise the Sphinx, the smaller pyramids of Gîzeh, and the more distant tombs stretching as far as Dahshûr, awakens solemn thoughts of death and eternity. At our feet stretches a tract of rich arable land, luxuriantly clothed with blue-green vegetation and entirely inundated in autumn. To the E., beyond the glittering river, rise the citadel of Cairo and the warmly-coloured Mokattam hills.

The INTERIOR of the Pyramid will not interest ordinary travellers. The air in the passages, hall, and tomb-chamber is hot and stifling and makes the visit very disagreeable.

From the E. side of the Great Pyramid, where a _Temple_ for the cult of the dead once stood, we walk past the _Three Small Pyramids_ of relatives of Kheops to the Sphinx, which rises from the sand of the desert some 350 yds. to the S.E.

The **=Sphinx=, the most famous monument in this vast burial-ground, probably once a natural rock, has the form of a recumbent lion with the head of a king (Khephren?), wearing a head-cloth adorned with the royal serpent. In front of the breast is the image of a god, much weather-worn. The head also is sadly mutilated, the nose and beard have broken off, and the reddish tint which once enlivened the face has almost entirely disappeared. But in spite of all injuries the monument preserves a striking expression of strength and majesty. The eyes have a pensive, faraway look, the lips wear a half-smile, and the whole face is of graceful and beautiful type. The height of the monument, from the pavement on which the fore-legs of the lion rest to the crown of the head is about 66 ft.; its length, from the lion’s fore-paws to the root of the tail, is about 186 ft. On the top of the head is a cavity.

Some 48 yds. to the S.E. of the Sphinx are the remains of the *=Granite Temple=, or _Sphinx Temple_, a large building of hewn stone. It was once the sacred entrance through which the Pyramid of Khephren (see below) was approached from the valley below. The edifice is a fine example of majestic simplicity, and the very hard stone has been treated with marvellous skill. The exterior of the temple is buried in rubbish. The two main halls are rectangular, and the beams of their ceilings rested on granite pillars.

The CIRCUIT OF THE PYRAMID PLATEAU (1½–2 hrs.) is interesting. From the Great Pyramid we walk to the W. to the great =Burial Ground= of the relatives and officials of the royal family, as well as of the priests and officials of the temples of the dead. The square tombs (_mastabas_) are ranged in straight lines like streets, affording a good example of an Egyptian necropolis. On the way we pass the Tomb of _Shepses-kef-onekh_, dating from the 5th Dynasty (about 2700–2550 B.C.).

Through a cleft in the rock, near the _Quarry_ which yielded the stone in the reign of Ramses II. for the temple of Heliopolis (p. 459), we descend to the artificially levelled plateau of the—

=Second Pyramid=, Egyp. _Wer-Khefrē_ (‘great is Khefrē‘), built by Khephren (Khefrē). Standing on higher ground, it looks larger than the Pyramid of Kheops. Its perpendicular height is 447 (once 454) ft.; each side is 230 (formerly 235) yds. in length; its sides rise at an angle of 52°20′. The masonry has a solid content of 2,173,552 (once 2,445,377) cub. yds.

The foundations of the _Temple of the Dead_, on the E. side of the pyramid, were excavated in 1908. On the W. side of the pyramid we observe an _Inscription_ and several _Rock Tombs_. Adjacent is a mummy shaft (caution advisable).

The road now leads to the S.W. to the =Third Pyramid=, Egyp. _Neter-Menkewrē_ (‘divine is Menkewrē‘), built by Menkewrē, the Mykerinos of Herodotus. Its perpendicular height is 204 (once 218) ft., while its sides rise at an angle of 51°; each side of the base measures 118 yds. The stones are unusually large. To the S. rise _Three Small Pyramids_.

We next walk to the remains of the _Temple of the Dead_ to the E. of the third pyramid and then follow the ancient paved track by which the stones were once brought up from the Nile valley. On the way, among several _Rock Tombs_, are the ruins of an unfinished pyramid. Passing a very ruinous family burial-place of the 26th Dynasty, called _Campbell’s Tomb_ after its discoverer, we now descend to the _Granite Temple_ (see above), and walk to the N.W., past the _Sphinx_ (p. 462), to the _Three Small Pyramids_ (p. 462) near the Pyramid of Kheops.

Lastly we may visit the _Rock Tombs_ of the Ancient Empire, near the Arab village _Kafr el-Hâram_. The best-known, the ‘_Tomb of Numbers_‘, contains badly preserved reliefs (counting of cattle).

