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THE LIBYAN DESERT.
ROUTES:—By the Mariout Railway to Bahig for Abousir and for St. Menas;
each expedition takes a day.
By Railway _via_ Tel-el-Baroud and Khatatbeh to the Wady Natrun; 2 or 3
days.
Alexandria, though so cosmopolitan, lies on the verge of civilisation.
Westward begins an enormous desert of limestone that stretches into the
heart of Africa. The very existence of this desert is forgotten by most
of the dwellers in the city, but it has played a great part in her
history, especially in Christian times, and no one who would understand
her career can ignore it.
* * * * *
The Mariout Railway was originally the property of the ex-Khedive. The
line starts from the central station and diverges from the main line at
Hadra. Having passed Nouzha station (Section IV) it crosses the
Mahmoudieh Canal (p. 91) then bends westward along the edge of Lake
Mariout. Just before Gabbari Garden station is a fishing village built
on a tiny creek and quite Japanese in appearance. It is worth going down
here when there has been a catch: the lake fish are uncanny monsters.
The neighbourhood is very fertile—palms bananas and vegetable gardens.
But it does not make pleasant walking owing to the smells.
* * * * *
MEX STATION. (Section VI). The train crosses the western or Mellaha arm
of Mariout. Right, are the salt pans that turn dull purple and red in
the summer beyond them the white spur of limestone that divides lake
from sea.
* * * * *
ABD EL KADER STATION. Now we approach the Libyan desert. The scenery and
the people change. From the hill to the right, by the tomb, is a fine
view, and wonderful colour effects in the evening.
* * * * *
AMRIEH STATION. This large village was formerly head of the Eastern
district of the Western Desert Province, but the Administration is
transferring to Burg el Arab. Bedouins come to the train, bigger and
wirier than the Egyptians, and more graceful; they wear rough white
robes and soft dark red tarbooshes.—There is a fine walk from Amrieh to
Mex—the best day’s tramp near Alexandria. The path leads north from the
station, by the communal gardens, then makes for a ridge where limestone
is quarried. View from the top over the western arm of Mariout. Take the
causeway that crosses the lake and on the further bank turn to the
right, finally crossing the coastal ridge to Dekhela (Section VI) and so
to Mex by the sea shore.
* * * * *
IKINGI MARIOUT STATION. (Ikingi is Turkish for “second.”)—A good centre
for the wild flowers of February and March. Go northward towards the
lake, and keep to the lower ground; the local flora is one of the finest
in the world.
* * * * *
BAHIG STATION.—Centre for two fine expeditions—Abousir on the coast, and
St. Menas inland.
ABOUSIR.
The ruins of Abousir lie 5½ miles N.W. from Bahig station. They can be
found without a guide. (_see_ map). There is a good road as far as Bahig
village (¾ mile). Just above the village is a big quarry, worked in
ancient times and very picturesque. A path crosses the ridge rather to
the left of this quarry, after which the ruins are in sight all the way.
The end of Mariout has to be crossed, so the expedition should not be
made in winter on account of the mud. The last half hour of the journey
is magnificent. The Temple and the Tower stand out on the height, which
is golden with marigolds in spring time; and near the top of the ascent
the sea appears through a gap, deep blue, and beating against a beach of
snowy sand. The flowers can be amazing, colouring the earth in every
direction. The ruins are supposed by the Bedouins to be the palace of
Abou Zeit; they really mark the Ptolemaic city of Taposiris, whose name
is preserved in the modern Abousir.
_Taposiris_ must have been built soon after Alexandria (about 300 B.C.),
and it is instructive to compare the two towns. They stand on the same
spur—Taposiris at its base, where it has emerged from the mass of the
desert. The lake is to their south, the sea to their north, so each
commanded two harbours, to the advantage of their trade. Each has a
lighthouse, each worshipped Osiris. Little is known of the history of
Taposiris—called the “Great” to distinguish it from “Little” Taposiris
at Montazah (p. 175). Its immediate trade was with the lake, its
sea-harbour being ½ mile below, at the vanished port of Plinthinus. The
Arabs turned the Temple of Osiris into a fortress, and in modern times
coast guards have been installed here.
[Illustration: ABOUSIR AND DISTRICT]
The Chief remains are:—
(i). _Temple of Osiris._ The eastern, and main, entrance adjoins the
coast-guard station. At first sight it looks no more than a hole in
a ruined wall, but it can easily be reconstructed. Each side of the
entrance were Gate-towers (Pylons) like those of Edfu or Kom Ombo in
Upper Egypt. Their bases project from the main wall, and up the face
of each are two grooves for flag staffs, from whose tops crimson
streamers floated. Staircases, reached from the inside, ascend each
tower, and there are also two square rooms in the base of each.
The enclosure—about 100 yards square—is in a terrible mess. The
actual temple has disappeared. There must have been a colonnaded
court with an altar in the middle, and beyond it the temple facade:
on north and south of temple would have been other courts. The
arrangements were Egyptian, but some of the workman were Greek;
mason marks with Greek letters (e.g. Alpha Kappa Rho) have been
found on the stone in the boundary wall.
The north boundary wall of the enclosure is very fine; it projects
over the slope of the hill and rests on substructures: in it is a
gate for the descent to the sea. Note the projections in the
masonry. In the north west corner are some architectural fragments,
piled up by the Arabs. (ii). _Lighthouse._ The ruined tower on the
hill to the east of the temple was once mistaken for a tomb, since
it stands in the ancient cemetery. It is really the Ptolemaic
lighthouse of Taposiris, first of a chain that stretched from the
Pharos at Alexandria all down the North African coast to Cyrene. It
has, like the Pharos, three stages: a square basement, an octagonal
central stage and a cylindrical top. On the north, where the outer
wall of the octagon has fallen, one can see the marks of the
staircase by which the wood was carried to the top—a simpler version
of the double spiral that ascended the huge Alexandrian building.
There can be no doubt that the Taposiris lighthouse was modelled on
its gigantic contemporary—scale about ⅒th—and it is thus of great
importance to archaeologists and historians. (_see_ throughout p.
133).
There are tombs close to the lighthouse, and tombs and houses all
along the slope to the south of the temple.
(iii). _Causeway._ South of the town, in the bed of the lake, are
traces of the embankment that connected with the desert. It was
doubtless pierced with arches like the Heptastadion at Alexandria,
to allow boats to go through.
* * * * *
The other point of interest in the district is _Burg el Arab_ (Modern
Bahig). It lies some miles west of Bahig village (_see_ above) but is
easily located by the tower of the new carpet factory. Here is to be the
capital of the Eastern District of the Western Desert Province Frontier
Districts Administration; it is being planned and executed with great
taste, thanks mainly to the genius of the Officer Commanding, W. E.
Jennings Bramly, M.C. The factory consists of a great cloister and of
two halls, one each side of the big tower. Fragments of antique
sculpture and architecture have been cleverly introduced. The carpets
are woven from camels’ and goats’ hair by Bedouin and Senussi women—the
industry was started at Amrieh, during the late war. Specimens can be
had in the Alexandrian shops. Further to the west other buildings are
rising, including a small walled town. It is all most interesting, and
one of the few pieces of modern creative work to be seen in these parts.
