Post Offices. Egyptian (Pl. 14) and French (Pl. 15), Rue du Nil.—Telegraph Offices. Egyptian (Pl. 18), Rue el-Tegara; Eastern Telegraph Co. (Pl. 17), Quai François-Joseph, for Europe.

Consulates at the Quai François-Joseph. British (Pl. 3): consul-general, E. C. Blech; vice-consul, T. D. Dunlop.—United States (Pl. 2): consular agent, H. Broadbent.

Tourist Agents. Thos. Cook & Son, Quai François-Joseph; F. C. Clark, Savoy Hotel; Hamburg-American Line, Rue du Nil.

Steamboat Offices. All the important companies have offices on the quay. L. Saxon & Co. (Società Nazionale) are also Lloyd’s Agents.

Banks. Bank of Egypt and Crédit Lyonnais, Rue du Nil; National Bank of Egypt, Rue Eugénie; Ottoman, Bassin du Commerce.—Money, see p. 431.

Physicians. Dr. Curling, Dr. W. Hayward (Egyptian Government Hospital); Dr. E. Cuffey (Lady Strangford Hospital); Dr. J. H. Wigham.

English Church. Church of the Epiphany (‘Eglise angl.’ on Plan), Rue el-Tegara; services every Sun. at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Port Said (pop. 42,000, incl. 11,300 Europeans) lies at the E. end of the strip of land between Lake Menzaleh (p. 418) and the open sea, at the N. end of the Suez Canal, to which it owes its foundation. Its trade, chiefly through-traffic, is growing rapidly.

The Harbour of 570 acres has a depth of 26 ft., which is maintained by laborious dredging. It is sheltered by two massive breakwaters, the Jetée Ouest, 2460 yds. long, with a statue of Ferd. de Lesseps (1805–94), the builder of the Suez Canal (1859–69), and the Jetée Est, 1750 yds. long. The former protects it against the mud of the Nile. Between these is the Digue Nouvelle, an inner breakwater 597 yds. long, for shelter against E. winds; on the mainland opposite (to the W.) rises the *Phare, a lighthouse 174 ft. high, visible 23 M. away.

The inner harbour of 220 acres consists of the Bassin Ismaïl (with its three very shallow creeks), the Bassin des Chalands Charbonniers, and the Bassin Abbas Hilmi or Africa Basin, with the quarantine establishment.

The Rue Quai du Nord (tramway) leads to the N.W. to the Quartier Arabe.

71. From Alexandria or Port Said to Cairo.

From Alexandria to Cairo, 130 M., express in 3, ordinary train in 6–6¾ hrs.; 1st cl. 87½, 2nd cl. 44 pias.—From Port Said to Cairo, 145 M., express (with dining-car) in 4–4¼, ordinary in 5 hrs.; 96 or 48 pias.—As to transport of luggage, see p. 431.—The buffets at the intermediate stations are poor.

Alexandria, see p. 431. The Cairo railway, the oldest in the East (1855), rounds Lake Mareotis (p. 432), which during the Nile inundation rises at places to the permanent way. On the left is the Mahmûdîyeh Canal (p. 434).

On the right beyond (17 M.) Kafr ed-Dâwâr appear the first cotton-fields.—38 M. Damanhûr (pop. 22,100), the ancient Egyptian Timē-en-Hor (town of Horus) and Roman Hermopolis Parva, is now the capital of the province of Beheireh, which extends from the Rosetta arm of the Nile (p. 418) to the Libyan desert.

The soil becomes more fertile. Villages of wretched mud-huts and a few groups of trees appear. We cross the Rosetta Arm. 64½ M. Kafr ez-Zaiyât.

76 M. Tanta (Buffet; Hôt. Khédivial, etc.; Brit. cons. agent, E. Erba; pop. 80,000), capital of the province of Gharbîyeh, between the Rosetta and Damietta arms (p. 418), possesses a palace of the Khedive and an unfinished mosque of Seiyid el-Bedawi, a popular Egyptian saint, born at Fez (12th cent.). The great August fair (el-Mûlid el-Kebîr; ‘the great mûlid’, or nativity of the saint) is often attended by half-a-million persons, including a number of European merchants.

Farther on we pass several cotton-cleaning mills, evidencing the prosperity of this region, and then cross the Damietta Arm.

101 M. Benha (Buffet), junction of the Port Said (see below) and Suez lines, is noted for its fruit. 120½ M. Kalyûb (or Qualioub).

The Libyan hills become more prominent; so also the Mokattam Hills (p. 443) and the citadel with the slender minarets of the mosque of Mohammed Ali (p. 454). Gardens and villas appear. On the left are the site of ancient Heliopolis (p. 459; obelisk not visible), Matarîyeh with its sycamores, Kubbeh, the residence of the Khedive, and the suburb of Abbâsîyeh (p. 459).

130 M. Cairo (chief station), see p. 439.

Port Said, see p. 436. The Cairo line at first skirts the W. bank of the Suez Canal (p. 437). On the right lies Lake Menzaleh.

Beyond (28 M.) El-Kantara (‘the bridge’), the isthmus between lakes Menzaleh and Balah, traversed by the time-honoured military and caravan route from Egypt to Syria, we cross the bed of the latter lake, now largely drained.

We next cross El-Gisr (‘the barrier’), a hill 52 ft. high, between lakes Balah and Timsâh (‘crocodile’), once the most serious obstacle in the way of the canal.

49 M. Ismaîlîya, or Ismaïlia (Buffet; pop. 7000), junction for Suez, a quiet little town on the N. bank of Lake Timsâh.

The train now runs to the W. through the Arabian Desert, intersected here by the Wâdi Tûmîlât, and skirts the Ismaîlîyeh Canal (p. 454).

Near (85 M.) Abu Hammâd begins the well-watered and well-planted E. part of the Nile Delta. To the S. of the railway lies the Biblical land of Goshen (Gen. xlv. 10), which was miserably neglected during the Turkish period, but has now awakened to new life.

97 M. Zakâzîk (Buffet; Brit. cons. agent, G. Diacono; pop. 60,000), capital of the E. Egyptian province of Sharkîyeh, favourably situated at the junction of several railways and on the Muizz Canal (part of the ancient Tanite arm of the Nile, see p. 418), is a rapidly improving place. It is the chief seat of the Egyptian cotton and grain trade. The large cotton-mills give some quarters of the town quite a European look.—Near Tell Basta, ½ hr. to the S.E. of Zakâzîk, are the ruins of the ancient Bubastis (Egyp. Per-Bastē, the Pi-beseth of Ezekiel xxx. 17).

116 M. Benha, and thence to (145 M.) Cairo, see p. 438.

Cairo.^[7]

Railway Stations. 1. Central Station (Pl. B, 1; Buffet), for Alexandria, Port Said, and Upper Egypt, to the N.W. of the town, beyond the Ismaîlîyeh Canal, ½ M. from the Ezbekîyeh.—2. Pont Limûn Station, or Gare de Matarîyeh, adjoining the central, for Matarîyeh (Old Heliopolis), for the electric line to the Heliopolis Oasis (see p. 441), etc.—3. Bâb el-Lûk Station (Pl. B, 5), for Helwân (p. 464).—The hotel omnibuses and the porters and tourist-agents (p. 441) await the arrival of the express trains. Or an Arab porter, wearing a metal badge on his arm, may be engaged to carry luggage to an omnibus or a cab (tariff, see p. 441). Heavy luggage is taken to the hotels in separate vehicles.

