Part 68

To the W. of the Ezbekîyeh Garden and the Place de l’Opéra (p. 446), to the W. also of the fashionable Shâria Kâmel (Pl B, C, 2, 3) and of the Shâria Abdîn (Pl. C, 3, 4), lie the new =Ismaîlîyeh= and =Tewfîkîyeh= quarters, extending to the Nile and the _Ismaîlîyeh Canal_, the latter quarter, named after Tewfik (p. 444), being the most recent. They contain several of the large hotels, most of the ministerial and consular offices, the chief banks, and many palaces of wealthy European, Levantine, and Egyptian magnates.

Ismaîlîyeh and Tewfîkîyeh are separated by the broad and busy SHÂRIA BÛLÂK (Pl. B, A, 3; tramway No. 6, p. 440), which leads from the Ezbekîyeh Garden to the Abu’l-Eileh Bridge (Pl. A, 3) and _Bûlâk_. From October to December the banks of the Nile present a very busy scene, the state of the river being then most favourable for the goods-traffic from Upper Egypt, Nubia, and the fertile Delta.—Steam-ferry to _Gezîreh_ (p. 457; bridge now being built).

The direct way to the Nile is by the SHÂRIA KASR EN-NÎL (Pl. C-A, 3, 4), diverging from the Shâria Abdîn to the S. of the Place de l’Opéra. It crosses the round Mîdân Suleimân Bâsha and ends at the Mîdân Mariette Bâsha (Pl. A, 4), near the _Egyptian Museum_.

A little to the S. is the MÎDÂN ISMAÎLÎYEH (Pl. A, 4, 5; tramway No. 4, p. 440). On the S. side of it runs the Shâria el-Kubri, to the W., to the Great Nile Bridge (p. 457), while from it to the S. stretches the long Shâria Kasr el-Aïni (Pl. A, 5, 6). In the latter street, immediately to the left, is the free =Egyptian University= (Pl. A, 5), founded in 1908, the purpose of which, in contrast to the old Gâmia el-Azhar (p. 447), is to offer Mohammedans a liberal modern education. Farther on, to the left, opposite the handsome houses built on the site of the palace _Kasr ed-Dubara_, are the _Ministries of Public Works and War_ (Pl. A, B, 5) and the building of the _Sudan Agency_; on the N. side of the grounds is the _Geological Museum_.—Still farther to the S. the street is prolonged by the Shâria Fum el-Khalîg (Pl. A, 7), leading past the native (Government) hospital _Kasr el-Aïni_ (Pl. A, 7) and close to the narrow _E. Arm of the Nile_ (Bahr el-Khalîg), opposite the island of Rôda (p. 461), to _Old Cairo_ (comp. p. 460).

* * * * *

The **=Egyptian Museum= (Pl. A, 4; _El-Antikkhâneh_) is now housed in a new building (1897–1902) in the Shâria Mariette Bâsha, near the Great Nile Bridge. The collection, the greatest of its kind, founded in 1857 by the French Egyptologist Aug. Mariette (1821–81), consists of Egyptian and Græco-Roman antiquities found in the Nile Valley. Adm., see p. 442. Director, M. G. Maspero.

The two long colonnades adjoining the vestibule, are destined for casts. They terminate in two pavilions, containing, on the left, the Library and, on the right, the office for the sale of duplicates, photographs, and scientific publications.

The GROUND FLOOR contains the large stone monuments, including the sarcophagi in the Grande Galerie d’Honneur, beyond the vestibule.

From the W. (left) wing of the Grande Galerie we first enter, to the right, Rooms A-D, containing memorials of the Old Empire (3rd–6th Dynasties; about B.C. 2900–2350). Noteworthy among the master-works in Room B are: *74. Wooden statue of a man, known as the Sheikh el-Beled (village magistrate); 73. Statue in diorite of king Khephren (p. 463); 78. Figure of an official, writing. Case B: *114. Nofer, the brewer; 115. Wooden figure of a man in a cloak.—Room D: *163. Statues in limestone of prince Ra-hotep and his wife Nofret; 167. Statue of king Phiops I., in embossed copper, with eyes of enamel; 164, 165. Statues in limestone of the priest Ra-nofer.

