ARRIVAL. Most of the steamers are berthed at the quay in the inner
harbour (otherwise the fare to or from the steamer is 2 pias., at
night 3 pias., each trunk 1 pias.). After the formalities of the
sanitary authorities are concluded, the care of heavier baggage is
entrusted to one of the Arabian hotel porters, or to Cook’s agents (p.
432), who wear an official cap or badge. The inclusive charge to the
hotel or to the railway-station is 15–20 pias., which
through-passengers to Cairo may sometimes pay in advance at one of the
tourist agencies before starting on their journey. The custom-house
examination is usually lenient.
Footnote 6:
MONEY. The _Egyptian Pound_ (£E, ‘livre égyptienne’) contains 100
_Piastres_ (pias.) of 10 _Millièmes_ (mill.) each. The Arabic for
piastre is _kirsh_, pl. _kurûsh_ (pronounced in Cairo _’irsh_ and
_’urûsh_), but the European name is known everywhere. Petty traders
often distinguish between the ‘great piastre’ of 10 mill, (_kirsh
sâgh_) and the ‘little piastre’ of 5 mill. (_kirsh tarifa_). In the
following data the ‘great’ is always understood.
The Egyptian pound is worth ca. 20_s._ 6_d._, the piastre nearly
2½_d._ Egyptian gold coins are rare, their place being taken by the
sovereign (_ginê inglîsi_, 97½ pias.), the French 20 fr. piece
(_bint_, 77 pias.), and the Turkish pound (_mejidîyeh_, 87½ pias.),
which are all legally current.
The silver coins are _riyâl masri_ (20 pias.), _nusse riyâl_ (10
pias.), _rub’a riyâl_ (5 pias., 1_s._ ¼_d._, often called a
‘shilling’ at Cairo), _kirshen_ (2 pias.), and _kirsh_ or _kirsh
sâgh_ (1 pias.). Nickel: _nusse kirsh_ or _kirsh tarifa_ (½ pias.),
2 mill. (⅕ pias.), and 1 mill. (ca. ¼_d._). Copper: ½ and ¼ mill.
Eastern European time, which is about 2 hrs. in advance of
Greenwich, is observed in Egypt.
=Railway Station.= GARE DU CAIRE or BAB EL-GUEDID (Pl. G, 5; buffet),
near the old Porte Moharrem Bey.
=Hotels= (English style). SAVOY PALACE (Pl. g; H, 4), Rue de la Porte
de Rosette 35, R. 40–70,. B. 10, déj. 20, D. 30, pens. 80, omn. 5
pias.; METROPOLE HOTEL (Pl. k; F, G, 3), Rue Avéroff, near the E.
harbour, R. 20–30, B. 6, déj. 15, D. 20, pens. 40–60, omn. 5 pias.,
well spoken of; EXCELSIOR HOTEL (Pl. a; H, 4), Rue de la Porte de
Rosette 15; GRAND-HÔTEL (Pl. b; F, 4), Square Ste. Catherine, R. from
25, B. 6, déj. or D. 20, pens. 60–80, omn. 5 pias.; WINDSOR HOTEL (Pl.
d; G, 3), Rue Avéroff 7, near the E. harbour, R. from 17, déj. 15, D.
20, pens. from 50 pias.; HÔT. BRISTOL (Pl. i; G, 4), Rue de la Gare de
Ramleh; HÔT. DES VOYAGEURS (Pl. f; F, 4), Rue de l’Eglise Ecossaise 4,
pens. 11 fr.; HÔT. BONNARD (Pl. e; F, 3), Rue Champollion 7, pens.
from 42 pias.—=Hôtels Garnis.= HÔT. DU NIL (Pl. h: F, 3), Rue de
l’Ancienne Bourse 11; HÔT. CONTINENTAL (Pl. c; F, 4), Rue de France 2.