Hotels (mostly in the English style and excellent, but generally crowded in Jan.-March; advisable to telegraph for rooms from Alexandria or Port Said; closed in summer or charges reduced).

In the Town: *Shepheard’s Hotel (Pl. B, 3), Shâria Kâmel, with terrace, garden, restaurant, bar, post-office, etc., pens. from 80 pias., patronized by American and English travellers; *Savoy (Pl. B, 4), Mîdân Suleimân Bâsha, pens. from 80 pias., with excellent restaurant (déj. 30, D. 50 pias.); *Semiramis (Pl. A, 5), Kasr ed-Dubara, on the Nile, with garden and roof-terrace, restaurant, post-office, etc., pens. from 80 pias.; *Continental (Pl. B, C, 3), Place de l’Opéra, with terrace, restaurant, etc., pens. from 70 pias., frequented by English travellers; *Hôt. d’Angleterre (Pl. B, 3), Shâria el-Maghrâbi, with terrace, etc., pens. 70–80 pias.—*National (Pl. B, 3), Shâria Suleimân Bâsha, pens. from 50 pias.; New Khedivial Hotel (Pl. B, 2), Shâria Bâb el-Hadîd, pens. from 45 pias.; Eden Palace (Pl. C, 3), Shâria el-Genaïneh, pens. from 50 pias., frequented by English and American travellers; Villa Victoria (Pl. B, 3; private hotel), Shâria Shawarbi Bâsha, quiet and well-situated, pens. 70 pias.; Villa Nationale, Shâria Shawarbi Bâsha (Pl. B, 3), also a private hotel, with garden and tennis-court, pens. 50 pias.; Bristol & du Nil (Pl. C, 2, 3), Mîdân el-Khaznedâr, pens. from 65 pias., commended; Métropole (Pl. B, C, 3), Hâret Zogheb, pens. 50–60 pias., well spoken of; Hôt.-Pens. Rossmore House (English), Shâria el-Madabegh 13, pens. 40–50 pias.—Hôt. des Voyageurs (Pl. B, 2), Shâria Nubar Bâsha, pens. 45–50 pias., with good cuisine, patronized by the French; Hôt. Royal (Pl. C, 2), Shâria Wagh el-Birket, with bodega, pens. 60 pias.; Hôt. de Londres (Pl. B, 2, 3), Shâria Kâmel, pens. 40 pias.; Hôt.-Pens. Suisse, Shâria el-Genaïneh 10 (Pl. C, 3), pens. 33–40 pias.

On the Island of Gezîreh (p. 457): *Ghezireh Palace Hotel, with restaurant, large gardens, daily concerts, etc., open Dec.-April, pens. from 80 pias. (electr. omnibus to station; motor to Shepheard’s and Semiramis Hotels frequently).

At the Heliopolis Oasis (p. 459): Heliopolis Palace Hotel, a new extensive establishment of the first class, on the Metropolitan Line (p. 441), with all modern appliances, a garden, pavilion, etc., open in winter only, pens. 80–150 pias.; *Heliopolis House, a first-class family-hotel, opposite the former, with a large terrace, restaurant, American bar, and concerts, pens. 40–50 pias.; Pens. Belle-Vue, with restaurant (déj. 12, D. 16 pias.), pens. 40 pias.

Near the Pyramids of Gîzeh (p. 461): *Mena House Hotel, with restaurant, swimming-bath, tennis-courts, golf-links, riding-track, etc., open 1st Nov. to 15th May, pens. 60–100 pias.; Sphinx Hotel, near Kafr el-Haram (p. 463), a village 10 min. to the S.E. of the tramway-station, new, pens. from 10s.

Restaurants at the hotels, with grill-rooms. Also Santi, in the Ezbekîyeh Garden, déj. 20, D. 25 pias.; St. James’s, Shâria Bûlâk, opposite the Egyptian Telegraph Office; Restaurant du Nil, Shâria Elfi Bey, déj. 14, D. 16 pias.; Hermes, Shâria Kâmel, opposite the Ezbekîyeh Garden.

Bars & Cafés. New Bar, Place de l’Opéra; Splendid Bar, Shâria Kâmel; Bar High Life, Shâria Wagh el-Birket 42.—European style, but not for ladies: Sphinx Bar, Shâria Bûlâk, with grill-room; Café Egyptien, opposite Shepheard’s Hotel, with female orchestra; Eldorado, Shâria Wagh el-Birket.—The Arabian cafés (kahwa’s) are small and dirty.

Confectioners. Lehrenkrauss, Shâria Kasr en-Nîl 34, with tearooms; Sault, Groppé, both Shâria el-Manâkh.

Beer. Restaurant Falck, Shâria el-Mahdi (Pl. B, C, 2, 3); Bavaria, Mîdân Kantaret ed-Dikkeh (Pl. B, 2), good restaurant (déj. 12, D. 15 pias.); Kemmler, in the street on the N. side of the Crédit Lyonnais (p. 442); Flasch, near the Ezbekîyeh Garden.

Tramways (fare 1 or ½ pias. unless otherwise stated; separate compartment for women). The following are the chief lines: 1. From the Atabet el-Khadra (Pl. C, 3) to Place de l’Opéra (Pl. C, 3), Shâria Bûlâk (Pl. B, A, 3), Kasr en-Nîl (Egyptian Museum), Kasr el-Aïni (Pl. A, 7), Rôda, Gîzeh Village, and the Pyramids (Mena House, see above), every 30 (aftern. every 20) min.; fare 4 or 2 pias.—2. From the Atabet el-Khadra to Bâb el-Khalk (Pl. D, 4; Arab Museum), Shâria Khalîg el-Masri, Place Seiyideh Zeinab (Pl. C, 6), Shâria Mawardi, and the Abattoirs (beyond Pl. B, C, 7), every 7½ min.—3. From the Mîdân el-Khaznedâr (Pl. C, 3) to Kasr en-Nîl, Kasr el-Aïni (Pl. A, 7), Gezîret Rôda (p. 461), Pont Abbâs II., and the Village of Gîzeh (p. 461), every 10 min.; fare 2 or 1 pias.—4. From the Mîdân el-Khaznedâr to Mîdân Bâb el-Lûk (Pl. B, 4), Mîdân Ismaîlîyeh (Pl. A, 4, 5; for the Great Nile Bridge and Egyptian Museum), Shâria Kasr el-Aïni, Fum el-Khalîg (Pl. A, 7), and Old Cairo, every 6½ min.—5. From Kasr en-Nîl (Gezîreh, p. 457) to Zoological Garden and Village of Gîzeh, every 10 min.—6. From Bûlâk (p. 454) to Shâria Abou el-Ela (Pl. A, 3), Shâria Bûlâk, Atabet el-Khadra (see above), Bâb el-Khalk (see above), and the Citadel (Place Rumeileh; Pl. E, 6), every 3 min.—7. From Zabtîyeh (Shubra), to Central Station (Pl. B, 1), Shâria Clot Bey, Atabet el-Khadra, Mîdân Bâb el-Lûk (Pl. B, 4), and Mîdân Nasrîyeh (Pl. B, 5), every 3 min.—8. From Central Station (Pl. B, 1) to Shâria Abbâs (Pl. B, A, 2, 3), Shâria Mariette Bâsha (Pl. A, 4; Egyptian Museum), Kasr en-Nîl, Mîdân el-Azhâr (Pl. B, 4; Gare de Bâb el-Lûk), every 9 min.—9. From Ghamra (to the N. of Pl. D, 1) to Mîdân ez-Zâhir (Pl. D, E, 1), Bâb esh-Sharîyeh (Pl. D, 2), Muski, Bâb el-Khalk, and thence as No. 2, every 6 min.—10. From the Atabet el-Khadra (Pl. C, 3) viâ the Place de l’Opéra, Shâria Bûlâk, Shâria Imâd ed-Dîn (Pl. B, 3, 2), Bâb el-Hadîd (Pl. B, 1), and Abbâsîyeh to the Heliopolis Oasis (p. 459), every 10 min.; in ca. 50 min.; fare 1½ or 1 pias.

