Evening star., 1934-12-13
CITY Of M|NARETS
|. SWEPT BY FLOODS
Swell in Nile Cause OF Trou-
bIe-Cairo Pump En-.
gines Broken.

Citizens Of Cairo, Egypt, were re-
the ancient mariner who, with water
everywhere, found not drop to drink.
While new pumping engines we've
being rushed to the city to replace
broken ones, thirsty Cairenes waded
through streets flooded with polluted
waters to homes in which the water
supply was largely cut of.
Although caused by an unusually
high Nile food, this disaster was
hardly unexpected" says a bulletin
from the Washington, D. c., head
quarters of the National Geographic
Society. Cairo, the largest city in
Africa, Is growing more rapidly than
any other Mohammedan city, and in
SO doing, has outgrown its obsolete
drainage system.
Has Many Newspapers.
cairo is one of the most cosmo-
politan cities in the world. Its news
boys in black skullcaps sell 80 news
papers, including u Arabic dailies, 8
printed in French, in Greek, 3 in
Italian, 2 in English and others.
Modern Cairo has electric lights,
taxicabs and several colleges, includ-
ing an American university which
gives foreign students an opportunity
to study oriental subjects. In the
European quarter, laid out with wide
streets, like French cities, Europeans
lead gay social lives in modern resi-.
denceS and luxurious hotels.
an tho Aro y canf;o,, 1F raiw. .,s-sk~--
still see houses four or five stories
high crowded together along narrow
streets that are hardly more than
alleys. From projecting latticed win
dows women can look unseen upon
the people, camels and donkeys pass.
ing and repassing in the street below.
Mingled with tourists in sun helmets
and Cairenes in European dress are
men in red caps and flowing robes,
an occasional veiled woman with a
baby astride her shoulder and char
acters that look as if they might have
stepped from the Arabian Nights
snake chambers with baskets of cobras,
lemonade sellers carrying glittering
brass urns, boys whose donkeys some
times wear red saddles and silver
necklaces.
400 Mosques in City.
"Cairo has been called the city OF
thousand minarets.' There are over
400 mosques in Cairo, more than
enough for devout Moslem to worship
in a different mosque every day in
the year. From the citadel Cairo's
81 miles Of yellowish-white. flat-roofed
houses appear peppered with the mast
like mlnaretS and bulbouS domes Of
mosques.
Many of the mosques have inter-
esting legends. Sultan HaSan Mosque
is said to be the finest in Cairo. Legend
says that to prevent its architects
designing rival to it his hand was
amputated at his Kings orders. One
mosque was founded by Sultan Bibars,
who would rank as a Channel swim
mer, being reputed to have swum
across the Nile in heavy armor.
The Mosque Of FL Hakim was built
by sort of Nero who made impossible
rules and then wandered around
Cairo at night to see If people were
keeping them. In order to make
certain the complete segregation OF
| NOAAC44s A4C 4O1 OdOC COOD1GIS, Q1lQ6I
threat of death, to make shoes for
them. The Mosque Of Ahmed Ibn
Tulun, one Of the worlds Oldest and
finest Moslem buildings, has a spiral
staircase built around the outside Of
its minaret, up which it is said the
Sultan Ibn Tulun used to ride his
favorite horse.
Soldiers Damaged Sphinx.
Cairo is linked with many names
famous in history. Saladin, the med
ieval ruler, built its citadel. Ths
Cairo Museum, which houses the
finest known collection Of Egyptian
antiquities, exhibits furniture and
ornaments from the tomb of Tutank-
hamen. Near Cairo, Napoleon won
the battle of the Pyramids over the
Mameluke horde. The nose Of the
Sphinx is said to have been shot away
by his soldiers cannon fire.
From Cairo, trolleys now carry
tourists the miles to the Pyramids Of
GiZa. Beside the rails, on a splendid
road, lined with lofty trees, throng
travellers in motor cars and on DON
keys and camels. The highway was
constructed hastily at the opening Of
the Suez Canal so that Empress Eu-
genie might drive easily to the
Pyramids.
Cairo holds especial fascination for
the Bible student. A 290-foot well
sunk in limestone within the citadel
is said to have been the well in which
Joseph was confined by his brothers
Cairo contains crypt reputed to have
sheltered the Holy Family In their
flight into Egypt. Opposite Old Cairo
lies the Island of Roda, where Cal
renes say Pharaoh's daughter discov-
cred the infant Moses"