see from my windows afford various and endless entertainment, and make
me long to look into the houses of this most curious city, as well as
into the streets and roads. After much consideration, however, I have
determined to defer my intended visits to the hareems of the great,
until I shall have acquired some little knowledge of Arabic; for,
although Turkish is the language usually spoken in those hareems, Arabic
is generally understood by the inmates; and as the latter is the common
language of Egypt, some knowledge of it is indispensable to me.
But our first object has been to find a comfortable dwelling; and
notwithstanding the kind assistance of numerous friends, my brother has
experienced great difficulty in attaining this object. The friendly
attention that has been shown to us all is most highly gratifying; and I
have already had some experience of the manners and usages of the
hareem;, two Syrian ladies having devoted themselves in the most amiable
manner to render us every possible service.
After having searched for a house here during a month in vain, we were
delighted by the offer of an exceedingly good one, which appeared in
almost every respect eligible, and in which we are now residing. But our
domestic comfort in this new abode has been disturbed by a singular
trouble, which has obliged us to arrange as soon as possible for a
removal. The house is an admirable one, being nearly new, though on the
old construction; therefore I shall endeavour to give you an idea of the
better houses of Cairo by describing this; and some knowledge of the
plan of its interior will enable you more fully to understand the
annoyance to which we are subjected.
On the ground-floor is a court, open to the sky, round which the
apartments extend, gallery above gallery. Round the court are five
rooms; one large room (a mandarah) intended for the reception of male
guests, with a fountain in the centre; a winter room; a small
sleeping-room, for any male guest; a kitchen, and a coffee-room, for
servants. On the right hand, immediately on entering the street-door, is
the door of the hareem, or the entrance to the stairs leading to the
ladies’ apartments; the whole of the house, excepting the apartments of
the ground-floor, being considered as the “hareem.” On the first-floor
is a marble-paved chamber, with a roof open towards the north, and
sloping upwards, conveying into the chamber generally a delightful
breeze. There are also five other rooms on the first-floor; and in each
of the two principal apartments, the greater portion of the floor,
forming about three-fourths, is raised from five to six inches, the
depressed portion being paved with marble. The reason for thus laying
the floors is, that the outer slippers are left on the depressed
portion, and the raised part, which is matted, is not to be defiled with
any thing which is unclean. The feet are covered, in addition to the
stockings, with a kind of inner slippers, the soles of which, as well as
the upper leathers, are of yellow morocco: they are called mezz; and the
outer slippers, which are without heels, are styled báboog. The latter,
by the way, I am often losing, and I fear I shall continue to do so, for
I despair of learning to shuffle, like the ladies of the country. When
wearing the riding or walking-dress, the mezz are exchanged for a pair
of high morocco socks, and the báboog are worn as usual. They are always
pale yellow. The walls throughout are whitewashed, and the ceilings
composed of fancifully carved woodwork, in some instances extremely
tastefully arranged. Besides the rooms I have mentioned, there are three
small marble-paved apartments, forming, _en suite_, an antechamber, a
reclining chamber, and a bath. We little thought, when we congratulated
ourselves on this luxury, that it would become the most abominable part
of the house. Above are four rooms, the principal one opening to a
delightful terrace, which is considerably above most of the surrounding
houses; and on this we enjoy our breakfast and supper under the clearest
sky in the world; but we always remember that the sweet air which
comforts us in the mornings and evenings of our sultry days, blows from
the direction of our own dear country; and the thought renders it the
more welcome.