Electric Railway (‘Métropolitain’) from the Pont Limûn Station (Pl. B, 1) every 10 min. (from 6.30 a.m. till 12 p.m.) to the Heliopolis Oasis (p. 459), in 10 min.; fares 1st cl. 2, 2nd cl. 1 pias.

Steam Ferries between Bûlâk (Shâria Abou el-Ela; to the W. of Pl. A, 3; corresponding with tramway No. 6) and Gezîreh (p. 457), and between Old Cairo (p. 460; corresponding with tramway No. 4) and the village of Gîzeh (p. 461).—Local Steamers from the Bûlâk Bridge (Pl. A, 4) to Bûlâk.

Cabs (comp. p. 431), open victorias with two horses, abound in the European quarters and tourist-resorts. Closed cabs (landaus) usually have to be ordered, and the fares are higher. The Tariff (in cab) is for 1–3 pers. (each addit. pers. 2, trunk 1 pias.) as follows:

1. Drive within a radius of 4 kil. (2½ M.) from the Administration Building (Gouvernorat; Pl. D, 4), for 1 kil. 3, each addit. kil. 2 pias.; if dismissed outside the zone named, 2 pias. more per kil.; waiting, up to ¼ hr., 2 pias.

2. By Time (Arab, bis-sâa), in town 1 hr. 10, each addit. ¼ hr. 2 pias.; per day (12 hrs.) 70 pias.

3. Longer Drives. To the Citadel 10, and back 20 pias. (incl. stay of 1 hr.); to Old Cairo 12 or 18 pias. (halt of 1 hr.); to the Pyramids 50 or 80 pias. (halt of 3 hrs.); to the Heliopolis Oasis 30 or 50 pias. (halt of 2 hrs.).

A gratuity (bakshîsh) of 5–10 per cent over the fare is usually given. Complaints, with the number of the cab and other details, should be lodged at the police-office (p. 442). During the season the demands of the cabmen are often exorbitant, but the mere mention of the dreaded word ‘karakól’ (prison) generally brings them to reason.

Motor Cabs (with taximeter): 3½ pias. for the first 1200 mètres (¾ M.), 1 pias. each addit. 400 mètres (¼ M.), waiting 1 pias. for each 5 min. In addition to these fares a surtax must be paid for each drive as follows: from or to the Mena House (Pyramids) 10 pias., Heliopolis 8 pias., Citadel, Gîzeh 5 pias., Gezîreh 3 pias.

Donkeys (Arabic homâr; per hour about 2, day 12 pias.) abound. They are pleasant on bridle-paths free from dust. The donkey-boys (hammâr) often lash the animals into a gallop, but this should be checked. Ala mahlak means ‘slow’, erbût or the English stop ‘halt’. The bakshish should be of course proportioned to the donkey-boy’s behaviour.

Post Office (Pl. C, 3; p. 446), corner of Shâria Tâhir and Shâria el-Baidak. The outside-offices, for the sale of stamps only, are open from 7.30 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. (inland letter ½, in postal union 1 pias.; post-cards 3 and 4 mill.). The offices inside are open from 9 to 6.30, with a short break at 12.30. Lists of the over-sea mails are exhibited in the vestibule. Notice of the arrival of registered letters is sent to the addressee, who obtains delivery by producing the notice, stamped by the hotel or signed by some well-known person. Branch-offices at Shepheard’s, the Continental, Ghezireh Palace, and Mena House. Letter-boxes at all the hotels.

Telegraph Office. Eastern Telegraph Co. (Pl. B, 3), corner of Shâria Imâd ed-Dîn and Shâria el-Manâkh. Egyptian (Pl. B, 3), Shâria Bûlâk, corner of Shâria Imâd ed-Dîn.—Branches at Shepheard’s, the Crédit Lyonnais, and Ghezireh Palace.

Consulates. Great Britain, Shâria Gâmia esh-Sherkes (Pl. B, 4): consul-general and plenipotentiary, Sir Arthur Hardinge; consul, A. D. Alban; vice-consul R. M. Graves.—United States, Kasr ed-Dubara: consul-general and plenipotentiary, P. A. Jay; vice-consul, L. Belrose. Also French, German, Austrian, Italian, etc.

Tourist Agents. Thos. Cook & Son (Pl. B, 2, 3), Shâria Kâmel 6; Lubin, Shâria Bûlâk 5; F. C. Clark, near Shepheard’s; Hamburg-American Line, Hôt. Continental (Pl. B, C, 3); D. E. Munari, Shâria Kâmel 5.

Steamboat Offices. Khedivial Mail, White Star, Union Castle, Thos. Cook & Son (see p. 441); Messageries Maritimes, Shâria el-Maghrâbi 10; Società Nazionale, Figari, Shâria el-Maghrâbi 33; Austrian Lloyd, Heller, same street, No. 2; North German Lloyd, Rumanian State Maritime Service, Sterzing, Place de l’Opéra 3; German East African Line, Fix & David, Shâria Mansûr Bâsha; Russian Steam Navigation & Trading Co., Alchewsky, Shâria el-Manâkh 6.—Notices of departure also posted in the hotels.

Police Office (Pl. D, 4; p. 450; Zabtîyeh). About 300 officials, incl. a few Europeans, chiefly Italians, obliging to strangers and well organized. Complaints against the police must be lodged at the traveller’s consulate.

