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2012 with funding from

Library,

The Getty Research

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LIST OF SUBJECTS. Vol. V.

169 170

FRONT ELEVATION OF THE GREAT TEMPLE OF ABOO-SIMBEL — Frontispiece. GREAT GATEWAY LEADING TO THE TEMPLE OF KARNAK, THEBES— Title Vignette.

171

172 173 174 175

176 177 178

GROUP OF NUBIANS AT WADY KARDASSY. FRAGMENT OF THE GREAT COLOSSUS AT THE MEMNONIUM, THEBES. FORTRESS OF IBRIM, NUBIA. APPROACH TO THE FORTRESS OF IBRIM. COLOSSI AT WADY SABOUA. RUINS OF THE MEMNONIUM, THEBES. PERSIAN WATER-WHEEL USED FOR IRRIGATION IN NUBIA. A GROUP AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE TEMPLE OF AMUN AT GOORNA, THEBES.

179

180 181

182 183

184 185

186 187

188 189

190 191

192

193 194 195 196

THE ISLAND OF PHIL.E BY SUNSET. HADJAR SILSILIS, OR THE ROCK OF THE CHAIN. PART OF THE HALL OF COLUMNS AT KARNAK, SEEN FROM WITHOUT. VIEW LOOKING ACROSS THE HALL OF COLUMNS, KARNAK. PART OF THE RUINS OF A TEMPLE ON THE ISLAND OF BIGGE, NUBIA. DROMOS, OR FIRST COURT OF THE TEMPLE OF KARNAK. RUINS OF THE TEMPLE OF MADAMOUD, NEAR THEBES. RUINS OF A CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN THE GRAND COURT OF THE TEMPLE OF MEDINET ABOU. TEMPLE OF AMADA, AT HASSALA, NUBIA. MEDINET ABOU, THEBES. TEMPLE OF DANDOUR, NUBIA THE HYP.ETHRAL TEMPLE AT PHIL.E. TEMPLE OF ISIS ON THE ROOF OF THE GREAT TEMPLE OF DENDERA. PYRAMIDS OF GEEZEH. LATERAL VIEW OF THE TEMPLE CALLED THE TYPHONjEUM, AT DENDERA. VIEW FROM UNDER THE PORTICO OF THE GREAT TEMPLE OF DENDERA. TEMPLE OF WADY KARDASSY, NUBIA. ASOUAN AND THE ISLAND OF ELEPHANTINE.

211

OBELISK OF ON. OBLIQUE VIEW OF THE HALL OF COLUMNS, KARNAK. TEMPLE OF WADY DABOD, NUBIA. GENERAL VIEW OF KARNAK, LOOKING TOWARDS BABAN-EL-MOLOOK. VIEW FROM UNDER THE PORTICO OF DAYR-EL-MEDEENEH, THEBES. ENTRANCE TO THE TOMBS OF THE KINGS, BABAN-EL-MOLOOK. THE TEMPLES OF ABOO-SIMBEL, FROM THE NILE. THE COLOSSAL STATUES IN THE PLAIN OF THEBES, SEEN DURING THE INUNDATION OF THE NILE. SCENE ON THE NILE NEAR WADY DABOD, AVITH CROCODILES. GRAND ENTRANCE TO THE TEMPLE OF LUXOR. GENERAL VIEW OF KALABSHE, FORMERLY TALMIS, NUBIA. FACADE OF THE PRONAOS OF THE TEMPLE OF EDFOU. RUINS OF ERMENT, ANCIENT HERMONTIS, UPPER EGYPT. KOM-OMBO. ISLAND OF PHIL.E, LOOKING DOWN THE NILE.

212

MAP OF THE VALLEY OF THE

197 198

199

200 201

202 203

204 205

206 207 208 209

210

NILE.

;

;

FRONT ELEVATION OF THE GREAT TEMPLE OF ABOO-SIMBEL. FRONTISPIECE TO VOL.

V.

view of the facade of the Great Temple of Aboo-Simbel has been

This additional

chosen by Mr. Roberts in further illustration of the subject. Descriptions, as far as the limit of our parts and aspects of this stupendous as

well

interior

its

been fortunate enough

Warburton,

character.

Temple of

Osiris,

visit

to

are

are about

and then four

on thrones, which

seated

;

sand to the waist;

On

entering,

climate and

its

besides which

feet

in

:

height

access

first

facade to

its

— " Here,

is

Along the summit runs a

reliefs.

to

the

with

form,

seem

that

themselves,

to

part

its

at

the

hewn from

the

monkeys,

frieze of

guard the of the

quite perfect, admirably cut,

is

the second

is

defaced as far as the knee

The doorway

traveller

it

was hermetically sealed by the Desert it,

buried

is

above the

Belzoni penetrated

a few

from injury;

for thousands of years,

and Mr.

it,

details

work The dry

days'

three thousand years ago.

left

extreme solitude have preserved the most delicate

Burckhardt discovered

visible

stands between the two central statues."

was

it

and

rock,

the third

;

himself in a Temple which

finds

the state in which

They

portal.

living

and the proportions

and the fourth has only the face and neck

Desert's sandy avalanche.

might restore

of

wonderful Temple upon travellers who have

colossal giants,

One

high.

sixty feet

accurately preserved in

exposure

of a part

than succeed a line of hieroglyphics and some faintly-carved figures,

long array;

also in relief;

this

by Burckhardt, the

has been, without exception, of the same impressive

it

mountain, smooth, except for the in

further

existence

of about one hundred

space

a

its

" The Crescent and the Cross," says

in

the living rock

excavation and sculpture from

as of the original discovery of

by Belzoni, and the base by Mr. Hay. The effect of to

have been given of the various

text allows,

Hay

cleared

away

until

the pro-

tecting sands.

A

vast

receives

and gloomy

hall,

such as Eblis might have given Vathek audience

you, in passing from the flaming sunshine into that shadowy portal.

some time before the eye can ascertain but gradually there reveals

itself,

its

dimensions, through the

around and above you, a vast

formed of eight colossal giants, upon

whom

the

These images of Osiris are backed by enormous galleries,

light

pillars,

and in these torchlight alone enabled us

in relief, representing

the triumphs of

Remeses

II.

to

It

in, is

imposing gloom aisle

with pillars

of heaven has never

shone.

behind which run two great peruse a series of sculptures

or Sesostris.

The

painting which

once enhanced the effect of these spirited representations

away; where

all

one hundred feet in length, and from

is

sculptured, open

the

to

right and

on

Straight

left.

a second hall, of similar height, supported by is

not dimmed, but crumbled

exists, the colours are as vivid as ever.

This unequalled hall

into all

it

is

is

a

it

eight lesser chambers,

low doorway, opening

four square pillars

;

and within

the adytum, wherein stands a simple altar of the living rock, in front of four

The

larce figures seated on rocky thrones.

yards

into

awful

idols,

the

rock

;

and here,

the

in

with their mysterious altar of

and imposing.

They seemed

to

sit

inner shrine

silent

depths

human

there

is

at least

sacrifice,

one hundred

mountain, these

looked very pre-Adamitic

waiting for some great

should awaken and reanimate these " kings of the earth

own house." The Temples of Ipsamboul both

hewn

of that great

who

lie

summons which

in glory, every one

in his

is

date from the time of Remeses

II. ,

deeply indebted to the stony chronicles which the chisel wrote therein.

whose history

GRAND GATEWAY LEADING TO THE TEMPLE OF KARNAK, THEBES. TITLE VIGNETTE TO VOL. stupendous gateway, which

This

and without,

is

is

known

the whole of the sacred buildings

inclosure feet,

traced.

their

of Sphinxes which extended from

What must this

At

Luxor

to

this

was a wall of sunburnt bricks,

it

well

as

as

brilliancy

gate terminated the grand avenue

Karnak, a distance of four

miles.

have been the impression given by the glories of these temples on

when Thebes was in who have contemplated the ruins.

sacred inclosure

imagined, by those

been the

;

one of two in that wall by which the

is

sculptured decorations

of colour, most striking and impressive.

entering

grand inclosure that surrounded

they are of immense height, from seventy to eighty

;

from the richness of

are,

Karnak

as

Tliis vast gate

was formerly entered

and

covered with the most elaborate sculpture within

situated on the western side of the

which may yet be

V.

effect of the

temples

by which

paintings

;

it

Great Temple

was

itself :

surrounded;

How

vast extent

its

the

greatness

its

;

It

!

the beauties of the smaller

enrichments,

elaborate,

can only be

overwhelming must have

decorations,

and

the sacred character too of the edifices thus enclosed in the midst of the

vast city of Thebes, whose antiquity in historical associations,

— these

is

concealed in impenetrable remoteness, yet rich

by the mightiest

temples, raised

abode of the most wise and profound of those

of her Pharaohs, the

who "were cunning

in all the learning

of the Egyptians."

Directly facing the dromos

is

a propylon, which led by a lateral entrance to the

Great Hall of Cohunns, beyond which, on the

"blue serene."

which

is

right, the vast Obelisks

Within the gateway of our view

recorded, in the language

is

a

still

point to the

smaller gate, on the side of

and character of the Egyptians, the taking

Jerusalem by Shishak, king of Egypt, during

the

reign

of

of

Rehoboam, the son of

Solomon. This view, which

is

taken from the line of ruined Sphinxes in the foreground of

the colossal gateway, and at right angles with the great

Temple, presents

its

lateral

appearance, throughout the entire length, from the great propylon to the Obelisks, and offers

one of the most impressive views of the ruins of Karnak.

GROUP OF NUBIANS AT WADY KARDASSY. This group stood Kardassy.

each

to

be sketched at the request of Mr.

his fancy disposing of

to

They

most elegant.

as

it

he

feels

it

be most convenient, or thinks

to

The

elbow.

target and the long swords,

left

arms immediately above the

which some of them bore, are not so generally

used in Nubia as in Dongola and Abyssinia, where they are made expressly to tempt our Artist to

and the all

target,

it

are seldom unarmed, and their weapons are a spear and a small

or dagger, which they wear attached to their

knife,

Roberts whilst he was at

Their dress generally consists of a loose cotton sheet wrapped round them,

which

buy them.

ball-proof,

is

wear charmed bands around

is

their

The sword

made

is

they were brought

;

of very rude workmanship,

of the hide of the rhinoceros.

The Nubians

arms or necks, which they readily dispose

of,

or anything else that they possess, to a purchaser.

There

is

a peculiar head-dress often

like that of the

women, among

worn by

of their hair has the appearance of a cap, for

the head, but

left

of an inverted

from

thick and matted below the

wooden bowl.

the

the ancient Egyptians.

The

turban,

it

tie,

is

men, which has no prototype, This remarkable

tied in a large

tuft

tie

and trim

on the top of

and trimmed round with the precision

worn only by a few, was probably adopted

their conquerors, the Arabs.

In

all

Mr.

Roberts's

generous, and confiding

;

intercourse

with these wild people, he found them brave,

and those among

there act as servants, are relied upon

as

the

them,

most

the valley of the Nile. Roberts's Journal.

who

choose to go to

faithful

that

Cairo

and

can be obtained in

.

2*4i •

i' ;

-

& =

nqgnram^/j

FRAGMENT OF THE GREAT COLOSSUS AT THE MEMNONIUM, THEBES. what

It has been found impossible to reconcile

the

enormous statues of

questionably,

Damy

and Shamy, the northernmost of which

of Strabo,

or placed like

the

a

were as he

a

great

building

the

propylon of Luxor,

this

What,

be traced, which will bear out the statement of Strabo.

now

consider

it

called the

Memnonium

Some profound

?

tomb of Osymandyas.

the

as

of

which Mr. Birch, whilst he adopts

it,

It

says

is

has

investigators

then,

by Hecatasus

the this

the

have agreed

famous tomb, or

else

tomb of Osymandyas, and by more recent

modelled upon

But

it.

to

a hybrid Greek term for the Egyptian

There are many reasons, he adds,

Memnonium.

the

is

been called the Ramseion,

also

Ei-en Ramos, or abode of Ramses, and has been applied to a magnificent buildings called

which

Various remains are found, and the plan of a vast structure

part.

building

Temple

well as the

since his time, as

un-

is,

called

in

states

the

before

statues

must have been destroyed

formed

may

Memnon

the

Memnonium, structure it

Memnonium.

the ancients of the form, character, and exact locale of the famous

given by If

Temple with the account

exists of this

for

believing

others look

upon

to

it it

pile

of

writers

be either

as the palace,

or palace-temple, of Remeses III., or Sesostris (antiquaries have not yet settled whether

Remeses

II.

or III.

is

the Sesostris of the Greeks), the greatest of Egyptian monarchs,

whose monuments decorated Egypt and Asia from the rock-temples of Aboo-Simbel to the tablets

The

hewn

in the

great propylon

rock near the road between Ephesus and Sardis.

of this

Temple

is

in

remains of the records of the victories of Sesostris;

view

Pharaohs

were

typical

to place

of

Osiris,

though

and

The

probably not inferior to the Temple of Karnak. this

lower part only has some

the

ruins,

little

of Remeses

portraits

then own resemblances on the figures of

of what was,

exists

on the columns in

figures

—a

practice

of the

This fragment of

their gods.

the Temple, with a portion of a lateral corridor of circidar columns, with capitals of the budding lotus,

is

a beautiful and picturesque object.

The fragment of a statue Memnonium. Hecataeus says

of

Remeses

that

it

II.

was the

is,

however, the great wonder of the

largest in Egypt.

It

was formed of

one stupendous mass of syenite, or granite, from the quarries near Assouan, or Syene,

and represented the king seated on a throne, with Its

his

and four

ten inches

feet

elbow twelve

feet

in

The

breadth.

If

his knees.

ten inches, twenty-two

feet

measures from the shoulder

figure

four

inches

fourteen feet four inches from the neck. to the elbow.

and the

hands resting on

judging from the fragments, must have been nearly eleven feet in length

foot,

colossal fragments

it

be a matter of surprise

of such dimensions, the

Had gunpowder that they

He scattered round the

knew

how

it

the

across

has

shoulders,

and

now been overthrown,

pedestal.

the Egyptians could transport and erect a mass

means employed

been known

It

to

to

destroy

it

are scarcely less extraordinary.

might easily have been effected

:

it

the force of gun-cotton, which would have been even

is

as probable

more

efficacious.

The throne and

legs

back upon the ground,

is

reduced to small fragments, but the upper part, thrown

lies

still

and

probably

it

if

would have begun

probable that the destroyers

No wedge-

fell.

such means had been used, places

top, in

the

at

of less

but here the force of disruption was applied in the middle or lower part

resistance;

we were The

of the figure, and, though

ignorant of the means, there

an explosive force was used.

work

which

in the position in

indications of slow destruction appear;

marks or it

are

of the Arabs,

who

is

doubt that

little

on the head and in the pedestal are the

figure

Its destruction

cut out the pieces for millstones.

was, perhaps,

coeval with the time of the Persians.

No

idea can be conveyed of

gigantic

its

nearly three times the solid contents

size,

of the

probably exceeded, when entire,

it

great

Karnak, and weighed

at

obelisk

nearly nine hundred tons.

Wilkinson's Egypt and Thebes.

Birch's Historical Notices.

FORTRESS OF IBRIM, NUBIA. This

Vignette

defences

;

the

represents

but

few

contains

it

and Roman, of a

late

from a nearer point of view, and admirably

fortress

which

bold headland,

the

exhibits

crested

is

relics

of antiquity, and those

date and in bad style:

projecting slab intended for the globe and asp»;

of

Roman

date.

A

with the ruins of walls,

block used in building

who

Tirhaka, an Ethiopian king,

the

a

III.,

and of

Amunoph

III.,

statues in high relief at the

now El

as

and the sun are the only things that appear

is

is

obtained

from the

Lower

Wady

Egypt

Haifa, that he

Thothmes

I.

of the eighteenth dynasty, with

brings

may

a

to

move its

an arid desert;

traveller

be enabled

an abode than

From

river.

only over desolate mountains and

from

II.,

In

Berkel.

upper end.

Nothing can be imagined more lonely except what

column

outward wall bears the name of

ruled in his capital of Naputa,

and of Remeses

and

cornice

capital of a Corinthian

the rock below Ibrim are some small painted grottoes, bearing the names of

and

and

mixture of Egyptian

a

a stone building, with

and the

towers,

there

this

fortress

and there

;

elevated

situation

report

is

Nile

no water

the

look-out

sometimes, but rarely, a boat

from a far distant country on to

— the

his

way

to

on his return that he had visited

When the banks of the Nile were more thickly inhabited, frequent intercourse more took place with Ethiopia and Abyssinia, Ibrim was and

both cataracts of the Nile.

a place of some importance

:

traces of habitations

necropolis, are evidence of a population fortress.

beyond the

more proportionate

walls,

and of an extensive

to its situation as a frontier

-

;

APPROACH TO THE FORTRESS OF " This

Moslems, which

Mr. Roberts, " approaches more

says

fortress,"

hewn

with square towers of

We

height

look-out is

above the river

did not

Egypt under

of

three hundred feet,

and

—a

its

It

which Petronius, the

station

Augustus, occupied and garrisoned after he had made a

expedition against the

successful

to

condition,

over the arid sands of the desert and naked and desolate mountains.

is

supposed to be the Primis Parva of the ancients

Prefect

at intervals

The whole is now in a ruined see a human being near it."

from two hundred

is

Ronda, and flanked

like that of

or squared stone.

and, I believe, totally deserted. Its

in appearance to those of the

have seen in Spain, both in situation and in regularity of form.

I

on the very brink of a precipice

It is built

IBRIM.

Queen

Ethiopians,

of the

The Romans,

Candace.

however, never attempted to pursue their conquests farther to the south on the Nile. Candace, knowing that the Arabia,

Roman

Legions had been sent from

advantage of their absence and marched

took

Assouan, and destroyed the garrisons of Elephantina and

an

Thebaid into

the

army upon Syene, now

To revenge

Phila?.

this insult,

army

Petronius not only repulsed them, but, with Ids disciplined troops, pursued the of Candace

her dominions, and drove them beyond her capital, Naputa, to take

into

refuge in the deep recesses of her country.