=Cafés= (cup of Arabian coffee 1 pias.). Several in Place Méhémet Ali
(Pl. F, 4), etc.—CONFECTIONERS. _Confiserie Albengo_, Rue Chérif Pacha
17; _Groppi_, same street, No. 33; _Zola_, Rue Toussoun Pacha 3;
_Sault_, Rue _Chérif_ Pacha 26.
=Restaurants.= _Ristorante Firenze_, Rue de la Poste 14 (Pl. F, 3, 4);
_Restaurant Universel_, Rue de l’Ancienne Bourse 9 (Pl. F, 4); same
street, Nos. 3 and 6, _Old Bourse Bar_ and _Spathis_; _Castelli_, Rue
Chérif Pacha 1.
=Tramways= (see Plan), all diverging from Place Méhémet Ali. Uniform
fare, 1st cl. 10, 2nd cl. 5 mill., with right to one change of
car.—Electric line to Ramleh (p. 436) every 5 min. till midnight
(dep., see Pl. G, 3).—There are in addition several services of MOTOR
OMNIBUSES plying within the town and to the suburbs.
=Cabs= (Arabic _arabîyeh_). In the town, drive of 10 min. 2 pias.,
with two horses 3 pias.; 20 min. 2½ or 4 pias.; ½ hr. 3 or 5 pias.;
hr. 6 or 9 pias.; each addit. ¼ hr. 1½ or 2 pias.; from steamer to
railway-station 3 or 5 pias. (See tariff in vehicle as to suburbs).
The aid of a friend who speaks the language is desirable in bargaining
for long drives.
=Post Office= (Pl. F, 3), open 7–12 and 2 to 9.30. Postage, see p.
441. France has its own post-office, Rue de la Gare de Ramleh
2.—=Telegraph Offices.= _Egyptian_, Rue Tewfik Premier 1; _British_,
Rue du Télégraphe Anglais 5 (Pl. F, 4).
=Consulates.= British (Pl. 6; H, 3), Rue de l’Hôpital Egyptien:
consul-general, _D. E. Cameron_; vice-consul, _E. H. Mulock_.—United
States, Rue Chérif Pacha 21; consul, _D. R. Birch_; vice-consul, _F.
L. Romeo_.
=Tourist Agents.= _Thos. Cook & Son_, Rue de la Porte de Rosette 2;
_Clark_, Grand-Hôtel; _Hamburg-American_, Square Ste. Catherine (Pl.
F, 4); _F. Th. Fotiades & Co._, Rue Chérif Pacha 22.
=Physicians.= _Dr. Morrison_, Place Méhémet Ali; _Dr. Webb Jones_, Rue
de Stamboul; _Dr. Elkins_ (Government Hospital); _Dr. Forster_
(lady-doctor); _Dr. Hoddad_, Rue de la Gare de Ramleh 29.
=Steamboat Offices.= _Peninsular & Oriental_, Rue Avéroff (Haselden &
Co.; ‘Box 153’); _Messageries Maritimes_ (RR. 67, 72), Ricard, Rue de
l’Eglise Debbane 5; _Austrian Lloyd_ (RR. 68, 72), Rue de la Porte de
Rosette; _Società Nazionale_ (RR. 67, 68, 72), Capt. Baldovino, Rue
Sésostris 12; _Khedivial Mail Steamship Co._ (RR. 72, 75, 76), Rue
Centrale; _North German Lloyd_ (R. 67) and _Rumanian Mail_ (R. 76),
Müller & Co., Rue Sésostris 16; _German Levant Line_ (R. 72), Stross,
No. 11, same street; _White Star_, Ross & Co., Rue de la Marine;
_Russian Steam Navigation & Trading Co._ (RR. 72, 75, 76),
Reidemeister, Rue St. Marc 1.
=Banks= (usually 9–12 and 3–5). _Ottoman_, Place Méhémet Ali 5 (Pl. F,
4); _National Bank of Egypt_, Rue Toussoun Pacha 4 (Pl. G, 4);
_Anglo-Egyptian_, Rue Chérif Pacha 7; _Crédit Lyonnais_, same street,
No. 4; _Bank of Egypt_, Rue Tewfik 4; _Deutsche Orientbank_ (Pl. F,
4), Rue Adib 4.