Banks. Crédit Lyonnais (Pl. C, 3), Shâria el-Bosta; Ottoman (Pl. B, 3), Shâria Imâd ed-Dîn 13; Bank of Egypt (Pl. B, 3, 4), Shâria Kasr en-Nîl 17; Anglo-Egyptian, Shâria el-Manâkh; National Bank of Egypt, Shâria Kasr en-Nîl 35; Deutsche Orientbank (Pl. B, 3), Shâria el-Manâkh 23; Banque d’Athènes.

Shops. Booksellers. Diemer, at Shepheard’s Hotel; British Library, opposite the Savoy.—Photographs, at Diemer’s; also sold by Dittrich, Shâria Elfi Bey; Paul, Shâria el-Manâkh 26.—Embroidery, Carpets, and various Oriental Articles (mostly made in Europe): Chellaram, Hôt. Continental; Madjar, at Shepheard’s; Spartali, opposite the Savoy; J. Cohen, Valliram Bros., and other dealers in the Khân el-Khalîli (p. 446).—Arabian Woodwork. Parvis, next to Shepheard’s (large warehouse near the entrance to the Muski, p. 446; to the left in the court); Haloun, Sikket el-Gedîdeh (Pl. D, 3); Furino, Shâria Suleimân Bâsha.—Antiquities (genuine) at the Egyptian Museum (p. 455).

Physicians (addresses obtainable at the hotels, at Diemer’s, or at the chemists’). Dr. Keatinge (head of the Kasr el-Aïni school of medicine), Dr. Murison (of Victoria Hospital), Dr. Milton, Dr. Phillips, Dr. Tribe, Dr. Madden, and Dr. Richards, all English; Dr. Keichline, American.

Chemists. Pharmacie Anglo-Américaine, Place de l’Opéra; Pharm. Coscarelli, Shâria Abdîn 17; Pharm. Nardi, in the Muski; Anglo-German Dispensary, Shâria el-Bawaki 11; Savoy Pharmacy (Norton & Co.), Shâria Kasr en-Nîl 34; Stephenson & Co., Shâria el Manâkh 15.

Theatres. Khedivial Opera (Pl. C, 3; p. 446; French or Italian), boxes dear; evening dress compulsory; office open 8–12 and 2–5.—Théâtre Abbas (Pl. B, 2), Shâria Kantaret ed-Dikkeh, Ital. operas and Fr. operettas.—Théâtre Printania (Pl. B, 3), Shâria Elfi Bey.—Ex-Verdi, Shâria Bâb el-Bahari 5, Arabian and Greek.—Nouveautés, Shâria Nubar Bâsha 9; Jardin de Paris, Shâria Imâd ed-Dîn; at both varieties.—Summer Theatre, mostly Italian pieces, in the Ezbekîyeh Garden (p. 445).—Evening Concerts by English military bands on Tues. and Thurs. in the Ezbekîyeh Garden (p. 445).

Churches. Church of England Services at All Saints Church (Pl. B, 3), Shâria Bûlâk (services at 8 and 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m.), and at St. Mary’s (Pl. A, 5), Shâria Kasr el-Aïni.—Church of Scotland (St. Andrew’s; Pl. A, 3), Shâria Bûlâk, to the S. of the Bridge of Abu’l Eileh.—American Mission (Pl. B, C, 3), opposite Shepheard’s.—Rom. Cath. (L’Assomption; Pl. D, 3), Shâria el-Banadkiah 2, in the Muski; St. Joseph’s, in the Ismaîlîyeh quarter (Pl. A, B, 4).—Orthodox Greek (St. Nicholas; Pl. D, 2, 3), in the Hamzâwî (p. 447).—Coptic Cath. (Pl. D, 3) and Coptic Orthodox (Pl. C, 2).—New Synagogue (Pl. B, 3), Shâria el-Maghrâbi, and others.

Collections (closed on Frid. and Mohammedan festivals): Arab Museum (p. 450), 9 to 4.30 (May-Oct. 8–1), adm. 5 (in summer 1) pias.—Egyptian Museum (p. 455), 9 to 4.30 (May-Sept. 8.30 to 1), adm. 5 (in summer 1) pias.—Khedivial Library (p. 451), exhibition-room 9–4, free.

Visitors are admitted to most of the Mosques (p. xxv) and to the Mameluke Tombs (p. 458) daily except Frid. and at the hour of noonday prayer. Ticket (2 pias.) at the entrance. Fee of ½–1 pias. to the attendant who supplies slippers.

Three Days (when time is limited). 1st. Forenoon, Muski (p. 446), Market Quarter (p. 446), *Gâmia el-Azhar (p. 447), Muristân Kâlaûn (p. 448), *Gâmia el-Muaiyad (p. 450), Bâb Zuweileh (p. 450); afternoon, Mameluke Tombs (p. 458) or Gezîreh (p. 457) or Heliopolis Oasis (p. 459).—2nd. Forenoon, Arab Museum (p. 450; closed Frid.), Medreseh Kâït Bey (p. 451), *Gâmia Ibn Tulûn (p. 451); afternoon, *Gâmia Sultân Hasan (p. 452), Citadel (p. 453).—3rd. Forenoon, *Egyptian Museum (p. 455; closed Frid.); afternoon, *Pyramids of Gîzeh (p. 461).—Intercourse with natives, see p. xxv.—Guides, touts, and beggars should be summarily shaken off.

Cairo, Arabic El-Kâhira or Masr el-Kâhira, or simply Masr or Misr (after the old Semitic name of Egypt), lies in 30° 4′ N. lat. and 31° 17′ E. long., on the right bank of the Nile, about 12½ M. to the S. of the ‘cow’s belly’, where the river divides into the Rosetta and Damietta arms (p. 418).—On the E. side of the city, which covers an area of about 11 sq. M., rise the reddish rocky slopes of the Mokattam Hills (p. 454; about 650 ft.), marking the beginning of the Arabian desert.

Cairo, the largest city in Africa and in the whole of the Arabian world, is the residence of the Khedive and of all the chief authorities. The population is estimated at 630,000, including 50,000 Europeans, chiefly Greeks and Italians. The great majority of the citizens are Egypto-Arabian, Fellah (peasant) settlers, Christian Copts (also nearly pure descendants of the ancient Egyptians), Nubians, Turks, Armenians, and (about 6000) Jews; then negroes of many different tribes, Berbers and Arabs from the N. African seaboard, Bedouins (nomadic Arabs), Syrians, Persians, Indians. The street scenes in the older quarters are very curious and picturesque.