ST. MENAS.
Seven and a half miles south of Bahig Station, in the loneliness of the
desert, lie the ruins of a great Christian city. They can be visited
between trains on a good horse, but it is better to camp out. The track
passes over gently undulating expanses of limestone. The scenery grows
less interesting, the flora scarcer, as the coast is left behind. At
last the monotony is broken by the square hut where the excavators used
to live. The ancient name of the place is preserved in the
modern—Abumna.
[Illustration: ST. MENAS - PLAN I.
The Sanctuary Group_
Subterranean work thus .........]
Menas, a young Egyptian officer, was martyred during his service in Asia
Minor because he would not abandon Christ (A.D. 296). When the army
moved back into Egypt his friends brought his ashes with them, and at
the entrance of the Lybian Desert a miracle took place: the camel that
was carrying the burden refused to go further. The saint was buried and
forgotten. But a shepherd observed that a sick lamb that crossed the
spot became well. He tried successfully with another lamb. Then a sick
princess was healed. The remains were exhumed, and a church built over
the grave.
This church can still be traced. It is the Basilica of the Crypt (Plan I
p. 196) date 350, to which, at the end of the century, an immense
extension was added by the Emperor Arcadius. What caused so rapid a
growth? Water. There were springs in the limestone that have since dried
up, and that must have had curative powers. Baths were built, some of
them opening out of a church (Plan II). Little flasks, stamped with the
Saint’s image, were filled from the sacred source by his tomb. The
environs were irrigated, houses, walls, cemeteries built, until in the
pure air a sacred city sprang up, where religion was combined with
hygiene. Nor did the saint only protect invalids. He was also the patron
of the caravans that passed by him from Alexandria to the Wady Natrun,
the Siwan Oasis, and Tripoli, and so he is always seen between two
camels, who crouch in adoration because he guides them aright. By the
6th century he had become god of the Lybian Desert, then less deserted
than now, and his fame, like that of his predecessor Serapis, had
travelled all round the Mediterranean, and procured him worshippers as
far as Rome and France.
Islam checked the cult. But as late as the year 1,000, an Arab traveller
saw the great double basilica still standing. Lights burned in the
shrine night and day, and there was still left a little trickle of “the
beautiful water of St. Menas that drives away pain.”
The site, entirely forgotten, was discovered in 1905. It has been
carefully excavated. Little more than the ground plans of the buildings
remain, but they are most interesting, and the marble decorations
delightful.
[Illustration: ST. MENAS – PLAN II.
The Sacred Baths]
_The Sanctuary Group._ This lies a little to the south of the
excavators’ huts. Combined length, nearly 400 ft. In the centre is the
original church covering the tomb. To its east is the impressive
addition of Arcadius; to its west a baptistery. On its north side a
monastery. The best view of the group is from a mound outside the
baptistery. The general arrangement is quite clear. (Plan I, p. 196).
Taken in detail:—
(i). _Church of Arcadius._—Length nearly 200 feet. A cruciform
basilica with a nave and two aisles, and aisled transepts. Over the
intersection was a dome, beneath which, now much ruined by its fall,
is the High Altar. Behind the altar are curved steps that supported
the ecclesiastical throne. Both altar and throne are in a square
enclosure where the priests and singers stood; a narrow alley
connects it with the nave. The eastern apse has been used for
burials.
The Nave is paved with white marble from the Greek archipelago.
Green and purple marbles (verde antico and porphyry) were also used.
From its south aisle, three doors open into a fine atrium. This was
the principal approach to the church. The north aisle opens—at its
east end—on to a staircase that ascended to the roof of the church;
the other doors to the monks’ apartments and hospice (_see_ below).
The west end of the nave is irregular, because the apse of the
primitive church impinges.
(ii). _Primitive Church._ A small, three-aisled basilica, not well
preserved, but with interesting crypt. The descent to this is by a
marble staircase that starts in the Arcadian church, passes by a
portico with a vaulted roof of brick, and then, after a little,
turns to the south into an oblong subterranean chamber. Here, amid
rich decorations, the ashes of the young saint once lay, is a tomb
that was probably visible from the church above. A bas-relief of him
was fixed to the south wall; the place for the marble slab can still
be seen there. The ugly bas-relief in the Alexandria Museum (Room I)
is a copy. Attached to the crypt is a chapel once vaulted with gold
mosaic; the well in it was made by treasure-hunters.
On the west of the church runs the sacred water course from which
the sanctuary derived its fame. It is a subterranean cistern, over
80 yards long; a shaft was sunk into it from the nave. Passing, as
it did, so near to the saint’s remains, it had special sanctity. The
water was used to fill flasks, and also in the adjacent Baptistery.
(iii). _The Baptistery_ is square without and octagonal within. In
its centre, down steps, is the chief font, which had an over-flow
canal; we do not know how it was filled. The floor was richly inlaid
with serpentine, porphyry and other marbles. There was a dome. On
its south side is an atrium. On its western exterior, niches for
statues.
A Baptistery of this type—separate from the rest of the church—is
common enough in the West. But in the East it is unique. Only at St.
Menas, where water was so prominent in the worship, does it occur.
* * * * *
Immediately to the north of the Sanctuary Group are the _Monastery
Buildings and Hospice_, a confused labyrinth. Best is a hall paved with
marble and one supported by eight columns. It lies 40 yards due north
from the gate of the Primitive Church. These buildings, together with
the Sanctuary Group that they served, cover an area of over 40,000
square yards.
* * * * *
_The Sacred Baths_ (Plan II). About 80 yards from the Monastery
Buildings. Best located by the fine circular cistern of well-cut
limestone blocks. The main building has a heating apparatus and three
baths. Also a small but finely finished church; basilica type; apses at
each end; three aisles. Two baths open straight out of its south aisles,
and in its nave are two marble fountains that were probably filled from
the source in the central sanctuary (_see_ above). Throughout the
arrangements are significant. The line between the hygienic and the
miraculous is nowhere clearly drawn; heating apparatus and church have
each to play their parts. Date of the group, probably 5th century.
Another group lies beyond.
* * * * *
_Northern Cemetery._—This, the most important in the city, is some way
from the groups above described. Indeed the visitor from Bahig leaves it
to his left on his way to the hut. There is a good view of it from a
mound. The main object is a church (150 ft. long), with three aisles, a
square apse and numerous mortuary chapels where the more prominent
invalids were buried. Others lie outside. Late date—7th-9th cent.
This by no means catalogues the ruins of St. Menas. There is a Southern
Cemetery, private houses, wine presses, a kiln where the terra cotta
flasks were made. All the desert around shows remains of the curious
cult, which in some ways anticipated the methods of Lourdes.
Half a day over the desert southward brings a rider to the Wady Natrun.
THE WADY NATRUN.
