Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-07-30
THE CITY OF CAIRO.
The Next Place of importance i'm the
Affairs Of Egypt-Its Wonderful
and Eventful History.
A Record Of Battles and Sieges, Mas
sacres and ReVOlts-Curi0us Gus.
toms and Singular Sights.

toms and Singular Sights.
j
Cairo ARABIC, Kahira), the capital city
of Egypt, is the largest city in Africa and
the second city in population in the Turkish
empire. The khedive lives there, though he
has palaces in other places. Its population
is about 100000. Old Cairo, founded by
the Babylonisrs when Cambyses, the Per-
elan, conquered Egypt, is now mostly ruins
and lies alongside of modern Cairo, The
latter was built by the Fstimite khalifs.
The planet Mars lin Arabic, Kahir) crossed
the meridian at the time of founding-hence,
Kahirs, anglicised into Cairo.
Its history il wonderful and eventful
one, record Of battles sieges, massacres,
revolutions and revolts. In July, 1898, Ma
poleon, after the battle of the Pyramids,
occupied the city. Since ISL, when No
manned Ali massacred the Mameluke beys,
the history of the city has been rather
peaceful one.
The city is on the right bank las you de-
scend) of the Nile, nine miles above the
dividing of the Nile into two great branches
which form the delta-the Damietta and the
Rosetta branches. The Rosetta branch en-
tiers the Mediterranean Sea just east of Alex
andria; the Damietta Just west of Port Said,
which is the north end of the Suez canal
| Inc Nile 15 ABOUT oUUU miles long, at Ca1rO
| about $500 feet wide, before it divides, and
the distance between the mouths OF its prin-
cipal branches, in straight line, about 120
miles. Thus Cairo is about 100 miles from
/ the sea, and at the south angle of the Iii
| angular delta. and the pyramids OF Ghi1eh
and Sakhara and the Sphynx being near
| help 10 make the city Interesting. But with
out these it is one of the most interesting of
cities, owing 10 the population of such vari-
GUS races, with their customs costumes and
dwellings; besides, it is the rendezvous of all
| Europeans attracted by curiosity to the Nile
and The wonderful ruins Of ancient Egypt.
| Cairo is Mohammedan, and its architect
| ure Is characterized by minarets and domes.
All other religions simply disdainfully
| tolerated. Its population is composed prin-
| cipally of various shades of Moslems. Well
| shaded and pleasantly situated, the city pre-
SCENTS green and beautiful appearance in
contrast with the bare white desert that APP
| proaches its environs on both Sides Small
palm groves In il stretch their tree tops far
above The roofs of the houses; lebbek trees
line many of the drives and arcade them
banyan trees are seen in the brick -walled
gardens through the grated gates, and the
suut trees acacia niiotica) and many others
decorate the gardens. In the heart of mod
ern Cairo there is garden-the Ezebekiyah |
twenty acres in extent, open to strangers |
for trlhing fee, which, under the circum-
stances, impresses the summer tourist, at |
night, as suburb of Paradise Walks, |
lakelets, bridges, boats, music, ices, etc
under the various kinds of trees, amid |
grottoes, flowers, and with Egyptian
sky above, illuminated, as it is on
greater occasions, with $500 gas Jets, with
seats and cafes, theaters and cafe chontdntes,
make scene to be remembered. There are
many other gardens about Cairo; but the
bazsars in the native part of the city pre-
sent a scene totally unlike those of Constan-
tnople, and more picturesque and oriental.
One has feeling of regret when he takes
his last look at tue scene, and thereafter
must buy In business-llke European store
1 know no more piquant day than one spent
astride a three-foot-high donkey, crowding
ones way through the men, camels, children,
goats, women, cattle, porters loaded, horses,
carriages, etc, elbowipg and crowded by
turbaned Turks, nearly naked Egyptians,
yelled women and unveiled 1.-THE felaheen
women rarely wear veils), baskets of figs On
donkeys, and fruits on camels, asses, and
horses; soldiers, mueddins, shopkeeperr, etc.
The noise and confusion is always that of
riot. and the nerves OF stranger require
half hour to feel that they are not in the
heart of tremendous row.
The hour preceding dark is like the sack
ing of a city, for the heat OF the day SUBJ
dues it greatly. The carrisge drivers go
right through ma 1ostling crowd, yelling and ;
cracking their whips, and force passage,
like charge OF war chariots, only not SO
last, while buying and selling go on in the
bszaars, at he doors, and all over the streets.
