MOSQUES, DERVISHES, AND SCHOOLS.--EDUCATION IN EGYPT.
[Illustration: THE MOSQUE OF TOOLOON.]
From the Bab-el-Nasr our friends returned, by the direction of the
guide, through a street that led them past several of the famous mosques
of Cairo. They entered the Mosque of Tooloon, which is the oldest in the
city, and said to be modelled after the Kaaba at Mecca; according to the
historians it was built about A.D. 879, and there are several legends
concerning it. One is that it stands on the spot where Abraham
sacrificed a goat in place of his son, and another puts it on the site
where Noah's ark ran aground, though the general belief of the Moslems
locates the latter event near Moosool, in Syria.
The mosque has been neglected in the latter centuries of its existence,
and at present is not specially inviting. It covers a very large area
(about six hundred square feet), and consists of a series of arcades
running around a court-yard, which has a fountain in the centre. On the
east side there are five rows of these arcades, but on the other three
sides there are only two rows. The west, north, and south sides are
used as lodgings for poor people, and their continual begging renders a
visit the reverse of agreeable. The east side is the holiest part of the
edifice, but at the time our friends went there it was not easy to
discover that it was any more respected than the other sections.
The guide said there were not far from four hundred mosques in Cairo,
and that a good many of them were in ruins, and not likely to be
repaired. The government does not build any new ones, as it has more
practical uses for its money, and the followers of Mohammed seem to be
growing more and more indifferent to religious observances every year.
The Moslem Sabbath is on Friday; the mosques are tolerably filled on
that day, but during the rest of the week the attendance is very light.
Formerly it was difficult or even dangerous to enter some of the
mosques, but at present the whole matter can be arranged on payment of a
backsheesh. Once in a while a fanatic insults a stranger, but he is
generally suppressed immediately by his friends.
[Illustration: MIHRAB, PULPIT, AND CANDLESTICK IN A MOSQUE.]
Frank and Fred found that the general plan of the mosques was the same,
and the difference was mainly in the outer walls and the style of
architecture. In every mosque there is a _mihrab_, or alcove, usually
opposite the entrance, and this mihrab points toward Mecca, so that the
faithful may know how to direct their faces when saying their prayers.
Near the alcove is a pulpit with a steep flight of steps ascending to
it, and over the pulpit there is generally a column, like the spire of a
church in miniature. On each side of the alcove is an enormous
candlestick, and there is generally a frame with swinging lamps, not
more than eight or ten feet from the floor. There are many of these
lamps, and also a great many ostrich eggs, and altogether they present a
curious effect.
There is very little interior decoration in the mosque, as the religion
of Mohammed forbids its believers to make a representation of anything
that has life. It was formerly very difficult to induce a Moslem to
allow his portrait to be made. The writer of this book once sought in
vain to induce a wild native of Central Asia to sit for his photograph,
the reason being that the man feared the portrait might get to Paradise
ahead of him, and prevent his own admission within the gates. The more
intelligent of the Moslems pay no heed to this superstition, but the
decorators of the mosques adhere to it most carefully, consequently all
the ornamentation of the walls consists of scroll-work or of sentences
from the Koran.[3]
[3] It is said that this injunction was made by Mohammed in order to
prevent his converts lapsing again into the idolatry from which he had
converted them. He enjoined them against making a representation of any
living thing, as they might be confronted with it at the Day of
Judgment, and required, under penalty of perpetual banishment from
Paradise, to endow it with life.
From the Mosque of Tooloon our friends went to the Mosque of Sultan
Hassan, which is considered the finest in the city. It was built of
stone taken from the pyramids of Gizeh, and was begun in the year 1356.
According to the traditions it occupied three years in building, and was
considered so fine that the Sultan ordered the hands of the architect to
be cut off, in order that he should not be able to construct another
equal to it. The story is of doubtful authenticity, and has been told in
various ways, and concerning other buildings in many parts of the world.
Whether it be true or not, the building is certainly a fine one, and has
been greatly admired during all the centuries that it has been in
existence. One of its minarets is the tallest in Cairo, and probably in
all the lands where the Moslem religion prevails. It is two hundred and
eighty feet high, and from its top there is a fine view of Cairo, but,
unfortunately, it is considered unsafe, and no one is allowed to ascend
it.
By the time they had finished with the Mosque of Sultan Hassan our
friends were weary, and glad to return to the hotel. The next day was
Friday, the Moslem Sunday, and at the suggestion of the Doctor they went
to see the whirling dervishes, who perform only on that day. We will let
the boys tell the story of their visit to these singular people.
"The dervishes are religious devotees corresponding to the monks of the
Catholic Church, whom they resemble in some of their practices. They are
supposed to be wholly occupied with religious matters, and there are
several branches or orders of them, who are distinguished by their
dress. They have property set apart for their use, and some of the
societies are very wealthy; the most numerous, and at the same time the
richest, are the Mevlevies, who can be recognized by their tall caps of
gray felt, with jackets and robes of the same color. The lower part of
the robe is like a lady's skirt, as it is made in folds, and will spread
out into a large circle when the wearer whirls rapidly. They are the
most respectable of all the orders of dervishes, and some of them are
men of education and former high position.