The Wady is best visited by arrangement with the Egyptian Salt and Soda
Company, who have the concession for developing that section of it where
the Lakes and the Monasteries lie. The Company’s private railway starts
at Khatatbeh, on the branch line between Cairo and Tel-el-Baroud (_see_
Map. p. 174). The train curves up the desert to Bir Victoria, where it
waters beneath a solitary tree. Then it leaves civilisation, and for
three hours nothing is seen except an occasional gazelle. At the end of
that time the ground falls away to the left, and the monastery of St.
Macarius appears far off. Then is seen the chain of the lakes, and
across them, often in mirage, the monasteries of St. Pschoi and The
Syrians. The train descends to the terminus of Bir Hooker, close to the
Company’s factory and rest house.
* * * * *
The Wady Natrun (_i.e_. Natron, Soda) is a curious valley that begins
near Cairo, and slopes north-westward into the heart of the Lybian
Desert. It may have once been an outlet of the Nile, though it is barred
now from the sea by coastal hills. Its upper and lower reaches are both
barren, but in the central section—that which the railway taps—water
survives in the form of a chain of mineral lakes.
The deposits were worked from antiquity, but with the rise of
monasticism the Wady took a new importance, owing to its discomfort. As
early as A.D 150 St. Fronto retreated here from Alexandria. St. Ammon
followed in 270; St. Macarius or Mercury a hundred years later. The more
moderate ascetics extracted soda with the assistance of laymen; the
extremists sought a waterless stretch called Scetis—probably the
southern portion of the valley where the monastery to St. Macarius still
stands. There were soon 5,000 monks. It is natural that so remote a
community should lose touch with the theological niceties of the
capital, and in 399 the Patriarch Theophilus was obliged to rebuke the
monks for minimising the divine element in the Second Person. Their
reply was startling. They crossed the desert, stormed Alexandria, and
made the Patriarch apologise. A few years later he led an army into the
Wady to punish them, but by now, oddly enough, they had veered to the
opposite error; they minimised the human element. The truth is they
represented native Egypt, the Patriarch the Hellenising coast. (_see_ p.
51). The quarrel was racial rather than theological, and when in the 6th
century it came to a head, the Wady became the natural stronghold of the
national or Monophysite party who, under the name of Copts, worship
there to this day.
With the 19th century came a new colony—the industrial. It is the
factory chimney of the Salt and Soda Company that now dominates the
scene. The lakes are dredged for their deposits. The chief product is
caustic soda which is poured red hot into metal drums, and exported all
over the east. Ordinary soda (natron) is also produced. The factory is
interesting. It, and the surrounding settlement, are due in their
present form to Mr. A. H. Hooker, after whom the settlement is named.
More than eighty different species of birds have been identified in the
marshes surrounding Bir Hooker.
* * * * *
_The Mineral Lakes._
These lie between the factory and the monasteries. Some of them are
squalid, others are indescribably beautiful, especially in summer. The
deposits form at the bottom. As they reach the top, the lake seems to be
covered with white and crimson ice, in the midst of which are pools of
blue and green water, and trickling streams of claret, and tracts that
blush like a rose. When the scene is in mirage, its strangeness passes
belief. A bird looks as big as a man, and the lump of salt it perches on
shows like a boat of snow. The finest of these lakes is just to the left
of Bir Hooker.
[Illustration: THE NATRUN MONASTERIES PLAN I. CHURCH OF ST. PSCHOI]
[Illustration: THE NATRUN MONASTERIES—PLAN II Convent of the
Syrians—Church of the Virgin.]
* * * * *
_The Monasteries._
Four of these survive, and there are the ruins of many others. They are
all of the same type, and to avoid repetitions it may be thus
summarised:
* * * * *
Exterior:—an enclosure of stone laid in the middle of the desert,
covering about an acre. Palm trees and buildings show over its walls.
The walls are blank except for one high arch, which indicates the
position of a little door, the only entrance. The black-robed monks,
when the bell has been rung, look down from the parapet, then unbar the
door, and take the traveller to the Guest House for coffee and lemonade.
They are dirty and ignorant, but most courteous and hospitable. All
payment is refused.
* * * * *
In the enclosure:—two or three churches, normally consisting of nave,
choir, and sanctuary (kaikal). Refectory. Sleeping cells for the monks.
Mill for grinding corn. Oven, where is baked the hard brown bread, and
also the “isbodikon” (somatikon, sacrament), a cake of fine flour
beautifully stamped with a cross and used for the Eucharist. Olive
press. Granary. Garden of palm trees, bananas, capsicums, etc. Keep
(kasr) for final retreat when attacked; reached only by a drawbridge
from the parapet of the wall; contains library, dungeons, chapels;
usually dedicated to St. Michael.
* * * * *
Date: general appearance and arrangement are of the 6th century. Most of
the details are later.
Extract from the Thanksgiving offered at the arrival of a distinguished
visitor:—
He who visits these mansions with firm faith, fervent desire, true
repentance and good works, shall have all his sins forgiven. Then, O
my reverend fathers and my beloved brethren, come that we may pray
for these our dear and honourable brethren, who are come upon this
visit and have reached these habitations, let us pray that Jesus
Christ, who was with his servants in every time and every place, may
now be with them, and may deliver them from all sins and iniquities.
May he grant them the best of gifts and full reward, recompensing
them for all that they have endured through toil and peril and the
weariness of the journey as they travelled hither; giving them
abundance of blessing; bring them back to their homes in safety; and
after long life transport them to the brightness of Paradise and the
life of bliss, through the intercession of Our Lady the Virgin, and
of all our holy fathers. Amen.[7]
Footnote 7:
From A. J. Butler’s Ancient Coptic Churches.
* * * * *
THE FOUR MONASTERIES.
(A). _Convent of St. Pschoi_ (Deir Abou Bishoi). About an hour’s
ride from Bir Hooker. Dedicated to St. Pschoi or Besa. “B” is the
Coptic article, so the saint’s name is ultimately “Isa” _i.e._
Isaiah. Little is known about him.
The convent enclosure contains:
(i). _The Church of St. Pschoi_ (Plan I, p. 202). 6th-11th
cents. with later additions. A spacious entrance porch leads to
the dark but impressive interior. There are three divisions:
Nave, Choir and Sanctuary.
The Nave has an arched vault; massive piers with pointed arches
divide it from its aisles. In it is an Ambon (lectern for
reading the Gospel), and a small marble basin level with the
floor, where the priest washes the feet of the people on Maundy
Thursday in commemoration of the action of Christ. Many of the
Nave arches have been blocked up to strengthen the building.
High and narrow folding doors—recalling a Japanese screen—close
the lofty arch that leads from the Nave into the Choir; they are
set with fine carved panels, enclosed in ivory borders. Other
doors lead from the aisles.
The Choir too has vaulting, but it is at right angles to that of
the Nave. At each side of the Choir are chapels, probably of
later date. Left—Chapel of the Virgin, with a chest containing
the relics of St. Pschoi, whom the monks state remains intact.
Right—Chapel of St. Ischyrion; off it is the Baptistery. The
entrance into the Sanctuary is through ancient carved doors;
over them is a triumphant arch.