On

his return

Primis, to keep the Ethiopians in check;

this

was not long continued: the defeat

but

which they had received from the Romans was a lesson not

Pacha

He to

place

was

is

now

its

great

efforts.

its

relief

was not many years

since

Ibrahim

he maintained

it

several

months against

Memlook was

Mr. Roberts has

their

were reduced

came from Lower Egypt, the Memlooks

to

fled,

utmost severe

entered

sovereign, and established there the residue of a military power,

which scarcely ever had a

parallel

Before or after the siege of Ibrim

history.

in

sacrificed to the cruel

but necessary policy of Mehemet Ali.

in this scene introduced the boat of the Nile, to

which the boatmen reef the large

by ascending the yard.

sail

about to put up for the night, a stake secured.

and, at

;

so remote.

by the Memlooks, whom he had driven out of Egypt. when they endeavoured to cut him off, but, owing

strength,

length

Dongola, murdered

nearly every

it

besiegers intercepted their provisions, and they

At

easily forgotten

his position there,

natural

The

privations.

deserted and in ruins, though

besieged there

had taken up

a strong force at

left

was abandoned, and they withdrew from a garrison

length, the station

The

he

is

the current, unless the wind against

sails

The boat it

is

When

the boat

driven into the ground, by which

In descending the river these huge

forming an awning across the decks.

show the manner

fresh

are lowered

itself is

enough

allowed

to

to require that

AVilkinson's

is is

and slung midships, float it

down with

be tracked or

rowed. Roberts's Journal.

it

in

Egypt and Thebes.

COLOSSI AT

WADY

SABOUA.

Immediately in front of the propylon originally stood two

were

at the

fine colossal figures

end of the avenue of Sphinxes, while two others stood

at the

:

these

commencement

of

Each bore in his left hand a symbolical staff, surmounted with a ram's head and disk. The hair on each of the Colossi is arranged in the Nubian or Berber fashion, bound with a fillet, in front of which is the asp. The dress around the loins the dromos.

is

gathered in front, unlike that which

periods. to

Both of these

show the symmetry

five feet

statues

is

usually observed in the Ptolemaic, or lower

fallen,

but our Artist has placed one standing,

Each statue is fourteen feet in height, and about The Sphinxes of the avenue have the head of Osiris ram, which monstrous emblem is more frequently employed to of

its

form.

across the shoulders.

instead of that of the

have

represent intellectual power.

RUINS OF THE MEMNONIUM, THEBES. The is,

palace and temple of

Remeses

however, reason to believe that

it

II.

is

Memnonium.

erroneously called the

was the Memnonium of Strabo, and

There

that the

title

Miamum, or Mai-Amun, attached to the name of Remeses II., being corrupted by the Romans into Memnon, became the origin of the word Memnonium, or Memnonia, since we find it again applied to the buildings at Abydus, which were finished by of

A

the same monarch.

remarkable circumstance connected with the name

and other monuments

that this

so called

had been

For symmetry of architecture and elegance of sculpture there

may

these ruins

any other monument of Egyptian

art.

is

No

Ethiopians.

no doubt that

traces are visible

dromos that probably existed before the pyramidal towers, which form the

of the

facade to

hypaethral area

first

its

exceeded

feet

vie with

the belief

is

by the

built or finished

by

length

its

—a

court whose breadth of one hundred and eighty

avenue of columns on either

forty feet; but a double

extended from the towers to the second entrance, which was made by a

On

steps.

area

about one hundred and forty feet by one hundred and seventy

is

having on the south and north sides a row of Osiride

other

the

by two

centre,

flight

lateral

the

corridors

others

lateral,

lead

to

thrones being cut to side of the

central

fit

is

of a lion or the statue of a

connected with each

flights

the end corridor of this II.

of steps, one in

court:

statue

king:

thence three entrances open into the grand hall,

and between

;

columns of the central avenue, a pedestal supported on either side another

Twelve massive columns form a double

of the king.

of this hall, as at

Kamak, and To

on an azure ground.

and thirty-three

along the centre

line

eighteen of smaller dimensions, to the right and

complete the total of the forty-eight which supported

its

solid roof,

the hall, which measures one hundred feet

by one hundred

succeeded three central and six lateral chambers, indicating by

feet,

of the nine central apartments

and measures about

left,

studded with stars

a small flight of steps the gradual ascent of the rock on which the edifice

Only two

centre

a limestone pedestal, which probably supported the figure

each strengthened and beautified by a sculptured doorway of black granite first

the

seated, the bases of the

Behind these columns, and on either

the talus of the ascent.

door,

pillars,

Three

of circular columns.

has on each side a black granite statue of Remeses

the two

of

one side of these was the great Colossus of the Memnonium.

The second feet,

side

flight

thirty feet

by

now

remain, each

fifty-five feet

;

is

is

constructed.

supported by four columns,

but the vestiges of their walls and

the appearance of the rock, which has been levelled to form an area round the exterior

of the building, point out their original extent.

The

than the architectural

more from the hand of the destroyer;

details,

have suffered

still

sculptures,

and of the many curious battle-scenes which adorned

These paintings are among the most interesting

relics

its

in

much more

walls four only

interesting

now

remain.

Egypt, and they are fully

described in

Gardner Wilkinson's most valuable

Sir

Work

on Modern Egypt and

Thebes.

The

scene represented

desolate

by Mr. Roberts enables the observer

order of the successive parts of this

A

drawn from Wilkinson's Work. between the figures seen on the present ruins

to

trace the

once splendid structure, in the above account

connexion, there cannot be a doubt, once existed

Memnon and

the vocal

left,

his

companion, and the

Memnonium-Ramseion, or tomb of Osymandyas, by whichever

of the

name it is acknowledged. Vast masses have disappeared altogether between Damy and Shamy and the ruined propylon. The drawing shows the whole range of country to the base of the Libyan chain. Wilkinson's Egypt and Thebes.

PERSIAN WATER-WHEEL, USED FOR IRRIGATION IN NUBIA. This clumsy apparatus

is

supposed

have been introduced

to

Persian invasion by the followers of Cambyses. the Pharaohs of is

any

aid to irrigation

more

The ignorance

into

Egypt

after

the

of the Egyptians under

effective or less laborious than the shadoof,

not more remarkable than the continuance of the latter means to the present time,

except in Nubia, and on

borders.

its

The Persian water-wheel

endless

rope or chain to which jars

are attached, which, passing over a wheel, are inverted

and made to discharge the

of a long

consists

water with which the ascending jars are as the cultivator requires or it

can obtain.

a trough, at as great an elevation

filled into

Motion

is

given to

this

wheel by bullocks;

has not yet occurred to the Nubians to use the waters of the Nile as the motive

power

for raising their supply,

which

apparatus, however, as that used in

and called a norria;

When

the Nile

are the pride of the these

done in the European

low, says Wilkinson, the land

Nubian peasant;

clumsy machines

diminish.

so often

The wealth

is

still

rivers.

Such

used in Spain,

was introduced probably from the East.

it

is

is

Upper Egypt and Nubia

is

a delight to

of an individual

is

irrigated

by water-wheels which

even the endless and melancholy creaking of

him which no grease is ever permitted to is estimated by the number of these machines.

In a hot climate like Nubia they prefer to employ oxen in the arduous duty of raising water, instead of using the pole and bucket of the shadoof: but for these water-wheels

the poor Nubian effort to

and

is

heavily taxed,

supply these

his water-wheels

to seek service in

is

by the Government.

He

has few wants, but every

taxed and such claims are enforced on his date-trees as food,

as a

mean

of cultivation, that he

a menial station at Cairo.

is

often driven from the soil

I

-

A GROUP AT THE ENTRANCE

AMUN

OF THE TEMPLE OF

AT GOORNA, THEBES. Amun

This ruin of the Temple of

Goorna

at

merely adopted as the

is

locale for

a

group of Turco-Egyptians, such

as the traveller often meets in the valley of the Nile.

The

of the Pacha,

central figure

an

is

listen to complaints of

who

much upon

whom

by the Sheik of the

visited

is

an attendant;

is

visit to collect tribute,

the

officer

or given

bribe,

ready to decide,

is

usually

obtained rich,

almost certain will attend his administration.

is

form picturesque groups on such and similar occasions around

village

when he has

the functionary, who,

it

it

him by a means of becoming

a favourite, to reward

to

without regard to the injustice which

Old men of the

is

or to

village,

the justice of a case submitted to him, as to arguments accompanied

This makes such an appointment profitable, and

bribes.

by a

making a

He

mal -administration.

stands near him, behind

not so

by

officer

learned from the Sheik or others the cases likely

—

come before him, how he can make the most by his decisions, who can best pay him or bribe best to evade just payment, or suffer best the injustice about to to

be

inflicted in

enforcing unjust claims, and thus fleece the poor wretches subjected to

such ministers of justice ; having learnt parties.

Such

is

it,

in Egypt.

but,

by causes

their offer

gestures,

materials

untravelled

positions,

for

stranger,

and

On

inventor could produce.

habits,

as

of Eastern

to

of the valley

renew

to the

artist,

Nile, the

for

study,

or excite in the

conceals

all

is

an Arab woman,

but the eyes, and leaves the itself.

Near her

the costume of childhood seen in the lower

an Arab bov, in

of the

be highly

fails to

manners and cha racter which no mere

supply that beauty which rarely exists in the face

are two children, one

a stranger, or

any painter could arrange

the left in the group here sketched

dressed in the boorcho, or face-veil, which

imagination

to

muffled figures, and attitudes as effective

sketch-book, which

the

impressions

less painful to reflect

receive

however formed, the group never

picturesque in costume with ample draperies:

parts

they are frequent, and strikingly

;

scenes are presented, and groups formed,

listen to the teller of a story;

and

ready to receive the complaining

is

Sometimes the principal people of a village meet

upon.

from

— he

the general character of these visits

characteristic of law, or the abuse of

But such

all this,

other

in

the

dress

of a richer class or better

condition of society.

The

ruins in which this scene

is

laid

would be grand and

striking

in

any other

place than in proximity with the great Temples of Karnak, Luxor, and Medinet Abou.

The Temple

of

Amun

at

Goorna, on the western bank of the Nile, was one of the

most northern of the Temples of Thebes, the Libyan suburb;

in what, was called, in the time of the Ptolemies,

and, though less ancient than Karnak,

it

was dedicated

to

Amun

by

and completed by

Osirei,

his

amidst the mounds and rums it

are

found and read among

is

full

Arab

its

and

is

trees

river above the

On beauty.

first

BY SUNSET.

this

charming island

picturesque forms of

are the themes of every traveller. itself to

the cataract.

But with

charm of

rocks which

vast

of the

its

temples

here bound

the

cataract of the Nile.

whichever side

The

wild desolation

the

which presents

the

PHIL.*:

no object on the Nile so beautiful as the Island of Phike, with seen amidst

which

hieroglyphics.

THE ISLAND OF There

The place can scarcely be traced Though so little remains of this

II.

hovels.

of interest to the Egyptian antiquary, from the inscriptions

Temple, still

son Remeses

of

contrast,

those

it

all

who these

acquires

its

is

temples,

approached, nothing its

It is the first object

a

vast

advantages,

its

fertility,

and dangers of

and the emotions excited by

increase of beauty

against the blaze of the last rays of an Egyptian sun;

its

lying in the beauty of repose

ascend the river after the turmoil natural

can exceed

romantic situation, and

it is

if it

be seen at sunset,

then that the light, breaking

through the elegant Temple called the bed of Pharaoh, enriches the scene, with the character of fairy land.

-

a H ft

H

A
.

HADJAR The

Nile

here

the Arabian

SILSILIS,

OR THE ROCK OF THE CHAIN.

through a channel narrowed by the approach of the bases of

flows

and Libyan ranges of mountains, between which,

period, the river forced

its

way.

The name

of Hadjar

Silsilis

is

at

some very

distant

Arabic, and has been

derived from a tradition that the navigation was once guarded by a chain, which in place was extended across the river: a highly improbable tale. The mountains are of sandstone, and the proximity to the river of a material so fitted for building this

and for ready conveyance, led

to

which the ancient Egyptians

extensively availed themselves, this

so

the vast excavations quarried on this spot, and of

Hadjar

Silsilis

is

one of the most remarkable places for the traveller to visit on the Nile. The view is taken looking down the river; and it will be seen that the rocks are much higher

on the right, or eastern, than on the western bank. It was on the eastern side, and near the commencement of the quarries, that the ancient town of Silsilis stood; but of this no trace remains except the substructions of what was probably a temple: on

this

side the elevation of the rocks

is from sixty to one hundred feet above the and they are excavated to a much greater extent than on the western side, on which a strange form of rock appears. Mr. Roberts supposes that among the

river,

was left; but he did not visit it. The lofty cliffs are composed and continuous texture, admirably fitted for the purpose to which

fantastic cuttings this

of a rock of fine it

has been so largely applied.

river,

The

quarries

extend two or three miles along the

and in many places roads have been carried

and here we

find the

works of the

hundred

feet

the

into

heart of the mountain,

quarries which furnished the vast blocks for most of the great

Theba'i'd.

Some

of the excavations

are

six

wide, and from seventy to eighty feet high;

hundred

long, three

feet

but they nowhere appear

have been worked below the level of the Nile. Quarries upon scale would attest the architectural grandeur of ancient Egypt, even

if

the

furnished

to

structures

Hadjar

raised

Silsilis,

Though on interesting

to

western bank. colours

in

no longer the

the

Thebes and other

cities,

by the materials

enormous a

so

the

ruins of

from

existed.

eastern

side

the quarries

antiquary than the

are the most

ancient works,

extensive,

they are

less

which may be traced on the

Figures and hieroglyphics are inscribed on the rock, and the bright

with which they have been painted are in

Here many curious

many

places

distinct

and

fresh.

grottoes and

tablets of hieroglyphics have been executed in the early time of the Pharaohs of the eighteenth dynasty; one of these grottoes consists of a long corridor, supported by four pillars, cut in the face of the rock, on which, as well as on the interior wall, are sculptured several tablets of hieroglyphics, bearing

the

names of

different kings:

the ninth Pharaoh

it

was commenced by the successor of Amunoph

of the eighteenth dynasty,

who here commemorated

his

III.,

defeat of

the

Ethiopians,

by

sculptured

and sculptures,

phics

Remeses

The

and

II.

Other

designs.

tablets,

hierogly-

Pharaohs, and of

early

his successors, to the nineteenth dynasty.

sandstone of these

durability of the

and sharp work executed on

quarries

says

the

stones

left

shown, not only in the

is

by the

were hewn, the

Dr. Richardson, " as

the

if

evening before and might be expected to

fine

and entablatures of the temples,

the columns, walls,

and where, when uninjured by man, the forms but in the quarries where in appearance,

and

excavations

of others of the

the reigns

illustrate

sculptor are splinters

labourer had

return

his

left

and resume

still

preserved,

about as fresh

lie

work only the

but that evening

it,

was two thousand years ago." Wilkinson's Egypt and Thebes.

Colonel

Howard Vyse.

Wathen's Egypt.

Dr. Richardson's Travels.

PART OF THE HALL OF COLUMNS AT KAENAK, SEEN

FROM WITHOUT. This

subject

represents

in

another

point

of view

columns as seen from without, and transversely.

the

appearance of

The

vast

pillars

avenue are here hidden by the external ranges of columns;

centre

this

forest

of

which form the the

two rows

next to the centre avenue were surmounted with square frames of stone, that, together

with the central columns, supported there the

and admitted have is

fallen,

light

into

the

hall.

or been propped

shown with great

effect

;

than

tliis

roof of this prodigious structure,

by others which are

still

in

which these vast masses

erect, is

extraordinary,

and, endless as are the points of view presented

ruins of this the most striking teristic

loftiest

Here the confusion

Temple

vignette selected

in the world,

by Mr. Roberts.

none

is

more

and

by the

effective or charac-

.

VIEW LOOKING ACROSS THE HALL OF COLUMNS, KARNAK. Few this

to

drawings have been more successful in conveying an idea of the immensity of stupendous Temple;

but,

crowded as these enormous columns

convey an idea of their true scale appears

among them, they

are seen under

Work,

size,

angles too large

The nearer columns

proximity, to be that lie on

or

the

given in a former

which

is

effort

taken at a right angle with

smaller than those of the central avenue,

both in diameter and in height, yet they appear, from their

less

much

larger.

This view

of the two

side

either

much

are

command

but this becomes confused in any

to obtain a transverse view, like that before us,

being one-fourth

the eye to

columns, of equal height and

the perspective of the successive

conveys some idea of their vastness;

the former.

for

any attempt

are,

In standing beneath or

In the drawing of the central avenue,

pencil justly to convey.

part of this

be hopeless.

to

lies

central

across six rows of these lateral columns

rows, which are sixty-six feet in height

without the pedestal and abacus, and originally bore an architrave and a roof nearly

one hundred

feet in height.

What mind

can receive a clear impression of such magnitude,

except from an actual contemplation of the Temple

which the

by

Artist,

his art,

who

is

it

and proportions, the enrichments of

equally striking impression

of

its

great

and beautiful in

when

first

design

laid on,

were combined in

this

seems to have saved

and execution, and

in

and enable the observer

its

it

from destruction

;

fallen

to

covered are nowhere more sharp

many

places the colours are as vivid

to conceive

against its

have given way.

others,

what beauty and grandeur

strongly impregnated with

Karnak, however, are long

likely to

Its

massiveness

nitre.

that,

though many

they rest there unbroken, as

entablature in the distance.

That the

been to a greater extent a cause of their falling

swampy and

by giving

yet these columns are not in single pieces,

be seen in the leaning column, with seems

excite

is

wonderful structure before the Persian conquest.

columns are displaced and have

case, the foundation

to

sculpture and painting

but built up with large blocks of stone, so admirably put together

may

hi, than,

beauty, for the hieroglyphics with

which every member and every part of the building

as

no one object

Temple of Karnak.

merely the emotion of sublimity that he has wished

a just idea of its scale

make an

is

to convey to others who have not travelled there an idea of the Hall

of Columns in the great

Nor

Yet there

itself?

has visited Egypt, has been more desirous to succeed

is

state of the

In this

ground has not

a matter of surprise, for

The columns

of the

remain, to the astonishment and delight of

generations yet appointed to succeed us.

it

is

Great Hall at

many

PART OF THE RUINS OF A TEMPLE ON THE ISLAND OF BIGGE, NUBIA. This Temple elevation,

it

is

situated

of the Temples of Phila?, from Bigge,

Work.

this

a scene which has

is

Wilkinson considers that the Temple of Bigge

which are seen

in this

outer

portion;

river,

court this

dromos, of which

or

may

that

which

now surrounds

be traced by the sculpture which ;

miserable mud-built

situation,

to

still

Arab

village.

The Temple

which the approach was by a

flight

it

have been commenced by

Euergetes

I.,

and was

The arch

The

is

it

presents a singularly

ruins are surrounded

:

from

its

elevated

must have exhibited a present

dedicated

Temple appears

by him

to

Athor;

was completed by the Cassars: but Wilkinson conjectures, from a red granite

found there, that an

and that Bigge

is

edifice existed

the

on Bigge as old as Thothmes

Abaton of Seneca,

in spite of the

III. or

statue

Amunoph

II.,

doubts expressed by other

Egyptian antiquaries.