We were much surprised, after passing a few days here, to find that our
servants were unable to procure any rest during the night; being
disturbed by a constant knocking, and by the appearances of what they
believed to be an ’efreet, that is, “an evil spirit,” but the term
’efreet is often used to signify “a ghost.” The manner of the servants’
complaint of the latter was very characteristic. Having been much
annoyed one morning by a noisy quarrel under our windows, my brother
called one of our servants to ascertain how it had arisen, when he
replied, “It is a matter of no importance, O Efendee, but the subject
which perplexes us is that there is a devil in the bath.” My brother
being aware of their superstitious prejudices, replied, “Well, is there
a bath in the world that you do not believe to be a resort of evil
spirits, according to the well-known tradition on that subject?” “True,
O my master,” rejoined the man, “the case is so; this devil has long
been the resident of the house, and he will never permit any other
tenant to retain its quiet possession; for a long time no one has
remained more than a month within these walls, excepting the last person
who lived here, and he, though he had soldiers and slaves, could not
stay longer than about nine months; for the devil disturbed his family
all night.” I must here tell you that during our short stay in the
house, two maids had left us, one after another, without giving us any
idea of their intentions, and had never returned, and the cause of their
sudden disappearance was now explained by the men, their
fellow-servants. Certainly our own rest had been grievously disturbed;
but we had attributed all the annoyance to a neighbour’s extraordinary
demonstrations of joy on the subject of his own marriage, and whose
festivities were perhaps the more extravagant because he is an old man,
and his bride a young girl: but as I hope to give you a particular
account, on a future occasion, of the manner in which the people of this
country celebrate a marriage, suffice it to say at present, the noise
was deafening during the _whole_ of eight nights, and that, when we were
becoming accustomed to the constant din, we were roused by three
tremendous reports of fire-arms, which rung through the apartments of
our own and the neighbouring houses, and shook our dwelling to the very
foundation. It is therefore not remarkable that we did not hear the
noises which disturbed our poor servants, in addition to the sufficient
uproar without.
It appeared, on inquiry, that the man to whom this house formerly
belonged, and who is now dead, had during his residence in it, murdered
a poor tradesman who entered the court with his merchandise, and two
slaves: one of these (a black girl) was destroyed in the bath, and you
will easily understand how far _such_ a story as this, and a _true_ one
too, sheds its influence on the minds of a people who are superstitious
to a proverb. We can only regret that my brother engaged the house in
ignorance of these circumstances; had he known them, he would also have
been aware that the prejudice among the lower orders would be
insurmountable, and that no female servant would remain with us. The
sudden disappearance of our maids was thus quaintly explained by our
doorkeeper. “Why did A’mineh and Zeyneb leave you?” “Verily, O my
master, because they feared for their security. When A’mineh saw the
’efreet she said at once, ‘I must quit this house; for if he touch me, I
shall be deranged, and unfit for service;’ and truly,” he added, “this
would have been the case. For ourselves, as men, we fear not; but we
fear for the hareem. Surely you will consider their situation, and quit
this house.” This (he thought) was putting the matter in the strongest
light. “Try a few nights longer,” my brother said, “and call me as soon
as the ’efreet appears to-night; we might have caught him last night,
when you say he was so near you, and after giving him a sound beating,
you would not have found your rest disturbed.” At this remark it was
evident that the respect of both servants for their master had received
a temporary shock. “O Efendee,” exclaimed one of them, “this is an
’efreet, and not a son of Adam, as you seem to suppose. He assumed last
night all imaginary shapes, and when I raised my hand to seize him, he
became a piece of cord, or any other trifle.” Now these men are valuable
servants, and we should be sorry to lose them, especially in our present
predicament; therefore my brother merely answered, that if the annoyance
did not cease, he would make inquiry respecting another house. But to
obtain a house, excepting in the heart of the city, is no easy matter;
and on account of my children, we feel it to be indispensable for the
preservation of their health that we should reside on the west side of
the city, and close to the outskirts, where the air is pure and
salubrious, and where Ibraheem Pasha has caused the mounds of rubbish to
be removed, and succeeded by extensive plantations of olive, palm,
cypress, acacia, and other trees. These plantations are open to the
public, and form a charming place of resort for children.
I have not mentioned to you that the inhuman wretch to whom this house
belonged bequeathed it to a mosque, perhaps as an expiation for his
crimes, but left it, for the term of her life, to the person who is our
present land-lady; and now a circumstance was explained to our minds
which we had not before fully understood. On the day before we desired
to remove here, we sent one of our servants to hire some women, and to
superintend the clearing of the house; and on his arrival there the
land-lady (whose name is Lálah-Zár, or bed of tulips) refused him
admission, saying, “Return to the Efendee, and say to him that I am
baking cakes in the oven of his kitchen, that I may give them away
_to-morrow_ at the tomb of the late owner of the house, to the poor and
needy. This is a meritorious act for your master’s sake, as well as for
my own, and your master will understand it.”