The Sanctuary has, behind the altar, a fine tribune of six
steps—three straight and three curved. In the centre was the
throne of the Abbot. It has gone, and the marble decorations of
the steps are ruined. Above the throne is a marble mosaic. In
the centre of the eastern dome is a Cross.
(ii). _The Refectory._—This solemn room contains the immense
stone table, narrow and low, at which the monks break their
yearly fast. They do not eat here usually, and use the table as
a drying place for onions, bread, etc., while cakes of salt are
stacked against the wall. At the head of the table is the
Abbot’s seat. The place is rough and indescribably untidy. But
one could scarcely find a more striking relic of primitive
Christianity.
(B). _Convent of the Syrians_ (Deir es Suriani).—Close to the
Convent of St. Pschoi. Founded by monks from Syria. Dedicated to the
Virgin. Here Robert Curzon (1833) discovered in the oil cellar
priceless Syrian, Coptic, and Abyssinian MSS., now in the British
Museum. He describes his find in “Monasteries of the Levant”: it was
facilitated by plying the Abbot with liqueurs. More were brought
away by Archdeacon Tattam, and nothing valuable remains now.
The enclosure contains:—
(i). _Church of the Virgin_ (Plan II, p. 203)—A fine building 40
ft. by 90, probably the model for the church in St.
Pschoi—_i.e_. originating in the 6th century.
The Nave has piers with high pointed arches, and lofty vaulting,
slightly pointed. In the middle, the basin for the Maundy feet
washing, a marble slab with a circular depression. In the
western semi-dome, fine fresco of the Ascension. Precious
folding doors between nave and choir, inlaid with ivory panels
of Christ in the nimbus of the Cross, the Virgin, St. Peter and
St. Mark; round their posts and lintels a Syriac inscription,
dating them back to the 7th century.
The Choir—North semi-dome; fresco of the Death of the Virgin.
South semi-dome; fresco of the Annunciation and Nativity.
Admirable work. More ancient doors between Choir and Sanctuary;
ivory panel representing Dioscurus (Patriarch of Alexandria 450
and founder of Monophysism _see_ p. 51), Mark, Emmanuel, the
Virgin, Ignatius, and Severus (512). Syriac inscriptions of
rather later type—8th century.
Sanctuary. Skilful and effective plaster frieze with a border
below and panels of conventional trees and vines above. Above
the eastern niche a panel of crosses. This unique decoration
should be studied closely.
(ii). _Smaller Church of the Virgin._ Over its entrance to the
south-west a marble cross in low relief. Inside, another cross
in black marble. Probably dedication crosses. Pulpit in the
choir.
(iii). _Tamarind tree under the enclosing wall._ St. Ephraim the
Syrian (date 373) inadvertently, so they say, laid his staff
down, and it took root at once. But it is unlikely that St.
Ephraim ever visited Egypt.
* * * * *
(C). Convent of St. Baramus (Deir el Baramus). About two hours ride
from Bir Hooker. Dedicated to an unknown saint (Romaios?).
In the enclosure are:—
(i). _Church of the Virgin._ The piers of the nave are built
round antique marble columns. There are ten dedication crosses,
marking places signed with holy oil at the consecration of the
church—six in the nave and four in the choir. Fine carvings on
the sanctuary screen. In the reliquary lie the brothers S.S.
Maximus and Domitius from whose mouths, when they prayed, fiery
ropes ascended to Heaven. Attached to this church are two
smaller ones—St. George (Mari Girgis) now used as a granary; it
has an ornamented dome—and St. Theodore (Al Amir Tadrus).
(ii). _Church of Baramus_, ruined by restoration.
(iii). _The Refectory_—similar to that at St. Pschoi. Date 5th
or 6th century. At this entrance is a great book-rest of stone.
(iv). _Keep_, with chapel to St. Michael.
(D). _Convent of St. Macarius_ (Deir Abou Makar).
This monastery is the least accessible of the four, being ten miles
from Bir Hooker.
St. Macarius, or Mercury, the founder, was an Alexandrian who was
seen by another saint in a vision killing the apostate Emperor
Julian (d. 363). He is also celebrated for a bunch of grapes that he
refused to eat, and for a mosquito that he killed. Overcome with
remorse at its death, he retired naked to the marshes near, and at
the end of six months was so distended by stings that the brethren
could only recognise him by his voice. He selected this site for his
monastery on account of the badness of the communications and water
supply. It was repaired in 880. Of its later history nothing is
known.
The monastery enclosure is on the usual plan. It contains:—
(i). _Church of Macarius._ Byzantine in character; three
sanctuaries, a choir, and an irregular western end. The central
sanctuary is roofed by a fine brick dome, once covered with
frescoes, and still showing traces of its ancient windows, with
their stucco partitions and tiny panels of coloured glass. There
were also frescoes in the eastern niche, and paintings upon the
entrance arch. The sanctuary doors are well carved.
Left of Sanctuary: Chapel of St. John, with a double screen. The
outer screen is set with exquisitely carved panels—probably 8th
century. Frame later. The plaster of the dome has fallen; it too
was once coloured. St. Macarius lies in the Reliquary.
(ii). _Church of the Elders_ (Al Shiulah), marked by a detached
bell-tower. A small building of similar plan. One of its columns
has a late classical capital.
(iii). _Church of St. Ischyrion_ (Abou Iskharun)—one of the
martyrs whom Alexandria, in the past, so freely produced. A
magnificent low-pitched dome almost covers both choir and nave.
It is made of bricks that must have been carried on camels from
the Delta.
(iv). _The Keep_ (Kasr), reached by a flight of steps and a
drawbridge. On its first floor are three chapels dedicated to:—
St. Michael—Corinthian and Doric capitals in the nave; the
Sanctuary Screen has ivory inlay; in the Sanctuary are the
bodies of sixteen patriarchs, each in a plain deal box: St.
Anthony—three ancient frescoed figures: and St. Suah, with more
frescoes. On the ground floor, a chapel to the Virgin, with a
triple altar containing depressions of unknown use.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
APPENDIX I.
THE MODERN RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES.
The ecclesiastical life of Alexandria is not as intense to-day as in the
days of St. Athanasius, but it is even more complicated. The city is the
seat of four patriarchates, and many other religious bodies are
represented in her. The complications are partly due to the activity of
Roman Catholicism, which, in order to win oriental schismatics back to
the fold, has in each case created a counter church that shall
approximate as nearly as possible to the conditions and ritual that are
familiar—_e.g._ an Armenian Catholic Church for the Armenians, a Coptic
Catholic for the Copts. And further complications proceed from the
modern, commercial communities who tend to regard religion as an
expression of nationality rather than of dogma.
The following list of the Churches may indicate the unsuspected vastness
of the subject:—
GREEK PATRIARCHATE: “Orthodox Greek,” or “Melchite” church (from Melek,
Arabic for King). Present Patriarch, Photius I. His position is curious.