History. In hoar antiquity a suburb of Heliopolis (p. 459) lay on the E. bank of the Nile, opposite the great Pyramids, and was called by the Egyptians Kherē-ohē, or place of combat, because the gods Horus and Seth, the tutelary deities of Upper and Lower Egypt respectively, are said to have fought there. The Greeks called it Babylon, probably in imitation of the Egyptian name of the island of Rôda, Perhapi-n-On, the ‘Nile city of On’ (Heliopolis). The Roman citadel of Babylon was garrisoned under Augustus by one of the three legions stationed in Egypt. In 611 A.D. the town was conquered by Amr ibn el-Âsî (p. 433), who founded the new capital of the country in the plain to the N. of the fortress, a city which, unlike Alexandria, was to be free from the hated Christian element. On the site of his fostât or tent he built a mosque, and the new city then took the name of Fostât. Between Fostât and the citadel and adjoining the older suburb of El-Askar (of 815) the new quarter of El-Katâi was begun by Ahmed ibn Tulûn (868–83), founder of the Egyptian dynasty of the Tulunides, but it was burned down in 905. The Cairo of to-day owes its origin mainly to Gôhar, the general of the Fatimites (p. 323), who conquered Egypt in 969 and founded a new town to the N.E. of El-Katâi and made it the residence of the caliph and head quarters of his army. At the hour when its foundations were laid the planet Mars (Arabic Kâhir, ‘the victorious’) is said to have crossed the meridian of the new city, whence it received its new name of Masr el-Kâhira or El-Kâhira, while Fostât was afterwards called, by way of distinction, Masr el-Kadîmeh or el-Atika (Old Cairo). In 973 Abû Teminn el-Muizz transferred his residence from Mehdia (p. 369) to Cairo. Two centuries later the famous Saladin comes prominently on the scene. This was the Kurd general of mercenaries, Salâheddîn Yûsuf ibn Aiyûb, who, on the death of the last Fatimite in 1171, usurped the supreme power. He built a new citadel on the slope of the Mokattam Hills and enclosed the whole city with a wall 29,000 ells long (p. 453), and Cairo soon became the most populous place in N. Africa next to Fez. Under the dynasty of the Aiyubides (1171–1250) and the Mameluke Dynasties (Bahrite, 1250–1382, and Circassian or Borgite, 1382–1517), the sultans chosen from the white body-guard, Cairo witnessed almost continuous scenes of revolution, rapine, and bloodshed. In 1302 it suffered severely also from an earthquake, and terribly in 1295 and 1492 from the plague. And yet, in spite or all these disasters, the city grew and prospered wonderfully.

After his victory at Heliopolis in 1517 the Osman sultan Selim I. (p. 542) marched into Cairo; Tûman Bey, the last Mameluke sultan, was captured and executed; and Selim caused the finest marble columns in the citadel to be removed to Constantinople. Cairo now became the seat of a bey (‘prince’), who was placed over the twenty-four Mameluke chiefs entrusted with the government of Egypt and was controlled by a Turkish pasha. Thenceforth the city was a mere provincial capital.

It was not till 1798 that Cairo again became prominent in history. After the Battle of the Pyramids Bonaparte had his headquarters for several months in the ancient city of the caliphs. From Cairo in 1799 he started on his Syrian expedition; and when he returned to France Kléber remained behind as commander-in-chief of the French troops. Kléber was assassinated in Cairo in 1800, and the following year the French garrison, hard pressed by the grand-vizier and the British troops, had to capitulate.

Under Mohammed Ali (1805–48), the new Turkish pasha, with whom begins the modern chapter in the chequered history of Egypt, and who did much to develop the resources of the country, the citadel of Cairo witnessed another tragedy in 1811, when by his order the last of the Mameluke beys were shot (comp. p. 453). His successors, particularly Ismaîl (1863–79; Khedive or viceroy from 1867) and Tewfik (Arabic Taufîk; 1879–92), greatly improved and extended the city by the construction of new quarters (Ismaîlîyeh and Tewfîkîyeh, p. 454), though to the prejudice of its mediæval architecture; and under the present Khedive Abbâs II. Hilmi (b. 1874) Cairo has expanded as far as the islands in the Nile. Since the defeat of the national party under Arâbi Bey (p. 433) in 1882 the country in general and Cairo in particular have prospered greatly. The paramount British control of the administration is more noticeable at Cairo than at Alexandria or on the Suez Canal.

A convenient short history of Cairo is ‘The Story of Cairo’, by Stanley Lane-Poole, in the ‘Mediæval Towns Series’ (2nd ed., London, 1906). Comp, also ‘Cairo and its Environs’, by A. O. Lamplough and R. Francis (London, 1909, illus.; 20s.) and ‘The City of the Caliphs’, by E. A. Reynolds-Ball (Boston and London, 1897).

History of Art. The Arabian architecture of Egypt is founded partly on antique, on Byzantine, and on Coptic models which the conquerors of the country found ready to their hand, and partly on Persian types, developed under the Sassanides and adopted by the Arabs with the aid of native builders. The chief Arabian edifices at Cairo are the mosques, the fountains, and the tombs. The period of their construction extends from the time of the Tulunides (9th cent.) down to the conquest of Egypt by the Turks (1517). Of the earlier buildings, known to us only from the fantastic descriptions of Arabian authors, hardly a trace is left. The later edifices, partly of Arabian-Turkish type with Egyptian-Arabian ornamentation, seldom show much artistic merit.

The oldest mosques (gâmia, or chief mosque; mesgid, smaller mosque or chapel), such as the Amru Mosque (p. 460) and that of Ibn Tulûn (p. 451), are simple in plan. A quadrangle (sahn), answering to the atrium of the Byzantine basilica, is flanked with four flat-roofed colonnades (lîwân), which on three sides are single or double, while on the fourth side, in the direction of Mecca, the chief lîwân (sanctuarium) is composed of several aisles or arcades. The cruciform medreseh (school-mosque), of Persian origin, was first introduced by Saladin the Aiyubide. The lîwâns were now roofed with massive barrel-vaulting, and in their four corners were introduced schools or lecture-rooms for the four orthodox sects of Islam (Hanefites, Shafiites, Malekites, and Hambalites). To the second Mameluke dynasty (1382–1517) Cairo owes its most beautiful specimens of Arabian architecture. In the smaller mosques the lateral lîwâns were shortened, the court reduced in size, roofed in, and lighted from above, and the transepts were again roofed with flat timber ceilings. In the Turkish period, as in the case of the mosque of Mohammed Ali (p. 454), the four lîwâns were often replaced by a single vaulted hall, preceded by a forecourt.

The minarets, always in three stories, are of the Pharos or lighthouse type (p. 434; Arabic manara, light).

Most of the mosques built since the middle of the 14th cent. have a sebîl attached. This is a public street-fountain, roofed over, with a chamber above it (kuttâb) used as an elementary school.

The tombs of sultans and emirs are always connected with the mosques. The tombs of saints or sheikhs, on the other hand, as everywhere in the East, are independent buildings, domed like the burial-chapels in the mosques. The ordinary tombs of the Moslems are underground chambers; above the vault usually stands a sarcophagus or cenotaph (tarkîbeh). Wealthy families enclosed their tombs with halls for funeral festivals, rooms for the mourners, a dwelling for the custodian, etc., collectively called a hôsh.

Of the old palaces and caravanserais a few ruins only remain. The latter (okellas; Arabic wakkâleh) served also as warehouses (khân). Of the mediæval dwelling-house the so-called Bookbinder’s House (p. 449) is a good example.