Rooms E-H contain objects dating from the Middle Empire (12–14th Dynasties; about B.C. 2000–1680) and the era of the Hyksos (Syrian conquerors; 15th and 16th Dynasties; about 1680–1580). In Room F: 194 (in the middle). Wooden statue of the tutelary genius (Ka) of king Hor; 199. Limestone statue of king Amenemhêt III.—Room G: 206 (in the middle). Sacrificial chamber of Harhotep, with drawings of the furniture of the deceased; 207. Ten colossal statues of Sesostris I. in limestone.—Room H: 260. Tombstone of Prince Mentuhotep.

Rooms I-P and the large Atrium Central, or covered court, are set apart for monuments of the New Empire (17–20th Dynasties; about B.C. 1580–1090). Room I: 300 (on the right). Triumphal monument of Thutmosis III. (1501–1447); 338, 339. The goddess Hathor, as a cow, in the ancient chapel (naos); *291. Head of king Haremheb (?), in black granite; 312. Bust of the goddess Mut (?); 327. Statue of the aged Amenhotep; *334. Statue of Thutmosis II., in slate; 341. Statue of Isis, mother of Thutmosis III.—Room J: 316. Statue of the god Khons.—Room L (beyond the N. gallery): 364. Sacred barge in red granite.—Portique du Nord (beyond the covered court): 398. Memorial stones of kings Amenophis III. (‘Memnon’; 1411–1375) and Merenptab (p. 457).—Room M: 378. The famous tablet of Sakkâra (p. 464), with its list of kings; 390. Statue of the god Ptah.—Rooms N and O: Chiefly objects of the Ramesside period (19–20th Dynasties). Room N: 616. Granite head of Ramses II. (about 1292–1225), best known of all the Egyptian kings for his immense building enterprise.

Rooms Q-S: Foreign (B.C. 1090–663) and Late Egyptian (663–332) Dynasties. Room Q: 1016. Statue of the goddess Toëris in the form of a hippopotamus, an admirable work in green stone (26th Dynasty; 663–525); 667. ‘Pithom Stele’ or memorial stone of Ptolemy Philadelphus, from Pithom.—Room S: Ethiopian period (25th Dynasty; 712–663); 685. Alabaster statue of queen Amenertaïs.

Rooms T, V, and X: Ptolemaic (B.C. 332–47; comp. p. 433), Roman (B.C. 47–395 A.D.), and Coptic monuments. Room T: 719. Marble bust of a Gaul, a Greek original from Thasos; 728. The famous trilingual Decree of Canopus (B.C. 238), in sacred (hieroglyphic), popular (demotic), and Greek characters.—Room V: Coptic objects.—Room X (Case A): 688. Bust of prince Mentemhēt, and 689. Bust of king Taharka (688–663; the Tirhakah of the Bible), both with negro features.

The UPPER FLOOR contains the smaller antiquities, the objects found in the royal tombs of Thebes in Upper Egypt, and the mummies.

We begin with the Great Gallery, where the coffins and mummies of priests of Ammon are exhibited.

In the Salon Méridional, adjoining the central court, and (to the right) in Rooms A and B, are vessels, implements, toilet requisites, musical instruments, lamps, candlesticks, candelabra etc.; in Case G of the South Hall is the *Wooden war-chariot of Thutmosis IV. (1420–1411), with beautiful reliefs. Also in Room A (later to be reserved solely for Coptic objects), Coptic utensils.—Rooms C-F: Burial equipments, including figures of the dead, amulets, jars for the entrails of the deceased (so-called Canopi).

Rooms G-I: MSS. on papyrus or linen; wooden tablets, potsherds (ostraca), and slabs of limestone, used as cheap substitutes for papyrus.—Rooms J-L: Furniture and utensils.

Rooms M, N, and Gallery O (to the N.): Chiefly Greek and Roman antiquities and foreign objects. In glass-cases C and D of Room N are (Nos. 433, 434) the famous clay tablets from Tell el-Amarna in Central Egypt, with cuneiform inscriptions, being letters from Babylonian kings and the Hittite kings of Arsapi to Amenophis III. (see above).