Roberts's Journal.

an

The

of Bigge,

of steps,

effect.

was a

arch

the

exists.

Wilkinson says, of the Christian era

noble appearance and produced a very striking to

antiquity,

In advance of these, ascending

portico.

incongruous appearance in the midst of Egyptian architecture. a

of great

is

The columns, however,

once stood the flanking towers of the propylon, which commanded

addition of a later period

by

greater

its

sketch as part of the grand entrance, are evidently Ptolemaic,

and have formed a portion of a previous from the

to

already been given in

from some granite remains and the inscriptions which they bear.

the

owing

on an island close to that of Phike;

overlooks that island and the Nile, and one of the finest points of view

Wilkinson's Egypt.

-

-

-*§"

rHE

i

THE DEOMOS, OR FIRST COURT OF THE TEMPLE OF KARNAK. Few

scenes of greater desolation are presented amidst the ruins of this vast structure,

than within the dromos, where one only

now remains

erect of that stupendous avenue

of isolated columns, which formerly continued through the great cloistered court of the

Temple of Karnak between the

the

avenue of sphinxes, and the

Columns: these propyla, and magnificent ever

if

first

and the second propylon

latter

led

we may judge from

were the most gigantic

their ruins,

erected.

Eleven of the central columns are now parts of each

the former terminated

;

from the dromos into the great Hall of

and disjointed;

broken,

fallen,

yet the

mark how

generally in such connexion as to enable the observer to

lie

they once stood, and in his imagination replace them where they must have contributed so

much

man.

to

the grandeur and beauty of tins the most mighty

Unless the single column had remained standing,

Temple ever

to conceive the extent of the destruction of this once glorious approach,

the purport of their figures or the

of

dedicated.

by

difficult

and understand

they were isolated, and bore on their summits the

structure;

emblems of Amunre, the great Egyptian deity

Karnak was

raised

would have been

it

Beyond the column are seen

whom

to

the

ruins

Temple

the

of the second

propylon, and within, the central avenue of the great Hall of Columns.

How

striking

must have been the processions of the Pharaoh with the

and the privileged through these courts and of the music and the rites! in

how

its

vastness,

but by

itself!

sculptured

its

that the arts of beauty could do to honour the

But destroy,

this

how

!

The imagination and

is

overwhelmed, not

painted enrichments, adding

all

god therein worshipped.

mighty Temple, which time and man have not yet been able utterly

permitted to exist in this state of ruin, to

is

impressive the

splendid the dresses, the banners, the emblems, used

such processions, and the Temple

merely by

halls

priests

solemnities

mark

to

the punishment of those

whose idolatrous perversions of religion brought destruction upon what would, from its immensity and prodigious strength, seem to have been built for all ages: what is

it

being

—

the

now

?

left

upon another

Cities

Noph and No

have existed of to

mark

of Scripture

and the proofs before us

their

— were

exist of their

Divine inspiration have been

more recent foundation, without one stone site; but those of Egypt, and especially Thebes

far

justified

doomed by

the maledictions of the prophets,

awful verification.

by Divine power.

The

Here, where

worshipped the foul idol he had made, the crawling reptile

hyena

predictions uttered

now

man

by

so impiously

shelters in,

and the

finds a den.

Thus

fearfully

have the prophecies of Isaiah and Ezekiel been

fulfilled here.

" Let

them know what the Lord of

hosts hath purposed on

Egypt:

the

princes of

Lord God:

the

Egypt

make Thus

am

and the country

;

the multitude of saith

Noph

Whether

Egypt

Lord God,

the

cease out of

against thee,

Pharaoh king of Egypt, and the land of

;

will

it

shall

be desolate of that whereof

was

I

full.

will

also

by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

to cease

destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to

I will

and there

it

be no more a prince of the land of Egypt."

shall

ever be permitted that

a pure faith

and worship

shall

in

exist

days in the land which has been thus cursed for more than twenty centuries,

later

yet hi the

is

I

saith

be desolate and waste, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of

shall

Ethiopia

Behold

Noph

Thus

have seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.

womb

of time, and in the inscrutable ordonnances of the Almighty.

RUINS OF THE TEMPLE OF MEDAMOUT, NEAR THEBES. Medamout stands mark the site

to

Little

was

inland, east of the Nile,

of Maximinianopolis, a

bishop's

Temple remains, except a part of the

of this

was more

built

and has by some antiquaries been supposed

Greek

under the Lower Empire.

see

The

portico.

stone of which

it

decay than the materials generally used in the Temples of

liable to

Egypt.

The

style of the architecture has

columns of the

may

the Ptolemaic period;

to

be traced the ovals of Ptolemy Euergetes

Emperor Antoninus

antiquity;

been given

for

it

bears the

been coeval with at

The pylon

of Lathyrus Auletes, and

But a block of granite gives the Temple a higher

Pius.

name

least the

II.,

of

Amunoph

II.,

and proves

its

The

ruins of

many

centre of which this

foundation to have

middle of the fifteenth contury before the Christian

before the portico bears the

name

houses built of crude brick,

Temple was

situated;

era.

of Tiberius, but the blocks used in

construction were taken from an older edifice erected or repaired

its

and on the

a wall

mark or

the

site

inclosure

by Remeses

II.

of a town, in the

of similar

materials

The remains of a reservoir are near it, and not far distant bearing the name of Ptolemy Euergetes I., and traces are found of

surrounds the Temple. is

a small ruin

a wall of crude brick which surrounded the town.

The the

capitals of the

columns are elegant, those in the centre of the portico exhibit

form of the expanded lotus;

bear that of the budding lotus: architecture,

is

while the outer columns

this,

which

is

of

them

generally considered an incongruity in

beautiful in effect. AVilkinson's

on either side

Egypt and Thebes.

-

RUINS OF A CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN THE GRAND COURT OF THE TEMPLE OF MEDINET ABOU. During the Lower Empire the town or village of Medinet Abou was still inhabited, and upon the introduction of Christianity the members of this Church converted one of the deserted courts of the great

columns which are seen in

small

Temple

assembled, and continued until

was placed against the wall

it

view once supported the

this

Under

inserted into the ancient entablature.

into a place for their

own

which were

the shade thus afforded the early Christians

was adopted into the Greek Church,

at the east

when

mud

The

of the

Nile,

to

conceal the idolatrous

we owe

emblems of

There are small apartments

village

pagan ancestors.

now been removed.

back of

at the

To

which

which the Christian

this building

priests

and houses of crude brick were erected on the rums of the ancient

and within the precincts of the Temple.

The to

their

the preservation of the sculptures and hieroglyphics

enriched the wall, from which the plaster has

appropriated,

ancient

which the walls were covered they carefully plastered over with the

circumstance

this

the altar

end facing the spectator, in a recess with a

semi-circular roof, built also out of the fragments of the heathen Temple. sculptures with

The

worship.

rafters

size of the

Church and the extent of the

village prove its Christian population

have been considerable, and show that Thebes held a rank among the principal

That

dioceses of the Coptic Church.

bishop resided here, walls

remove any.

there

is

It has

little

it

was the Church of a Greek

doubt

;

—

indeed,

been conjectured that

devices

this

was Maximinianopolis, where

the Christians had a large church until the period of the

met with the name of a bishop of

this

diocese

in

and that the

see,

and inscriptions on the

Arab

the eastern

invasion.

desert;

Wilkinson

but Pococke

supposes this see to have been the modern Medamout, near Thebes.

With

the inroad of the

Abou were Its

timid

dispersed,

community

Arabs

it

is,

however, certain that the Christians of Medinet

and a period put fled

to the

existence there of a Christian Church.

on the approach of the invaders

Esne, and their former dwellings ceased to hold a place

to

among

the

of Thebes.

Roberts's Journal.

neighbourhood of

the inhabited villages

Wilkinson's Egypt and Thebes.

TEMPLE OF A'MADA AT HASSAIA, NUBIA. In

Temple are seen the names of the

small

tliis

of his son

Amunoph

which

the early

his

grandson Thothmes IV.

the

means which were employed

when they used

Clmstians,

the

with plaster, to efface

representations

which

is

now

all

A

restored.

The sanctuary

apartments with which hieroglyphics

:

it

is

a transverse little

Temple.

be

transferred

still

to

doubt can exist that they were executed

and,

most

probably,

The remains

of an

can be traced, and accumulated.

Not

clumsy

mud

added when

the

a

far

It

is

and three inner

now

those of the

half buried

two

lateral

probably

from

lies

those

hi

the

is

supported by

adytum

that no

at different periods.

Temple was adopted

as

a Christian

which the Temple appears

to

church.

have stood,

buried in the sand which has here so greatly

this arid site of the

with vegetation and groves

of palm-trees

by highly picturesque forms

of the

Wilkinson's Egypt and Thebes.

The pronaos

dome, utterly out of character with the building,

ancient town, amidst it

for

sharp, and the colours so remarkably

paper.

square pillars covered with hieroglyphics so inferior to

is

corridor,

walls, as well as

its

which, though slightly raised, are

the pronaos

them;

communicates, are covered with small and beautifully executed

preserved that they might

Above

obliterate

of idolatry, and thus preserved the

traces

portico,

and

entire,

to

ancient temples as churches, overlaid these

chambers, constitute the whole of this elegant in sand.

that of Osirtasen III. has

;

colours of the painted sculptures are in remarkable preservation,

due, probably, to

is

painting

and

II.,

The

been found.

also

third Thothmes, together with that

;

Temple

and

the

of

A'mada

sandy

soil

the Nile

is

bordered

beyond

is

relieved

Libyan mountains. Roberts's Journal.

5

-

MEDINET ABOU, THEBES, These ruins are

situated

on the western bank of the Nile, in the plain which everywhere

within the precincts of ancient Thebes exhibits indications of that vast

city. Around Temple of Medinet Abou are extensive mounds and the walls of a large Christian town, which existed there when part of the ancient Temple had been converted into

the

a Christian church are

;

but

has passed away, and the remains of their hovels

too,

this,

now encumbering and

" This," says

almost concealing the ruins of Medinet Abou.

Wilkinson, "is undoubtedly the ruins of one of the four temples mentioned by Diodorus,

Kamak, Luxor, and

the others being those of

The

portico

seen in

front it

Pharaoh of a

The

later period.

Memnonium,

or

date,

first

and

Remeseum."

built out of the

by a

serves as the entrance to a small temple erected

ruins of ancient structures:

is

the

of a comparatively late

is

taller

tower-like building on the left of the portico

part of the palace of Remeses IV., of which the square openings are the windows

of small chambers, decorated with elegant sculptures of domestic subjects, that illustrate the habits and manners of the ancient Egyptians. ruins of the large

Temple are found,

of a Christian church. are

the ruins

spot:

now

chain

is

The

and behind

fine,

of the

The

desolate.

is

it

the town and the valley of Biban

The

Christian

situation of

the

rises

which once enlivened

point of the range which

lies

this

Libyan

at the base of the

between

seen to be everywhere pierced or excavated for

it

Many

is

are interesting, and some magnificent.

Wilkinson has given a detailed account of its

remains

later

surround the Temple

Molook.

el

tombs and sepulchral chambers.

research,

to

and the monticule on the right formed part of the vast

plain behind the city

much

population,

this building that the

which are the

Medinet Abou

loftiest

necropolis of the great city, and

with

behind

mounds seen

brick walls and

of the houses

all

It is

in the second court of

this

Temple and

its

sculptures, tracing,

progress under the Pharaohs, but leaving

it

very

difficult

to condense his information within the limit of our text.

The founder

of the principal part of the

Thothmes

III.

building

was the monarch who

and

completed the architectural details of the sanctuary and peristyle.

To

at

Karnak

;

Thothmes

II.

continued or altered the sculptures

these were afterwards added the hieroglyphics of Remeses building,

to

connect,

by

similarity

of external

predecessors with that which he had erected in

afterwards

raised ;

the great obelisk

made by Ptolemy Physcon:

on the outside of the

III.

appearance, the its

vicinity.

palace-temple of his

Some

restorations

were

who, in addition to the sculptures of the two

doorways, repaired the columns which support the roof of the peristyle.

Hakoris,

second king, of the twenty-ninth dynasty, had previously erected the wings on either side;

and, with the

who have added

above-mentioned monarchs, he completes the number of eleven

repairs or sculptures to this building.

The

pylon, or gateway, seen in this view

Temple, and

the

Remeses

III.

was

walls

in

advance of the ancient portion of

The

Lathyrus.

added by

sculptures

on the outside of the walls represent his conquests over the people of

the northern and southern frontiers of the

is

by Ptolemy

erected

illustrate

domestic

the

draughts with females,

who

Egypt

life

of

are decorated

;

the

but the sculptured decorations within

Pharaoh

in

hareem,

his

playing

at

with wreaths of flowers of the upper and

lower country; this has led other Egyptian antiquaries to conjecture that these figures are emblematical.

Wilkinson's Egypt and Thebes.

TEMPLE OF DANDOUR, NUBIA. This Temple, which stands just within the

of

;

the entrance to

The

door.

in

which

is

a tablet with a figure apparently

In front of the portico a pylon opens upon an area facing the river, and

Isis.

surrounded by a low wall. rock

with two columns in

tropic, consists of a portico

two inner chambers, and the adytum,

front,

is

it

Behind the Temple a grotto built of stone

sculptures of the

town seems

to

and there

is

Temple are of the time

supposed to have been founded: ancient

;

its

is

excavated in the sandstone

an Egyptian cornice above the

by whom

of Augustus,

chief deities were Osiris,

have had the same name, or one

Isis,

like

it,

it

is

and Horus, and the expressive of " the

sacred abode." It

is

the Nile:

one of the smallest temples in Nubia, and situated on the western bank of a vast mole defends

it

from the encroachments of the river

Roman, and which forms a platform

also

in front of the pylon

Temple, on the architrave of the portico the winged globe

;

is

and

— a construction

hi

advance of the

represented, and

the

walls of the pronaos are covered with figures of Isis and Osiris offering sacrifices.

The cave beyond was,

Mr. Roberts

Temple.

the

adytum

is

separated from the

Temple by a double

conjectures, the residence of the priest or

The appearance

of the walls indicates injury from

fire,

so often

to destroy these temples, that few are without this evidence of desecration.

Roberts's Journal.

wall,

and

superintendant of the

employed

:

-

-

I

« a?

THE HYP^ETHRAL TEMPLE AT

YHIL2E,

CALLED THE BED OF PHARAOH.

This

one of the most beautiful objects on the Island of

is

been built for

striking

its

and picturesque

the island, and, in our view, appears as

This

Nile.

of

its

Temple

little

proportion

as

seen from the river.

effect as

the

if

architect

by

architrave

which reach

walls,

is

to

the

river-gate

capitals

is

a

who

ascends the the style

increase

to

an entrance

is

its

around

else

all

;

is

The

height of the columns.

the open spaces between are out of

;

or

platform,

to

the

which forms

terrace,

a quay that

the principal landing-place for travellers

architectural

entrances

on the east;

Nile

also

all

The

elegant.

strikingly

is

it

Great Temple on the west, and

round the island;

traveller

had thus intended

two-thirds of the

to

rule or proportion, but in spite of this,

open

have

high above the columns, being placed on upright stones, which

raised

upon the lotus-headed

rest

to

has five columns on each side, and four at each

It

end, between the centre columns at each of these inclosed

by the

seen

is

it

and seems

Pliila?,

placed on the eastern side of

only sixty feet long and forty-five feet wide:

is

elongated,

is

It is

effect.

is

below

extends

this

are

outride the

nearly

Temple, and

here their boats are usually moored.

Within the Temple there

no cornice, nor any rums of structures around, which

is

can lead to the conjecture that

this

beautiful

little

building had any connexion with

the Great Temple, or with any other structure on the island. it

was probably exhibited

lies

ancient times as the

in

was buried here:

priests maintained,

the

tomb

Dr. Richardson says

of Osiris,

Theban oath was

to

who, the Egyptian

swear by Osiris, who

buried at Philae.

In the account of her recent

to

visit

Egypt, Miss Martineau says

:

—"

I

found

party preparing to lunch on the terrace of the Temple called Pharaoh's Bed.

Temple was

built with a

view

and Caesars have given a five in

fine

to its aspect

from the river

object to voyagers

;

But

roofing

I felt

public

and walls without roof not answering

here,

and

buildings,

night,

how

where, above

circling stars to fight them. I

at

When

I

saw

strong

the this

is

to

the

We, who

at Philsc.

an English climate, can hardly reconcile our unaccustomed

the village pound; all.

and truly the Ptolemies

who gaze up

thral building anywhere, the only building of that kind that

taste to

we have

at

an hypse-

home being

our idea of an

edifice at

temptation to abstain from

canopy of the clear

air,

there are the

Temple, roofed with Orion and Aldebaran,

could ask for nothing better." Roberts's Journal.

my

This

Dr. Richardson's Travels.

Miss Martineau'a Eastern

Life.

TEMPLE OF

ON THE ROOF OF THE GREAT TEMPLE

ISIS,

OF DENDERA. This beautiful

little

hypaethral building, which

set

is

like a

great structure, seems altogether to have escaped the notice is

not mentioned in their works on

great Temple, angle,

its

the roof of the travellers, as

it

amidst the splendour and magnitude of the

:

may have been

beauty

overlooked.

It

is

raised on the south-east

and immediately over the adytum, or sanctuary, of the Temple of Dendera:

and bears some resemblance is

Egypt

gem on of many

to the

Temple

Bed

called the

of Pharaoh at Phila?.

small, but elegant in form, only twenty-two feet square on the plan,

Within

feet high.

Its entablature is

it

is

It

and eighteen

nearly choked up with rubbish.

supported by twelve columns, four appearing on each side;

capitals are the heads of Isis, bearing the pronaos in miniature.

Each column

their

is

four

feet ten inches in circumference, and except a doorway on two opposite sides, inclosed

by intercolumniated beautiful

wrought

that

appropriated

screens.

building

little

In every part, within and without, the surface of this

covered with elaborate carving, so delicately and exquisitely

will bear the closest inspection.

it

is

is

now

uncertain, though

it

is

To what worship

called a

Temple of

Isis.

or mystery

it

was

The sand around

presents an arid appearance, covering the ancient and populous city, which once flourished

amidst scenes of

fertility;

and desolation now

rests

Roberts's Journal.

on the ruins of Tentyra.

PYRAMIDS OF GEEZEH. This view

taken from a high rocky ground, above a fountain, where there are

is

some sycamore and palm-trees, and looking nearly due north-west towards the Great Pyramid, that of Cheops, on the

The

right.

table-land (of rather soft limestone rock)

upon which these marvellous structures This

are raised, has an average level of about 150 feet above the valley of the Nile.

rock

their foundation

is

within

:

and beneath the Pyramids are excavated deep and

it

Such excavations are found under both the Great as the Second Pyramid, or the Pyramid of

extensive passages and chambers.

