The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1905-04-06
IN CAIRO ON THE nile.
Historic Land of Tombs as Seen by
the Kalbach's.

Luxor Hotel, Luxor, March 4, 1906.
Dear Herald We'll, here we are
just about as hot as we can be. Out
about fifty miles from anywhere ex-
cept old kings tombs and old tenn
pies. We arrived at Suez on the
morning of the eighteenth Of Feb.
ruary, and expected to have to go
into quarantine there, as we had a
case of smallpox aboard. How
ever, we did not, and we went up
to Cairo that evening. We had to
have our soiled linen disinfected at
quarantine, but that was easy, COM
pared with ten days quarantine.
VIC arrived IL Cairo at 11:d0 p. m,
and were tolo that there we're no
rooms at Shepherds Hotel. We went
up there, however, and they wanted
to send us out to Gheziren Palace
Hotel, but we told them to put us
up anyway they could and we stayed,
four in a drawing room and two in
music room. The next day we
went to the other hotels, but they
were all full We decided to stay
at Shepherds and had our baggage
sent up there. There are more
Americans there than any other ma.
tionality.
The Ancient Pyramids.
The next night we took an auto
mobile ride out to the pyramids TO
see them by moonlight. They are
very large, taking into considera
ton the means they have now for
building things of that sort,and the
means they had then; it was a
mighty project. One gentleman we
have met quite few times since
leaving San Francisco, said it look
ed as though the kings hau built
them so that no man, nor even Al
mighty God, could get at their bod.
les after the place was sealed up.
/ climbed to the top some days, al
forwards, and it looked great deal
larger when at the top than when
on the ground. We did not go in
side, as we had been told not to-
by our friends. We saw all sorts
of mosques in Cairo. all Mohammed.
We went to see the bowling and
whirling Dervishes in Cairo and
they were quite sight. They are
a religious sect, and are said to be
bemoaning their fate. We staid at
the bowling place the longest, as
it was the most interesting.
Watching the Crowds.
The most Of the week and half
we were there, we sat on the porch
Of the hotel watching the crowd.
It is a sight, they say, one sees on
ly in Cairo. French, German, Eng.
lish, Americans and Turks and the
native Egyptians. Most drive by
and some age very finely dressed,
and in fXStacarriages as well. We
left Cairo On the evening of March
1st and arrived here the next morn
ing. / was surprised at the sleep
ing cars. They are all compartment
cars, each compartment holding two
berths, and very finely finished.
Ruins Are Very Interesting.
We started out in the afternoon
to see the ruins around here. The
ruins were formerly enclosed in a
brick wall, but now only the large
gateway is standing. From the por
tai there is an avenue of Sphinx
leading up to the Temple of Kohns.
This temple was dedicated to the
moon god, Kohns. The walls were
built by Rameses III, but he only
decorated the walls Of the inner
most chambers, the outside decora
lions being left to Harnesses the
fourth and twelfth. The large Py-
Ion, which forms the entrance, is
104 feet in length, SO feet in
breadth, and 60 feet high. From
that temple we proceeded ! to the
temple of Amnon. This temple
was at one time the throne of the
world" 1t represents the differ.
ent forms of architecture, as 1t was
built by many successive. rulers.
II is said that from the Middle EN-
pire to the Ptolemaic period, most
Of the Pharaohs had some part in
the building Of it. Each one tried
to Guido the former in lAeir plans
and magnitude of the size of the
building that they built. The foun.
dations go back as far as the first
monarchs of the twelfth dynasty.
When Shutmosis l came to power he
moved his capital to Thebes and
caused two colonades and two by.
Ions TO be added to to the struc,
ture. The following kings all caus.
ed fresh things to be added to it,
PyIon of Ptolemus.
The finest and largest pylon was
erected during the reign of Ptole-
mus but was never completed
Some Of the scaffolding remains TO
this date. 1t is, as it stands now,
372 feet wide and 142 feet high,
and the walls are sixteen feet thick.
We went up to the top and had a
fine view of the surrounding coun.
try. The next thing of Importance
was the great court" 1t covers an
area OF 9755 square yards This
was built by the rules of the twenty