The Salon Septentrionale, adjoining Gallery O, contains statues of gods and requisites for their cult. Case B: 886. Hair-pin in the form of a papyrus stem (Middle Empire); 888. Small bowl in the form of a dog holding a fish in its mouth; without number, Head of a woman with a wig; *891. Funerary statuette of the vizier Ptahmosē.—We now cross Gallery O to—

Room P, with its rich collection of *Trinkets, illustrating the development of the Egyptian goldsmiths’ art from the earliest age down to the Byzantine period (A.D. 395–640). Case IV, B, in a recess on the right, contains jewellery found at Abydos in Upper Egypt (bracelets from the tomb of king Zer, 1st Dyn.), dating from the earliest period, and already showing a high degree of skill. To the Middle Empire belong the *Tomb Treasures of Dahshûr (p. 464; trinkets of princess Khnumet, etc.), in the centre of the room, showing the Egyptian goldsmiths’ art in its highest perfection. Admirably executed are also the *Trinkets of queen Ahhotep, mother of king Amosis, the Hyksos conqueror (1580 B.C.; p. 455), of the New Empire (niche on the right, case IV, G-M.). The 20th and 21st Dynasties also are represented by treasures from Bubastis (p. 439; Case XII). The extensive collection of Græco-Roman and Byzantine jewellery, partly pure Greek in style,

## partly of ancient Egyptian pattern, also merit notice. To the former

class belongs notably, in a niche to the left (stands VII, X), the *Treasure of Tukh el-Karâmûs, of the early Ptolemaic era (about 300 B.C.).

Gallery Q (continuation of Gallery O) and Rooms R-U contain *Mummies of the kings of the New Empire, from the ravine Deir el-Bahri near Thebes. In Gallery Q: 1187. Mummy of Merenptah, son and successor of Ramses II.; 1251. Gilded coffin-lid of queen Ahhotep (see above).—Room S: Furnishings from the tombs of Thutmosis III. (p. 456) and Amenophis II, (B.C. 1447–1420); wooden figures, boxes, shrouds, wigs, etc.—Room T: *Coffins and furnishings from the tomb of the parents-in-law of Amenophis III. (p. 456).

Rooms V-Z, Gallery A′, and the last Rooms B′–D′ contain requisites for the cult of the dead. Room V: Scarabæi (beetle-stones), used as amulets and as seals.—Room Y: Objects found in tombs of the Middle and New Empires; in cases D and E, 1337, 1338. Forty Egyptian soldiers and forty negro soldiers, carved in wood.—Room C′: 115–117. Coffins and mummy of Oment, priestess of Hathor and lady of the royal harem (11th Dyn.), with tattooed body.—Room D′: Relics of the earliest period, mostly from the royal tombs at Abydos (see p. 456).

The =Great Nile Bridge= (Pl. A, 5; Arabic _Kubri Kasr en-Nîl_), 427 yds. long, at the end of Shâria el-Kubri (p. 455), connects the new town with Gezîreh. It is usually opened from about 1.30 to 3 p.m. for the passage of vessels (see notices).

The island _Gezîret Bûlâk_, or simply =Gezîreh= (‘island’), is the favourite residence of the fashionable world. The *_Park_ (café near the bridge) at the S. end is much frequented, especially in the afternoon, and is skirted by a pleasant drive shaded by lebbakh-trees. Passing the _Race Course_ and the grounds of the Khedivial Sporting Club, we reach the N. part of the island with its handsome villas, the _Ghezîreh Palace Hotel_ (p. 440; built by Franz Pasha in 1863–4 as a viceregal palace), and the interesting _Aquarium_ (8.30 to 5 o’cl., 2 pias.; Frid. 5 pias.).—Steam-ferry to _Bûlâk_ (p. 454).

