The Osceola times., 1882-06-03
Street Scenes In Cairo.
Cairo Cor. Springfield Mass Republican.

Cairo Cor. Springfield (Mhss'l kepupicai'
The liveliest Imagination cannot form
any notion of the infinite novelty and
strangeness of street scene in Cairo.
The Moosker Is the Broad way of the city.
1t is about thirty feet wide, and leads
from the Ezbekeeyah-the park and the
French quarter of the city, where are
the hotels, cafes, etc.-to the Mokattam
hills. 1t is lined with small shops,
nearly all of which have no windows but
the whole front stands open to the street.
There are, perhaps, dozen French
i5welrv stores that have show windows,
and that is all. In the busy hours the
street is crowded, but yet not so much
as a cross street. near the farther end,
which we call Bazaar Street, as the bazars
are entered from it, and it is exceedingly
difficult here to get the right name for
anything among these Arabs. On GER
tain days this street is perfect jam. 1t
is lined with little shops; there hundreds
of women with veiled faces will squat
on the ground about three feet in front
of the shop and display small stocks of
greasy cakes, pieces of sugar-eane, a
few pairs of slippers and other goods
OF the crowd slowly moving in opposite
directions, there are many men and
women carrying trays, water.iars or
other articles on their heads, and all the
women who carry their children place
them astride their left shoulder, and all
the little ones soon learn to hang on" to
the shawl or wrap covering their moth
er's heads Then man bearing a goat
skin full of water occasionally squeezes
through the throng, and woman COM
petely enveloped in black silk, riding
astride on donkey. with feet drawn up
beneath as high as possible, goes along.
Next comes carriage, with a sais, or
runner in picturesque costume, who
goes ahead, carrying a gold-tippod rod,
with which he urgently taps people who
fail to get out of the way at his stento-
rian shout of "Shemalak" left, "Amen-
akp' right. The crowd make way for the
carriage just about as water makes way
for boat, closing in behind it. Then
comes two or three camels. burdened
with huge loads OF green clover, their
long necks and supercilous noses extend
ing over the crowd. AS all the people
are costumed in bright colors and strange
styles, the jam seems to us more like
grand masquerade, especially as every
body is so good natured, and jostling is a
matter Of course.
The bazars are the most Interesting
places in Cairo. There are sections for
almost every variety of business-gold
and silver work, slippers, rugs and car.
pets, saddles, perfumery, spices, books,
crockery and dry goods-all have sep
arate quarter. You step out of the crowd
ed street, through an old gateway,
and find yourself in the silver bazar,
where the worknen are busy hammer
| ing out all sorts of silver jewelry, such
AZ bracelets, necklaces, etc. The gold
and silver bazdT consists of a dozen short
narrow passages aboutsx feet wide, run
ming around corners this way and that,
and loosely rooted over with stats or
mating. The space between the build
ings is occupied for about eighgteen inch
es on each side with platform about as
| high as an ordinary chair, which is called
the mastabah, and Is an extension of the
| floor Of the shop. This is for the custom
ers to sit on, the natives dropping their
slippers and sitting on their feet, accord
| ing to the Turkish fashion. The space
between the mastabahs is only about
three feet, for the lassage OF the public,
and in places it is impossible for two
/ persons TO walk abreast. The ground is
unpaved and uneven, and, being wet
down twice day, is often slippery. The
dusty, dingy buildings and the dilapidat.
ed appearance of the partial covering,
gives to these little lanes a very nasty
look, but the impression is r, moved
when you l)ok at the goods DISPLAYED by
the shopkeepers. Their sho. .sare about
| five or Elk feet square and entirely open
in the front A part of this space is oc.
cupied by workman, whe, wi h little
furnace, q hammer, small anvil, pair of
plyers and few other tools, is working
silver and gold into attractive shapes.
His assistant will open an old safe and
show you very beautiful gold and silver
ornaments, which they have manufac-
tured in the same styles as were pop
ular and fashionable two or three thous-
and years ago, as proved by old jewelry
or pictures found in the ancient tombs.
The merchant will often order coffee 10 be
brought and you take cup shaped like
half an eggshell and holding about three
tab!cspoonsful, by way Of politeness. The
iewelfy lacks the ane fnish We are &c
cuetomsd 10 ~ ON such goods, bat the
9fyl4 ase WQet aftraqtive and shoV what