Pyramids;

known

that on the left being

Cephrenes: but the excavations are deeper and more extensive beneath that of Cheops.

The whole ledge

the

in

surface

excavated wherever a side

also

is

structure

stratified

Memphis

ancient inhabitants of

The Sphinx,

A

are seen in every direction.

structure near the foreground on the

pyramid.

presented from ledge to

is

where the tombs of thousands of the

rock:

the

of

raising

left,

head above

its

large mass of ruined

was probably the commencement of another rocky

this

was cut out of

solitude,

a large projecting and isolated mass of the same rock.

The to

entrance

the spectator,

view:

this

to

Pyramid of Cheops

the

though an

Pyramid

is

now

The Pyramid

confusion.

casing-stones,

many

opening,

may

is

Its

than St. Paul's.

twenty years in

and the

apex:

its

summit in

was covered with

it

and from the smooth surface

Arab by ascending to

adventure, but an

perilous

temerity and sure-footedness

the mass of the Great Pyramid, that

6,000,000 tons of stone.

The

in situ,

still

summit a

its

a dollar.

So enormous feet higher

its

exhibit his

appears on the southern in this

complete to

is

of them at the top are to

on the northern or opposite side

and some vast blocks He on

of Cephrenes

always be found to

this point for

a false one,

truncated,

which they present make access

lies

its

base

is

feet,

and

its

it

is

height

is

estimated to

contain

even now nearly 120

men were employed

Herodotus informs us that 100,000

erection.

researches which have been results

746

made by

which have been published

Col.

in Col.

Vyse, with the aid of Mr. Pering,

Vyse's splendid work on the Pyramids

of Gizeh, can only be appreciated by reference to that work

itself.

All the Pyramids

were examined by them. That they were tombs, and tombs only, has been fully proved by these researches. Sarcophagi have been found in the three great Pyramids of Geezeh

and on erected its

in the Third,

;

wooden

its :

lid

known the

as the

Pyramid of Mycerinus, a

prenomen of the monarch by

coffin

whom

was discovered,

the

Pyramid was

and in the great Pyramid the cartouche has been found of Cheops, or Suphis,

founder.

But erected?

discoveries have not settled the question, When were these Pyramids Wilkinson has powerfully advocated their very high antiquity, and carries

them back

to the twenty-second century before the Christian era.

these

has brought

much

But Wathen, who

ingenuity to the investigation of the subject, has arrived at the

:

difficulty

they

that

conclusion

not

are

placing

satisfactory order of succession

that further

probability to

know

the founders

century

before

The

Christ.

Pharaohs, Suphis, and Cephrenes, in a

There

confused dynasties of Egypt.

in the

up

this

mystery

but

:

it

little

is

interesting

is

a certainty give an accurate date to the lives of

to

we have been

Pyramids,

of these

tenth

the

the

discovery will clear

though we cannot

that,

than

earlier

chronologically

in

lies

enabled,

by the recent discovery

of

the power to read the hieroglyphics, to confirm tradition and history in the accuracy of their names.

Wathen's Arts and Antiquities of Egypt.

Wilkinson's Egypt.

Roberts's Journal.

LATERAL VIEW OF THE TEMPLE CALLED THE

TYPHON^UM AT DENDERA. These ruins stand from the Nile atje to

the

a

;

to the right of the great

much

of

as the

grand portico

Arab

huts,

is

approached

which from

age have been raised and have crumbled above those of former habitations

ready and costless material of the

new

Temple

buried under the ruins of

lies

it

mud

of the Nile

making

it

easier

to

build

habitation than repair an old one.

This Temple consists of two outer passage-chambers, with two smaller rooms on either side of the outermost,

except the front, the

Temple

is

by a

about

seventy

surmounted above the lower or the

From

and a central and two

peristyle

of twenty-two

wide and eighty

feet

monster Typhon,

name

of Typhonajum.

whole surface

is

Isis

is

thirty-three feet

covered with

Typhon, with

all

with wrinkled face and death-like grin; of

The columns are

long.

Strabo gave to this Temple the

the base of the columns to the roof

sculptures, sometimes of

feet

Including the colonnades,

capitals with hideous representations of the

Evil Genius, whence

great Temple, the

whole surrounded,

lateral adyta, the

columns.

his

;

and here, as

in

the

hieroglyphics, and enriched with

horrors enlarged

— short

and stunted,

but more frequently the representations are

and Horus, and of women and children

in

groups,

as

the

if

Temple were

dedicated to maternity.

Amidst the rubbish and

dibris

of ancient Tentyris no stone could be found that

did not belong to the Temples, which

the whole to

of them.

appear to have once had a wall that inclosed

All other building material of the

have been of sun-burnt brick, and must have

contrast to such miserable habitations.

Roberts's Journal.

left

domestic

the gorgeous

structures

Temple a

seems

striking

-

A

-

1

—

VIEW FROM UNDER THE PORTICO OP THE GREAT TEMPLE OF DENDERA. It

from beneath and within

is

this

magnificent portico of twenty-four columns that

the grandeur of magnitude and the beauty of decoration produce their greatest

upon the

who

traveller

period, but because

Temple.

beautiful

It

is

work

a

severe than the older Egyptian structures

it

effect

Roman

of the

decried

is

the cant of connoisseurship, and "learned pundits" direct the traveller to look upon

by it

less

is

it

this

visits

low in

as

It is certainly less visited

art.

who makes

the traveller

and observed than

it

time and season to reach the Cataracts, leaves the examination

mind

return, when, with his

from

his

visits

other

to

deserves to be;

the voyage up the Nile too generally, in

filled,

if

for

haste against

his

of Dendera

till

his

not wearied, with excess of impressions received

he neglects or slurs over Dendera, or allows the

temples,

ignorance of others to weaken the impression which he must otherwise receive from this

magnificent Temple.

Mi'.

learned in Egyptian antiquities sneer at the paratively

and

raised

modern

date, they

who assume to be Temple of Dendera, because of its com-

Roberts says, that "whilst those

must be blind

the principles of structure

to

thickness, such as those

Dendera," he says, "

and Nubia, and

it

which formed the roof;

and the sharpness and

and beautiful colours which everywhere enrich

sculptured decorations

after

by the comparison, though

did not suffer in beauty

only surpassed in the City of a

was

that

by

built

Hundred

Tiberius,

Gates.

beheld

it

The

is

less

sublime

— magnitude,

is

portico, the last portion of this

:

massive, simple, and grand."

richly-sculptured screen or wall of intercolumniation, closes the access in front,

except through the central column of the facade;

here represents, across the portico, it

I

one hundred and thirty-six feet six inches wide,

is

seventy-eight feet deep, and sixty feet high

A

finish of the it.

having minutely examined the Temples of Upper Egypt

than the Temples of Thebes; yet one of the elements of this emotion

Temple

which have

and of proportionate breadth and

placed single stones thirty-five feet long,

Every

gives.

sculpture.

and are

spot

is

it

and viewed as the drawing

covered with the remains of the most finished and elaborate

Columns, screens, walls,

still

within,

scarcely yields to any other temple in the impression

soffits,

ceiling

—

all

were thus decorated and painted,

vivid with the colours of their first enrichment;

and where the sculpture

has not been injured by the early Christians in their horror of image-worship, sharp and as perfect as

when

left

by the

Wathen, whose opinion agrees with

it

is

as

sculptor's chisel.

that of

Mr. Roberts upon

this

Temple, says:

" The portico, formed of four ranks of massive columns, six in a row, covered with painted

sculptures, whether viewed

colonnades,

is

rich,

from without

imposing, sublime

i

it

delights

as

a fagade, or

the

eye and

standing within fills

its

the imagination.

'

Entirely inclosed on three sides, and partly on the fourth, it

has

and

interior,

The

gloom

that solemn

all

strikingly

so

—

that religious twilight

contrasted

—

by

the intercolumnar screens,

so characteristic of the Egyptian

the intense brilliancy of an

to

Egyptian day.

walls are encrusted with relievos, and the ceiling with astronomic and enigmatic

emblems

among

;

portico leads

to

these

the

is

zodiac

which has caused

a pillared hall or vestibule;

four chambers, in deeper and deeper shadow;

much

so

beyond are seen a and

far within

is

The

speculation. suite

of three

or

seen the small dark

sanctuary."

The

roof of the

the portico to

is

roof;

the

which we

Temple, which

remains entire,

still

is

covered with Arab huts;

only partially cleared of the sand, which externally rises in

chambers evidently

may

which on

exist,

this

many

places

account are inaccessible, but

yet hope to see removed.

Wathen's Arts and Antiquities of Egypt.

Roberts's Journal.

TEMPLE OF WADY KARDASSY, NUBIA. This vignette of the beautiful view which marks built to

its

little

on a rock, in a commanding Temple, which

the

Temple of Kardassy was

striking and relative situation

is

The

little

;

side,

and Greek crosses

having been used as a Christian church. the sandstone rock upon which the

The

is

entrance

with

pronaos, and here faces

but within, on one of the columns to the

north, Isis and a priest are represented offering sacrifices.

on the northern

The

between two columns

lies

it

intercolumniating screens are without ornament, except

a line of sculptured asps on the cornice

exists

above which

that overlooks the river.

position,

seen hi the other view,

highly-finished Iris-headed capitals, surmounted with the

the east towards the Nile.

from a point of

selected

to the Nile,

Temple

in

Around is

many

A

Greek

places are

are extensive

inscription also

evidence of

its

made

in

quarries

built.

various ways in which authors and travellers have written the names of Temples

and places on the

Nile,

have sometimes almost defied rocognition.

The orthography

adopted in this work has generally been from the authority of Sir Gardner Wilkinson,

who, however, Gartaas;

spells

Kardassy, Gertassee;

and the natives

call it

Belzoni writes, Cartassy;

Wady-el-Baracab.

Dr. Richardson,

i

—

;;

ASOUAN AND THE ISLAND OF ELEPHANTINE. Asouan was the

ancient Syene; in the Coptic language

signified

it

from the sudden widening of the Nile below the Cataracts. of the

ancient

remaining, and nothing of the Pharaonic or Ptolemaic periods.

city

was an important

It

station

under the Romans, and the names of Nero and Domitian

To

are preserved upon the ruins of a small temple. for

having

satirised a favourite of

The most

interesting

objects

and granite quarries, which for

obelisks, columns,

quarries

and numerous

the

in

and other massive

The

requisites for their temples.

principal

as well as subsequent, to the eighteenth dynasty

names of monarchs of the twenty-sixth, immediately before the Persian

where

quarrying the obelisks

for

is

shown by one lying on

was separated, but not removed; ninety feet of its length is in and above twenty more is said to be concealed by the sand. The process

spot

it

block was

for obtaining such a

by making a

line of holes,

with a channel connecting

water; into these holes dry wooden wedges were driven, which, absorbing

for

by the energy

the water the rock

the

in

line

The block which larger,

syenite

Egypt, in ancient times,

of

marks of the wedges used and the forms of the quarried rocks on tablets at Asouan and Elephantine announce the removal

The mode adopted

invasion.

still

demand

inscriptions

others bear the

it

neighbourhood of Asouan are the

the vast

supplied

and many of them are of dates previous,

them

Juvenal was banished

masses in the reigns of the Pharaohs by whose orders they were hewn,

of large

sight,

this place

Hadrian.

on the south-east, and the rocks about Asouan bear evidence of extensive

lie

quarrying, in the

the

an opening, derived

There are few ruins

of capillary

was

here

to

rend

wedges, and separate the mass chosen for excavation.

of the

lies

accumulated force enough

attraction,

discovered to

be unsound and unfit for removal;

remains to excite the wonder of travellers, where

many

as large,

and even

had been quarried and removed.

Elephantine, or, as it was sometimes called, the Island of Flowers, lies on the Nile off the miserable town of Asouan, and not far from the Cataracts, which form the limit to the

island

the river.

Egypt on the borders of Nubia; the passage up the Nile appeai-s between and the deserted town of Asouan; the modem town lies lower down The island, even during the occupation of Egypt by the French, was

many

covered by little

now

principal

magnificent

structures,

remains, and the sand ruins

the north,

a

are

small

inundation of the Cataracts.

eighteenth

fast

Denon's "Egypt;" of these

temple of the ram-headed deity Kneph, Nile,

and was particularly adored

in

the

erected

fifteenth

Its

covering the southern end of the island.

a granite gateway of the time of Alexander, and near to

The Temple was dynasty,

is

delineated in

by Amunoph

century

B.C.

;

in

III.,

he

is

who

presided

it,

on

over the

the neighbourhood

of

the

the eighth Pharaoh of the

represented

in

the

interior

making

as

with

offerings

Remeses IV.

Straho,

according to

his

wife

to

adorned with

quays,

temples,

The

present quay

is

of Ptolemaic

and contains blocks taken from more ancient monuments.

date,

A

Christian church

once stood a

temple, but both were destroyed in

little

to

1822 by

the north, and near

Mahmoud

Bey,

an interesting

it

to build a pitiful palace

Here was the celebrated Nilometer, of which the upper chambers

Asouan.

the same fate

the lower part, however, with the stairs,

;

still

governments of

its

Pharaohs,

Ptolemies,

its

suffered

exists.

Elephantine was a garrison position on the frontier of Egypt under

by

of

of Elephantine was,

city

and other public structures, on

The

the same grand scale as the sacred Island of Philre.

at

The cartouche

ark of Kneph.

sacred

the

on one of the columns.

sculptured

is

and the Romans.

It

the successive

all

now

is

inhabited

Nubians, the descendants, probably, of the Nobatas, who, according to Procopius,

were prevailed upon by Diocletian

to settle in Elephantine.

Wilkinson's Egypt.

Roberts's Journal.

OBELISK OF ON. This Obelisk, and some mounds of earth, are of Heliopolis,

site

the

On

and astronomy, but even students

however,

having removed

to

days of

the the

schools

existed at Heliopolis,

still

now remain

Strabo a deserted

city,

its

The Temple

of Alexandria.

and the

schools

its

priests administered its rites.

to

mark

the

of philosophy

and

teachers of the

Sun,

But though

houses in which the mentally great had lived and studied were pointed

deserted, the

out

in

that

all

once famous for

of Scripture,

and reverenced, and those of Plato and Eudoxus, who pursued

there thirteen years under the priests, were

shown

their

studies

objects to travellers

as interesting

from Greece. It

was

at

On

that

Joseph,

when he went

Asenath, the daughter of Poti-pherah, the

Pharaoh whose name on the ruins of the is

patriarch

rather

this

soil

priest,

Egypt, about 1740 in

the

reign

city.

It is

probable that

it

was

B.C.,

of Osirtasen

borne on this the only Obelisk which

ancient

now

often

exists

married I.,

the

in

situ

looked upon by

and might have been erected under his superintendence.

Joseph,

more than

accumulated

is

into

six

about

it

feet

has

square at left

its

base,

and sixty-eight

feet

only sixty-two feet of apparent height.

Genesis

xli.

45.

It

high, but the

t

^

A

.

;

OBLIQUE VIEW OF THE HALL OF COLUMNS, KARNAK. As

Temple of Karnak

the

is

Pharaohs, so this stupendous

of the

loftiest

is

impossible

their

see

to

works that remain

the most

to us of the

wonderful part of

is

it

entire

only then that their vastness

height at once, for they

is

foi'est

of pillars

most impressive,

subtend under vertical

In a transverse view, also contained in this work, the angle, formed

nearer but

much lower columns,

framework,

to

was admitted

form openings into the Hall,

height

real

this

can only be commanded by a considerable motion of the

angles so large that they

head.

the

is

of these columns, but across the hall intersecting this

when among them, however, and it

the

all

Hall of Columns

Views have been given, not only through the' central avenue

Temple.

celebrated

the grandest of

of the

still

by the

surmounted with square stone

which only

light

too great, for these, even in their ruin, concealed

and two

central

which were

lanthorn-lights to a roof, through

like is

those

nearest

avenues of columns, which

covered in by enormous blocks of stone that rested

were upon them, and formed at

flat

once the roof and the ceiling; the lower ranges were also roofed by the same gigantic

means, and

all

was enclosed against

The solemn gloom

above into the centre avenues. with so

little

the artist to into

light,

may

convey an

which some have

be imagined, but of idea.

fallen,

this

he

has

its

of

such an immense chamber,

appearance

it

is

very

difficult

led

Mr. Roberts

to attempt this

make

oblique view also, in

subject clear, if possible;

and

shown part of the two central rows of columns, seventy-two

feet

his

high, and with their capitals of the flowering lotus, twenty-two feet wide: side

is

a

row of

high, surmounted

of this roof,

is

level

by

on either

columns, with the budding lotus capitals, forty-three feet

shorter

The

the square stone framing for the admission of light.

top

with the capitals of the central columns, and supported the central

and on either

side

of these are the

the lower roof rests.

The

has been

to

to

for

Their immensity, their proximity, and the confusion

the conviction that he ought not to omit to in

and from the openings

light except at the entrances

convey

works, which have

left

numerous ranges of columns upon which

Artist's object in selecting these different views of

the

untravelled

in

Egypt some

an undying fame to her Pharaohs.

idea

of those

Karnak

stupendous

TEMPLE OF WADY DABOD, NUBIA. On

ascending the Nile above Philaa the ruins of the

the

first

temples,

hewn,

present themselves

that

offer

the

evidence of

the

Temple

outer columns are of

practice

are

most of the Nubian

rough

left

Egyptian

the

Wady Dabod

of

This, like

traveller.

The two

was never completed.

and

to

were

as they

sculptors

cut

to

the

hieroglyphics after the columns were erected*

The Temple of Dabod appears to have been built by an Ethiopian monarch who succeeded Ergamun, the contemporary of Ptolemy Philadelphia. It wa3 dedicated to

Augustus

Isis.

sculptured in

front,

columns;

and

Tiberius

The

enrichments.

with

screens

led

this

central

to

two others above them

A

wing was added,

which

is

plain

:

a

at

there later

they

building

principal

intervene,

that

a

to

added, though

except

and two

is

lateral

a

the

at

left

unfinished,

most

of

its

having four columns

portico

between

entrance

chambers, and by a

the

flight

centre

of steps

was another chamber immediately over the adytum. on one side of the portico. In the adytum,

period,

and unsculptured,

Wilkinson

states

that

there

are

two

monoliths

bearing the names of Physcon and Cleopatra, but Roberts says one has been removed,

and describes that which remains as a shrine of red granite, simple and beautiful in

design,

flanked

by

columns

two

with

lotus-headed capitals

of

an early period,

and having an entablature with a winged Hebe, and sculpture of Nilus tying the sacred ligatures.