From Gezîreh a road crosses the sometimes dry W. arm of the Nile, above the so-called English Bridge, and leads to the S. to the village of Gîzeh (tramways Nos. 3 & 5, see p. 440). On the right, beyond the _Gîza Garden_, is the _Polytechnic School_. Farther on, opposite Rôda (p. 461), is the—

*=Zoological Garden= (adm. ½ pias.; on Sun. afternoon, when a band plays, 5 pias.), containing many Egyptian and Sudanese animals and an aquarium. The grounds, 50 acres in area, with their superb royal palms (Oreodoxa regia) and pond for aquatic flowers, are in themselves worth seeing.

_Gîzeh_ and the _Pyramids_, see pp. 461–463.

d. Environs.

=1.= The *=Mameluke Tombs=, to the E. of the old town, erroneously called the _Tombs of the Caliphs_ (comp. F, 3, 4), date mostly from the second Mameluke dynasty (pp. 444, 445). They are most easily reached, on donkey-back (p. 441), from the Bâb en-Nasr (Pl. E, 2; p. 449).

Passing a large _Moslem Cemetery_ (Pl. E, F, 2) we come first to the N.E. group of the tombs, all much ruined. These are the _Tomb Mosque of Emîr el-Kebîr_, son of Bars Bey (p. 446), the *_Monastery Mosque of Sultan Melek el-Ashraf Inâl_ (1453–68), an irregular quadrangle of 115 by 51 yds., with a fine minaret and dome, and the cubical _Tomb of an Emir of El-Ghûri_ (p. 449).

We now turn to the S. to visit the *_Monastery Mosque of Sultan Barkûk_ (p. 448), partly restored of late. It forms a square of 80 yds. each way. The two handsome minarets have been deprived of their bulb-like summits. In front of the mihrâb is a small dome. Of the two mausoleums that on the N. was built in 1400–5 by Barkûk’s sons Farag and Azîz; that on the S., together with the monastery (Khânkâ), was completed by Farag in 1410.

The old chief portal, with its stalactite niche, is on the N. side. To the right of it is a sebîl with an elegant kuttâb (p. 445). On the left are the ruins of the three-storied monastery and a dilapidated hall connecting the monastery with the tomb of Barkûk’s father, Sharaf ed-Dîn Anas (d. 1382).

From the present entrance in the outbuilding at the S.W. angle we pass through a vestibule and a corridor to the quadrangle (sahn) with its fountain (hanefîyeh). The lîwâns, borne by pillars, are roofed with flat domes, some of which have fallen in. The beautifully proportioned sanctuary, with nave and two aisles, contains three plain prayer-recesses and a stone *Pulpit presented by Kâït Bey (1483; see below). Large double portals lead to the left to the mausoleum of Barkûk and his sons, and to the right to the tombs of the ladies of the family.

Within a walled court a little to the W. are the _Tombs of Emirs Suleimân ibn Selîm_ (d. 1526) and _Ahmed_. The dome of the former is richly adorned with trellis-work set in lozenge-shaped meshes, and shows remains of the inscribed frieze of blue fayence.

A few minutes’ walk to the S.W., past the large flattened dome of the Turkish _Mabed er-Rifaîyeh_, brings us to the _Hôsh of Kâït Bey_ (1468–96), once 330 yds. long, the largest family burial-place at Cairo, now occupied by a whole village. A dilapidated dwelling-house (rab), 86 yds. long, and trough, and the tomb-mosque still exist.

The *_Tomb Mosque of Kâït Bey_, the finest of all the Mameluke tombs, at once strikes the eye with its wall decoration in coloured stripes, the delicate network of the dome of the mausoleum, and the graceful minaret, 131 ft. high. Between the minaret and the railed-in sebîl is the chief portal with its trefoil arch, leading into a vestibule containing the throne of the sultan. The adjoining sanctuary, with its pavement in coloured mosaic, its two inscription-friezes, its kamarîyehs, and stained-glass windows, has been almost entirely renewed. The mimbar or pulpit also is modern. The lîwân opposite still has its fine old timber ceiling. The mausoleum, on the S.W. side of the sanctuary, also shows great wealth of colouring. A colonnade adjacent contains the tombs of the sultan’s four wives.