=Photographs.= _Reiser & Binder_, Rue de l’Ancienne Bourse 6 (also
art-dealers); _Lassave_, Rue de l’Eglise Debbane 7; _Fettel &
Bernard_, Rue Toussoun Pacha 1. Photographical requisites at
_Delmar’s_, Rue Tewfik Premier.
=Theatres.= _Zizinia_ (Pl. G, 4), Rue de la Porte de Rosette, often
closed; French and Italian operas, alternating after 1st Jan. with
Cairo.—VARIETY THEATRES (all with gardens): _Alhambra_ (Pl. G, 4);
_Nuovo Teatro Alhambra_, cor. of Rue Misalla and Rue de la Gare de
Ramleh (Pl. G, 3).—_Jardin Rosette_, Rue de la Porte Rosette (Pl. H,
4).
=Churches.= _English_ (_St. Mark’s_; ‘Egl. anglicane’; Pl. F, 4),
Place Méhémet Ali; chaplain, _Ven. Archdeacon Ward, M. A._; services
on Sun. at 8, 11, and 6.15 o’clock.—_Presbyterian_ (_St. Andrew’s_;
Pl. 1, F, 3, 4), Rue de l’Eglise Ecossaise; service on Sun. at 10.30
a.m.—_American Mission_ (‘Egl. améric.’; Pl. G, 4), Rue Sidi
el-Metwalli.
ONE DAY, when time is limited. Forenoon, _Place Méhémet Ali_ (p. 434),
the _Arab_ and _Turkish Quarters_ (p. 434); tramway or cab to
_Pompey’s Pillar_ (p. 435); *_Catacombs of Kôm esh-Shukâfa_ (p. 435).
Afternoon, _Rue Chérif Pacha_ (p. 435) and _Museum_ (p. 436). A
‘billet cumulatif’ obtained at the Museum (8 pias.) admits also to
Pompey’s Pillar and the Catacombs.
_Alexandria_, called by the Arabs and Turks _Iskanderîeh_, the second
town of Egypt, strongly fortified, and one of the most important trading
places on the Mediterranean, lies in 31° 11′ N. lat. and 29° 53′ E.
long., at the W. end of the _Nile Delta_ (p. 418), on a strip of land
separating _Lake Mareotis_ from the sea. The population is about
377,000, incl. 48,000 Europeans (‘Franks’), chiefly Greeks and Italians,
but many French and Austrians and a lesser number of English and
Germans. The Moslems live mostly in the N. and W. quarters (comp. p.
434), the Europeans chiefly in the E. quarter or in Ramleh (p. 436).
Alexandria was founded in 331 B. C. by _Alexander the Great_, who
endeavoured to blend the land of the Pharaohs with his new Greek
empire. His Egyptian governor and successor, _Ptolemy I. Soter_
(323–286), made Alexandria a centre of art and science. He founded the
Museum, an institute for the promotion of science and poetry, to which
the famous Alexandrine library was attached. The highly advantageous
position of the town, which was connected, through Lake Mareotis, with
the Nile by several navigable channels, and whose harbour (unlike the
other older seaports at the mouth of the Nile) was protected by marine
currents from being silted up, led to the surprisingly rapid
development of its trade and prosperity under the _Ptolemies_.
Alexandria had attained its zenith when, in 48 B. C., the Romans
intervened in the quarrels between _Cleopatra_ and her husband
_Ptolemy XIV._ Both _Caesar_, who entered Alexandria in triumph after
the murder of Pompey at Pelusium, and _Antony_ were ensnared by
Cleopatra. After the defeat of Antony’s partisans _Augustus_ founded
the large E. suburb of _Nicopolis_. When at its prime the city is said
to have had a population of half-a-million inhabitants. The Greek
element predominated, after which came the Egyptian, while a Jewish
community had existed here ever since the time of Ptolemy I.