You turn your back TO buy a pipe at a
bazaar window, and as you wait to select
,ne halk-naked fellah with black goats
lairy skin full of water with the skin OF the
egs distended and sticking QUIT crowds you )
o the next bazaar as he passes; and a camel z
,as his ugly face to yours when you look up !,
Just when landau driver yells to you 10 q
ook ont or you will be run over, and the !,
aucy black-eyed felIah-girls enjoy your look !
# disturbed dignity without restraint, =
aughing in your face.
The chief thoroughfare is the Musk,
which extends from the Tombs of the Kha- :,
IFS TO the Esbekiyah Garden. 1t would re-
'ay one for the trip to go blindfolded and =
eturn, opening ones eyes only for ride q
trough it, for the first time. Bedouins are s.
uying guns, Turks smoking and slipping =.
Office, Europeans sightseeing and souvenir -
uying, native Egyptians (fellah) leading :.
nd driving donkeys, asses and camels SOL y
iers marching or buying, Abyssinians and - -
Iubians running, iostliug, yelling, trading, -
oats being MIXED, melons peddled, grapes =,
, baskets, Jews rattling money as CHI hangers, g,
undles of all kinds conceivable on mems IL,
eads and shoulders crowding through, huge ~
pods boxes carried on pole between two -
len by ropes, ETC., all struggling to get | ~
ivers ways through the crowd. The street o.
not over twenty feet wide, but full of zig -
lgs and narrower streets of shops lead out n
it. The smaller streets are of kind, but u !.
lch devoted to the sale of some one kind of nc y,
,ods-one for shoes, another for wool, the IN IN
Ext altar of roses, and still another fruits .n
nd so on. a.
You can step into a narrow passage TO get 81 81
1t of the jam, and you enter a school-room; -,
lother, and you are in mosque where -,
.arded Moslems, barefooted or beslippered, ~
a Io.-
aging or worshiping. A stranger Gas in =. -,
mosques) pays small fee for slippers to W.
cad the mosque floor with. The rich Mos =.
ms wear constantly the finest CT shoes, with 1o'
lie overshoes, which can be removed at the w
osque door, Wherever Mohammedan ",
reads cloth to pray the ground is holy, -.
d he removes his shoes or overshoes, or II pe,'
refooted washes his feet, hence the fount- s 81;
ms for the poor at the doors of all large -,
,sques. In outward observances the Mo- OF
mmedans are very faithful, praying at the an az
i of the mneddin regularly, despite any -
siness or strangers, and without respect TO ~,
ality. 1t is, TO European, slightly pro- 81,
King after long trade to conclude that wo
j are about to finish a good bargain, when wy" W.
ldenly the seller graveIy turns his face ~.
Tard Mecca and begins his prayers, and 80 ~
you stand and wait or depart, but there sF
10 help for it.
The tombs OF the khalifs and those OF the
melukes, each being mosque OF some
ulisr construction, and no two among the *
1dreds alike, the ruins of old Cairo, with
Coptic church, the Boulak Museum, where
' lie many of the former kings snd queens I
Egypt 1000 years dead, the mysterious OF
e itself, the pyramids and the SPHINX, som
b the site of the ancient city called He'll witt
lis, and the vast tombs and palaces of this phil
lent people, the Fayum casis, where WAS He
ancient labyrinth-all lying near Cairo new
id esch an additional attraction to visit over
hat interesting city. The citadel is "a crisi
ng fortress overlooking the city and in kno'
ing the alabaster mosque-but is not as Jacl
ng as it looks, being overlooked by the mar
r of one of the Kokattan hills, and from srisi
ch it could be made untenabie by amod- mont
battery. The real fight would be for the the
ession of the hills. The Nile would the
re good defense, bat 1t is too long line. mare
i'll take large or brave army to defend | ness
city from an European attack. He
air Ell Dwar, where Arab Pasha (pasha pate
neral; hey, colonel; sheik, mayor; kadi, cure
e) is, is the first solid ground south Of battle
sandria where good-srzed army could weat
p, and, being at the junction of the canal the
railway from Alexandra and Cairo, is watcl
re be will make stand, probably, unless obser
,treats to Cairo. The Egyptian army mist
90 no further than Cairo, for there the the
vable valley of the Nile nsrrows to six agdrt
ght miles in breadth, where it would be | watcl
ult TO maneuver an army OF any size, down
10 retreat beyond (south of Cairo, where the e.
railway from Suez ION the Red Seal non 9
d have to be abandoned, would be 10 the p
up all Of Egypt an invader would wish atmo'
Id. forms
lunar
IN TURKEY. only