[Illustration: A BEGGING DERVISH.]
"There are many independent dervishes who are simply religious beggars,
belonging to no sect or order: they go around soliciting charity, or sit
at the street corners or in public places, dressed in a way to attract
attention. We passed one yesterday who had the saw of a saw-fish in one
hand and an instrument resembling a child's rattle in the other; a
cocoa-nut shell hung on his breast, to hold the donations of the
charitable, and he sat on a box that resembled a rude bird-cage. He was
extremely dirty in appearance, his legs were bare, and his hair was long
and uncombed; he stared at us, and shouted something we did not
understand, and when we passed by without giving him anything, he shook
his rattle in an angry way. The guide says these men often go into the
houses of rich people, and the latter are afraid to turn them out
because of their so-called holy character. They are the most impudent
beggars you can find anywhere, and many of them are said to be thieves
and murderers, who disguise their true character under the cloak of
religion.
"We went to see the Mevlevies, and on the way to their temple the Doctor
told us that the whirling was a part of their religious observance, like
the dancing of the Shakers in America, and the practices of other sects,
whose fervor is often followed by insensibility. The dizziness that
results from whirling is considered a state of religious devotion, and
the most suited to the contemplation of heavenly things, and hence
their efforts to throw themselves into this ecstatic condition.
[Illustration: A WHIRLING DERVISH.]
"When we entered their mosque we removed our shoes, or rather exchanged
them for the slippers we had brought along, as we knew beforehand that
we would need them. The building was circular, with a railed space in
the centre; outside of the rail the floor was covered with matting, but
inside it was polished like the floor of a dancing-hall.
"Some of the dervishes were already seated in the ring when we entered,
and others came in soon after. When all was ready the sheik or chief of
the party rose and stood in the centre of the floor; the others bowed to
him one after another, and then stood near the railing, with their arms
folded and their heads bent slightly forward. All were barefoot, having
left their shoes at the door.
"Half a dozen dervishes were in a little balcony overlooking the floor,
and when the chief gave the signal that all was ready three of them
began to play upon flutes, such as we have already described, and three
upon tambourines. Then the dervishes on the floor began to whirl; the
music, at first slow, soon quickened, and the dancers or whirlers
quickened their movements with it.
"Before getting into motion each man extended his arms, holding the palm
of the right hand upward while he turned down that of the left. We asked
the reason of this peculiar position of the hands, but the guide could
not tell us. He simply said that they always did so, and he did not know
why.
[Illustration: PERFORMANCE OF THE WHIRLING DERVISHES.]
"As they whirled, their skirts spread out so that they resembled wheels,
or rather cones four or five feet in diameter. They kept their hands
always in the same position, and as they whirled they moved slowly
around the floor; it was a wonder that they didn't run against each
other, but they didn't. The music went on, and so did the dancers, and
they kept up their whirl for half an hour or more. We looked for some of
them to fall down; but they were accustomed to this kind of work, and
wouldn't oblige us. Nobody fell; and finally, at a signal from their
sheik, one after another stopped, made a low bow to him, and retired to
the edge of the circle. We had seen enough, and so came away.
[Illustration: A WHIRLER IN FULL ACTION.]
"Another day we went to see a sect called the howling dervishes; they
are much like the Mevlevies, except that they howl instead of whirl.
They sat on the floor in a circle, and began to pronounce the names of
Deity ninety times each, and as there are ninety-nine different names
for God in the Arabic language, you can readily see that there were a
great many words altogether. They bow each time they pronounce a word,
and very soon after commencing they rose to their feet, joined hands
together, and became greatly excited. They bent their bodies nearly
double at every utterance, their turbans fell off, their hair flew
wildly about, they stripped off their upper garments, perspired freely,
and some of them, after a time, actually frothed at the mouth like mad
dogs. We did not stay to see the end of the performance, but were told
that it continued till the fanatics were exhausted, and one after
another fell insensible to the floor.
"Let us turn to something more agreeable.
"Frequently while going around the city we have passed near
school-rooms, where boys were studying their lessons under direction of
their teachers, and once we went inside and saw a school in operation.
It reminded us of the one we saw at Allahabad, in India,[4] as the boys
were seated on the floor in front of their teacher, and were studying
their lessons aloud. Each boy had a wooden tablet like a large slate,
with some sentences on it in Arabic, which he was to commit to memory.
They rock back and forward as they study, as the motion is thought to
assist the memory. When a dozen boys are repeating their lessons all at
once you can imagine what a din they keep up. The sentences they learn
are from the Koran, and as soon as they can repeat the first chapter of
the sacred book they learn the last but one, and then the one preceding;
the second chapter of the book is the one learned last of all, and when
they can repeat the whole of the Koran their education is considered
complete, unless they are intended for occupations where they must know
how to write. For instruction in writing they go to another school, or
have special teachers at home. The teacher receives a small sum of money
from the parents of each boy at the end of every week, and the room
where he keeps his school is generally the property of a mosque, and
costs nothing for rent.