[Illustration: CAIRO]

[Illustration: MAP OF THE ENVIRONS OF CAIRO as far as the Barrage on the North & Dahshûr on the South]

We now follow the Shâria es-Sultân Ahmed and (to the right) Shâria Karâfet el-Mamalik, cross the so-called _Windmill Hill_ (Pl. F, 3), the central great mound of débris on the E. side of the old town, and thus regain the Fatimite city (Shâria esh-Sharawâni, p. 446). On the way, from the ‘Point de Vue’ marked on the Plan, we have a fine *View of the city of tombs and the Mokattam Hills behind us.

The Shâria Karâfet Bâb el-Wezîr, the S. prolongation of Shâria es-Sultân Ahmed, leads to the _Citadel_ (comp. p. 453).

=2.= EXCURSION TO THE HELIOPOLIS OASIS AND HELIOPOLIS-ON. The new _Heliopolis Oasis_ is most quickly (10 min.) reached from Cairo by the Metropolitan Railway (p. 441), or by railway and electric tramway viâ _Palais de Koubbeh_ (20–30 min.; comp. below); tramway No. 10 in ca. 50 min., see p. 440; cab, see p. 441.

The =Heliopolis Oasis= or _New Heliopolis_ (hotels, see p. 440), called by the Arabs _Masr el-Gedida_, _i. e._ ‘New Cairo’, is a new ‘suburb’, founded in 1906 by a Belgian company, about 5 M. to the N.E. of Cairo. On this healthy site an entirely modern town, consisting of villas and buildings mostly in the Moorish style, is being laid out on an ambitious scale. Broad avenues planted with trees and streets pleasantly interspersed with spacious squares intersect the town, while recreation grounds of every description and a race course provide for the residents’ entertainment.—Heliopolis Oasis is connected with Cairo by a beautiful _Avenue_ (cab, see p. 441), the favourite promenade of the inhabitants and visitors in Cairo, which, close to the Oasis, passes the not yet completed _British Barracks_.

The visit to HELIOPOLIS-ON may be combined with the route just described by way of rail. station _Palais de Koubbeh_ (tramway, see below). If, however, we make our visit from Cairo direct we go by railway from the Pont Limûn Station (p. 439; trains every ½ hr., in 21 min.; also several fast trains in ¼ hr.; return-fare 4½ or 3 pias.).

The train crosses the _Ismaîlîyeh Canal_ (p. 438). 2 M. _Demîrdash_, or _Demerdache_, station for the villa-suburb of _Abbâsîyeh_. 4¼ M. _Palais de Koubbeh_, with the Khedivial Palace; from the station an electric tramway, in connection with the trains, runs to the S.E. to (1 M.) the _Heliopolis Oasis_ (see above). 5 M. _Ezbet ez-Zeitûn_, a group of villas; 6¼ M. _Matarîyeh_.

At the village of _Matarîyeh_ (hotel), in a garden to the right of the road, is the _Virgin’s Tree_, a sycamore marking the spot where the Holy Family is said to have resided during their exile in Egypt. A little to the E. of the station is an _Ostrich Farm_ (adm. 10 pias.), with a belvedere.

From the Virgin’s Garden the Shâria el-Misalleh (obelisk street) leads to the N. to the site of =Heliopolis-On=, one of tho most ancient places in Egypt, famous for the cult of the falcon-headed sun-god Rē-Harakhtē. The _Obelisk_ of red granite is the oldest in the land. Scanty fragments of the temple and of the town-wall are the only other ruins.

3. We may next visit =Old Cairo= (tramway No. 4, p. 440).

The route is by the SHÂRIA MASR EL-KADÎMEH, the continuation of Shâria Fum el-Khalîg (Pl. A, 7; p. 455). On the left, at its beginning, is a hexagonal _Water Tower_, which once supplied an _Aqueduct_ (El-Kanâtir) built by El-Ghûri (p. 449), extending to Bâb el-Karâfeh (Pl. E, 7), and still traceable in its ruins, 66 ft. high.

About ¼ M. beyond the new Abbâs Bridge (p. 461) the Shâria Gâmia Amr, on the left, leads to the picturesque old Coptic convent _Deir Abû Sefein_ and the Amru Mosque (see below).