Sculpture and painting existed as independent arts under the Tulunides and Fatimites, being favoured by the Persians and the sect of the Shiites, but in the later Egyptian-Arabian art they survived only in the ornamentation of walls. The main features of this surface decoration consisted in curiously interlaced geometrical figures (entrelacs) and conventional foliage (arabesques). Both mosques and private houses often have charming kamarîyehs, or windows of perforated slabs of plaster, inlaid with coloured glass. The façades of the older houses are adorned also with picturesque oriel-windows and with mashrebîyehs, or balcony-gratings or lattice-work of beech-wood rods.

a. Northern Quarters.

The main thoroughfare here is the Shâria Clot Bey (Pl. B, C, 2; tramway No. 7, p. 440), leading from the Railway Stations and the Limûn Bridge (Pl. B, 1) to the Mîdân el-Khaznedâr (Pl. C, 3), adjoining which, between the old Arabian Cairo and the new town (p. 454), is the—

Ezbekîyeh Garden, the chief rallying-point of strangers. The name is derived from the Ezbek mosque which once stood here, built in 1495 in honour of a general of the sultan Kâït Bey (p. 458). The grounds (adm. ½ pias.), 20 acres in area, laid out by Barillet in 1870, contain many rare trees and plants. The open spaces are planted with Lippia nodiflora instead of grass, which does not thrive in this dry climate. Among the attractions are a café, a restaurant, a summer theatre, and evening concerts (see p. 442).

To the S. of the Ezbekîyeh Garden rises the Opera House (p. 442), between which and the Hôtel Continental is the Place de l’Opéra (Mîdân et-Teatro; Pl. B, C, 3), with the monument of the famous general Ibrâhîm Pasha (d. 1848). From this point the Shâria Abdîn leads to the S. to the spacious Mîdân Abdîn, where the Khedivial Palace (Pl. C, 4, 5) rises on the left.

To the E. of the Place de l’Opéra, between the Ezbekîyeh and the Opera House, the Shâria et-Teatro leads to the small Mîdân Ezbek, in which are the Tribunaux Mixtes (Pl. C, 3; international law-courts). A parallel street, Shâria Tâhir, in which is the General Post Office (Pl. C, 3; p. 441), on the right, leads to the Atabet el-Khadra, where the principal tramways intersect (p. 440).

On the E. side of this square begins the *Muski, or Mouski (Pl. C, D, 3), which, with its continuations the Sikket el-Gedîdeh and Shâria esh-Sharawâni (Pl. E, F, 3), is 1 M. long, and forms the chief artery of the Oriental quarters, intersecting the whole of the old town. Externally these streets have lost their mediæval character, the shops appearing quite European, but the motley throng that surges through them at all hours is still quite Oriental.

At the end of the Muski, near the Sûk el-Kanto (Pl. D, 3), we enter the old Fatimite City (Masr el-Kâhira, p. 443), to whose second wall, dating from 1074, belonged the still existing N. gateways Bâb el-Futûh and Bâb en-Nasr (Pl. E, 2; p. 449), and the S. gateway Bâb Zuweileh (Pl. E, 4; p. 450). The old town was bounded on the W. by the old town-conduit El-Khalîg, now Shâria Khalîg el-Masri (tramways Nos. 2 & 9, p. 440).

The Gâmia el-Ashraf (Pl. E, 3), a small mosque built by Sultan Bars Bey (1422–38), at the point where the Sikket el-Gedîdeh is crossed by the old and important line of streets (1 M. long) between Bâb el-Futûh and Bâb Zuweileh, lies in the heart of the Market Quarter, which, though usually overcrowded, especially in the early morning, should by all means be visited.

Immediately to the left of the Shâria el-Khordagîyeh (Pl. E, 3; p. 448), which leads from the mosque to the N., is the Sûk es-Sâigh (pl. siyâgh), the bazaar of the goldsmiths and silversmiths, who keep their wares under glass in their cramped little shops, selling them by weight (but often spurious).

On the opposite (E.) side of the same street is the Khân el-Khalîli (Pl. E, 3), founded in 1400 on the site of the Fatimite tombs, and once the centre of business. Vendors of silks and carpets, of trinkets and other wares are still located here. Buyers who are judges of carpets will select those of Bagdad or Brussa, but exorbitant prices are generally asked. The silk-stuffs of Lyons and Crefeld often do duty for those of Damascus. The main street of the khân, Sikket el-Bâdistân, contains two pretty Arabian gates.

To the S. of the mosque of El-Ashraf runs the Shâria el-Ashrafîyeh (Pl. E, 3), whence the Shâria el-Hamzâwî es-Seghîr diverges to the right. This street, continued by the Shâria el-Hamzâwî el-Kebîr (Pl. D, 3), forms the Sûk el-Hamzâwî, the market of the Christian traders (Syrians and Copts). Here, immediately to the left, is the Shâria et-Tarbîyeh (Pl. E, 3), with the Sûk el-Attârîn, or spice-market (comp. p. 335).

Opposite the entrance to the Hamzâwî is the Shâria es-Sanâdikîyeh (Pl. E, 3), also called Sûk es-Sudân, for the produce of the Sudan (india-rubber, dûm-palm nuts, etc.).—The last side-street on the left, the Shâria el-Halwagî (Pl. E, 3; the direct way to the university from Shâria esh-Sharawâni, p. 446), is the seat of the Booksellers (over 20 shops).

In the Shâria el-Azhar, behind the small Mosque of Mohammed Bey Abû Dahab (1770), is the chief entrance of the—

*Gâmia el-Azhar (Pl. E, 3, 4; adm., see p. 442; photographing prohibited), ‘the flourishing’, the finest building of the Fatimite period. It was completed by Gôhar (p. 443) in 973, and converted into a university by caliph El-Azîz in 988, but after the earthquake of 1302 was almost entirely rebuilt by Emir Salar. The venerable edifice, whose rectangular plan is still distinctly traceable, was again materially altered by the wealthy Abd er-Rahmân Kikhya in 1759. The university is still considered the most important in the territories of Islam. In 1909 there were 10,000 students (mugâwirîn) and 319 teachers (sheikhs). The rector is called the Sheikh el-Azhar.

Adjoining the N.W. façade, erected by Abbâs II. (p. 444) in the neo-Arabian style, is the Bâb el-Museiyinîn (‘barber’s gate’), built in the time of Abd er-Rahmân, now the chief entrance, where a guide is assigned to the visitor. Adjacent to the gateway, on the right, is the Mesgid Taibarsîyeh, restored by Abd er-Rahmân, containing a superb mihrâb or prayer-recess of 1309, richly adorned with mosaics. On the left is the Zâwiyet el-Ibtighâwîyeh, also of the 14th cent., now the library.

The handsome inner portal, built along with the contiguous minaret by Kâït Bey (p. 458), leads into the sahn (p. 444), or chief quadrangle, flanked with five minarets, and always enlivened by knots of students, mostly grouped in their various nationalities. The colonnades, restored in the time of Tewfik (p. 444), have the Persian keel-arches, in special favour with the Shiites, the walls above which are tastefully decorated with medallions and niches and crowned with pinnacles. The lateral lîwâns on the N.E. and S.W. sides of the quadrangle are allotted to students of different countries and provinces as sleeping-apartments and studies (riwâk). The court of ablutions (p. 63), behind the N.E. lîwân, dates from the time of Kâït Bey.