He is a subject neither to the Kingdom of Greece, nor to the Patriarch
of Constantinople, but holds, or rather held, his position from the
Sultan of Turkey direct. Thus ecclesiastically he is independent. His
title is “Patriarch of Alexandria, Lybia, Pentapolis, Ethiopia, and all
Egypt,” but his patriarchate does not extend beyond Egypt, which he
administers through four bishops. Historically he represents the church
that kept loyal to Byzantium and to the Emperor at the Council of
Chalcedon (A.D. 451) when the rest of Egypt began to drift away over the
Monophysite question. After the Arab Conquest the Greek Patriarch
resided in Cairo, but came back to Alexandria about sixty years ago to
the Convent and Church of St. Saba. (p. 106). As for dogma, the Greek
Orthodox chiefly differs from the Roman Catholic and the Protestants
over the “Filioque” clause in the Nicene creed. It holds that the Holy
Ghost proceeded not from the Father and the Son, but through the Son.
This is the point over which the East and West split, and failed to
reunite in 1459.
* * * * *
CHURCHES OF THE GREEK COMMUNITY: These too are Greek Orthodox in faith.
But they do not recognise the Patriarch. Indeed their relations with him
during the late war were of the liveliest. They are the churches of a
body of business men who only owe allegiance to the Kingdom of Greece.
They are self-administering, and choose their own priests. The Patriarch
however, has the right of examining those priests’ credential, and of
giving them permission to officiate. The Community has a Cathedral (The
Annunciation) near the Place St. Catherine (p. 142); also three churches
in Ramleh,—St. Stefano, St. Nicolas, and the Prophet Elias.
* * * * *
SYRIAN GREEK ORTHODOX: The Church of those members of the Syrian
Community who hold the Greek Orthodox faith. Independent of the
Patriarch. Under an archimandrite. Services in Arabic. Church—“Dormition
de la Sainte Vierge” in the Rue el Kaid Gohar.
This completes the Greek Orthodox Churches.
* * * * *
COPTIC PATRIARCHATE: The Copts are Monophysites—_i.e._ believe that
after the Incarnation the Divine and the Human in Christ were united
into a single nature. (p. 76). This severs them from the rest of
Christendom. Historically the Patriarchate is the opponent of the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate, from whom it split at the Council of Chalcedon,
and it claims to represent Egyptian Christianity. In 960 the Patriarch
went to reside at Cairo, and the custom has continued, though the title
of “Patriarch of Alexandria” was retained: Besides his powers in Egypt,
the Patriarch consecrates the Metropolitan of Abyssinia. Alexandria has
a resident archbishop. Cathedral—in the Rue de l’Eglise Copte. (p. 160).
* * * * *
ARMENIAN CHURCH: Founded by St. Gregory the Illuminator in the 4th
Century, and, like the Coptic, Monophysite. Its head is a “Catholicos”
at Etchmiadzin, Armenia. The Alexandrian community has a church, SS.
Peter and Paul, Rue Abou el Dardaa. (p. 143).
* * * * *
We now come to the group of churches that are in communion with Rome.
Dogma, identical. Rite, differing.
LATIN PATRIARCHATE: Founded after the Crusades—13th century. The
Patriarch does not reside but lives at Rome, and governs through an
Apostolic Vicar who lives at Alexandria. Chief Church—Cathedral of St.
Catherine (Place St. Catherine). (p. 142).
* * * * *
COPTIC PATRIARCHATE: Organised in 1895, with title of “Patriarchate of
Alexandria and of all the Preaching of St. Mark.” The Patriarch resides
at Alexandria, and administers Egypt through the suffragan bishops of
Hermopolis Magna and Thebes. Cathedral—Rue de l’Hôpital Indigène. (p.
154).
* * * * *
GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH: Under the Patriarch of Antioch who now lives at
Damascus and governs Alexandria through a Vicar General. Church: St.
Pierre, Rue Debbane. (p 160.). The priests generally officiate in
Arabic, though the ecclesiastical language is Greek.
* * * * *
MARONITE CHURCH: Founded in the 5th century by St. Maro, and at one time
adhering to the Monothelite heresy. This was a fainter version of the
Monophysite, and asserted that though Christ might have two natures, He
only had one will. (p. 77). The Catholic view is that Christ had two
wills, human and divine, which were exercised in unison, and in the 18th
century the Maronite Community subscribed to this, and is consequently
in communion with Rome. Patriarch at Antioch. Ecclesiastical
language—Syrian. Church at Alexandria in the Rue de l’Eglise Maronite.
(p. 140).
* * * * *
ARMENIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH: Under the Patriarchate of Cilicia, formed in
the 18th century. There is a Bishop of Alexandria, but he lives at
Cairo. Church—Rue Averoff. (p. 160).
* * * * *
CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH: Under the Patriarchate of Babylon, formed
1843, to counteract the Nestorian heresy. The Chaldeans of Alexandria,
100 strong, are said to be looking for a plot of ground on which to
build a church.
* * * * *
This concludes the Catholic group. As regards the Protestants:
UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF EGYPT: Most, but not all, native
Protestants belong to this body. It is attached to the American Mission,
which proselytizes mainly among the Copts. Church—Rue Tewfik I.
* * * * *
CHURCH OF ENGLAND: Alexandria is in the diocese of Egypt and the Sudan.
The official church of the British community is St. Marks in the Square,
built on land given to the community by Mohammed Ali. (p. 102). There is
another Anglican church at Ramleh (All Saints) built by some residents
there. Its living, after some heart-burnings, has been placed in the
hands of the Bishop of London. (p. 166).
* * * * *
CHURCH OF SCOTLAND: St. Andrew’s, in the French Gardens.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
APPENDIX II.
THE DEATH OF CLEOPATRA
(p. 27).
The death of Cleopatra as described by Plutarch took hold of the
imagination of posterity, and was dramatised by Shakespeare and by
Dryden.
(i). PLUTARCH. (in North’s Translation which Shakespeare used).
Her death was very sodain. For those whom Caesar sent unto her ran
thither in all haste possible, and found the soldiers standing at
the gate, mistrusting nothing, nor understanding of her death. But
when they had opened the doors, they found Cleopatra stark dead,
laid upon a bed of gold, attired and arrayed in her royal robes, and
one of her two women, which was called Iras, dead at her feet: and
her other woman called Charmian half dead, and trembling, trimming
the diadem which Cleopatra wore upon her head. One of the soldiers
seeing her, angrily said to her: Is that well done, Charmian? Very
well said she again, and meet for a princess descended of so many
royal kings. She said no more, but fell down dead hard by the bed.
(ii). SHAKESPEARE. (Antony and Cleopatra, Act V, Scene 2)
_Cleopatra._ Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have
Immortal longings in me; now no more
The juice of Egypt’s grape shall moist this lip.
Yare, yare, good Iras; quick. Methinks I hear
Antony call; I see him rouse himself
To praise my noble act; I hear him mock
The luck of Caesar, which the gods give men
To excuse their after wrath: husband, I come:
Now to that name my courage prove my title!
I am fire and air; my other elements
I give to baser life. So; have you done?
Come then, and take the last warmth of my lips.