Christianity also took root in Alexandria at an early period, having
been first proclaimed here, according to tradition, by St. Mark the
Evangelist.
In the time of _Trajan_ (96–117) the revolt of the Jews, who then
composed one-third of the population, gave rise to terrible bloodshed
and disaster. A century later the emperor _Caracalla_ (211–7) paid a
fateful visit to the city, and, to punish the citizens for their
contumacy, ordered many of them to be massacred and the famous academy
to be closed. The city suffered even more severely from the
persecution of the Christians under _Decius_ (250) and _Valerian_
(257), from the plague in the reign of _Gallienus_, and from its
battles with the Palmyrenes (260–8). Having become, like Carthage, a
stronghold of Christian erudition, Alexandria afterwards became the
chief scene of the embittered controversies between _Arius_ (d. 336),
a presbyter of the city, and the ‘orthodox’ bishops _Alexander_ and
_Athanasius_ (328–78). Even after the victory of the Athanasians at
the councils of Nicæa (325) and Constantinople (381) the Arian heresy,
which admitted the divine nature of Christ but denied his identity
with the Father, subsisted for centuries among the Germanic tribes.
Under _Theodosius I._ (379–95) paganism received its death-blow, when
the patriarch _Theophilus_ waged war against all heathen temples and
monuments. But the material prosperity of the city declined at the
same time. The citizens were no longer able to pay for the cleansing
of the Nile and the maintenance of the canals, and they were further
impoverished when the patriarch _Cyril_ banished the Jews. In 619 the
Persian _Chosroes_ made Alexandria his base for the conquest of Egypt.
The country was next overrun by the hordes of caliph _Omar_, whose
general Amr ibn el-Âsî captured Alexandria in 641. Its importance now
declined still further in the same proportion as Cairo, the new
capital of the conquerors, rose to wealth and importance. In 1303 and
1326 a great part of the city, with the Pharus (p. 434), was destroyed
by earthquakes. Lastly, the discovery of America and of the sea-route
to India completed the ruin of its trade.
About the year 1800 the population of Alexandria had dwindled to about
5000, but _Mohammed Ali_ (p. 414) wisely laid the foundations of a new
era of prosperity. He improved the harbours and constructed canals.
His great work was the _Mahmûdîyeh Canal_ (p. 434), begun in 1819,
which fertilized anew the environs of the city and again connected it
with the interior of Egypt, which had long been obliged to export its
produce by way of Damietta and Rosetta. Subsequent rulers also were
zealous for the welfare of Alexandria. During the revolt of the
national party under _Arâbi Bey_ (1882) Alexandria was bombarded by
the British fleet and the European quarter was burned down, but since
then the city has resumed its steady and vigorous career of progress.
The old town of to-day lies partly on the _Heptastadion_, the embankment
‘seven stadia’ (about 1430 yds.) in length, which ever since the time of
the Ptolemies has connected the mainland with the island of _Pharos_,
but which in the course of centuries has been greatly widened. At the E.
extremity of the island, now peninsula, rises the picturesque _Fort Kâït
Bey_ (Pl. D, E, 1), on the site of the famous ‘Pharus’, a lighthouse
erected under Ptolemy II. Philadelphus by Sostratus of Cnidos, in
280–279; it was originally 400 ells (590 ft.) in height, and was deemed
one of the seven wonders of the world; it is supposed to have been the
prototype of the Egyptian minaret (comp. p. 445). The main or ‘great’
harbour of that period, protected by a huge embankment, is now the _Port
Est_, the new quays of which afford a pleasant seaside walk and are
being completed as a fashionable boulevard.
The _Port Ouest_, the ancient _Eunostos_ (‘haven of happy return’), was
little used till the later Roman age. Improved since 1871 it now
consists of an inner basin of 475 acres, and a new outer harbour of 1750
acres (p. 418). From the beginning of the Gabbari Mole extend quays with
warehouses along the E. side of this harbour to the _Naval Arsenal_ (Pl.