The Chief Lîwân, or sanctuary, on the S.E. side of the quadrangle, with its 140 antique and Byzantine marble columns, forms the great lecture-room. No lectures are given on Thursdays or during the fasting-month of Ramadan. The low front half of this great hall, with its four much restored rows of arcades, belongs to the original building. The dome of the vestibule, the broad transept borne by two rows of columns, and the dome of the old mihrâb, all point to the Sidi Okba mosque of Kairwan (p. 374) as their prototype. The raised inner half of the sanctuary, with its two prayer-niches, was added by Abd er-Rahmân.

The dilapidated Okella of Kâït Bey (1496), behind the S. angle of the university, with its sebîl (p. 445), has a charming façade.

We next visit the N. half of the old city of the Fatimites. In the Shâria el-Gohergîyeh (Pl. E, 3), in line with Shâria el-Khordagîyeh (p. 446), we are struck with the façades (on the left) of the Muristân Kalâûn, the Medreseh Mohammed en-Nâsir, and the Barkûkîyeh, on the site of the Fatimite palaces.

The Muristân Kalâûn (Pl. E, 3), a great hospital begun by the Mameluke sultan El-Mansûr Kalâûn (1279–90) in 1285, shows the influence of the European architectural style which the Crusaders had introduced into Syria. The massive portal, flanked with a minaret 192 ft. high, leads into a long corridor. On the left is a small Mosque, partly restored. On the right is the *Tomb of Kalâûn, completed in 1293 by his son Mohammed en-Nâsir (1293–1340), one of the most beautiful Arabian buildings in Cairo. The square hall has a rich timber ceiling; the mosaics of the walls and central pillars are composed of marble and mother-of-pearl, and the superb prayer-niche is enriched with porphyry columns and dwarf arcades. The wards for the sick and lecture-rooms, grouped round the large quadrangle, now partly used as store-rooms and workshops, are sadly disfigured.

The adjoining *Medreseh Mohammed en-Nâsir (Pl. E, 3), dating from 1303, also is in a ruinous condition. It is entered by a Gothic church-portal brought from Acre in Syria. The fine minaret, the sanctuary (on the left), and the tomb of the founder (on the right) show remains of tasteful stucco decoration recalling the Alhambra (p. 79).

The Barkûkîyeh (Pl. E, 3), the medreseh of the Mameluke sultan Barkûk (1382–99), with its octagonal minaret, has suffered from the gaudy modern painting of the sanctuary and of the mausoleum, in which reposes a daughter of Barkûk. The dikkeh for the prayer-reciter (p. 180) is modern.

Farther to the N. in the same line of streets is the lively Shâria en-Nahhâsîn, in which is the market of the coppersmiths. On the right is the façade of the Dâr Beshtâk Palace (Pl. E, 3), erected by Emir Beshtâk in 1330, but now entirely altered. At the next bifurcation we come to the *Sebîl Abd er-Rahmân (p. 447), one of the finest structures of the kind. Upstairs the hall of an elementary school affords from its windows a capital view of the busy Nahhâsîn Street.

Farther on the main street is called Shâria el-Margush el-Barrâni. Immediately to the right is the Gâmia el-Ahmar (Pl. E, 2; ‘red mosque’), built in 1125 by the grand vizier of the Fatimite Amr ben Mustali. The fine façade, recently brought to light in part, with its high pointed niches in square framework alternating with smaller niches in two stories, shows the oldest stalactite vaulting in Cairo, and is therefore historically interesting.

Near the end of the same thoroughfare, here called Shâria Bâb el-Futûh, we come to the entrance, on the right, of the ruinous Gâmia el-Hâkim (Pl. E, 2), begun, outside the oldest town-wall, by El-Aziz (p. 447) in 990, on the model of the mosque of Ibn Tulûn (p. 451), and completed by his son El-Hâkim in 1012. The two minarets, with their heavy square setting, rise from the middle of the second town-wall (p. 446), which is here well preserved. Their superstructures, crowned with domes and resembling an Arabian censer (mabkhâra), belong to the period when the mosque was restored after the earthquake of 1302.

The two ancient gate-towers, the Bâb el-Futûh (Pl. E, 2; ‘gate of the conquests’) at the end of the street and the neighbouring Bâb en Nasr (‘gate of victory’; reached by the Shâria el-Kassasineh), which was pierced with loopholes in the time of Bonaparte, recall the late-Roman and Byzantine gateway castles. The town-wall (adm. 2 pias.) affords an interesting survey of the whole group of buildings.

We now return to the Gâmia el-Ashraf (p. 446) to complete our visit to the S. part of the old town of the Fatimites. At the beginning of the Shâria el-Ghûrîyeh (Pl. E, 4), the continuation of the Shâria el-Ashrafîyeh (p. 446), rises the double monument of the Mameluke sultan Kânsûh el-Ghûri (1501–16), with its fine façades: on the right is the Medreseh el-Ghûri (Pl. E, 3, 4), whose minaret, 213 ft. high, is incongruously crowned with five modern dwarfed domes; on the left is the Mausoleum, with its charming sebîl. The sultan, who fell in Syria, was not, however, buried here.—A few paces to the E., in the Shâria et-Tableta which leads to the Azhar mosque (p. 447), is the Okella of El-Ghûri (Pl. E, 3, 4), now entirely disfigured.

In line with the Shâria el-Ghurîyeh, farther to the S., is the Shâria el-Akkâdîn (Pl. E, 4). A little to the E. of it, in the side-street Hôsh Kadam (No. 12), is the so-called *Bookbinder’s House (Beit Gamâl ed-Dîn; Pl. E, 4), built in 1637 by the president of the merchants’ guild, an admirable example of an Arabian dwelling-house (fee 2 pias.).

A crooked passage (dirkeh) leads into the court of the Salamlîk, the apartments of the owner, with two well-preserved façades. In the S.W. angle are stairs ascending to the Makad or reception-room, an open colonnade with two arches. Adjoining it is an oriel-window closed with mashrebîyehs (p. 445), from which the women could overlook the court. Farther on we come to the handsome Kâa, the banqueting-room of the harem, adorned with superb mosaics. In the centre of it is a lower chamber (durkâa) roofed with a wooden dome. The flat timber ceilings of the two lîwâns, or lateral rooms, are very fine.