Farewell, kind Charmian; Iras, long farewell.
(kisses them. Iras falls and dies).
Have I the aspic in my lips? Dost fall?
If thou and nature can so gently part,
The stroke of death is as a lover’s pinch,
Which hurts and is desired. Dost thou lie still?
If thus thou vanishest, thou tell’st the world
It is not worth leave-taking.
_Charmian._ Dissolve thick cloud and rain; that I may say
The gods themselves do weep.
_Cleopatra._ This proves me base:
If she meet first the curled Antony
He’ll make demand of her, and spend that kiss
Which is my heaven to have. Come thou mortal wretch
(to the asp, which she applies to her breast)
With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate
Of life at once untie; poor venomous fool,
Be angry, and despatch. O! couldst thou speak,
That I might hear thee call great Caesar ass
Unpolicied.
_Charmian._ O eastern star!
_Cleopatra._ Peace, peace!
Dost thou not see my baby at my breast,
That sucks the nurse asleep?
_Charmian._ O, break! O, break!
_Cleopatra._ As sweet as balm, as soft as air, as gentle—
O Antony!—Nay, I will take thee too.
(applying another asp to her arm)
What should I stay— (dies).
_Charmian._ In this vile world? So, fare thee well.
Now boast thee, death, in thy possession lies
A lass unparallel’d. Downy windows, close;
And golden Phœbus never be beheld
Of eyes again so royal! Your crown’s awry;
I’ll mend it, and then play.
(enter the Guard, rushing in)
_First Guard._ Where is the queen?
_Charmian._ Speak softly, wake her not.
_First Guard._ Caesar hath sent—
_Charmian._ Too slow a messenger.
(applies an asp)
O! come apace, dispatch; I partly feel thee.
_First Guard._ Approach, ho! All’s not well; Caesar’s
beguil’d.
_Second Guard._ There’s Dolabella sent from Caesar; call him.
_First Guard._ What work is this? Charmian, is this well
done?
_Charmian._ It is well done and fitting for a princess
Descended of so many royal kings.
Ah! Soldier.
(dies)
(iii). DRYDEN. (All for Love, Act. V Scene I).
_Charmian._ To what end
These ensigns of your Pomp and Royalty?
_Cleopatra._ Dull that thou art! why, ’tis to meet my Love;
As when I saw him first, on Cydno’s bank,
All sparkling, like a goddess; so adorned,
I’ll find him, once again: my second spousals
Shall match my first in glory. Haste, haste, both,
And dress the bride of Antony.
_Charmian._ ’Tis done.
_Cleopatra._ Now set me by my lord. I claim this place:
For I must conquer Caesar too, like him,
And win my share o’ th’ world. Hail, you dear relics
Of my immortal love!
O let no impious hand remove you hence;
But rest for ever here. Let Egypt give
His death that peace, which it denied his life.
Reach me the casket.
_Iras._ Underneath the fruit
The aspic lies.
Welcome, thou kind deceiver!
_Cleopatra._
(putting aside the leaves)
Thou best of thieves; who, with an easy key,
Dost open life, and, unperceived by us,
Ev’n steal us from ourselves; discharging so
Death’s dreadful office, better than himself,
Touching our limbs so gently into slumber,
That Death stands by, deceived by his own image,
And thinks himself but sleep.
_Serapion_ (within). The Queen, where is she?
The town is yielded, Caesar’s at the gates.
_Cleopatra._ He comes too late t’invade the rights of death.
Haste, bare my arm, and rouse the serpent’s fury.
(holds out her arm, and draws it back)
Coward flesh—
Would’st thou conspire with Caesar to betray me,
As thou wert none of mine? I’ll force thee to it
And not be sent by him,
But bring myself my soul to Antony.
(turns aside, and then shows her arm bloody)
Take hence; the work is done.
_Serapion_ (within). Break ope the door
And guard the traitor well.
_Charmian._ The next is ours.
_Iras._ Now, Charmian, be too worthy
Of our great queen and mistress.
(they apply the aspics)
_Cleopatra._ Already, death, I feel thee in my veins;
I go with such a will to find my lord,
That we shall quickly meet.
A heavy numbness creeps through every limb,
And now ’tis at my head: my eyelids fail
And my dear love is vanished in a mist.
Where shall I find him, where? O turn me to him,
And lay me on his breast—Caesar, thy worst;
Now part us if thou canst.
(Dies. Iras sinks down at her feet and dies;
Charmian stands behind her chair as dressing
her head. Enter Serapion, two priests, Alexas
bound, Egyptians).
_Two Priests._ Behold, Serapion, what havoc death hath made.
_Serapion._ ’Twas what I feared. Charmian, is this well done?
_Charmian._ Yes, ’tis well done, and like a queen, the last
Of her great race: I follow her.
(sinks down; dies).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
APPENDIX III.
THE UNCANONICAL GOSPELS OF EGYPT.
(p. 73).
(i). FROM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE EGYPTIANS.
The Lord said unto Salome, who asked how long death would prevail,
“As long as ye women bear children. I have come to undo the work of
woman.” And Salome said “Then have I done well in that I have not
born children.” The Lord answered and said “Eat every plant, but
that which has bitterness eat not.” When Salome asked when would be
known the things about which he spake (_i.e._ the Last Judgement)
the Lord said “Whenever ye put off the garment of shame, when the
two become one, and the male with the female, there being neither
male nor female.”
(ii). FROM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE HEBREWS.
Jesus saith:—“Let not him who seeks cease until he find and when he
finds he shall be astonished; astonished, he shall reach the
Kingdom, and having reached the Kingdom he shall rest.”
(iii). FROM UNCERTAIN SOURCES (about 200 A.D.)
Jesus saith:—“Except ye fast to the world, ye shall in no wise find
the Kingdom of God; and except ye make the sabbath a real sabbath,
ye shall not see the Father.”
Jesus saith:—“Wherever there are two, they are not without God, and
when ever there is one alone, I say, I am with him. Raise the stone
and there thou shalt find me; cleave the wood, and there am I.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------
APPENDIX IV.
THE NICENE CREED.
(pp. 49 and 75).
Here is the text as originally passed by the Council, including the
paragraph against the Arians; additions to the original texts are
enclosed within brackets.
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of all things, both
visible and invisible.
