CAIRO--I
Usually its capital may be taken as typical of its country; but in
Egypt this is not so. Cairo is essentially different from anything
else in Egypt, not only in its buildings and architecture, but in the
type and mode of life of its inhabitants.
How shall I give you any real idea of a city which is often considered
to be the most beautiful Oriental capital in the world, as it is
certainly one of the most interesting? From a distance, looking across
the fields of Shoubra,[2] it is very beautiful, especially at sunset,
when beyond the dark green foliage of the sycamore and cypress trees
which rise above the orange groves, the domes and minarets of the
native quarter gleam golden in the sunlight. Behind is the citadel,
crowned by Mohammed Ali's tomb-mosque of white marble, whose tall twin
minarets seem to tower above the rosy-tinted heights of the Mokattam
Hills. Even here the noise of the city reaches you in a subdued hum,
for Cairo is not only a large city, but it is densely populated, and
contains nearly a twelfth part of the whole population of Egypt. Away
towards the sunset the pyramids stand out clearly against the glowing
sky, and the tall masts and sails of the Nile boats reach high above
the palm groves and buildings which screen the river from view.
[Footnote 2: A distant suburb of Cairo.]
Cairo consists of two distinct and widely different parts, the
Esbikiyeh and Ismailieh quarters of the west end, built for and almost
entirely occupied by Europeans, and the purely native town, whose
streets and bazaars, mosques and palaces, have remained practically
unchanged for centuries.
At one time the European quarters were in many ways charming, though
too much like some fashionable continental town to be altogether
picturesque; but of late years the shady avenues and gardens of the
west end have entirely disappeared to make way for streets of
commercial buildings, while the new districts of Kasr-el-Dubara and
Ghezireh have arisen to house the well-to-do. Our interest in Cairo,
therefore, is centred in the native quarters, where miles of streets
and alleys, rich in Arabesque buildings, are untouched except by the
mellowing hand of Time.
It is difficult at first to form any true idea of native Cairo; its
life is so varied and its interests so diverse that the new-comer is
bewildered.
Types of many races, clad in strange Eastern costumes, crowd the
narrow streets, which are overlooked by many beautiful buildings whose
dark shadows lend additional glory to the sunlight. Richly carved
doorways give glimpses of cool courts and gardens within the houses,
while awnings of many colours shade the bazaars and shopping streets.
[Illustration: AN ARAB CAFE, CAIRO.]
Heavily laden camels and quaint native carts with difficulty thread
their way through the crowd, amongst which little children, clad in
the gayest of dresses, play their games. Goats and sheep pick up a
living in the streets, clearing it of garbage, and often feeding more
generously, though surreptitiously, from a fruit or vegetable shop.
Hawks and pigeons wheel and circle in the air, which is filled with
the scent of incense and the sound of the street cries. Everywhere is
movement and bustle, and the glowing colour of the buildings and
costumes of every tint and texture.
Let us study a little more closely the individual types and
occupations that make up the life of the streets, and a pleasant way
in which to do so is to seat oneself on the high bench of some native
cafe, where, undisturbed by the traffic, we may watch the passers-by.
The cafes themselves play an important part in the life of the people,
being a rendezvous not only for the refreshment provided, but for
gossip and the interchange of news. They are very numerous all over
the city, and are generally fronted by three or more wooden archways
painted in some bright colour and open to the street. Outside are the
"dekkas," or high benches, on which, sitting cross-legged, the
customer enjoys his coffee or his pipe. Indoors are a few chairs, and
the square tiled platform on which are placed the cooking-pots and
little charcoal fire of the cafe-keeper. Generally an awning of canvas
covered with patches of coloured cloth screens you from the sun, or
gives shelter from the occasional winter showers which clear the
streets of passengers and render them a sea of mud, for the streets
are unpaved and no drainage exists to carry off the surface water.