C, D, 3). Of the 2000 steamers entering the port annually more than half
are under the British flag. The inner harbour is connected with the
_Mahmûdîyeh Canal_ (p. 435) by means of locks. The chief exports are
cotton, cotton-seed, grain, beans, rice, sugar, onions, and tomatoes.
The Rue de la Marine (Pl. E, D, 5, 4; tramways, see p. 431) and its
continuation the Rue Moutouch Pacha (Pl. D, 4, 3) form one of the chief
approaches to the peninsula of _Pharos_ (see above). Between the
viceregal _Palace of Râs et-Tîn_ (Pl. A, B, 3) and the Port Est lies the
TURKISH QUARTER, with its pretty houses and a few gardens.
The RUE RÂS ET-TÎN, the main street of the N. quarters, leads past the
_Government Buildings_ (Pl. D, E, 3), to the S.E., to the ARAB QUARTER,
lying on the ancient Heptastadion (see above) and containing several
_Sûks_ or markets, which present an interesting picture of Oriental
life.
The Rue de France (Pl. E, F, 3, 4), the S.E. prolongation of the Rue Râs
et-Tîn, leads to the =Place Méhémet Ali= (Pl. F, 4), the focus of
European life, planted with trees and adorned with a _Statue of Mohammed
Ali_ (p. 444) on horseback. The chief buildings here are the _Palais de
Justice_, the _Bourse_, and the _English Church_. The last is adjoined
by _St. Mark’s Building_, belonging to the British community and used as
a school and for official purposes. From the W. harbour the Place
Méhémet Ali is reached by the Rue Bab el-Karasta (Pl. E, 5) and Rue
Anastasi (Pl. E, F, 5, 4), skirting the lofty _Fort Cafarelli_ or
_Napoléon_ (Pl. E, 5; signalling station).
A few paces to the S. of the Place Méhémet Ali lies the triangular
Square Ste. Catherine (Pl. F, 4), named after the Catholic _Church of
St. Catharine_. From this point we walk (or take a car or motor-omnibus,
see p. 431) to the S.E. through the Rue Abou Dardah (Pl. F, 4, 5) and
Rue de la Colonne Pompée (Pl. F, G, 6, 7), past the _Sidi Amr Mosque_
(Pl. G, 6) and a large _Cimetière Arabe_ (Pl. F, 6, 7), to a bare hill,
on the right, covered with débris.
Here in the time of the Ptolemies rose the _Serapeum_, the most superb
temple in the city, dedicated to Serapis, god of the lower regions. On
the same site now stands POMPEY’S PILLAR (Pl. F, G, 7; adm. 3 pias.; see
also p. 432), the grandest memorial of antiquity in the city. We ascend
by steps to the plateau. All around are traces of recent excavations,
chiefly bringing to light relics of Roman edifices. The column, composed
of red granite from Assuan, is 88 ft. high including the mutilated base.
It is perhaps a Christian monument of victory, dating from the time of
Emp. Theodosius I. (p. 433), signalizing the destruction of the Serapeum
(391). In the middle ages it was supposed to be the tomb of Pompey.
We follow the Rue Karmouss (Pl. G, 7, 8), which leads hence to the S. to
the _Mahmûdîyeh Canal_, and diverging to the right viâ the Rue Bab
el-Melouk, we pass a small mosque and reach (10 min.) the entrance (Pl.
‘E.’; F, 8) to the—
*=Catacombs of Kôm esh-Shukâfa= (Pl. F, 8; ‘hill of potsherds’), an
Egyptian burial-place of the 2nd cent. A.D., hewn in the rock. Adm. from
8 a.m. till dusk (5 pias.; see also p. 432).
The tombs, discovered in 1900, consist of several stories and afford
an excellent example of the characteristic Alexandrine blend of the
Egyptian with the Græco-Roman style. They probably belonged to some
Egyptian magnate. Around the principal chambers are plainer vaults for
the domestics of the family. Modern stairs ascend to the restored
entrance on the hill-top. The interior is rendered accessible by
wooden bridges and lighted by electricity, but is partly under water.