And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father
(only begotten, that is to say of the substance of the Father) God of
God and Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being
of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made (both
things in Heaven and things on Earth); who for us men and for our
salvation came down and was made flesh, made man, suffered and rose
again on the third day, went up into the heavens and is to come again to
judge the quick and the dead;
And in the Holy Ghost;
But the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church anathematises those who say
that there was a time when the Son of God was not, and that he was not
before he was begotten, and that he was made from that which did not
exist; or who assert that he is of other substance or essence than the
Father, or is susceptible of change.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
INDEX
OF MAIN REFERENCES
Abercrombie, General, 87, 165
Abou, Bakr, Rock, 132
Abou el Nawatir, Hill, 96, 165
Aboukir, 176-184
battle of, 87, 179
lake of, 87
_see_ Canopus
Abousir, 191-192
Aboumna, 195
_see_ St. Menas
Abyssinians, 76
Achilles Tatius, bishop and novelist, 104
Actium, Battle, 26
Adonis—Festival, 32-33
Akhmin Tapestries, 110, 112
Alexander the Great, 8-9, 27, 115
Alexandria, _passim_
Alexandrian Year
_see_ Calendar
Alison, General, 95-96, 165
Allenby, General, 156
Ammon, St., 50
Ammonius Saccas, philosopher 65
Amr, 54-57
Amrieh, 190-191
Anfouchi Catacombs, 126-129
Annianus, St., 45
Antirrhodus, island, 17
Antoniadis Villa, 92, 96, 157
Antoninus, philosopher, 180
Antony, Mark, 25-27
Antony, St., 50
Apis, 18
Apollonius of Perga, mathematician, 37
Apollonius of Rhodes, poet, 30-31
Arab Conquest, 52-59
town, 80-81
walls, 81, 106, 155
Arabi Pacha, 93-96
Arcadius, Emperor, 195
Aristarchus of Samos, astronomer, 41
Arius and Arianism, 48-49, 75-76
Arsinoe, wife of Ptolemy II, 12, 14, 21
Art under Ptolemies, 35
Astronomy under Ptolemies, 41
Athanasius, St., 48-49, 75
Augustus
_see_ Octavian
Bahig, 191
Banco di Roma, 103
Baramus, St., 207
Basilides, gnostic, 71
Bathing, 132, 166, 175, 182
“Battle of the Nile,” 87, 177
Belon, Pierre, (old map), 83
Berenice wife of Ptolemy I, 136
Berenice wife of Ptolemy III, and her Hair, 15, 28, 30, 41
Bir Hooker, 201
Birds, 201
Bolbitinè, 185
Bombardment of Alexandria, 93-96
Bourse, 103
Breakwater, Eastern, 138
Western, 129
Breccia, E. Professor, iv, 107
Bruey’s, Admiral, 86-87, 177-179
Bryaxis, sculptor, 19
Burg el Arab, 194
Butler, A. J., 205
Caesar, Julius, 23-25
Caesareum
_see_ Temples, Churches
Caesarion, 26
Calendar, 41-42
Callimachus, poet, 30-31, 156
Canopus, 7, 113, 120, 176-177, 180, 182
Decree of, 42, 182
Canopic Mouth of Nile, 25, 80
Canopic Street, Alexandria, 10, 49, 80, 104-115
Canopic Vases, 115
_see_ Aboukir
Carpocrates, gnostic, 71
Catechetical School, 46, 73
Catherine of Alexandria, St., 46, 106, 142
_see_ Churches
Cavafy, C. P., poet, V., 98
Cemeteries, Ancient, 119, 129, 156, 163
Modern, 143, 163
_see_ Tombs
Cerinthus, gnostic, 71
Chalcedon, Council of, 52, 76
Champs Elysées, 152
Charmian, 27, 214
Chatby, 163-164
Chérif Pacha, Rue, 103
Christianity, Early, 45-52, 69-77
Contemporary, 211-213
remains in Museum, 110, 120
_see_ Churches
Churches:
(i) Ancient:
St. Athanasius, 143; _see_ Mosque, Attarine
SS. Cyr and John, Aboukir, 183, 177
St. Mark, 46, 48, 160, 163
St. Menas (remains), 195-200
St. Michael, 161: _see_ Temple Caesareum
St. Theonas 46, 49, 170
(ii) Existing:
All Saints: Anglican, 166
Armenian, 143, 155
Cathedral, Coptic Catholic, 154
Cathedral, Coptic Orthodox, 160-161
Cathedral, Greek Community, 142
Maronite, 140
St. Catherine’s Catholic Cathedral, 142
St. Mark’s, Anglican, 102
St. Saba, Greek Patriarchate, 106
Wady Natrun Churches, 204-209
_see also_ 211-213
Clement of Alexandria, Hestogian, 46, 73
Cleopatra, 23-27, 214-216
“Baths”, 183
“Needles”, 26, 90, 137, 161-162
Coins, Ancient, 111-112
Constantine, Emperor, 47-49
Constantinople, 47
Constantius, Emperor 49
Copts, 51-52, 76, 201
Crusaders, 145, 186
Curzon’s “Monasteries of the Levant,” 206
Cyril, Patriarch, 51
Cyrus, Patriarch, 54-56
Damiana, St., 160
De Cerisy, 91
Decius, Emperor, 46
Dekhela, 171
Demetrius Phalerus, philosopher, 17
Demiurge, 71-72
De Monconys (old map), 84
Dinocrates, architect, 8, 20
Diocletian, Emperor, 46, 146
Dioscurus, Patriarch, 51
Dryden’s “All for Love” 215-216.
Earle, General, 102
Edku, 184-185
Egypt _passim_
Egyptian Government Hospital, 162
El Deraoui, poet, 137
Ennaton Monastery, 50
Ephraim, St., 207
“Era of Martyrs”, 47
Erasistratus, physiologist, 42
Eratosthenes, astronomer, 37, 37, 40, 41
Euclid, mathematician, 37
Farkha Canal, 152, 155
Fay, Mrs. Eliza, visitor, 84
Fayoum, 110, 113, 114, 118, 120
Forts:
Adda, 94, 132
Agame, 6, 171
Kait Bey, 81, 94, 133-140: _see_ Pharos
Kait Bey, Aboukir, 182
Kom-el-Dik 106
Kom-el-Nadoura (Cafarelli), 170
Ramleh, Aboukir, 183
Saba, Aboukir, 182
St. Julien, Rosetta, 188
Tewfikieh, Aboukir, 180
Foxe, John, visitor, 82
Frazer, General, 89, 106
French
_see_ Napoleon
French War Memorial, 156
Furness, R. A., v, 30, 68
Gabbari, 171
Gardens:
Antoniadis, 157
Cromer Park, 154
French, 102
Municipal, 154
Nouzha, 156
Private, 166
Gate of the Moon, 53
Gate of the Sun (Rosetta Gate), 121
Gelal ed Din ben Mokram, poet, vi
Geography, Ptolemaic, 37
Geology of District, 5-6
Gnosticism, 71-72
Gospels:
St. Mark’s, 72
according to the Egyptians, 73, 217