The cafe-owner is always polite, and glad to see you, and the coffee
he makes is nearly always excellent, though few of his European guests
would care to regale themselves with the curiously shaped water-pipes
with which the native intoxicates himself with opium or "hashish,"
and which are used indiscriminately by all the customers.
Like most of the small tradesmen, our host is clad in a "gelabieh," or
long gown of white or blue cotton, gathered round the waist by a
girdle of coloured cloth. Stuck jauntily on the back of his head is
the red "tarbush," or fez, universal in the towns, or, if married,
he wears a turban of fine white cotton; his shoes are of red or yellow
leather, but are generally carried in his hand if the streets are
muddy.
And now, having noticed our cafe and our host, let us sit comfortably
and try and distinguish the various types which go to form the crowd
which from dawn to dark throngs the thoroughfares.
First of all it will be noticed how many different trades are carried
on in the streets, most prominent of all being that of the
water-sellers, for Cairo is hot and dusty, and water is in constant
demand.
There are several grades of water-carriers. First, the "sakka," who
carries on his back a goat-skin filled with water; one of the
fore-legs forms the spout, which is simply held tight in the hand to
prevent the water from escaping. He is the poorest of them all,
barefooted and wearing an often ragged blue gelabieh, while a leather
apron protects his back from the dripping goat-skin. He it is who
waters the streets and fills the "zirs," or filters, in the shops,
a number of shop-keepers combining to employ him to render this
service to their section of a street.
A superior grade is the "khamali," who carries upon his back a large
earthen pot of filtered water. When he wishes to fill the brass
drinking-cups, which he cleverly tinkles as he walks, he has simply to
bend forward until the water runs out of the spout above his shoulder
and is caught in one of the cups, and it is interesting to notice that
he seldom spills a drop.
Then there is that swaggering and often handsome fellow clad in red,
and with a coloured scarf around his head, who, with shoulders well
set back, carries, slung in a broad leather belt, a terra-cotta jar.
This is the "sussi," who sells liquorice water, or a beverage made
from prunes, and which he hands to his customers in a dainty blue and
white china bowl.
The highest grade of all is the "sherbutli," also gaily dressed, who
from an enormous green glass bottle, brass mounted, and cooled by a
large lump of ice held in a cradle at the neck, dispenses sherbet,
lemonade, or other cooling drink. Each of these classes of
water-seller is well patronized, for Egypt is a thirsty land.
Here comes a bread-seller, whose fancy loaves and cakes are made in
rings and strung upon wands which project from the rim of a basket; or
on a tray of wicker-work or queer little donkey-cart are piled the
flat unleavened loaves of the people.
To remind us of the chief baker's dream, the pastry-cook still cries
his wares, which, carried in baskets on his head, are often raided by
the thieving hawk or crow, while delicious fruits and fresh vegetables
are vended from barrows, much like the coster trade in London.
Many of the passers-by are well to do, shop-keepers and merchants,
clothed in flowing "khaftan" of coloured cloth or silk, over which,
hanging loosely from their shoulders, is the black goat's wool
"arbiyeh," or cloak.
The shops also make a gay addition to the general colour scheme. Of
these the fruit shop is perhaps the prettiest; here rosy apples and
juicy oranges, or pink-fleshed water-melons, are tastefully arranged
in baskets or on shelves covered with papers of different tints. Even
the tallow-chandler renders his shop attractive by means of festoons
of candles, some of enormous size, and all tinted in patterns, while
the more important shopping streets are one continuous display of many
coloured silks and cotton goods, the glittering wares of the jeweller
or coppersmith, and the gay trappings of the saddler.
In between the shops may often be noticed small doorways, whose white
plaster is decorated by some bright though crude design in many
colours; this is the "hammam," or public bath, while the shop of the
barber, chief gossip and story-teller of his quarter, is easily
distinguished by the fine-meshed net hung across the entrance as a
protection against flies, for flies abound in Cairo, which, however
disagreeable they may be, is perhaps fortunate in a country where the
laws of sanitation are so lightly regarded.
