Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1902-06-05
Additional Locals.
Letter from the AntipOdes.
FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
IN THE FAR EAST.

The Egyptian climate is admirably suited
for A winter residence and many invalids
from the northern part of Europe spend their
winters at Luxor and AssOuan. Cairo Is
hardly so well suited as the drainage is by no
means perfect and then the noise and hustle
crate OH the ears of the irritable invalid.
The Mena House at the Pyramids, ten
miles from Cairo, Is always well filled; the
air is pure and the atmosphere dry and com
Portable and the point is easy of access.
Cairo is a many sided city and may be de-
scrlbed under many aspects. 1t is famous
historical city, an official Capital, an import
ant garrison town and great Oriental me-
tropolis and the second city in the Turkish
Empire.
The season in Egypt, especially IN Cairo,
opens the first of the year and lasts three
months, but it is even very pleasant in Aprll !;
one finds very thin wooden clothes quite SUI,
ficicnt during the day but after sundown, il
riding out, light cycrcoat necessary. The
hotels ere well kept and in some instances
equal our best in New York the price is a.
bout equal the busy streets and the many
shops attract your attention. The Egyptians
in their picturesque costume, the yelled wo
men, the donkevs, camels and the very swift
and beautiful Arabian horses make picture
that can only be seen in an Oriental country
and to one who has travelled in the Far East
it is relief TO know your own language is
understood and that you can bargain with
the NATIVES for their wares in fact it is inn
possible to buy anything from native shop
unless you spend some time in making bar
gain, but one is interested all the time and at
last gets the Al ticle he wants at one'third the
price first asked.
The National Museum of Antiquities at
Ghizeh, about two miles from Cairo, contains
not only the largest but the most valuable
collection OF Egyptian antiquities in the
world, its value enhanced by the fact that
the place of origin of most of the antiquities
is we'll known and labeled. We spent most
of our time with the mummics of the ancient
sovercgns of Egypt, of the seventeenth,
eighteenth and nineteenth dynastics, about
1900 TO 100, B. G. One cannot help being
impressed at beholdinG the actual features of
the Pharoah of the Oppression aflera period
of 3hree thousand years. He is in a good
state of preservation and is by no means as
large man as one would expect.
The Citadel is a medieval fortress and one
of the most interesting of the historic build
ings of the Egyptian capital ii was built by
Saladin, close by the mosque of Mahomet
Ali, usually called the Alabaster Mosque the
proportions are imposing and the interior
richly decorated the minarets are lofty and
elegant 1t is best seen at sunset, the glow on
the semi-transparcnt building is beyond de-
scriptlon and its being situated near the Nile
adds much to its beauty; this is the show
mosque of the city and is said to be an infe
rior copy of the Mosque NGsr Osmancya at
Constanlinople, but fail to see how one
could be built with more beautiful proper
tons.
A beautiful drive of five miles takes one to
Hcliopolis which Is in ruins but contains the
Oldest obelsk in Egypt, of the usual rose col.
ored granite of Assouan. 1t lacks dignity,
being considerably buried in the soil, well
covered with bieroglyphs but almost illegl-
BILE, owing to bees having utilized the deep
! ieroglyphs with their cells. The only re-
mains of a splendid temple aie few traces
of brick walls. Tue date of the city's foun.
dalton is, even tor Egypt, of extreme antiqni-