Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-09-24
CAIRO BY THE NILE
On the Site Where Moses Was Born
and Whence He Started On His Bril-
liant Career IS Laugiver and
Guide.
1t Occupies the Site Of Latopolis, More
Ancient Than Memphis, and OF
FOstat Bailt on the Ruins
Of BabJ lon.


which the name of our great legislator,
Moses, is imperishably connected. For here
he FIRST saw light; here for ak months his
mother contrived to hide him in one of the
village huis near the banks of the flowing
stream; and here, where the Nile runs past
old Cairo, be was exposed among the bull
rushes of the river. The site is associated
with the earliest history and the early vicis.
situdes of our race. The center almost of
the "laud of bondage" the middle point of
the "irou furnace" wherein our ancestors,
dashed by Egyptian whips, toiled and built
and labored for their Implying taskm asters,
il cannot be but holy ground 10 the Hebrew.
lis very suburbs are classic, recalling to
modern times some OF the most in
teresting and characteristic episodes of
the Bible narrative. But a short distance to
the northeast is Heliopolis, the City of the
Sun, where Ra, the sun-god in his two forms
-Harmachus, the Rising Orb, and Tum, the
Setting Sun-wss worshiped by the ancient
Egyptians; HeliopoliP, the Ou-Egyptisn
An-of Genesis, whence Joseph chose his
bride HOsnsih, the daughter of PIa-Ph'Ra,
a priest of ON" The Beth-Shemesh of the
Hebrew prophet Jeremiah. "He shall break
the ina ages of Beth Shemesh tn at Is In the land
of Egypt (xliii, 49,. A little to the SOUTH
west, on the opposite side of the Nile, are
the remains of Memphis-the naughty
Memphis, the residence of The naughty
Pharaohs-the city wherein Joseph inter-
preted to the Egyptian monarch his twofold
dream; the city of which he was made
second ruler; the city wherein Moses and
his more eloquent brother besonght the
sovereign "who remembered not Jo-
seph," TO suffer his brethren to de-
part. And at Cairo itself were the vast
granaries and grain-stores raised by Joseph
in preparation for the seven years OF plenty.
Where now old Cairo stands stood Latopo-
lis, city as ancient as Memphis itself.
Hither if tradition have any foundation,
Joseph's brethren must have come down
to buy corn for their starving families. BY
the liver banks of old Cairo, too, Miriam
must have waited and watched to see what
became of the infant whom she exposed to
the eddying waters. From Diizeh-with its
pyramids-Moses must have started often
aud again for the court of Pharaoh. The
whole district ia, so to speak, honey -combed
with Hebrew traditions; with fable, story
and legend connected with Jewish history
and the records Of the Hebrew scriptures.
Cairo-the city of pyramids, the heart, as
it were, OF Egyptian life and culture-is an
upstart, a porrenu that has thriven upon
anotheT's ruin. 1t came into its fortune, as
a brilliant writer remarks, young, on the
death of its venerable predecessor. the city OF
Pharaohs. Memphis fell, and Fostat-old
Cairo-rose literally from her ruins for the
latter city was actually built of the ma
terial SO readily and amply furnished by the
rufus of the grand old capital. Its site was
historic. 1t was built on the very spot
where Babylon-raised by the Chaldeans
whom Cambysses brought 10 Egypt in SIT,
before the Christian era-formerly stood;
aud this venerable city occupied the site OF
the more ancient Latopolis. 1t was founded
in comparatively late times, for the Oldest
of the pyramids had seen torty centuries
pas ere the first stone of Cairo was laid.
The old town-Misr-el Ateek-owes Its
prominence principally to the Kalif ON
ar's general, Amrou, who encouraged build
ing and settlement there. As far back as
the year 972, Cairo became the seat OF the
Khalifs. 1t was fortified subsequently by
SaIadin. the great and chivalrous opponent
of English Richard the Lion heart, and be-
came the favorite residence OF the Sedan.
The citadel is said to have occupied the site
of the acropolis of Latopolis itself. Con-
nected with the range of hills which forms
the background of the city is one OF The
characteristic legends. The hilla, known as
the Mokattam range-Djebel Mokattam-
are sandy and bare, wholly devoid OF verd-
ure and vegetation. This nakedness is thus
explained to believers by devout Mosle-
min. Before the Lord God revealed himself
unto Moses, his servant, he announced to all
the mountains of the earth that he purposed
speaking to his elect from the summit Of one OF
them. Immediately all began TO stretch and
strain themselves in order that they might
appear tall and big, and deserving the honor
intended. Zion alone-the mountain upon
which Jerusalem stauds-bowed and Was
humble. To reward its humility the Lord
God commanded that all the other hills give
up their plants and verdure 10 deck and
grace it. And thus the Mokattam-whose
NAM recalls an Arabic word signifying to
"psrt'-parted with its verdure in favor OF
Zion.