Still farther to the S., in the same line, runs the Sukkarîyeh (Pl. E, 4), the market for sugar, dried fruit (nukl), fish, candles, etc.—On the right rises the—

*Gâmia el-Muaiyad (Pl. D, E, 4), begun by the Mameluke sultan Sheikh el-Mahmûdi Muaiyad (1412–21), and completed a year after his death. In plan it resembles the convent-mosque of Barkûk (p. 458). The sumptuous portal, with its striped marble enrichment and stalactite or honeycomb half-domes, is well preserved. The *Bronze Gate, the finest in Cairo, was brought from the mosque of Hasan (p. 452). The main court and the lateral lîwâns, with their heavy modern outer walls, now form shady grounds. The sanctuary, restored in 1880, is a splendid hall of three arcades with lofty stilted arches. The decoration of the back-wall and the coloured wooden ceiling are charming. To the left of the sanctuary is the mausoleum of the sultan, and to the right that of his family. The two minarets, 167 ft. high, rise from the platform of the Bâb Zuweileh (Pl. E, 4; p. 446), or Bâb el-Mitwelli, the S. gate of the Fatimite city.

From the Bâb Zuweileh the Shâria Taht er-Rebâa leads to the W. to the Place Bâb el-Khalk (Pl. D, 4; see below); to the S. run the Kasabet Radowân, a Shoemakers’ Market, where the favourite red slippers (p. 97) are sold, and the Shâria el-Khiyamîyeh, the bazaar for gaily coloured Tent-Covers, leading to the Shâria Mohammed Ali (see below).

To the E. of the Bâb Zuweileh runs a line of streets, bending round to the S., to the Citadel (p. 453). Nearly opposite the gate, at the corner of Kasabet Radowân and Derb el-Ahmar, is the small Mosque of Sâlih Telâyeh (Pl. E, 4), dating from the reign of El-Âdid, the last of the Fatimites (1160). The sanctuary contains some beautiful stucco ornamentation in the Syrian-Arabian style.—In the Derb el-Ahmar, farther on, to the left, rises the small *Mosque of Emir Kijmâs (Pl. E, 4), built in 1481 by a master-of-the-horse of Kâït Bey (p. 458). The interior is a perfect gem of its kind.

Farther on this line of streets is called Shâria et-Tabbâneh. On the right rises the *Mosque el-Merdani (Pl. E, 5), one of the largest in Cairo. It was built by the cup-bearer of sultan Mohammed en-Nâsir (p. 448) in 1338–40 and after having almost fallen to ruin was recently restored. The sanctuary is still separated from the court by its old maksûra, or wooden screen. The prayer-recess and its sides are lavishly enriched with costly mosaics. The dome in front of the prayer-niche, partly restored with cement, rests on ancient Egyptian granite columns.

b. The South-Eastern Quarters.

Starting from the Place Atabet el-Khadra (p. 446) the featureless Shâria Mohammed Ali (Pl. C-E, 3–6), 1860 yds. long, leads to the Citadel (tramway No. 6, p. 440). After 8 min. it crosses the former town-conduit El-Khalîg (p. 446). On the left is the Place Bâb el-Khalk, with the Gouvernorat (government-house; Pl. D, 4; containing the Police Office, p. 442), and the superb new buildings of the Arab Museum and the Khedivial Library (1902).

The *Arab Museum, founded by Franz Pasha, a learned German architect, on the groundfloor of the building, contains a large and valuable collection of objects of art, mostly from old mosques and houses in Cairo. Adm., see p. 442; entrance on the E. side. Director, M. Herz Bey.

In the Vestibule is shown a chronological list of the Mohammedan dynasties of Egypt.—Room I. Tombstones.—Room II. Sculptures in stone.—Room III. Stone sculptures, casts, mosaics.

Rooms IV-VIII. Wood-carving, including pulpits (mimbar), reading-desks for the Koran and tables (kursi), movable prayer-niches and Koran-boxes from mosques, mashrebîyehs (p. 445).

Rooms IX & X. Metal-work. Fine bronze doors from the mosque of Sâlih Telâyeh (p. 450) and elsewhere; a Koran-case with brass cover and silver enrichment, candlesticks, lustres in metal, bronze candelabra (tannûr).—Rooms XI & XII. Fayence, including tiles of European make, a favourite wall-decoration in Arabian houses of the 18–19th centuries.

Room XIII. Wall-incrustations in stucco; Arabian room from Rosetta.—Room XIV. Specimens of textiles; two Koran-cases covered with leather from the Hasan mosque (p. 452).—Rooms XV & XVI. Enamelled *Mosque Lamps, the richest collection of the kind, mostly from the Hasan mosque.

The first floor of the building contains the Khedivial Library (Kutubkhâneh, entered from the Shâria Mohammed Ali), founded in 1870 and arranged by German savants. It consists of 68,000 vols. (about 32,000 being Oriental), including 2700 Korans. The illuminated Persian MSS. are extremely valuable. The Exhibition Room (adm., see p. 442) contains also a fine collection of the coins of the Moslem rulers of Egypt.

We now follow, to the S.W., the long Shâria Khalîg el-Masri (Pl. D, C, 4–6; tramways Nos. 2 & 9, p. 440) to a small square with the Gâmia es-Seiyideh Zeinab (Pl. C, 6, 7), and then turn to the S.E. into the Shâria el-Marâsîn (Pl. C, 7), near the end of which the Derb Tanaïfa leads to the right to the—

*Medreseh Kâït Bey (Pl. C, 7), in the Kalat el-Kabsh quarter of the city. Built in 1475, shortly after the sultan’s burial-mosque (p. 458), and recently restored by Herz Bey, it offers a good example of the architecture of the second Mameluke dynasty (see p. 445). The minaret is one of the most tasteful in Cairo. In the richly decorated interior we specially note the fine ornaments on the arches of the court-façades, the stalactites of the window-niches, the mosaic pavement, and the pulpit. The dome is modern.

The Shâria er-Rahaba and the winding Shâria Kalat el-Kabsh lead to the E. in a few minutes to the picturesque Shâria ez-Ziyadeh (Pl. D, 7), on the S.W. side of the—

*Gâmia Ibn Tulûn (Pl. D, 7), the oldest in Cairo next to the Amru mosque (p. 460). It stands near the N. border of what was once the Katâi quarter, on the rocky Gebel Yeshkûr (33 ft.). It was erected by Ahmed ibn Tulûn (p. 443) on Mesopotamian models in 876–9, immediately after the last extension of the Kairwan mosque (p. 374), and was the largest of that period in all the lands of Islam. The total area of its precincts is 30,720 sq. yds., while the mosque itself, without the courts, forms a huge square of 150 by 132 yds. The external façades, which are almost undecorated, are relieved by pointed windows and niches and with shell-shaped half-domes and are crowned with pinnacles. We first pass through the E. forecourt to the sanctuary.

The chief quadrangle, about 99 yds. square, is enclosed by double arcades on three sides, while the sanctuary has four arcades (originally five, the fifth having collapsed in 1875). The façades of the court are relieved by pointed windows and rosettes in the spandrels above the brick pillars; still higher runs a frieze of rosettes, and the whole is crowned with pinnacles. In the interior the ornamentation framing the arcades and the foliage frieze on the wall-spaces are carved in stucco, exhibiting as yet none of the intricate forms of the Byzantine-Arabian style. The old prayer-recess with its fine Byzantine capitals and fragments of Byzantine glass-mosaics is noteworthy. The dikkeh (p. 448) also dates from the earliest period. Above the dikkeh are remains of the original timber ceiling.