The approach

to

the

Temple of

Wady Dabod

from the river was by steps

to

a stone quay, and thence through three pylons at short distances from each other, as represented in the at Korti.

The

first

background pylon

is

to the

Group

(

in this

work

)

of Abyssinian Slaves

the entrance to the wall of circuit,

which incloses the

other pylons and the Temple.

Roberts's Journal.

Wilkinson's Egypt.

pq

M

P

>

g

c

:

:

s

p

:

-

: -

-

z;

c

;

GENERAL VIEW OF KARNAK, LOOKING TOWARDS BABANEL-MOLOOK. In

commands the whole of the ruins of Temple of Karnak, and ranges from the farthest extremity, beyond the wall

view, looking towards the north, the eye

this

the Great

of circumvallation, over

by

passing

courts, to the this

its

most sacred precincts,

through

obelisks,

its

its

enormous masses of masonry which compose

Then

the intervening plain to the river.

lies

the

lies

valley

known

tombs of the kings of Thebes, or Diospolis, the

mind

It is difficult for the

busy millions have

trod,

of the greatness of

its

exists

in

would be

Where

interest.

leaving only as a record

their

greatness in any other former age and people.

erection

Everywhere

evidence of the immense buildings which covered the plains

lies

difficult

The

trace the purport, are everywhere seen.

to

large lake on

formerly inclosed as a reservoir, will enable the observer to connect this

View

scene with the other General

on the

more impressive

desolate:

Bases of columns, substructures of temples, and enormous masses, of which

of Thebes.

left,

bounded by the Libyan

any other country, within thousands of years of the age of

around the spectator

the

is

it

Amnion.

city of

now decayed and

beyond

Baban-el-Molook, where are the

as

to conceive a scene of

is

vast

its

great propylon:

its

Nile

the

Pharaohs, structures so vast, even in their ruins, that nothing-

mark such power and

to

it

all

facing

across the Nile the eye stretches

over the plains of Medinet-Abou and Goorna, to where

Mountains, within which

entrance

the

to

stupendous Hall of Columns, and across

right,

and where the

lateral

of

Karnak

in this

work,

view of the Temple in

in

its

which the lake

seen

is

entire length lies before

the spectator, from the great propylon to the southern gate in the wall of circumvallation.

pile

" Endless

it

would

suffice

it

to

;

be," says

Temple

the

that

say,

Warburton, " to enter is

about one

into details of this marvellous

mile

and

and almost with awe,

rode on through labyrinths of courts,

I

three-quarters

With

circumference, the walls eighty feet high and twenty-five thick.

cloisters,

only dismounted where a mass of masonry had lately fallen

and

pillars infinite

least

having been removed variety of objects

interesting.

to build

of art

that

the Pacha's

crowd

this

powder manufactory.

all

around

is

and chambers, owing

to

Among

its

the

Temple, the Obelisks are not the

Those who have only seen them

conception of their effect where

in,

in

astonishment,

at

Rome,

or Paris, can form no

The eye

in keeping with them.

upward the finely tapering shaft, till suddenly it seems not to terminate but away and lose itself in the dazzling sunshine of its native skies. The very

follows to

melt

walls of

outer inclosures were deeply sculptured with whole histories of great wars and triumphs,

by

figures that

like

to

an avalanche, not

like masses it

seem

again.

live

fallen

:

In some places

these

walls

no mortar had been ever needed

were poured down to

connect the

cliff-

of which they were composed, so accurately was each fitted to the place

was destined to occupy. " From the desert to the

river,

from within or without, by sunshine or by moon-

:

light

to

— however

you contemplate Carnak,

And when

most advantage.

this

was

upon the noble temples and palaces of

Luxor

:

when

Sesostris,

on a river flowing between banks of palaces, fold;

when

this

all

was

in

the very aspect in which

perfect,

all

by gorgeous

courts were paced

its

— appears

when

it

avenues opened

shows

in vista

upon Gournou, Medinet Abou, and

priestly pageants,

like those of

prime, no wonder that

its

its

and busy

life

swarmed

Venice magnified a hundred-

fame spread even over the

its

barbarian world, and found immortality in Homer's song."

The Crescent and the

Cross.

VIEW FROM UNDER THE PORTICO OF DAYR-EL-MEDEENEH, THEBES. This small but very beautiful Temple, which three feet,

situated in a secluded

is

Medinet-Abou, and, portico

as its

name

supported by two

is

square columns

attached to

The

or Athor.

walls

are

valley,

implies, has

immediately behind the palace-temple of

been used as a Christian church.

lotus-headed columns, and the

wall

and the

rent,

sequence of the ground on which

it

mummies

stones,

stands

and

however, everywhere retain as

they were

executed.

first

Here

in

many

places,

The

by two

extremities

disjointed, in

Isis,

con-

probably undermined to a great extent

search of

the sculptures,

it

the

having been disturbed by digging deep

pits in front in

;

at

surmounted by the heads of

are

these

:

only sixty feet by thirty

measures

is

the mode, in

much sharpness and colour as when among the ancient Egyptians, of

use

by wooden dovetails, or cramps, of sycamore, has been The Temple is inclosed by a wall, of which the bricks are built

connecting the stones

extensively

adopted.

alternately

in concave

and convex courses.

it was The Temple is Ptolemaic, having been begun by Ptolemy Philopater completed by Physcon, or Euergetes II,, who added the sculpture to the interior walls, and part of the architectural details of the portico. The pylon in front bears the name of Dionysius, and at the back of the adytum is found the name of Augustus, ;

"Autocrator Csesar."

On

the

walls

once led to the of which the

within are

roof.

adytum

several

The back is

enchorial

and Coptic

inscriptions.

the centre, and

staircase

upon the walls of these chambers numerous mythology with which the founders have

figures are sculptured, emblematical of the

sought to identify themselves. Roberts's Journal.

A

part of the naos consists of three parallel chambers,

Wilkinson's Egypt.

-

pq

:Si ,1

D

o ft

w e pi

p

"'=-

-. 1

I X -: ;

^

I 3

'.:*

-

% (S

!

;

ENTRANCE TO THE TOMBS OF THE KINGS — BIB AN- EL

-

MOLOOK. Here

the Pharaohs of Thebes were entombed, in a narrow valley in the Libyan range

of mountains which bound on the eastern side the valley of the Nile.

name, the "Gate of the Kings," has been applied far greater propriety

Its traditional

the tombs themselves, but with

to

seems to have been derived from the narrow gorge at the

it

inner entrance to the valley.

This

many

was

have

to

rifled

been

their

by the Persians and

than in

was only

Here

his intuitive perception of

day when the

These tombs were most costly

conceive

to

a

some of them.

which had never

in

priests closed

them upon

construction, penetrating

their

rocks to great depths, and enriched with the most elaborate appliances of difficult

of

after

what the rocks around

led to his opening several of these sacred depositories,

before been visited or examined since the

inmates.

later conquerors it

Egyptian research were nowhere more remarkably displayed

in

retired valley.

this

him concealed

and

sepulture,

centuries that the indefatigable Belzoni discovered

and energy

zeal

of

place

but so ingeniously were some of them concealed, that

of thirty-two

lapse

known

always

tombs were opened and

of the

Egypt: His

valley

why

their

into

the It is

art.

such lavish expenditure was incurred in places ingeniously

contrived for concealment.

The most remarkable on the

of these tombs, that which in the drawing

was discovered by Belzoni

left,

excavated in the living rock,

is

The

feet.

;

it,

is

seen the second

name;

tomb,

this

where the sarcophagus

three hundred and twenty feet;

perpendicular depth, below the level of the entrance,

its

details of this discovery are fully

Warburton, who describes

his visit to the

Tombs

covered with

wavy

is

given in Belzoni's work. of the Kings, says

For a couple of hours we continued along the

at daybreak.

we

was found within

his

another long, sloping passage descended, but the rock had fallen in and

this

barred further progress ninety

and bears

1817,

in its total horizontal length, to

of Osirei, the father of Remeses,

beyond

in

plain,

:

—" We

which was

started

partially

Then

corn, but flecked widely here and there with desert tracts.

entered the gloomy mountain gorge through which the Theban monarchs passed

to their tombs.

Our path

rubble and calcareous

lay through a narrow defile, between precipitous

strata:

and some large boulders of coarse conglomerate

strewn along this desolate valley, in which no living thing of earth or

The

plains

below once teemed with

but the gloomy

defiles

we were now

our view.

lonely, lifeless, desolate,

"After

five

—

a

fit

cliffs

life,

and, perhaps,

to the

lay

ever met

air

swarmed with palaces

now

traversing must have ever been as they

avenue

of

are,

tombs for which we were bound.

or six miles of travel, our guide stopped at the base of one of the

precipices, and, laying his long sphere against the rock, proceeded to light his torches.

There was no apparent entrance

tomb betrayed

"We

to the outer

at the

world by any

descended by a steep path into

distance of a few yards, nor

was

visible aperture until discovered this

hieroglyphics, and entered a corridor that ran

this

by

great

Belzoni.

tomb, through a doorway covered with

some hundred yards

into the mountain.

was about twenty

It

passage makes

At

way

feet square,

into another

and painted throughout most

more gorgeous

still,

One gorgeous

elaborately.

you arrive

until

at a steep descent.

the base of this a doorway opens into a vaulted hall of noble proportions, whose

gloom considerably increases

Remeses alabaster

II.,

was

apparent

Here the body of

size.

Osirei, father

of

thousand two hundred years ago, in the beautiful

sarcophagus which Belzoni drew from hence as a reward of his enterprise.

who had taken such

poor occupant,

Its

its

laid about three

pains to hide

himself,

was 'undone,'

for the

amusement of a London conversazione." The Crescent and the

Wilkinson's Egypt.

Belzoni's Travels.

THE TEMPLES OF ABOO-SIMBEL, FROM THE The and

nearest to the Nile, was

smallest of these Temples, and the

excavated about ninety feet into the rock.

is

one known there of Osiris that

"Travels" he

it

for the

;

It

says: — "When

Burckhardt

till

we reached

view the Temple of Ebsambol, of which is

no road

to

Isis,

ages, the only

out of the rocky side of the mountain;

Nubia, in 1813.

visited

the top of the mountain, I

I

cleft,

it

left

is

in

In his

my

guide

choked with sand,

had heard many magnificent

Temple, which stands just over the

to this

dedicated

accumulations of sand had so concealed the Great Temple

remained undiscovered

with the camels, and descended an almost perpendicular

There

NILE.

many

was, during

Cross.

and

river,

is

complete preservation.

to

descriptions.

entirely cut

In front of

the entrance are six colossal figures, that measure from the ground to the knee six feet

and a all

half."

After describing the interior, he adds,

— "Having,

by

the same

southward,

I

way fell

as

in

now

is

still

visible of four

immense

almost entirely buried beneath the sands.

The

entire

supposed, seen

broken

off,

and the bonnets of the other two only appear.

whether these statues are beauty of the head, he statues,

is

in a sitting or

states,

—" On

the

Temple:

they are

the head of the next It is difficult to

a standing posture."

is

determine

After describing the

the wall of the rock, in the centre of the four

a figure of the hawk-headed Osiris surmounted by a globe;

beneath which,

away, a vast Temple would be discovered."

On

Cairo he informed Belzoni of what he had seen at Aboo-Simbel;

and

suspect, could the sand be cleared

his return to

the

to

colossal statues, cut out

head and part of the breast

and arms of one of the statues are yet above the surface;

this

I

had descended, when, having luckily turned more

I

with what

of the rock, at a distance of about two hundred yards from

I

as

the antiquities of Ebsambol, I was about to ascend the sandy side of the mountain

indefatigable

travaller

removed enough of the sand

disclosed one of the most perfect and extraordinary

to

effect

an entrance, and

works of the ancient Egyptians.

*

— pq

P

.-

MSM

THE COLOSSAL STATUES IN THE PLAIN OF THEBES, DURING THE INUNDATION OF THE If the

from the period of their

the

as

the

pi'esent

relics

of a

to

city,

waters

the

them

time, where,

remote age,

spread

The annual

over

the

and make

inaccessible

the valley from

may have

controlled

same

the

solemn

the

great and populous

of a

silence of a desert, they exist

capable of exciting increased emotion,

Thebes, and, isolating

of

plain

their dreariness is

the midst

in

still

more

these

it

only

when

is

render

statues,

impressive.

unchanged nature.

the unfailing evidence of

Its

been guided into other channels, or embanked to guard the sacred

edifices in

at

erection,

in

is

Nile

rise of the

may have

course

stupendous figures, seated here for more than thirty-three

of these

solitude

centuries

NILE.

power

its

and

directed

averaged the

period,

the

;

it

and

ability

and distributed

same quantity,

of the ancient Egyptians

skill

blessings

its

;

still

same

the

fertilised

returned

it

and was

soil,

governed by unerring laws, ages before the reign of Menes as at the present day.

These statues and

the

to decay, attest the

grandeur which once existed in

ruins

are

and the

that remain

all

sun

rising

by

to

the

temples,

attest

land

the

gilds

still

artist,

transient

distant

in

works of man, though passing slowly mighty

city, of

which these

what Thebes and her people were.

The same

this

unchanged brightness and undiminished fervour,

availing himself of the union of those enduring elements with the

works of man, makes

character of the

his

a moral and

picture

effect

its

sublime.

In the description which has been given of another view stated

that

they both represented the Pharaoh

Hebrew Exodus

from the early

called

by

attested

of these statues,

III.,

it

is

the sovereign of the

but the romance of history has given interest to that statue which,

;

as they are here presented so

Amunoph

travellers

from behind, belief,

that

who heard and

seen on the

is

at

sunrise

recorded

it

left.

It is the

sounds issued from

by

inscriptions

Vocal it

;

Memnon,

and

this

is

on the statue eighteen

centuries ago.

When

Strabo was at Thebes, the upper portion of the statue had been destroyed,

was

as he

told,

by an earthquake, but an

— one

inscription exists

which

refers

this

when he conquered Egypt.

injury

to

Cambyses,

at

a later period, restored imperfectly by masonry in blocks of sandstone cramped

together,

and

this

of the acts of that barbarian

condition

of the

statue

is

represented

restoration

was made about the time of Adrian.

deny

to

this

on the

left

in

both

It was,

our sketches

:

the

Pausanias says that "the Thebans

Memnon, but that of Phamenoph." An inscription The examination of name of Phamenoth. by Champollion has discovered the name of Amunoph, and no doubt

be the statue of

foot

the hieroglyphics

of this

statue

bore the

remains of his accuracy.

The sound

said

to

be emitted by the statue has been attested by

many

hearers,

who have recorded as

a stone

That

brass

by one of

was

this

:

it

verified

might be compared

The Emperor Hadrian heard

brass.

among

appear,

on the legs

is

is

by the

that produced

to

sonorous like

recorded in an inscription striking

times,— a princely compliment

three

it

who accompanied them

the sovereign and his consort, or to the ladies still

legible

of the priests there can be no doubt,

trick

by Wilkinson, and confirms what

that the sound

Ballilla,

which are

inscriptions

in

was a

found in the lap of the statue which when struck

still

is

impressions

their

and feet of the statue.

to

names

for the

;

others in the inscriptions, of Julia Romilla and Cecilia Treboulla. Wilkinson's Egypt.

WADY

SCENE ON THE NILE NEAR

DABOD, WITH

CROCODILES. This scenery

very characteristic of the Nile

is

Nubia

in

the mountains break into

;

bold forms, the rocks are often precipitous, and islands rise abruptly from the river.

Here

on the

far

too

summit

the

down

taken looking

is

the

on the western side of the

lies

situated crest

view

the

Dabod,

left

of the

to

island,

Dabod, or the Valley of

but the Temple

be introduced but, like

Wady

Nile.

river,

the

in

Wady Dabod

of

Some Egyptian

view.

is

ruins

masses of ancient structures, which

other

can often be traced on the borders of the Nile, enough scarcely remains to reward the traveller for the labour of research into their history.

Here our the

Nile,

land, are

observed

Artist

that

they

the

lineal

may

many

traveller

the

shoot at

to

river

is

a

are

poor animals; clay

red-letter

They

triumph.

these

often

seen

in

his

— they

river

never seen

— but

and into

if

to float

steep, their tails

water, until

the

near them the Arabs picking

flies

the

basking in

seem

Pharaohs.

and

to

enter the water

the

to

be

It

his

certain places in

in

the sport of the Nile

is

crocodile

water.

denied

on the ascent of

seen

success

the

in

killing

one

is

a

Mr. Roberts

says,

they do

power of swimming, and are

by walking down the

slopes

and mud-banks;

angle of the slope, and slowly descend

they wholly disappear.

Of

the

birds

strange tales, and assert that they

from the mouths of the

of

sun on the sand-banks, but on the

the

are seen out in the

tell

first

journal,

approach of a boat they generally take not dive into the

who were worshipped

earliest

its

characteristic

emblems, unlike the changelings of the

its

descendants of those

the valley, and contemporary with

Those brutes, so

crocodiles.

be considered

crocodiles,

which are always seen

may

be constantly seen

which are open when the animals are

dormant. Ttoberts's Journal.

X

o H

—

!

GRAND ENTRANCE TO THE TEMPLE OF LUXOR. One

of the most beautiful

Temple of Luxor, but of

its

as

it

Obelisks, which

changed

has

preserve here

How

by

its

stood

approach to the magnificent

this

is

now decorates the Place Louis XV. in name with every revolution in France,

how grand

Paris,

—a

spot which,

may be

it

as well to

was longest known.

it

approach to Luxor must have been, when these

the

the colossal

before

work

the

in

has been shorn of a striking feature by the removal of one

it

by which

that

beautiful,

Obelisks

scenes

Remeses

statues of

II.,

one on either side of the

approach to the stupendous pylons, enriched with sculpture and painting, by which the

Temple was entered This sketch

made from

is

summit of a mound that overlooks the huts of

the

the village of Luxor, which, like the foul nests of the swallow, disfigure the beautiful objects to

which they are attached

it is

;

here that the vast propylon and the remaining

by the mud-huts

Obelisk, in their half-buried state, are best seen, though surrounded

modern Arab

of the

brown earthen

village,

pots, in

now used by

each covered by clusters of pigeon-houses, composed of

The

which they breed.

the inhabitants of

prevailed in remote times, and

Egypt

may

in

some degree account

of broken earthenware found on or near the

The mud-huts

of the natives bear the

the extension of their bases

but upright within, than those

who

—a

On to

are

Pharaoh

the right wall his

enriched with

is

all

subjects, or

pyramidal, sloping upwards to their roofs,

II.