according to the Hebrews, 73, 217
uncertain sources, 217
Grammar, Greek, 34
Greeks _passim_
Hadra, 156
Hadrian, Emperor, 45
Harbours:
Eastern, Ancient “Great Harbour,” 5, 10, 140
Western, Ancient “Eunostos,” 10, 91, 129
Prehistoric, 130-132
Heptastadion, Dyke, 10, 20, 24, 80
Hercules, 26, 98
Heraclius, Emperor, 52-54
Hooker, A. H. 201
Hutchinson, General, 88
Hydrobiologyl, Institute of, 163
Hypatia, philosopher and martyr, 37, 51, 68
Hypsicles, mathematician, 37
Iras, 27, 214
Islam, 53, 77-78
Jennings Bramly, W. E., 194
Jews, 62
Jondet, E., 130
Julian, Emperor, 49
Kait Bey, Sultan, 137-139
Kom es Chogafa Catacombs, 148-151
Lang, Andrew, 32
Library:
“Daughter,” 19, 50, 145, 147
“Mother,” 18, 24
Modern, 107
Literature, Ptolemaic, 29-34
Logos, 63-64
Ludolf, G. H., v
Macarius, St., 201, 208
Mahmoudieh Canal, 91, 151, 171
Marabout Island, 171, 172
Mariout, Lake, 5, 87, 88, 190, 191
Mark St., 45, 81
Maronites, 140
Mathematics, Ptolemaic, 37
McKenna, S. 67
Medicine, Ptolemaic, 37
Menas, St., 46, 195
Menelaus, 7
Mex, 92, 171
Minet-el-Bassal, 170-171
Modern Alexandria, 90-93
Modern Religious Communities, 211-213
Mohammed, 53
Mohammed Ali, 88-93, 102
Monks, 50-51
Monophysism, 51-52, 76-77
Monothelism, 76-77
Montazah, 175
Mosques at Alexandria:
Abou Ali, 125
Abou el Abbas Moursi, 126
Amr, 57, 144
Attarine, 49, 81, 143
Bouseiri, 126
Chorbagi, 124
Ibrahim Pacha, 124
Kait Bey, 139
Prophet Daniel, 81, 104
Sidi Bishr, 166
Sidi Daoud, 126
Sidi Gaber, 165
Terbana, 125
Thousand Columns, 81, 170
Yehia, 166
Mosques at Rosetta:
Abou Mandour, 188
Mohammed el Abbas, 188
Toumaksis, 188
Zagloul, 187
Mouseion, 17, 28-29, 105
Mukankas
_see_ Cyrus
Mummies, 113, 118
Museum, Greco-Roman, 107-121
under Ptolemies: _see_ Mouseion
Mustapha Pacha, 96, 165
Napier, Sir C., 89-90
Napoleon, 86-87, 179-180
Natrun Monasteries, 202-209
Nelson, 86-87, 177-178
Island, 177, 179, 182
Neo-Platonism, 64-68
New Quays, 140
Nicaea, Council of, 48, 106
Nicene Creed, 49, 218
Nicopolis, 44, 165
Nile, 5., 188
Norden, Captain, 82, 84
Nouzha, 156-157
Nubar Pacha, 143, 155
Octavian, Emperor, 25-27, 44
Ophites, 71
Origen, Theologian, 46, 73-74
Osiris, 18
_see_ Temples
Palace, Ptolemaic, 23, 24, 28, 29, 162
Ras-el-Tin, 129
Paneum, 106
Paris and Helen, 176
Patriarchates, 52
Persians, 8, 53
Pharos Island, 6, 24, 80
Lighthouse, 16, 133-140: _see_ Fort Kait Bey
Philo 63, 64, 66
Philosophy under Ptolemies, 36
Jewish, 62
Neo-Platonic, 64-68
Place Mohammed Ali
_see_ Square
Place Said, 154
Place St. Catherine, 142
Plato, 64
Plotinus, 65-68
Plutarch, 214
Pocock, R., visitor, 84
Pompey, 23
“Pillar,” 46, 145-146
“Tomb,” 155
Porphyry, philosopher, 68
Proteus, 7
Pschoi, St., 205
Ptolemies, 11-27
Civilisation under, 16-21, 27-42
Genealogical Tree, 12-13
Ptolemy I, 11
II, 14, 36
III, 15, 185
IV, 21
VII, 21
XIII, 22,
XIV, 23-25
XV, 25
XVI, (Caesarion) 26
Claudius, the astronomer, 39, 40, 41
Ramleh, 87, 92, 166
Ras-el-Tin Peninsula, 6, 80, 129
Palace, 89, 91, 129
Religion:
Alexandrian, 19, 70
Ancient Egyptian, 18, 69
Early Christian, 70-78
Jewish, 62
Mohammedan, 77-78
Modern, 211-213
Rhakotis, 7, 145
Rome, 21-22, 44-45
Rosetta, 185-188
Stone, 185
Rosette, Rue, 104, 107-121
Salt, Henry, consul, 90, 144
Sandys, John, visitor, 82
San Stefano, 166
Scholarship, Ptolemaic, 34-35
Science, Ptolemaic, 36-42
Septuagint, 62
Serapis,, 18, 45, 117
_see_ Temples
Seymour, Admiral, 94-96
Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra,” 214-215
Sidi Gaber, 165
Silsileh, 6, 162, 163
Soma, Street of, 10
Tomb, 19, 105: _see_ Mosque, Prophet Daniel
Sostratus, engineer, 133
Sporting Club, 164
Spouting Rocks, 166
Square (Place, Mohammed Ali), 102
Stanley Bay, 166
Statuettes, Terra Cotta, 118
Stratonice, 28
Synagogue, Chief, 161
Taposiris Magna
_see_ Abousir
Taposiris Parva, 175
Temples:
Aphrodite on Zephyrium, 182
Apollo, 106
Caesareum, 49, 161
Isis Pharia, 126
Isis near Serapeum, 147
Isis on Silsileh, 20
Osiris, Abousir, 192
Petesouchos Fayoum, 114, 120
Poseidon, 136
Serapis, Rhakotis, 146: _see_ Pompey’s Pillar
Serapis, Canopus, 181
Serapis, small, 144
Theatre, Ancient, 20, 24, 162
Modern, 154
Theocritus, XVth Idyll, 31-34
Theon, mathematician, 37, 68
Theonas, St., 46
Theophilus, patriarch, 50
Tombs:
Alexander the Great (Soma) 19, 105
Anfouchi Catacombs, 126-129
Antique, near Antoniadis’ Gardens, 157
Antique, Chatby, 164
Antique (Pompey’s?), 155
Brice, Colonel, 106
Cleopatra, 20
Khedivial Family, 105
Kom es Chogafa Catacombs, 148
Nubar Pacha, 143
Said Mohammed, 143
Salt, Henry, 144
Sidi Abou el Fath, 126
Sidi et Metwalli, 142
Zagloul and Said Hassan, Rosetta, 187
Town-planning, Ancient, 9-11, 16-20
Modern, 90-93
Turkey, 81-82, 179
Turkish Town, 124-126
Valens, Emperor, 49
Valentinus, gnostic, 71-72
Venetians, 81
Victoria College, 166
Wady Natrun, 200-209
Water system, 5, 9-10, 80, 87, 91
Wildflowers, 191
“Wisdom of Solomon,” 62-63
Wolseley, General, 96
Zenodotus, scholar and poet, 34
Zephyrium, promontory, 182
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[Illustration: PLAN OF ALEXANDRIA]
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● Transcriber’s Notes:
○ Missing or obscured punctuation was corrected.
○ Unbalanced quotation marks were left as the author intended.
○ Typographical errors were silently corrected.
○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only
when a predominant form was found in this book.
○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).