The Jewish community OF Cairo, is, next
to Alexandris, probably the Oldest in Egypt.
The ancient synagogue there-the Synagogue
Dudar, described by the ancient Arabian
writer, Makrizi-was said 10 date from the
time of Elijah the Tishbite. This tradition,
however, may well be disregarded. But the
Synagogue al Shammiyin contained over the
entrance an ancient inscription stating that
the edifce was erected 1856 years after the
death of Alexander the Great, forty-five
years before the destruction of the second
temple by Titus, and 600 years before the
Hedjirah or fight of Mahomet. In this
syns gogue-we may observe en- PEASANT was
formerly preserved the Sefer Torah, the
Scroll of the Law, said 10 have been written,
every letter of it, by Ezra the Scribe, and
called in Arabic Ozeir. Be this as it may,
there can be no doubt as to the antiquity of
ton of the Jews seems ab origine to have
been very peculiar. In earlier times there
appear TO have been no less than ten syna-
gogues In Cairo. Makrizi describes two
Karaite, two rabbinical and one Samaritan
house OF prayer
The Jews of Cairo numbered generally
between 5000 and 4000, rarely less than the
former. Their history records the usual
vieissitudes to which our race has ever and
p-.A ~
prosperity, followed by periods of quite re-
preston, and suddenly again an era of
violent persecution. The reign of Ell Hakim
proved especially unfortunate for the "rem-
nsnt of the captivity" in Cairo. His success
sor, Nszir, was more tolerant until infamed
by an envoy from the Sultan Of Morocco.
Owing to the prejudices and influence OF this
parsonage, whs considered he had been in
suited by some uon-Mahommedans, the old
edicts against the Jews were enforced, fol-
lowed, of course, BY The usual massacres of
inofensive people, by looting OF houses and
pillaging OF synagogues. The semi-ruined
mosque of Ell Haklm could tell many a
story of Jewish persecution, and the Okalet |
el-djelah, or central slave market, has many
a time and oft resounded with the screams of
Jewish mothers looking the last upon their |
helpless daughters, torn from their hearts |
and arms to pander the lust of some Moslem |
sheikh or Mamluk chieftain.
OF antiquities, having an essentially jew |
ish interest, the inquisitive traveller may |
hear and see more than enough in and |
around Cairo. In the old town-old Cairo, |
or rather Foetat-every old-fashioned Jew |
can point out the place wherein resided |
Moses ben Maimon, our great Maimouides.
In the old town of Fostat, or Misrel-Aateek
are to this day shown the seven massive |
towers known as the granaries of Joseph, |
ia hau hoa he Of ha
aroh's oop, and still eervins tho purpose for |
which he intended them-the storing of
corn. Who shall say but that the towers do |
occupy the very site OF the edifces erected
for Pharaoh, by the wise interpreter OF
dreams, more than forty centuries ago? At
the extremity of the little Island of Rhods,
and from court leading to the
measures the rise of
the Nile, thus foreielling for the pa
tient fellaheen good or bad harvest-are
the steps leading down to the water, at the
exact spot where, according TO tradition,
Moses was found among the bulrushes by
Pharaoh's daughters. At Dimouh-in Dill
zeh-was the synagogue known as the syna-
gogue of our Master Moses, standing on the
ate said, additionally, to have been the
dwelling place of Moses when in intercourse
was visited BY Benjamin of Tudela in the
century.
Lofty Journalism.
Nashville CTenn.l Banner.
We fully agree with the American as to the
standard OF lofty Journalism it set out this
morning. The ideal is lofty; it may be even
now very nearly practically attained, and
therefore it is more than q mere ideal. 1t is
The embodiment of practical gentlemanli-
ness. But when it refers to the English stand
ard it should be remarked that America will
DO well 10 adopt lofty ideal and 10 create
its own standard, when we End such Language
as this in Blackpoods as 10 Mr.. Gladstone
such language as would not be tolerated any
where in America, as follows:
Grand old libeler, INSCRIPTIONS old antagonist,
bitter and malicious old reviler speedy retrbutou
waits thee. Thy s1n has found YOU outi