A

elaborate

by

far

more ancient inhabitants

sculpture, recording

sitting its

II. is

in

were

days of ceremony.

represented

;

in

his

captives

at

the gate

of the camp,

customary administration.

One only ;

is

over his vanquished foes.

again represented, seated on a throne giving audience

judgment on

for affixing

Obelisk and the propylon

the military deeds

by water

besieged city surrounded

perforations or openings seen in these propyla,

diately below,

cities.

character of Egyptian buildings in

seen in his war-chariot triumphant

Remeses

the Eastern locality for

The

of the ancient towns and

common

principle adopted, in all probability,

and conquests of Remeses this

they are

sites

same custom

for the prodigious quantities

built the oldest of the structures of Egypt.

The propyls which

;

incredible quantity of such pots even

leads one to conjecture that the

the flag-staffs,

and the grooves or

of the colossal statues of Remeses

the other

is

steps

imme-

on which floated the banners on the is

seen between the

concealed in this view, but the unseen statue

appears in another plate in this work, which represents a side view of the remaining

Obelisk and both the statues, and also in a vignette of this statue alone.

Over the left propylon appears the top of the minaret of the Mosque The Nile and the Libyan mountains are seen beyond, and mark

Alhajaj.

view the relative position of the Temple

to the river.

of in

Abd this

Whilst Osiris

our

upon the pigeons,

At Luxor

was sketching, a hawk

Artist

was symbolised

—

whom

descendant of those from

numbers around him.

collected in such infinite

there

—a

perched sometimes on the Obelisk, and occasionally swept down

remains a community of Coptic Christians, but their rules and

still

Gibbon desig-

doctrines are so debased, and differ so widely from our own, that even

nated their religion as " a sightless and hideous

mummery

of a Christian church."

Roberts's Journal.

GENERAL VIEW OF KALABSHEE, FORMERLY TALMIS, NUBIA. This point of view admirably represents the striking situation of one of the largest of the Temples of Nubia.

Its

noble elevation above the river, the two magnificent terraces

and steps by which the entrance the scene

is

approached, the grand range of mountains by which

mud

backed, the rich groves of palms and acacias in front, and even the

is

houses of the population here, add to the striking grandeur

Temple and the

of the

picturesque character of the whole scene.

The

present

succeeding

Temple was begun

emperors

Wilkinson thinks that the north-east corner

of

Thothmes

III.,

was

it

of Augustus,

completion,

its

built on the site of

yet

an older

anterior to the building of the

is

it

and though

was

edifice, as

Temple

a

built

circuit

of the time is

still

lying

and many of the blocks with which

have evidently been previously appropriated

There are two walls of

chapel at

little

— probably

several

unfinished.

left

whose name can be traced on a granite statue which

on the quay or terrace before the entrance;

Temple has been

reign

the

in

contributed towards

which are joined

to

in

the propylon, and the whole

presents a magnificent mass, which incloses the court, the portico, and the naos; latter

divided

is

has been order.

away

to

three

afford space

The mountain, at The sculptures Temple.

chambers.

successive for

the

the

the

extremity,

are of a low

There are numerous ex-voto inscriptions, chiefly to Mandoli, the ancient deity

of Talmis.

and of

cut

into

this

such a structure.

all

One

of the most interesting

the Ethiopians,

— one of those

who, by treaty with Diocletian, protected Eoberts's Journal.

is

in

Greek, by Silco, king of the Nubadaj

sovereigns on the frontier of the it

Roman

from the enemies of the Empire. Wilkinson's Egypt.

states

r

'-

-

=

—

FACADE OF THE PRONAOS OF THE TEMPLE OF EDFOU. Tnis

taken from the side opposite to a former view of the

is

more

exhibits

colonnade which surrounds three of

of the cloistered

Around

pronaos was approached.

the

cloister

this

the

Grand Court, and its sides, by which

ambulated, sheltered

priests

from the burning sun of Egypt, and where now a poor weaver

shadowed by

the .screen

unchanged

its

in

in

seen

is

work,

at

Pharaohs from the same sun

thousands of courses since the erection of the Temple

and influence from a period long antecedent

effects

its

which had sheltered the

to

the

and unchanged

;

existence

of any

temple, any people, any social state in the land of Egypt.

There are no ruins

so

complete in the valley of the Nile as those of Edfou, none

by which the decorative taste of its architects can be so justly appreciated. Karnak is more severe than Dendera, more florid than Edfou less severe than the former, this is more beautiful and pure than the latter. Not one of the temples of Egypt made a stronger impression for its beauty and picturesqueness upon our Artist than that of Edfou, He had visited it in his ascent

—

of the Nile, and on his return ho says: seen,

but, on

regularity,

above

all

where

it

its it

contrary, gained

the

for

colossal

its

and then from the

latter

but the heat which

I

though

this

picture.

It

was

in

size

has not lost by the temples that I have

impression

the

in

it

and the beauty of

massive proportions,

has been wantonly

— "It

gives its

me

and the excellent preservation

injured.

I

made two

large

of

sculpture

and surpasses

is

it

extent and

its

;

in,

excepting

drawings of the portico,

looking across the court, or dromos, towards the propjlon

;

endured, even under the protection of an umbrella, was intolerable,

November."

has breadth in

are exquisite in form.

The

its

every situation in which

In parts;

it

viewed

is

is

it

a

the columns, though massive and half buried,

beautiful variety in the capitals of the columns, though

they vary as next to each other, yet they are uniform in those on one side of the facade of the pronaos corresponding to those on the other; but this variety

throughout the colonnade which injured, but not so

There this.

is

much by

surrounds the dromos, or

time as

by the

court.

Many

is

are

carried

much

violence of the conquerors of Egypt.

no temple of Egypt so desecrated by the hovels of the inhabitants as

Everywhere they

fill

up corners, hang on

cornices,

and cover

roofs.

Fortunately,

within the dromos, the Pasha has expelled them, and cleared the corridors to granaries of corn, and the impression of

its

beauty

is

left

nearly undisturbed.

make

!

;

RUINS OF ERMENT, ANCIENT HERMONTIS, UPPER EGYPT. These ruins

are the

at

first

which the traveller arrives on ascending the Nile above

There formerly existed here a larger Temple, which has long been destroyed

Thebes.

the ruins that remain are of a lesser

mammeisi,

or

" lying-in house,"

Temple, which

— required

that

for

supposed to have been the

is

triad

mythology

Egyptian

of

The Temple was built by the celebrated Neocoesar, It formerly consisted Cleopatra, and Ptolemy her son by Julius Caesar. of an exterior court formed by two rows of columns, connected by low screens, a which

was

worshipped

sculptured

Its

colonnade,

transverse

small

decorations

decline of Egyptian art. that

Ilermontis.

at

and

the

are

of

Here

is

an

naos

adytum

or

divided

a reservoir of

hewn

into

two

strongly

A

stone.

chambers.

indicate,

the

tradition pretends

Hermontis was the birth-place of Moses

In the foreground are the ruins of a Christian Church lie

and

character,

inferior

about in confusion.

was

It

built during the

;

its

columns of red granite

Lower Empire out

of,

the ruins of the larger Temple, of which the substructions only can

it

is

supposed,

now be

traced.

This Church was of considerable extent, nearly two hundred feet long and ninety feet

wide

;

massive

the

blocks

of a

care which had been bestowed upon ianity

In the

was the established this

court,

the

roof of the naos

is

within and about desecration

common

wall,

and the columns, are evidences of the

erection,

of- the

remaining

Temple

is

seen

it

was

raised

when

Christ-

Temple

from the single erect column of

columns of the pronaos,

the residence of the Sheik

the

and that

religion of the land.

view the length

and

its

is

occupied

to

the

of Erment, and

adytum

by the mud-huts of the

to all the sacred structures of ancient

Egypt.

;

upon the

every available spot inhabitants,

—a

-

c

-

KOM-OMBO. The

principal remains are those of a double

equal honours were

paid.

of one of the adyta informs us that part of

nome during

the Ombite

the

Temple dedicated

two

to

deities, to

reigns

it

was erected hy the

soldiery stationed in

Ptolemy and Cleopatra, "gods Philometres"

of

(the sixth Ptolemy and his wife and

sister).

Sevek, or rather Sevek-ra, and Aroeris, are the gods of the Temple, and

was preserved,

the

so that

who

says Plutarch,

rays

deification of the sun's

of light and

another

spirit,

;

so Aroeris

of Ombos," but

Temple he

It

is

Sevek appears

Sevek

is

is

called

appears, in fact, to be a

Sevek-ra was

here called (and also at Thebes)

some claim to be considered as Saturn. mentioned as " Sevek, who struck Apoph the

Both these

deities are called

have been the more ancient, and,

to

was struck upon the Roman

his figure

portico

is

Sun, represented by a crocodile, whose scales were

serpent in the presence of the Boat of the Sun."

The

He

latter

and son of the Sun,"

the gods, and, therefore, has

all

In the interior of the

Ombite nome,

Osiris

symbolically represented by the hawk.

supposed to have some agreement therewith. the father of

mentioned, the

was brother of

and as the hawk typified that luminary as the emblem is

of the

attribute

deified

have just

I

"He

confirmed by the hieroglyphics.

is

curious

no preference should be given either to one or

In the Greek inscription

other.

"Aroeris, the great god Apollo."

is

it

and arrangement of the building, how carefully

to observe, both in the hieroglyphics

their equality

whom

Ptolemaic, and a Greek inscription over the entrance

It is

" Lords

as deity of the

coins.

has consisted of fifteen columns, of which thirteen remain standing.

On

a magnificent structure even in ruins.

number

twice sculptured, the odd

the architrave the winged globe

of this double arrangement.

From

supported by columns

though these parts of the Temple are double, there

no absolute division

A

but,

;

the portico are two doorways leading to an area,

to the adyta,

south-east

side

of this

this,

on the

a Temple

that

learn

side of the river,

is

the

banks

river,

of

the

third

and

member

of Sevek

built into the III.,

then existed.

from the In a line

a portion of a large pylon of the Ptolemaic era,

that seems to have stood opposite to the smaller

consecrated to

;

an old gateway of the time of Thothmes

is

we

is

which alone were separated.

lofty brick wall of circuit has inclosed the sacred precincts

hieroglyphics of which

with

we come

until

is

of columns in front compelling or being the result

of the

Triad),

Temple

(called the

Typhonium, and

of which the fragments

cover the

having fallen from being undermined by the current.

Some

fragments of columns show that they were surmounted by the head of Athor, as at

Dendera.

Some

the

Tentyrites and

parties,

their

A

all

it

to

have been built from the materials of a previous

small basalt altar

Ombites, but

quarrels

notwithstanding

show

stones

one of Thothmes.

could

tales

to

not

it

strikes

have

the contrary.

lies

near.

We

all

read of the enmity of

me, from the distance of the belligerent

been

To

either

very frequent or very bloody,

prevent the

ill-feeling

and hatred that

would

have arisen between the

otherwise

neighbouring provinces, and

different

to

maintain peace, the wily priests generally introduced the gods of the adjoining nomes as contemplars

of worship

from one end of Egypt

so that,

;

— the

adoration of each

religious

nome

to the

other was a connected chain

dovetailed into those adjoining from

the sea to Meroe.

The

more

sculpture of the Egyptians offers portraits,

especially that of their kings,

varied according to the age of the monarch and consequent change in

The

appearance. to

gods, however, do not appear

have had any distinction of feature, but

with the face of the reigning monarch the

of Osiris

figures

in

the

—a

personal

his

(when represented with human heads) every instance, represented

are, in nearly

species of flattery

great rock-cut Temple

somewhat

Oriental.

of Aboo-Simbel, and

all

Thus other

temples erected or sculptured in his reign, bear the noble features of the great Remeses (the Sesostris of Herodotus).

Notes by

J. S. Perring,

Esq.

DOWN THE

ISLAND OF PHIL.E, LOOKING This beautiful Island, and the objects which enrich

and he would

furnish a subject to the artist;

Beauty

portfolio.

Egypt may, by cause thus

us

to

impress

is

its

characteristic;

their vastness

reflect

us

for

temples, has no rival on

its

seen from any point of view,

find in Philse alone materials

and extent, and the magnitude of to

construct

emotions of the sublime

inscriptions, the beautiful hypaethral

—

side,

too,

is

their

a

composing parts,

and arrange them, and beauty, Philse, with

in

are

seen

its

which are covered with sculptured

Temple, the obelisk which contains inscriptions of

great interest, part of the cloistered court, and, towering over this

fill

sacred river.

In this view the masses of granite

On

to

however much the ancient structures of

upon the powers employed

deeply with

it,

NILE.

the usual harbour where

all,

the great propylon.

the boats of travellers are secured,

and

the materials for the picturesque on this Island are here seen perhaps in the greatest profusion

and

;

and ruined temples, broken and beautiful forms of natural embankments, and the refreshing verdure of the palms and sycamores,

granitic rocks

artificial

contrasted with the arid and burning sands, which descend on the banks of the Nile

even to the water's edge, give an eternal repose of Osiris, of

This Island

is

now

air

"him who

destitute

of enchantment to

this

spot,

sleeps in Philae."

of resident inhabitants.

The remains

desecrate the courts, recesses, and even summits of their temples.

long since to expelled

selected for the

of

Arab huts

Philre appears not

have been inhabited, but the few Nubians who were there have been

by order

of their tyrant governors.

£

VAYW

K®!BIEE3rSs IIS«J:ISA,

H84HD.

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:a;rj

LIST OF SUBJECTS. Vol. VI.

213 21 i

215 216

217 218 219

220 221

222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229

230 231

232 233

234 235 236 237

238 239 240

241 242 243

244 245

246 247 248 249

250

INTERVIEW WITH MEHEMET ALI IN HIS PALACE AT ALEXANDRIA. SCENE IN A STREET IN CAIRO — Title Vignette. BAB-EL-NASR, OR GATE OF VICTORY, AND MOSQUE OF EL HAKIM, CAIRO. APPROACH TO ALEXANDRIA. THE GATE OF THE METWALIS, OR BAB ZUWEYLEH, CAIRO. THE MINARETS OF THE BAB ZUWEYLEH, AND ENTRANCE TO THE MOSQUE OF THE METWALIS, CAIRO. RUINED MOSQUES IN THE DESERT WEST OF THE CITADEL. INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE OF THE SULTAN HASSAN. ONE OF THE TOMBS OF THE CALIPHS, CAIRO. THE SILK-MERCERS' BAZAAR OF EL GOOREYEH, CAIRO. TOMBS OF THE CALIPHS, CAIRO. THE' CITADEL IN THE DISTANCE. MOSQUE OF THE SULTAN KAITBEY, CAIRO. MINARET OF THE MOSQUE EL RHAMREE. GENERAL VLEW OF CAIRO FROM THE WEST. THE HOLY TREE OF METEREAH. THE ENTRANCE TO THE CITADEL OF CAIRO. MOSQUE OF AYED BEY IN THE DESERT OF SUEZ. BAZAAR OF THE COPPERSMITHS, CAIRO. MINARET OF THE PRINCIPAL MOSQUE IN SIOUT, UPPER EGYPT. INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE OF THE METWALIS. TOMBS OF THE MEMLOOKS, CAIRO, WITH AN ARAB FUNERAL. GRAND ENTRANCE TO THE MOSQUE OF THE SULTAN HASSAN. THE AQUEDUCT OF THE NILE, FROM THE ISLAND OF RHODA, CAIRO. BAZAAR IN THE STREET LEADING TO THE MOSQUE EL MOORISTAN, CAIRO. PRINCIPAL MOSQUE AT BOULAK. CAIRO, FROM THE GATE OF CITIZENIB, LOOKING TOWARDS THE DESERT OF SUEZ. A GROUT IN THE SLAVE-MARKET IN CAIRO. THE SIMOOM IN THE DESERT. THE NILOMETER ON THE ISLE OF RHODA, CAIRO. VIEW ON THE NILE. ISLE OF RHODA AND THE FERRY OF GEEZEH.

THE LETTER-WRITER, CAIRO. ENTRANCE TO A PRIVATE MANSION, CAIRO. TOMBS OF THE MEMLOOKS, CAIRO. CITADEL OF CAIRO, THE RESIDENCE OF THE PASHA. THE COFFEE-SHOP OF CAIRO. INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE OF THE SULTAN EL GHOREE. THE GHAWAZEE, OR DANCING GIRLS, CAIRO. MOSQUE OF THE SULTAN HASSAN, FROM THE GREAT SQUARE OF THE RUMEYLEH.

;

SCENE IN A STREET IN CAIRO. TITLE VIGNETTE TO VOL.

This view

is

VI.

one of the most generally characteristic of the streets and buildings

of Cairo that the Artist could select.

The narrow way, overhanging

houses, trellised

windows, sheds and shops, the throng of people and the crowning minaret of the

mosque, rich

in

all

that

constitutes

singular and picturesque beauty.

It

such is

which leads from the square of the Citadel the lies

street

bears

the

name

of

the

an Arab structure, make up a scene of

thus presented in the main street to

of Cairo,

the Bab-el-Nasr, or Gate of Victory

Gimaleah, or

Camel

Way,

because through

it

the course of the procession of the camel that yearly, in the caravan of pilgrims,

bears from Cairo the sacred covering for the tomb of the Prophet at Mecca.

—

INTERVIEW WITH MEHEMET ALI IN HIS PALACE AT ALEXANDRIA. This

more

in

to

From

of our day and of history.

which

Modern Egypt, since Mehemet Ali, one of

appropriately illustrates

subject

which Mr. Roberts was introduced

a low condition

in

would have been hopeless

civilised society

life,

—

men

he attained an elevation

to the

Cunning, acuteness, resolution, and perseverance, were his

a scene in

represents

it

the most remarkable

government of Egypt. His means of

qualities.

employing them shock our morality, but they were admired and applauded in the East as deeply

National judgments differ widely

political.

The

of great acts.

sideration

when

applied to the con-

policy which extirpated the most infamous government

improved condition

that ever disgraced even the East, and held out the hope of such an

of society there as

men

free

may

one day place Egypt among

are governed by laws and institutions for the benefit of the

deserves to be considered well before will

condemned

is

it

;

but

if this

deny the wisdom and virtue of the Pasha's conduct, when,

had conquered had been wrested from him, and in

those civilised nations on which

Syria, he might have revenged himself

merchants

was

route

Pasha's

No

in Alexandria.

offered

retaliation,

by him

Your

and

helpless,

interruption, however, to our intercourse

said,

my

at

reconciled to his disasters

the Porte, for

him and

his

but

;

whilst in

safe

when to

"Your Consul and

mercy

and property are

lives

at

my

India and

feared the called

He

the

deserted you;

has

me your Consul and

keeping."

perpetuity, the

in

who Mehemet Ali

representative

protector.

afterwards

became

Government obtained from

the influence of the British heirs

to

by the Overland

Alexandria,

ships,

consider

he

and army were destroyed

fleet

and when our Consid

weal,

after the countries

upon the British passengers

had taken refuge on board our

merchants before him and

you are

;

his

common

be doubted, no one

government of the Land of

the Pharaohs.