=5.= The EXCURSION TO MEMPHIS AND SAKKÂRA is easily made in one day. Provisions (supplied by the hotels in lieu of déjeuner), candles (obtainable also at Bedrashein), and if possible an acetylene lamp should be taken. We start early from the chief station (first train usually at 7 a.m.) by the Upper Egyptian line for _Bedrashein_ (1 hr.; fare 16½ or 8½ pias.), where donkeys are in waiting (to Sakkâra and back 10 pias.; bargain should be made in presence of the Bedouin sheikh). The ride back takes fully 1½ hr. (train for Cairo at present 4.56 p.m.). Tickets for the monuments (5 pias.) are sold by the custodians or at _Mariette’s House_ (p. 465).

Robust travellers may ride from Sakkâra along the margin of the desert, or viâ the pyramids of _Abusîr_, in 2½–3 hrs. to the _Mena House Hotel_ (p. 461). The charge (15–20 pias.) should be agreed upon with the donkey-boy at the Bedrashein station. In the reverse direction we may go by tramway to Gîzeh (comp. p. 461), and ride thence viâ the Pyramids of Gîzeh to Sakkâra (donkey 20, camel 30 pias.; comp. pp. 173, 174). Or we may drive in a desert-car (80 pias.) from Mena House Hotel along the border of the desert to Sakkâra.

The RAILWAY, passing _Bûlâk_ (p. 454), runs to the N.W. and crosses the _Nile_. 2 M. _Embâbeh_, noted for the ‘battle of the Pyramids’, in which Bonaparte defeated the Mamelukes in 1798.—Describing a circuit the train next comes to (6¼ M.) _Bûlâk ed-Dakrûr_, on a Nile canal. At (8 M.) _Gîzeh_ (p. 461) we sight the Pyramids (p. 461) on the right, and then, on the left, Old Cairo (p. 460) and the long range of the Mokattam (p. 454), continued to the S.E. by _Gebel Turra_. Next, on the left, is _Gezîret Tirsâ_, an island in the Nile.

14½ M. _Abu Nemrûs._ On the right rise the hills bordering the Libyan desert, with the pyramids of Abusîr. Beyond (17½ M.) _El-Hawamdîyeh_ the step-pyramid (p. 465) is visible for a short time. To the left, at the foot of Gebel Turra, lies _Helwân_ (_Hélouan_), a winter health-resort.

20½ M. =Bedrashein=, on the E. side of the railway.

From the railway-crossing we ride to the W., past the village (Wed. market), by a road through green fields, which are entirely flooded in autumn, to the (20 min.) palm-grove of Bedrashein.

In the foreground, shaded by palms, lies the site of =Memphis=, now a heap of débris, the oldest capital of Egypt, founded under the name of ‘White Walls’ about 3400 B.C. by Menes, the first historical king. The vast area of the ruins seems to have extended, down to the 12th cent. A.D., as far as Gîzeh. The chief quarters of the city probably lay on the fields of Bedrashein and _Mit-Rahîneh_.

The road forks 20 min. beyond Bedrashein. The SUMMER ROUTE, impassable during the inundations, leads to the left in about 8 min. to the two *_Colossal Statues of Ramses II._ (p. 456), both now prostrate, which once stood at the entrance to the famous temple of Ptah. The first is 25 ft., or including the crown 31½ ft., long; the second, protected by a mud-hut (adm. 4 pias.), is 42 ft. in length.

We now ride on, leaving the village of Mit Rahîneh at a little distance to the right, towards the palm-grove of _Sakkâra_, at the foot of the desert-plateau. On the yellow sand of the desert rise eleven pyramids. To the extreme left (S.) is the necropolis of _Dahshûr_, where the ‘blunted pyramid’ or ‘pyramid of the two angles’ catches the eye. To the right (to the N.W. of the huts of Sakkâra) rise the Onnos and step-pyramids (see below).

Turning to the N. near Sakkâra, ½ hr. beyond the statues of Ramses, and skirting the palm-grove, we ride towards the ruins of some mud-built houses. The WINTER ROUTE from the bifurcation mentioned at p. 464 makes a long bend to the N. and leads through the palm-grove of Bedrashein and past the ruins of the brick houses of ancient Memphis; it then crosses a sluice-bridge, passes on either side several ponds, and rejoins the summer route.

We now ascend to the sandy plateau and overlook the *=Necropolis of Sakkâra=. This vast area, about 4½ M. long from N. to S. and from 550 to 1600 yds. in breadth from E. to W., has afforded material for repeated exploration.