Poor woman! it is now evident to us that she hoped by this act of
propitiation to prevent farther annoyance to her tenants, and consequent
loss to herself.
The morning after the conversation I have related took place, the
servants’ report was considerably improved. They had passed, they said,
a comfortable night, and we hoped we might arrange to remain here, but
the following day a most singular statement awaited us. The doorkeeper,
in a tone of considerable alarm, said that he had been unable to sleep
at all; that the ’efreet had walked round the gallery all night in
_clogs_![8] and had repeatedly knocked at his door with a brick, or some
other hard substance. Then followed the question why one of the men had
not called my brother, evidently because neither of them dared pass the
gallery round which the supposed ’efreet was taking his midnight walk,
striking each door violently as he passed it. For many nights these
noises continued, and many evenings they began before we retired to
rest, and as we could never find the offender, I sadly feared for my
children; not for their personal safety, but lest they should incline to
superstition, and nothing impoverishes the mind so much as such a
tendency.
Footnote 8:
Clogs are always worn in the bath.
Another singular circumstance attending this most provoking annoyance
was our finding, on several successive mornings, five or six pieces of
charcoal laid at the door leading to the chambers in which we sleep;
conveying in this country a wish, or rather an imprecation, which is far
from agreeable, viz.: “May your faces be blackened.” However, under all
these circumstances, I rejoiced to find my children increasingly amused
by these pranks, and established in the belief that one or more wicked
persons liked the house so well, that they resolved to gain possession,
and to eject by dint of sundry noises, and other annoyances, any persons
who desire its occupation. It is, however, a more serious matter to poor
Lálah-Zár than to us; for it is very certain that the legacy of the late
possessor will never prove a great benefit either to her or the mosque.
You will be surprised when I tell you that the rent of such a house as
this does not exceed 12_l._ per annum. It is a very superior house, and
infinitely beyond the usual run of houses, therefore always styled by
the people of the country, the house of an Emeer (a Nobleman).
One thing we much regretted, that A’mineh (whom I mentioned early in
this letter) had taken fright. She was the best of our maids; and her
gentle respectful manners, and the perfect propriety of her demeanour,
made her a very desirable attendant. I am sorry to say we have met with
no other, but those who have proved themselves in every respect
inefficient. The men-servants are excellent, and become attached to
their masters almost invariably, when treated as they deserve; but as to
the maids, I scarcely know how to describe them. I really do not think
they hardly ever wash themselves, excepting when they go to the bath,
which is once in about ten days or a fortnight. On these occasions a
complete scouring takes place (I can find no other term for the
operation of the bath), and their long hair is arranged in many small
plaits: from that time until the next visit to the bath, their hair is
never unplaited. I speak from having watched with dismay all we have
had, excepting A’mineh, who was a jewel among them, and from the
information of all our friends in this country. These maids are
extremely deceitful, and when directed with regard to their work, will
answer with the most abject submission, although really disheartened by
the most ordinary occupation. They sleep in their clothes, after the
manner of the country, and the habit of doing so, coupled with the
neglect of proper washing, involving a want of that freshness produced
by a complete change of clothes, is especially objectionable. Were they
strict in their religious observances, their cleanliness would be
secured, as frequent ablutions are ordered in their code of law; but the
lower orders of the women have seldom any religion at all.
Believe me, you are fortunate in England, in this respect, as well as
many others, and I hope you will prize our English maids, if you have
not done so already.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
LETTER V.
September, 1842.
MY DEAR FRIEND,
That you may be better prepared for future letters, you wish me to give
you a general physical sketch of this most singular country, which is
distinguished by its natural characteristics, as well as by its
monuments of antiquity, from every other region of the globe. As my own
experience will not enable me to do so, my brother has promised to
furnish me with the necessary information.