"Whilst Colonel

in

Alexandria,

May

Campbell an invitation

to

12,

1839," says Mr.

"I

Roberts,

breakfast and afterwards to

accompany him

Our

interview with the Pasha, which had been arranged for that day. for the Arsenal,

where Mehemet Ali was ready

numerous guards we were ushered

commanded sail

to receive us.

The

fleet,

to

an

party started

After passing through

into the presence-chamber, which,

a magnificent view of the harbour.

received from

from the window,

consisting of about twenty

of the line fully equipped, the Arsenal, the dockyards, and numerous batteries

displaying

a

power created by

glorious scene.

uniforms,

many

The room was of

his

own

forethought and energies

— lay

before us, a

spacious and lofty, and crowded with officers in rich

them wearing the

decorations.

The Pasha was

in simple

costume,

without any mark of distinction upon him which Nature had not stamped, and which

—

was acknowledged by the respect paid Campbell seemed friend.

to

Coffee

Pasha alone enjoyment

him by

Only

smoked.

to

very highest rank are invited to

of the

officers

this

scene represents the Pasha seated, whilst Colonel (now General) Patrick Campbell

oldest friend

his

and

Abbas Pasha, the present Viceroy of Egypt;

Among

first

who

return

projected plans for

interpreted

to

There

Italian.

the Pasha's grandson,

minister;

Waghorn, the

has since been so indefatigable in

Mr. Roberts;

projector

its

accom-

Mr.

Pell,

The interview was partly to congratutate His Highness Upper Egypt, and partly in connexion with the

and other English gentlemen. safe

in

Linant Bey, the French engineer, and

Tatum, the distinguished Coptic scholar;

Mr.

recent

Artem Bey

those with Colonel Campbell were Lieutenant

of the Overland route to India, and

plishment;

Desert.

Turkish the conversation, which was carried on

in

were present, Bogos Bey,

his

The

us by attendants in rich costumes.

in his presence."

His Highness

on

His reception of Colonel

present.

on the divan, he beckoned his visitors

his seat

was then served

explained to him the proposed route across the

others.

all

be most cordial, and as unpretending as the reception of an old

to

Having received us and taken

be seated.

The

to

from

improving the transit of passengers and merchandise across the

Isthmus of Suez.

BAB EN NASH, OR GATE OF VICTORY, AND MOSQUE OF EL HAKIM, CAIRO. square towers which flank the portal of this entrance to the city have

The massive neither

appearance of the ancient propria, nor the fantastic character of Arab

the

construction.

It

of El Mutansir,

the street which

There

built towards the

his Vizier

Bedr

el

end of the eleventh century, during the caliphate

who gave

Geinalee,

his

name

and except a band

like

a cornice

carried

A

decoration or enrichment. is

apostle of

Gemaleeyah,

round the towers, twenty

below their square summits, and some trophy-like ornaments " There

to the

leads from this gate to the two Fatimite palaces.

a grandeur and simplicity in the broad and massive character of the whole

is

structure;

was

by

This gate

is

Alee

is

shields,

it

is

feet

without

may be read beneath the archivolt: He has no equal. Mohammed is the May the peace of God be on them!"

Kufic inscription

no Deity but God God.

in

;

He

is

alone

the friend of God.

;

on the north-east side of Cairo, and leads into the public cemetery from

the city, and towards Suez.

the minaret of the ruined

In the distance a striking object in this sketch appears,

mosque

of

El Hakim

situated without the walls of Cairo.

Roberts's Journal.

s

-I

< 3 -

'.

APPROACH TO ALEXANDRIA. Though

little

can be seen of this ancient city from the sea, owing to the low lands

of the Delta, yet few spots are approached under deeper emotions than those excited

by

its

Its

with the ancient land of which

historical associations

it

was the chief

port.

by the wisdom and power of the Macedonian conqueror, and

situation, chosen

bearing his name to the present hour, evince the forethought and profound judgment

with which

its

importance was estimated by him, as the outlet of commerce

local

from the East, which, entering Egypt by the Red Sea, and traversing the Desert

Memphis, spread the luxuries of Arabia and Persia, and probably Alexander anticipated that

Egyptians. world.

He

among

India,

to

the

would become the emporium of the Western

it

selected the favourable position within the Island of Pharos,

on the Delta

of the Nile, that sheltered, as a breakwater, the western harbour, in which the ancient

town of Rhacotis

lay,

and there raised

immortal

his

It

city.

station in the time of the

The

Trojan war.

history of

was known from a

Homer

remote period as a place of maritime refuge, and mentioned by

commerce shows

as a watering

that Alexandria

became, and continued during seventeen centuries, the port through which the riches of the East were poured into Europe;

by

the

if

Cape of Good Hope had not been made,

unbroken:

but,

the discovery of the passage to India

into

In

insignificance.

our day,

a port for nearly four centuries,

prosperity as

its

would have continued

that intercourse

from that time, Alexandria sunk

however, after an interruption of its

and

importance has been re-established by the discovery of the powers of steam

has

opened a communication

and

in

as

which

;

with greater certainty,

short a time, as during the last century a journey could have been

from London with India,

Bombay and London,

between

to

Rome.

made

Fortunately for the re-establishment of this communication

Mehemet AH governs

in

His views and policy bear some resem-

Egypt.

blance to those of the original founder

;

instead of being

narrowed by the bigotry and

impolicy of his immediate predecessors, he has contributed, in allowing the transit by the Desert and the Nile, to the future prosperity of

Egypt

:

and

may have

violent as

been the exercise of his power in the re-establishment of Alexandria,

will

it

become

the least sullied portion of his fame in history.

The

antiquities of

Alexandria are few; and the most remarkable,

and the Needle of Cleopatra, already drawn and described in

our view by the

fleet

is

the

fleet

of the

Hareem and Palace

ancient governors of Alexandria;

house to the harbour, since in ruins,

—

that

in this

The chief object seen on Mehemet Ali, built on the site

Pasha. of

— Pompey's — concealed

work,

Pillar

are

left

of the

of that

of the

the

over and beyond this appears the Pharos, or light-

which was

built

by Ptolemy Philadelphus, many ages that it was esteemed one of the

was of such grandeur and magnitude,

seven wonders of the world, and has

left its

name

to designate

every maritime light-

house raised by other nations;

The

description

of Alexandria

erection

its

left

to

is

said

understand the relative features of the ancient city tion of its

libraries

on which these noble

and museum

will

to

have cost £150,000

sterling.

us by Strabo enables the modern traveller to

excite

but his recollection of the destruc-

;

bitter feelings as

he traverses the spots

institutions existed.

The stupendous efforts made by Mehemet Ali to restore the importance of the have, in many instances, been accomplished at the cost of many thousands of the lives of the poor creatures, who are forced by him to labour in the public Under him, nearly the whole of the present city, its forts, works of Alexandria. port,

—

arsenal,

and dock-yards,

its

magnificent palace, and great square,

and

built,

where, only a few years since, a desert existed.

the

port;

the

principal

ship

Egyptian admiral bearing the

in

the

view,

flag of the

a

Pasha,

first-rate

—a

— have

His

fine

man-of-war,

is

rides

of

that

in

the

and star on a red

silver crescent

ground; and the khanja, being rowed across the harbour,

is

been raised

fleet

that of

Mehemet

Ali.

THE GATE OF THE METWALIS, OR BAB ZUWEYLEH, CAIRO. This gate of those

is

not situated in the wall of the city which surrounds Cairo, but

within

it,

which serve

communicate between one part of the

to

is

one

city

and

another, and are so placed that they divide Cairo into quarters, or districts, and thus

furnish to the Pasha a state of insurrection.

means of cutting

The gate

off

from the

leads between the

rest

any

division

which may be

in a

two beautiful minarets of a mosque,

the subject of another drawing in this work.

The through beneath

which leads from the

great line of streets the it

Metwalis

gate,

to leave the city

citadel

and the great caravan of the

by the Gate of Victory. Roberts's Notes.

to

the Bab en Nasr lies Mecca pilgrims passes

'

:

:

;

THE MINARETS AT THE BAB ZUWEYLEH, AND ENTRANCE TO THE MOSQUE OF THE METWALIS, CAIRO. This gate was built in the reign of the Caliph El-Mutansir, about the year 1092,

Hegira 485.

of the

stands between

It

the

El-Mu-eiyad, called also the mosque of Bab

name

latter

to

spot,

and from which

above Caliph, Cairo owes others of el

Futooh were

built

The

by him.

who

Wellee,

has acquired

it

Gama

mosque of

the

of

Zuweyleh, and of the Metwalis

derived from a devout saint, or

the

visit

minarets

fine

is

To

most popular name.

its

the

;

supposed mysteriously the

Bab en Nasr and Bab Bab Zuweyleh, which, like those

present gates, for the

its

original gate of

above mentioned, was built by Gohar, the general of El Moez, was removed from the original

which he chose, and erected on the present, by El-Givyoosh, the

site

vizier

of the Caliph El-Mutansir.

The

difficulty of obtaining accurate

of foundation is

increased or

records,

was

by

of

many

of the

by the confusion in

their

information about the fotmders and the periods

public in

particularly

buildings,

of each

contradiction

by Aboo-Mansoor, son of El Moez, the founder Emir El-Guyoosh. The adjoining mosque was built by

who removed flanked

it,

mosque

is

A.D.

the

towers

of

the

and

gate,

1414, three hundred and

built

fifty

of Cairo, and

direction

of the

main

street

mosque, for neither of

appears its

sides

in front of the portal.

to

have

is

in

with the names of the Caliph El-Mutansir and the a rope remained

after

place

suspended

sovereign,

beneath

was hung,

in

the

controlled

erection

its

order

of public execution of

on the ground hi the

The rude

street

malefactors,

of

the

Upon

recorded, together

Formerly

Toman Bey, Turkish

the

Sultan

last

Selim,

Close to the gate was the

headless

bodies

were often

left

construction of the balconies to the windows and houses, and the awnings

contrast with

architecture.

their

is

exposed for two or three days.

and sheds over the shops, and the the minarets.

and

geographical

Emir El-Guyoosh.

archway, by which

1517, by

the

the direction of Mecca.

having endured the severest insults and tortures.

striking

The

years after the gate was erected.

facade, seen in the vignette of the gate, the date of

Memlook

completed

the Sheik El-Mahmoodee,

seen on the right of our view, where the steps lead to the principal entrance,

position of the its

their

left

two beautiful minarets which

the

and lamps are suspended from the beam which hangs

The

either

Ibn Abd-ez-Zahir says the gate

other.

built

the

mosques of Cairo,

the

which the Arabian authors have

raised

the massive walls

floors

of the

on

which the dealers

mosque and the

These are of the enriched and decorated

sit,

beautiful

style so peculiar to

are in

forms of

Arabian

RUINED MOSQUES IN THE DESERT WEST OF THE CITADEL. These are the minarets of some of the ruined mosques which are seen

scattered

over the Desert, just without the walls of Cairo, and are generally called the of the Mamlooks,

name

so

is

beautiful

— Wilkinson

commonly given

to

says erroneously, and his authority

them, that

it

is

scarcely desirable to change

and ever-varied architectural objects are numerous, and

must, with their tombs and mosques, have given to this

but they are nearly the

principal

exist

all

minaret in

falling this

to

decay, and some

sketch has disappeared

That the minarets, which are generally

shoidd remain,

is

remarkable.

There

is

little

preserved the minarets,

when

district

are ;

light

doubt

destroyed by violence, but history has not preserved feeling, perhaps,

great

is

its

and

in

Roberts's Journal.

it.

this

These

no remote period

at

a striking character;

The mosque

ruins.

of

dome and tomb no longer fragile

that

when

the

or

the tombs, and

of the mosques, were devoted to oblivion.

Tombs but

;

their

in

structure,

mosques have been

why

;

some

religious

names of the founders

'

Lanital

:-t:::t_:

mo; joes

in th

.

..:-

west

if

the

itadel

INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE OF THE SULTAN HASSAN. It

only within a few years that a Frank, or Christian, has been permitted to enter

is

many

a mosque, and there are

Cairo from which they are

in

but in that of the Sultan Hassan, which it

under certain

is,

The

restrictions, allowed.

rigidly excluded,

still

the most sought to be visited by strangers,

is

must assume the Mohammedan

Christian

costume, and be accompanied by a Cavass, or Janissary, and before great

leading to

stab'

servant;

the feet, as

put

we uncover

off his shoes,

On

East

for in the

passing

porch, his boots

the it

is

altar,

of

on the

;

in

east,

lights are

all

in front

Near

From

lines,

I it

a raised

is

the

;

front

on the

recesses

each

the niche of the Mechrab,

is

which, during the

and beautiful

;

placed,

is

like

answer to the

sides

rich

particularly that

festivals,

some of those lamps are of transparent

On

in colour.

ascended by a narrow

not," says

in

On

square.

feet

the arched roofs within these recesses, lamps

in

a raised platform, supported

is

know

is

fifty

Towards the Mechrab, which

turn to pray

dome and covered with very

small

used

is

that which

kept constantly burning

china, exquisite in design,

the pulpit, which

about two hundred and

our chancel.

suspended by innumerable

Rhamadan,

to

through the great porch of the Mosque of the Sultan Hassan, the

transepts of our sacred structures.

are

Moses was commanded

the head, in an act of reverence:

corresponding nearly to

our

charge of his

"for the place whereon he stood was holy ground."

a deep arched recess

is

ascending the

in

left

the custom, as in the days of Moses, to uncover

still

visitor enters a magnificent court,

side

must be

or shoes

flight

it

columns, — "for

is

surmounted by a

is

Immediately

arabesque carvings in wood.

by marble

Mechrab

the right of the

of stairs;

what purpose

it

is

Mr. Roberts, "as on great occasions Christians are excluded." with a desk in front, from which the Koran

seat,

read and

is

expounded. In the centre of this magnificent court, which principal font for ablution, at their prayers;

but there

is

which nearly

all

is

open to the sky,

placed the

is

the devotees wash previous to offering

an exclusive sect of Mohammedans, who consider the water

used by others polluted: for these, the smaller font on the right, surmounted like the

From around

fountain, water

larger one in the centre

is

flows

the feet and hands of the faithful,

by a dome, by numerous small pipes upon

intended.

credit for cleanliness, rather than censure for exclusiveness is

used.

Around

unbelievers.

the court are vast apartments,

This magnificent Temple

evident from the state

of the

walls

is

that,

how

fortress as of a temple. Roberts's Jom-nal.

falling

to

is

not

decay;

not very remote,

used as a place of defence, and bears, as a whole, as

who

deserve

the water flows off as

appropriated

neglected, and at a period

;

this

much

the

it

known and

it

it

to is

has been

appearance of a

ONE OF THE TOMBS OF THE CALIPHS, CAIRO. This, though so generally

named by our Artist, The open

mosque of the Sultan Barkook. the slender columns

is

structures,

so

is,

name and preserve

perhaps, even desired

that the

name

Arab

by

the

to

is

we may

The

general appearance of these

decay, saddens the

of another family

attribute the

To

They have

observer.

the mosques from decay, their ruin

members

of the founder should perish:

the will,

with the arches springing from

leave a name, but without lineal

nationality of feeling to preserve them.

there

architects.

rapidly falling to

been raised by the proud desire cherish that

a portion of the well-known collegiate

loggia

used as the school, and the porch presents a beautiful example

of the stalactitic decoration of the beautiful

is

is

descendants to certain,

who may succeed

and

it

to power,

and the sovereigns of Egypt have no

this,

and

to the

power

to destroy

wherever

unheeded ruin of these remarkable buildings.

This mosque was built between the years 1382 and 1398 of our era; not the sepulchral mosque of the Sultan Barkook

:

the ruins of that

found without the walls, among the tombs of the Sultans.

but

it

is

tomb-mosque are

:

g A

-

:

•

W

-

///U

THE SILK-MERCERS' BAZAAR OF EL-GHOOREEYEH, CAIRO. This Bazaar are

either

leads to the collegiate is

mosque and tomb of the Sultan El-Ghoree, which

so called from the

is

on

situated

mosque; and on the each

entered, flights of steps lead to

On

Bazaar.

of the

side

the

the porch

left

and the porches are very handsome

;

are usually the most enriched parts of these edifices below the minarets.

coloured marbles

and

rich

are profusely

intricate

here they

used,

arabesques, and inscriptions

are

suspended

are

places of refuge

for

the

over

destitute,

entrances

the

stripes of

of

these

:

they

Sometimes

and white, and

black

from the Koran

and the walls are agreeably coloured with horizontal burning lamps

which

appears,

by which the sepulchral mosque

right, that

display

Kufic characters,

in

red and white: nightly portals,

which serve as

and hundreds of houseless wretches sleep beneath

them.

These mosques of the Sultan El-Ghoree were completed of the latest of the of Tooloon

of

is

monuments

religious

the

earliest

for

;

the

of

successor

the

A.D.

1503, and are examples

of Egypt,

Sultans

the

as

mosque

Toman Bey, who

El-Ghoree,

of

was hung by order of the Sultan Selim, closed the dynasty.

The which

actual situation of this Bazaar

finish

the

at

top

with a

trefoil

is

between the walls of these two mosques,

sort of battlement

whereon

rafters

rest,

with

props to support the wooden roof, that at a great height covers the Bazaar, admitting light

enough, but sheltering

appropriated to the

sale

of rich

productions of this

Here

parts of the city.

three feet

art

remove

:

from

of Cairo, as in at night

certain

days,

a

all

Eastern

articles

of the biddings.

cities,

are confined

the

chain, and

gayest and most

amusing

a

sale,

behind him.

recesses

he

sits

in

solemn

and

silence,

will

He

he uses scarcely

answer the inquiries of the passers-by; but a Frank,

if

habited in Eastern costume, of

pipe

peripatetic

on

for

gold-thread

in

by wooden doors and a

set

and of

whom

of an article, will often excite

coffee

are

auctioneers,

presented called

screaming in

their

praise,

he can and

him

to

acts

during the negotiation.

delldk,

their animation with the apathetic dealers, for they force their

showing their

Cairo,

awaiting the arrival of a customer;

more than four times the value

of courteous attention, and

On

patient,

his lips to

and especially an Englishman, does ask

generally

is

chief in

some wrought

goods being kept in

his

and

cross-legged

his pipe

the

the shopkeeper rests on a sort of dais, or shopboard, about

induce him to purchase;

to

stuffs,

Each Bazaar

this,

be bought here are the most splendid

they are, however, by day

above the footway, sits

to

articles

and passages, which are closed

streets

little

and the

The Bazaars

class.

guarded by watchmen

generally

and embroidered

cottons,

silks,

and other costly materials;

to

from the rays of the sun.

it

a particular class of merchandise, and

way

strikingly

contrast

amidst the crowd,

and shouting the

amount

Mr. Roberts says

much and

struck

long

this

Bazaars are, of

by

its

that

after

were few

situations

mere novelty of then

the

its

most extraordinary

handicraft;

and heard screaming

in

Cairo hi

population

which he was as

the

in

to

an European

and groups are seen

at

;

each

is

so

Bazaars,

costume had passed away.