Noise enters largely into street life, and the native is invariably
loud voiced. No bargain is concluded without an apparent squabble, and
every tradesman in the street calls his wares, while drivers of
vehicles are incessant in their cries of warning to foot-passengers.
All the sounds are not unmusical, however, for from the minarets comes
the "muezzin's" sweet call to prayer, to mingle with the jingling
bells and the tinkling of the cups of the water-sellers.
Then the donkey-boys, everywhere to be found in Cairo, add much to the
liveliness of the streets. Their donkeys are fine animals, usually
grey and very large, and their bodies are shaved in such a manner as
to leave patterns on the legs and snout, which are often coloured. The
saddles are of red leather and cloth, and from them hang long tassels
which swing as they canter through the streets, while the musical
rattle of coloured beads and the chains of copper and brass which all
donkeys wear around their necks, add their quota to the many noises of
the streets, through which in a low murmur one may distinguish the
drone of flies.
Among all the bustle and confusion, shimmering lights, and varied
colour which constitute a Cairo street scene, the native woman passes
with graceful dignity. Her features are hidden by the "bourka," or
veil, which is generally worn, but her beautiful eyes fascinate; nor
does the voluminous cloak she wears entirely conceal the dainty, if
brilliant, clothing beneath, nor the extreme beauty of her well-shaped
hands and feet.
Quite as picturesque as the life of the streets are the buildings
which enclose them, and the great glory of Cairo consists of its
bazaars and mosques and old-time palaces.
The streets are usually irregular in width and often winding, and are
sometimes so narrow as to render driving impossible, for when Cairo
was built wheeled vehicles were not in use, and space within its walls
was limited. The houses are very lofty, and are built of limestone or
rubble covered with white plaster, and the lower courses are often
coloured in stripes of yellow, white, and red. Handsome carved
doorways open from the street, and the doors are panelled in bold
arabesque design, or enriched by metal studs and knockers of bronze.
The windows on the ground-floor, which are usually small, are closed
by a wooden or iron grating, and are placed too high in the wall for
passengers to look through them, and frequently, even in the best
houses, small recesses in the walls serve as shops.
The upper storeys usually project beyond the ground-floor, and are
supported on corbels or brackets of stone, which also are frequently
carved. This method of building has two advantages, for the projecting
upper storeys afford a little shade in the streets, and at the same
time give greater space to the houses without encroaching upon the
already narrow thoroughfares.
These upper storeys are very picturesque, for all the windows are
filled with lattice-work, and large window balconies supported on
carved wooden beams project far over the street. These are called
"mushrabiyehs," a name which is derived from an Arabic word which
means "the place for drink." Originally they were simply small cages
of plain lattice-work in which the water jars were placed to cool, but
as prosperity increased and the homes of the people became more
ornate, first the edges of the lattice-work were cut so as to form a
pattern, and the little cages presently developed into these large
balconies, which in place of simple lattice-work were enclosed by
screens formed of innumerable small pieces of turned wood built up so
as to form designs of great beauty, and behind which the ladies of the
harim might sit and enjoy the air and the animation of the streets
unseen.
Unfortunately this beautiful work is fast disappearing; visitors have
discovered how adaptable it is to home decoration, and the dealers in
Cairo eagerly buy up all that can be obtained to be converted into
those many articles of Arab furniture with which we are now so
familiar in England.
Picturesque as all the streets of Cairo are, they are not all so
animated as those I have described, and in many quarters one may ride
for miles through streets so narrow that no vehicle could pass, and so
silent as to appear deserted. Very often their projecting upper
storeys almost touch across the street, and make it so dark as to be
almost like a tunnel. The handsome doorways also are often half buried
in the debris which for three hundred years or more has been
accumulating in the narrow lanes, so much so that in many cases the
doors cannot be opened at all. There is an air of decay and sadness
in many of these quarters, for these half ruinous houses, once the
palaces of the Memluks, are now the habitations of the lowest of
the people, and poverty and squalor reign where once had been gaiety
and the fashionable life of Cairo.