The country (as well as the metropolis) is called Masr, by its modern
inhabitants. It is generally divided into Upper and Lower. Upper Egypt,
or the Sa’eed, may be described as a long winding valley, containing a
soil of amazing fertility, bounded throughout its whole length by
mountainous and sandy wastes.
Lower Egypt is an extensive plain, for the most part cultivated, and
copiously supplied with moisture by the divided streams of the Nile, and
by numerous canals. All the cultivable soil of Egypt owes its existence
to the Nile, by which it is still annually augmented: for this river,
when swollen by the summer rains which regularly drench the countries
between the northern limits of the Sennár and the equinoctial line, is
impregnated with rich earth washed down from the mountains of Abyssinia
and the neighbouring regions; and in its course through Nubia and Egypt,
where rain is a rare phenomenon, it deposits a copious sediment, both in
the channel in which it constantly flows, and upon the tracts which it
annually inundates. It is every where bordered by cultivated fields,
excepting in a few places, where it is closely hemmed in by the
mountains, or the drifted sand of the desert. The mud of the Nile,
analyzed by Regnault, was found to consist of 11 parts in 100 of water;
48 of alumine; 18 of carbonate of lime; 9 of carbon; 6 of oxide of iron;
4 of silex; and 4 of carbonate of magnesia.
The Nile is called in Egypt “El-Bahr” (or “the river”); for bahr
signifies a “great river,” as well as the sea. It is also called “Bahr
en Neel” (or “the river Nile”), and “Neel Masr” (or “the Nile of
Egypt”). The Arabs, generally believe the “Neel Masr” to be a
continuation of the “Neel es-Soodán” (or “Nile of the Negroes”).
Of the two great branches, called “El-Bahr el-Azrak” (or “the blue
river”), and “El-Bahr el-Abyad” (or “the white river”), which, uniting,
form the Nile of Nubia and Egypt, the former (though less long than the
other) is that to which Egypt principally owes its fertility. Its chief
characteristics (its colour, the banks between which it flows, &c.) are
similar to those of the Nile of Egypt. Its dark colour, arising from its
being impregnated with soil during the greater part of the year, has
caused it to receive the name of “the blue river,” while the other
branch, from the opposite colour of its waters, is called “the white
river.” The latter is considerably wider than the former; its banks are
sloping lawns, richly wooded, and very unlike the steep and broken banks
of the Nile of Egypt.
At its entrance into the valley of Egypt, the Nile is obstructed by
innumerable rocks of granite, which cause a succession of cataracts, or
rather rapids. The mountains on the east of the river, as well the
islands in it, are here of granite: those on the western side are of
sandstone. From this point, to the distance of thirty leagues southward,
sandstone mountains of small altitude extend on each side of the river.
The valley, so far, is very narrow, particularly throughout the upper
half of the sandstone district; and there is but very little cultivable
land on the banks of the river in that part; in some places the
mountains are close to the stream; and in others, only a narrow sandy
strip intervenes. At the distance of twelve leagues below the cataracts,
the river is contracted to little more than half its usual width, by the
mountains on each side. Here are extensive quarries, from which were
taken the materials for the construction of many of the temples in the
Thebais. This part is called “Gebel es-Silsileh,” or “the Mountain of
the Chain.” Where the calcareous district begins, are two insulated
hills (El-Gebelyn) on the west of the Nile; one of them close to the
river, and the other at a little distance behind the former. The valley
then becomes wider, and more irregular in its direction; and the Nile
winds through the middle of the cultivable land, or nearly so.
Afterwards the valley assumes a less serpentine form, and the river
flows along the eastern side; in many places washing the sides of the
precipitous mountains. The calcareous district continues to the end of
the valley, where the mountains on both sides diverge; the Arabian chain
running due east to Suez, and the western hills extending in a northwest
direction, towards the Mediterranean. Near the termination of the valley
is an opening in the low western mountains, through which a canal
conveys the waters of the Nile into the fertile province of El-Feiyoom.