[4] "The Boy Travellers in Ceylon and India," pp. 447, 448.
"Mr. Lane tells of a teacher who could not read or write, but managed to
keep a school for some years without being found out. He could repeat
the Koran from memory, and under pretence that his eyes were weak he
used to have the lessons written by the head boy or monitor. When people
brought letters for him to read he made the same excuse, or gave some
other reason for avoiding an exposure of his ignorance.
[Illustration: ARABIC WRITING, WITH IMPRESSION OF A SEAL.]
"Doctor Bronson says girls are rarely taught to read, except among the
wealthy inhabitants, and not always even them. One of us asked him if
there were no schools at all for girls.
"'Yes,' he answered, 'but there are not many, and it is only within a
few years that they have been established. One of the wives of Ismail
Pacha took hold of the matter, and opened a school in an unoccupied
palace of the Khedive. Invitations were given for parents to send their
daughters to be educated, but for three weeks not a pupil came.
Gradually the prejudice was overcome, and in a few months there were
three hundred pupils hard at work, while a great many who wished to come
were unable to obtain admission for want of room. There are now several
schools for girls in Cairo, and there is hardly a large town in Egypt
without one or more.'
"We next asked what was taught in the schools for girls.
"'More than half the time,' said the Doctor, 'is devoted to instruction
in household duties, embroidery, and plain sewing, so that the girls can
become intelligent servants or wives. Then they are taught to read and
sometimes to write, and if they show any marked aptitude for music,
there are music-teachers for their special benefit. It was the idea of
Ismail Pacha that the best way to improve the condition of his people
was to make them intelligent, and to begin the work with the girls who
are to be the mothers of the next generation of Egyptians.
"'It was also his idea that the abolition of slavery would be hastened
by training a class of household servants to take the places of the
slaves. The indications thus far are that his idea was an excellent one,
and the education of the girls of the working-classes of the people will
go far in the right direction.
[Illustration: SCENE IN A PRIMARY SCHOOL.]
"'The Khedive also did much toward giving Egypt a system of public
schools like those of Europe and America. He appointed two Europeans to
superintend the matter, and gave large sums of money for establishing
schools that could be free to all, in addition to the primary schools
already described. Foreign teachers were employed, together with the
most intelligent native ones that could be found, and the system has
already made great progress. The course in the lower schools covers four
years of study, and after that the pupils may enter one of the higher
schools and study medicine, engineering, surveying, law, mechanical
construction, and the like. Those who can pay for their instruction may
do so, but any pupil can enter whether he has money or not. Those who do
not pay are liable to be called into the government service, and many of
them are assigned to teach in the lower schools.
"'The American and English missionaries have schools in various parts of
Egypt, and have done a great deal toward the cause of education. For a
long time they labored under many disadvantages; but of late years the
government has recognized the importance of their services, and made
large donations in lands and money for their schools. Miss Whately, the
daughter of Archbishop Whately, has a school here in Cairo, which she
has established by her own exertions, for the purpose of educating the
girls of the lower classes; she devotes her entire time to this work of
charity, and I am happy to say that she is fully appreciated by the
native as well as the foreign population. It is quite possible that the
example of this self-sacrificing woman led the wife of the Khedive to
establish the schools already mentioned.
[Illustration: INSTRUCTION AT HOME.]
"'Probably the largest school in Egypt,' the Doctor continued, 'is the
religious one attached to the Mosque El-Azhar. The building is of no
great consequence as a work of architecture, as it consists of a series
of porticos of different periods of construction; but it has long been
celebrated as a university for Moslem instruction, and has had an
uninterrupted career of more than eight hundred years.
"'It is not only the largest school in Egypt, but probably the largest
in the world, as it has more than ten thousand students.'
[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE EL-AZHAR.]
"Ten thousand students in one school?
"Yes, ten thousand students; the last year for which I have seen the
figures there were ten thousand seven hundred and eighty students, and
three hundred and twenty-one professors. The students are from all parts
of the world where the religion of Mohammed prevails; but naturally the
great majority of them are from Egypt. They remain from three to six
years at the university, and pay no fees for instruction. The professors
have no salaries, but depend upon presents from the pupils who can
afford to make them, and upon what they can earn by private teaching,
writing letters, and similar work. The poor pupils support themselves in
the same way. Many of them sleep in the mosque, and the building has an
apartment set aside for students from each country or province of Egypt.
There is a library for the use of students in each of these apartments,
and the university formerly had a large revenue, but it was taken away
by Mohammed Ali, and has never been restored.
"'The instruction in the university is mostly religious. When his
religious course is ended the student is instructed in law, which is
always based on the Koran; after that he devotes some attention to
poetry, and, if any time remains, he may learn something of geometry,
arithmetic, and other miscellaneous knowledge. Many of the students stay
in Cairo, to become professors in the El-Azhar or other schools; but
those from foreign lands generally return home when their course of
study is over, in order to give their own people the advantages of the
superior wisdom they have acquired.'"
[Illustration: PROFESSORS OF THE EL-AZHAR.]