From the tramway-terminus in the poor little town of _Old Cairo_ (Masr el-Kadîmeh, p. 443) we follow the street to the Gîzeh steam-ferry (p. 461), turn to the left past the police-station, and in the Shâria es-Saghîr to the left again. This brings us to _St. Georges_, a station on the Helwân railway (see p. 439). On the E. side of the railway is the site of—

=Babylon= (p. 443), a Roman castle, of which the only remains are parts of the outer walls and a _Gateway_, on the S.W. side, with two projecting towers.

Within the precincts of the ancient fortress now lies _Kasr esh-Shama_, a village inhabited chiefly by Copts, with a synagogue, five mediæval Coptic churches (_El-Moallaka_, _Abu Sergeh_, etc.), and the Greek _Convent of St. George_ (W. side). One of the entrances is between the convent and an old tower.

From the N.E. angle of the fortress, skirting the rubbish-mounds of _Fostât_ (p. 443), we reach (10 min.) the Amru Mosque, surrounded by cemeteries and potteries, where the porous kullehs are made, and conspicuous by its red and white striped façade.

The =Gâmia Amr ibn el-Âsî=, commonly called the _Amru Mosque_ by Europeans, is named after the general of caliph Omar (p. 443). It was originally a small edifice built in 642, probably of crude bricks, but it was repeatedly rebuilt or restored, as in 698 and 827, and notably by Saladin in 1172, after the invasion of king Amalarich of Jerusalem and the burning of Fostât in 1168. Other restorations took place in the three following centuries. The two minarets are modern.

The INTERIOR, a slightly irregular rectangle, 132 by 108 yds., though sadly ruinous, is of impressive dimensions. The six-aisled sanctuary contains 21 series of arcades (with pointed arches) running towards the kibla (prayer niche facing Mecca). The three outer rows of columns on each side are continued by those of the N.E. and the S.W. lîwâns, of which, however, the bases alone remain. The lîwân on the side of the quadrangle next the entrance has a single arcade only. The Roman and Byzantine columns from Memphis (p. 464), once 366 in number it is said, have been utilized without regard to symmetry or congruity.

In the centre of the court, now planted with trees, is a hanefîyeh (18th cent.). In the N. angle of the sanctuary is an uninteresting monument over the supposed tomb of Sheikh Abdallah, son of Amr, erected by Abbâs I. (1849–54). On the almost intact S.W. wall of the sanctuary are curious wood-carvings, still purely Byzantine (9th cent.).

=4.= The PYRAMIDS OF GÎZEH should be visited on a calm and clear day, as the sand-drift is most trying in windy weather. (Umbrella or dark-coloured spectacles advisable to protect the eyes from the glare.) The excursion takes at least 4 hrs., or, including Sakkâra, a whole day. Those who are pressed for time visit the Great Pyramid, the Sphinx, and the Granite Temple only. (Tramway No. 1, see p. 440; carr. in 1–1¼ hr., p. 441.)

The tramway diverges at Old Cairo (p. 460), about 770 yds. to the S. of the Water Tower, to the right from line No. 4, and crosses a branch of the Nile to the island of =Rôda= (_Gezîret Rôda_), at the S. end of which is the old _Nilometer_ (Arabic Mikyâs), dating from the time of the Omaiyade caliph Suleimân (716), but often restored since.

We next cross the main channel of the Nile by the _Pont Abbâs II._ (opened 10–11 a.m. and 3.30 to 4.30 p.m. for the passage of vessels) to the village of =Gîzeh= (Tues. market), at the N. end of which, about 550 yds. below the steam-ferry (p. 460), our tramway joins the branch from Gezîreh (p. 457).

Leaving the Nile, and passing a station on the Upper Egyptian railway (p. 463), we still have a run of 5 M., nearly due W., to the Pyramids, the huge angular forms of which gradually become more distinct and soon stand out in clear outlines.

The terminus of the tramway is near the large _Mena House Hotel_ (p. 440), on the N.E. border of the _Libyan Desert_. Adjacent is a Greek restaurant. The road then ascends in a curve to the (½ M.) plateau of the Pyramids.