On the northwest of this province is a great lake, which receives the
superfluous waters during the inundation. The length of the valley of
Egypt, from the cataracts to the metropolis, is about 450 geographical
miles. The distance by the river is above 500 miles from the cataracts
to the metropolis, and about 400 miles from Thebes to the same point.
The difference in latitude between the cataracts and the metropolis is
six degrees, or 360 geographical miles; and the distance from the latter
point to the sea, in a straight line, is rather more than ninety miles.
The width of the valley is in few parts more than eight or ten miles;
and generally less than that. The width of that part of Lower Egypt
which constituted the ancient Delta, is about 120 miles from east to
west.
The whole of the fertile country is very flat; but the lands in the
vicinity of the river are rather higher than those which are more
remote. This has been supposed to result from a greater deposit of mud
upon the former; which, however, cannot be the case, for it is observed
that the fields near the river are generally above the reach of the
inundation, while those towards the mountains are abundantly overflowed;
but while the latter yield but one crop, the former are cultivated
throughout the whole year; and it is the constant cultivation and
frequent watering (which is done by artificial means) that so
considerably raise the soil; not so much by the deposit of mud left by
the water, as by the accumulation of stubble and manure. The cultivable
soil throughout Egypt is free from stones, excepting in parts
immediately adjacent to the desert. It almost every where abounds with
nitre.
Between the cultivable land and the mountains, there generally
intervenes a desert space, too high to be inundated. This tract partly
consists of sand and pebbles, covering a bed of rock, and partly of
drifted sand which has encroached on the cultivable soil. In some
places, this desert space is two or three miles in width.
The extent of the cultivated land in Egypt, my brother calculates to be
equal to rather more than one square degree and a half; in other words
5,500 square geographical miles.[9] This is less than half the extent of
the land which is comprised within the confines of the desert; for many
parts within the limits of the cultivable land are too high to be
inundated, and consequently are not cultivated; and other parts,
particularly in Lower Egypt, are occupied by lakes, or marshes, or
drifted sand. Allowances also must be made for the space which is
occupied by towns and villages, the river, canals, &c. Lower Egypt
comprises about the same extent of cultivated land as the whole of Upper
Egypt.[10]
Footnote 9:
He made this calculation from a list of all the towns and villages in
Egypt, and the extent of cultivated land belonging to each. This list
is appended to De Sacy’s “Abd Allatif.” It was made in the year of the
Flight 777 (A.D. 1375–6); and may be rather underrated than the
reverse. The estimate of M. Mengin shows that in 1821, the extent of
the cultivated land was much less; but since that period, considerable
tracts of waste land have been rendered fertile.
Footnote 10:
The term “sharákee” is applied to those lands which are above the
reach of the inundation, and the term “rei” to the rest.
The annual inundation irrigates the land sufficiently for one crop; but
not without any labour of the fellah (or agriculturist): for care must
be taken to detain the water by means of dams, or it would subside too
soon. The highest rise of the Nile ever known would scarcely be
sufficient if the waters were allowed to drain off the fields when the
river itself falls. A very high rise of the Nile is, indeed, an event
not less calamitous than a very scanty rise; for it overflows vast
tracts of land which cannot be drained, it washes down many of the
mud-built villages, the huts of which are composed of unburnt bricks,
and occasions an awful loss of lives as well as property. Moreover the
plague seldom visits Egypt excepting after a very high rise of the Nile.
It is, however, far from being an _invariable_ consequence of such an
event. When the river begins to rise, all the canals are cleared out,
each is closed by a dam of earth at the entrance, and opened when the
Nile has nearly attained its greatest height, towards the end of
September. When the river begins to fall the canals are closed again,
that they may retain the water. The lands that are not inundated by the
overflowing of the Nile are irrigated artificially, if sufficiently near
to the river, or to a canal.
As all the cultivable soil of Egypt has been deposited by the river, it
might be expected that the land would at length rise so high as to be
above the reach of the inundation; but the bed of the river rises at the
same time, and in the same degree.