A spiral staircase, lighted by a large round shaft, descends near a
sarcophagus-chamber of later date to two stories. From the entrance to
the upper story we enter a rotunda covered with a kind of dome. On the
right are two smaller vaults with niches, sarcophagi, and shelf-tombs
(loculi). On the left is a large chamber, the Triclinium Funebre, used
for funeral banquets.
The stairs divide farther down, affording a survey of the principal
chambers, and lead round the entrance to the *Tomb Chapel on the
lowest floor, with three niches for sarcophagi. Round the chapel runs
a gallery, accessible from the vestibule, with 91 shelf-tombs.
An important thoroughfare, leading to the N.E. from the Rue Abou Dardah
(p. 434), is the Rue Sidi el-Metwalli (Pl. F, G, 5, 4), with its
continuation the RUE DE LA PORTE DE ROSETTE (Pl. F-I, 4, 3). These
streets unite at the end of the busy Rue Chérif Pacha (Pl. F, G, 4), a
street of shops, coming from the Place Méhémet Ali (p. 434). This
thoroughfare corresponds with the E. half of the _Dromos_, the main
street of the ancient city, which ended at the _Canopic Gate_, the site
of the now removed Porte de Rosette. In the Rue du Musée, a N.
side-street, is the—
*=Museum= (Pl. H, 3), a building in the Greek style, which contains an
extensive collection of Græco-Roman antiquities, mostly Alexandrine,
found in catacombs and tombs. Adm. daily, 9–12 and 3 to 5.30, 2 pias.
(see also p. 432; closed on Thurs. in summer).
From the ante-room we see the statue of Hercules in the transverse
gallery between the main wings of the building (see below). The
side-room contains a topographical collection. Room I (on the right).
Christian antiquities, including tombstones and some of the terracotta
flasks in which pilgrims brought holy oil from the tomb of St. Menas
(d. 296) at Mariut.—Rooms II-V. Alexandrian coins, stamps from Greek
amphoræ, etc.
Room VI. Inscriptions and tombstones. On the right, Ptolemaic
*Tombstones (Nos. 83, 97, etc.), resembling those of Attica in the 4th
cent. B.C.—Rooms VII-IX. Egyptian antiquities. (In Room VIII, No. 380.
Fine bas-relief with a man, a harper, and singing-women.)
Rooms X & XI. Egyptian monuments and smaller sculptures. (In R. XI,
No. 3704. Portrait-head in black basalt.)—Rooms XII & XIII.
Portrait-busts and sculptures. (In R. XII, Case B, admirable small
busts of Alexander; *66. Marble Head of Hercules or, according to
others, of Zeus.)
Rooms XIV & XV. Architectural fragments. (In R. XV, No. 3, painted
capitals from palaces of the Ptolemies.)—Room XVI. Sculptures.
Rooms XVII & XVIII. Small objects of art. In R. XVII glass; mummies
with portraits of the deceased painted on wood (2nd cent. A.D.). In R.
XVIII small clay figures of the Ptolemaic and Roman periods; among the
former, *Figures of girls in the style of the Tanagra figurines.
Room XIX. A mosaic and cinerary urns from Shatbi.—Room XX. Tomb
accessories.—Room XXI. Objects from tombs, including elegant bronze
wreaths; terracotta figures.—Room XXII. Architectural fragments;
mosaics from Canopus.
In the gallery crossing the garden is a colossal figure of Hercules.
From the Museum the Rue du Musée to the N.W., the broad Rue d’Allemagne
to the left, and the Rue Missala to the right soon lead to the old
_Ramleh Railway Station_, now used for the electric line (see p. 431) to
=Ramleh= (_i. e._ ‘sand’), a villa suburb and sea-bathing place,
inhabited in summer by wealthy Alexandrians and Cairenes. At _San
Stefano_, the terminus, is the _Hôtel Casino San Stefano_, with a
theatre and concert-rooms (adm. 5 pias.).
From Alexandria to _Cairo_, see R. 71.