-

places, the

all

merchandise or

articles,

there

with the picturesque appearance of the

These

characterised

the stalls

cheapening

at a pitch of voice like a quarrel.

Wilkinson's Egypt,

Roberts's Journal.

TOMBS OF THE CALIPHS, CAIRO

:

THE CITADEL IN THE

DISTANCE. The

singular beauty of this scene cannot

fail

to strike the

observer;

the form

and

enrichment of the

dome, and the elegance of the minaret of the principal mosque,

that of the Sultan

Kai'tbey, the square masses of such parts of the structure as are

not yet in ruins, combine with the other mosques and the citadel in the back-ground to

complete a composition of objects almost without rival for the picturesque effect

which, in

The

this point of

view, they produce.

cemeteries in the neighbourhood of Cairo are of great extent, and here, occupying

the same burial-ground, in a temple, or a grave, repose the ashes of the most powerful

Bey

or Caliph and his meanest slave:

and however the cost and magnificence of the

tomb, the mosque, and the minaret, may, for a few years, have kept the names

and the deeds mentioned of their founders,

many

known

of those in the cemeteries of Cairo

are already forgotten, and the decay of the tombs themselves will ere long mingle the

All the mosques seem falling to decay, and no

dust of the dead without distinction.

new

ones arise

desecration

;

the

to

fill

the void of grandeur;

extinction

ruins to be inhabited

of

some

families,

by the poor people who

who removes the stones

no descendant protects the tomb from and the poverty of others, leave the find shelter

to construct elsewhere his hovel.

Roberts's Journal.

among them,

or the spoiler

'

—

MOSQUE OF THE SULTAN KAITBEY, CAIRO. This beautiful mosque of the "

is

Memlook kings

one of those which are

fast

going to decay among the tombs

Tombs

of Egypt," as Wilkinson designates them, or the

The Sultan

the Caliphs, as they are generally called. the Circassian or Borgite dynasty, a line

invasion of Sultan Selim in 1517.

Qai'tbey, or Kaitbey,

that reigned

The tombs

in

of

was one of

Egypt from 1382

to

the

of this period have received the general

appellation of El

Qaeed Bai, or Kaitbey, from one of these princes who died and was

buried there in

1496.

It

is

very

difficult

to

obtain

any

certain

mosques, and Wilkinson's statement, that a general name was given

account of these to the

tombs of

a dynasty that reigned nearly a century and a half, and yet was derived from one of the latest of

kings,

its

is

rather obscure.

"Attached," he says, "to each of the tombs dwelling-houses

;

and

it is

is

a handsome mosque, schools, and

impossible to look upon these splendid

monuments of Saracenic

architecture without feeling deep regret at their neglected condition

Many

ruin."

of the

mosques of Cairo are larger than

possesses a higher degree of elegance, or

and enriched

;

and balustrades,

its

triple

striking.

curved arch

The

—

lofty portal, rising almost to the

gives a lightness of character which contrasts with the broad, square mass

relief

which

and white masonry for

it

summit

five times, at least, the height of the actual

of the great body of the building, above which

and the

beautifully decorated

of such fantasy and elegance as Saracenic buildings alone possess

same degree, are very

—

more elaborately or

three successive balconies adorned with arches, columns, corbels,

its

all

of the walls, with

entrance

and approaching

of Kaitbey, but not one

the arabesque scrolls of the dome, wrought in rich patterns of tracery,

the minaret with

in the

is

this

is

arises

ascend the dome and the minaret;

from banding the structure with alternate layers of red

often obtained in Saracenic architecture with the happiest result,

destroys the monotonous effect which the vast walls of these structures would

otherwise produce. Wilkinson's Modern Egypt.

MINARET OF THE MOSQUE EL RHAMREE. This mosque

is

situated in the

main

line

There are great symmetry and beauty those elegant structures, though this

four hundred that,

it

is

said,

Bab en Nasr. common to much distinguished among the

of the street leading to the

in

its

mosque

is

Cairo contains.

minaret,

— characters

one not It

is

almost

surmounted by a bronze crescent

and the props, often decayed and unsafe, from which lamps are suspended during the feast of

Rhamadan.

A

on the

flight of steps, seen

right, leads

up

to the porch of the

principal entrance, above which lamps are placed.

The narrow cooled

streets,

thus overhung by the houses on either side, are darkened but

by such exclusion of the

of the mosques, frequently burst buildings,

sun's rays

upon

;

yet those objects of beauty, the minarets

the eye of the observer as they rise above the

and strikingly characterise the architecture of Cairo.

PLATE

-

'

f :

;

GENERAL VIEW OF CAIRO FROM THE WEST. name given to the capital of Egypt by the Italians, and adopted by us the native name is Musr el Kaherah, though it was originally called Dar el Memlekeh, or It was founded by Goher, a general sent by El Moez with a the "royal abode." powerful army to invade Egypt, from Cayrawan, near Tunis, the capital of the Fowatem, and thus the Fatimite dynasty was founded in Egypt a.d. 967, 358 of the Hegira. Having conquered the country, he founded a new city, which, in 973, became, and The sovereign, El Moez, soon after arrived with has continued, the capital of Egypt. Cairo

is

the

having brought with them the bones of their ancestors, deserted their

his court, and,

old country and established themselves in this which they had conquered.

The till

were originally

walls of Cairo

the reign of the celebrated Saladin

Roman

appear to be of

built of brick, ;

and continued

state

Fowatem, became the

Saladin having expelled the

origin.

same

in the

but there are in the circuit some towers that

founder of the Eiyoobite dynasty of Arabs in Egypt, and after repelling an attack of the

Franks about the year 1171, he guarded

his

stone masonry, and the construction of a fortress in citadel.

Here, on clearing the

spot,

more effectually by walls of a commanding position the present city

he discovered a large well,

which now bears the name of Joseph's Well, which had been

— an

filled

—

ancient work,

up

this,

;

and

another supply of water from the Nile led to the citadel by an aqueduct of wood, insured a supply to the garrison

by order

in 1518, built

Mokatam

or buttress of the

which Cairo

lies,

situation

fits

it

security.

A

but a stone aqueduct was substituted for the latter

;

of the Sultan El Ghoree. hills,

appears on the

left

of our drawing;

for the arsenal, the Pacha's palace,

new mosque

is

now

The

citadel,

which

building there

its

is

on a spur

built

bank of the

that flank the plain on the right

Nile,

commanding and impregnable

and other buildings which require

by Mehemet

Ali,

on the

site

where a

large and lofty building, supported by numerous granite columns, formerly existed;

was

called

Hareem

the

Hall of Joseph

:

on

but these have been removed.

Here,

too,

is

it

the

of the Pacha, with gardens which join the mosque.

This view

is

taken from the high mounds beyond the walls

;

these mounds, that

have been raised in the course of many ages by the refuse and sweepings of the

which were thrown or deposited there, accumulated city-walls, particularly

on the south

side.

to

city

such a degree as to overtop the

The French, when

in occupation of Cairo,

took advantage of their position to build a line of forts upon them, so as to control

and command the

city.

On

the north and east sides there were also such mounds,

but not so large; these, however, have been removed or levelled by order of Ibrahim

Pacha, and the space planted as olive-grounds and gardens.

Between the extreme the vast

Mosque

left

of this view, in which a part of the citadel

of the Sultan Hassan,

lies

is

seen,

and

the large square or place called the Roumelia.

;

The Pyramids

of Geezeh, the most striking objects in Egypt, are

Nile, at a distance

of about six

or

as they subside to the Delta,

hills,

All and everything

is

seven miles

bound the

;

and the long

seen,

beyond the

of the

line

Libyan

horizon-

Oriental in the scene,

— the

flat

roofs of the dwellings, the

handsome domes, and the numerous and elegant minarets of the mosques, have no resemblance to Western architecture of light

;

we have

few examples

in delicacy of structure a

towers and steeples, but none which does not suffer in comparison with the

minarets of Cairo

:

as elegant as the

these are carried to a great height, and finish in

monument

some with forms

of Lysicrates at Athens, but slighter in the columns of

marble which support them, and raised on a pinnacle which, while danger of construction, makes the success of their erection more

it

increased the

striking.

THE HOLY TREE OF METEREAH. Tms

is

believed

by the Coptic and Greek Christians

which the Holy Family rested when they the persecution of Herod. tradition is

that,

be the very tree beneath

of this sycamore

is

however improbable the

so obvious,

to

avoid

and the

tradition, the feeling

scarcely to be envied which would destroy so harmless and so sacred a superstition.

This tree at

The extreme age

from so remote a period,

is

to

from Bethlehem into Egypt

fled

its

situated in the village of Metereah, close to Heliopolis, the

is

foot

is

who were

Devotees, however, have not been deterred by initials

time,

of Scripture

a fountain of water, said to have been originally salt, but converted to a

pure and sweet spring by the sanctity of those

and

On

on every available spot on

which has

left its

its

its

sheltered here.

holiness

withered trunk

;

from cutting

their

names

yet neither such folly, nor

ruins only a cluster of vast fragments, has been able to check

the luxuriant foliage of some

truly perennial character.

still

vigorous

and spreading branches which mark

its

ft

:

1 is

[h

1 -

—

-

-

1

i

C -

> T'

a

I

J 1 H 1

ptj

:-

— -

s

THE ENTRANCE TO THE CITADEL OF CAIRO. The which

the

situated

is

This

Hassan. the

entrance

principal

the

to

citadel

which a market

square, in

steps in the rock

to

with

citadel,

within — so

narrow road

steep,

many

in

that

the

facilitate

attractions

of resort

places

founded by

This citadel was

—

above the

and camels;

visitors

This road leads to the plain of the It

citadel,

an elevation of about

has

that lies stretched out immediately below

city,

and affords one of the most striking views in the East.

in the plain,

our crusades

feet

fifty

and

a steep

been necessary to cut

has

it

of

tale-

Here

crowd.

a

to

ascent and descent of horses

on the south-eastern extremity of Cairo.

lies

two hundred and

Salah-ed-Deen

Sultan

the

—

year of the Hegira 572 (a.d. 1176);

in the

Since

thirty-two years afterwards.

till

great place

in

Sultan

of the

massive round towers, leads to

its

usually go on asses, and ladies in sedans.

it

the

is

and other

mountebanks, musicians, jugglers,

the great gate of the

which

held,

is

Mosque

Cairo, the

in

Er-Rumeyleh,

square,

of Cairo, and crowds are always to be found there grouped round

idlers

tellers,

great

the

structure

sacred

noblest

from

is

time

that

Saladin

great

the

but

was not

it

of

finished

has been the residence of the

it

Sultans, Pashas, and other Governors of Egypt.

The

gate, leading

principal

narrow and steep

the

by Mehemet Ali on the

1st of

March, 1811

but of consummate, deep, and for

of self-defence, if

the

act

;

they had plotted, and were

who were

a set of wretches

recruited

had fortunately no

characters

than

the

parallel

the

in

The bold and

decisive

the policy as well as this lived to

not in the

the

plotting,

was an

It

destroy him;

to

step,

as

the

of a

few

destruction

and whose abominable

history

evil,

act

and

lives

of

and

Simply as

government.

also

destroyed,

and

consigned

with

infamy they so well deserved in history.

to the

and

its

government of Egypt;

successful

execution,

led

to

a

change in

and the extraordinary man who his race,

effected

whose prejudices stood

of important improvements in establishment of civil intercourse with

other creeds and people his policy has

our estimation,

in

politics.

humanity

be esteemed one of the regenerators of

way

Bab-el-Azab, and

the

massacre of the Memlooks

chance of a good administration, they

happily

Janissaries,

Memlooks and Pnetorian bands

from

still

infamy,

in

a power which controlled or destroyed every

were not worse

called

Eastern

have so essentially served the cause of

revolutions

fail,

the

an act of base treachery

daring in

successful

is

of

site

be estimated by the amount of good that followed the

to

is

from the Rumeyleh,

road within was the

;

and though those he governed suffered from

opened the means of introducing a more increased

intercourse

of

Egypt with

liberal

civilised

his despotism,

system, which cannot

Europe, in

rendering

the condition of the Egyptians within a short period far better than could have been

hoped

for

from any pre-existent government

in the

Valley of the Nile.

As still

connected with the event of the destruction of the Memlooks, there

marked below the high

Amyn Bey

of the

a talus

Bey

is

a spot

on the side of the tower, where

Fortunately the debris of the wall had formed

The noble animal was killed, but the only one of four hundred and seventy, who had been decoyed by the Pasha. Every author on Egypt has written their tale,

on the outside, which broke his

escaped

to their

citadel,

forced his horse over a place at that time dilapidated hi the wall, forty

above the ground on the outside.

feet

the

;

destruction

and the memorable spot This view

is

history, the

its

walls

of the objects

it

is

still

fall.

pointed out to every traveller.

one of the most striking spots in Cairo, whether as connected with

manners and habits of the people, or the picturesque beauty

public

contains in the noblest of

its

religious structures

and the architectural

character of the Bab-el-Azab.

MOSQUE OF AYED These that

fine objects,

the

mosque

artist

can

BEY, IN

THE DESERT OF

SUEZ.

so strikingly characteristic of the East, are so highly picturesque

scarcely

adding

help

to

his

collection

of

drawings every fresh

new points of view of these beautiful structures. This, which is one of those commonly called the Tombs of the Caliphs, is known to be the mosque-tomb of Ayed Bey, and is one of the numerous buildings of this class raised by the Memlooks, that are situated without the Bab en Nasr in the that he visits, or selecting

Desert, across which

The

lies

courts, domes,

the road to Suez.

and minarets of these mosques,

offer

in

their

elegant forms,

which cut vividly against the clear atmosphere of Egypt, an endless impression of beauty;

but so rapidly are they

now

decaying, that the chief record of their having

ever existed may, in another age, be found only in such a work as these illustrations.

:-

r

*\

i

BAZAAR OF THE COPPERSMITHS, CAIRO. The

Nahas'ni

Mosques bound the niched

we

as

in,

same

by

the mosques, sheltered

by

conceals the failure, if

deforming the cathedral

awnings or matting, and over

striped

from a fear of insecurity

being carried higher,

its

and

clustering

bazaar, are

the

all,

form, but whether intended to be so by the fancy of the

its

architect, or truncated

not far from the

open loggias, which are the school-rooms

the

see

lies

Gate of the Metwalys.

shops, forming the

walls

their

sheds of dealers

Above we

minaret, singular in

increased

and beneath

the

see

of street leading from the

line

streets,

churches of France. attached to

by the coppersmiths, and

the district occupied

is

Mooristan, and in the

it

it

if

difficult to

is

the weight of materials had been

determine; the fluting ingeniously

were one, and gives a not unpleasing character to this form

of a stunted minaret.

Such

objects

bazaars of Cairo

the

as

by the

picturesqueness

their

artist,

afford

and never

the

to

are

pencil

chosen for

often

the local

illustrate

to

fail

of Oriental domestic architecture, as well as the costumes and pursuits of

its

character

inhabitants;

and where at every turn views and objects present themselves of which he desires to

memorials,

possess

interesting only for

or four sacred

a

architecture

and

of

importance, or

civic

its

scenes

street

them cannot

from

selection

five

Cairo,

or

the

may

artist

the

so

is

turesqueness of his subjects, that for such a publication as this

it

is

and though three

;

characterise

formed by the

folio

be made from what

historical associations

mosques

six

easily

is

domestic

and

the

pic-

rich

in

difficult

to

make

a selection in which the picturesque and the important shall be found together.

The Bazaar in

the

wares,

where those who

East,

choice in

—a

a

of the Coppersmiths

custom which

Our bankers

such

require

articles

have the benefit of a larger

occupied by the manufacturers or vendors

chiefly

district

one of those local arrangements of the trades

is

exists in

still

many

of particular

Western Europe.

of the cities even of

Lombard Street, silkweavers in Spitalfields, watchmakers in Clerkenwell, in Long Acre, are probably relics with us of the same custom.

in

and coachmakers

The Bazaar

of the Silkweavers of Cairo has been already illustrated, that presented

other objects besides the shops certain Cairo.

places

or

districts

Some, as

to

what

in

or

called

is

callings

the

men's mercers, only the dresses of the

and elegant of an

for

the

decoration

Eastern hareem

but apart from

this

— the

general

are sold only perfumes, are

obtained,

fine

oils,

Damascus

of

of the

stalls

certain

below

dealers hi

is

this

Turkish Bazaar, furnish,

men

;

others

all

beauty, together with

Howell and James's, bazaar, at

;

in

appropriation

of

no place more striking than at

fact,

another, literally

that

that

like

of our

could be found rich

every of the

article

of the toilet

capital

called the

of

Egypt;

Hair-oil Bazaar,

At another arms and decorations for the hair. blades of the " ice-brook's temper," and pistols and

scents,

other fire-arms

richly

The Shoe and Boot Bazaar

inlaid.

of purchasers every variety of Eastern chaussure

presents

the attention

to

and smokers may buy

;

in

another

the cheapest pipe or the most costly nargilah, and, in proportion to his means, indulge in the

enjoyment of the weed which has never wanted

apologists.

Wilkinson's Egypt.

Roberts's Journal.

MINARET OF THE PRINCIPAL MOSQUE IN

UPPER

SIOUT,

EGYPT. This

an object of such remai-kable beauty that Mr. Roberts thought

is

by any

similar structure in a land so fertile in this class,

distinguishes the architecture of

The as

minaret

the so

generality

is

built

could

delicate

of

these

executed

beautifully

as

unsurpassed

Modern Egypt.

fine

buildings,

toy-models

of brick

it

which more than any other

and

especially

may

plaster,

be it

is

be wrought in materials so

at

finished difficult

fragile.

Cairo, in

are

ivory;

of marble,

and

but here, where an object

to

conceive that

It

has four balconies with

enriched balustrades, supported by brackets and corbels, with elegant traceries on tower

over tower, whose light pilasters give to them an octagonal appearance. Siout that

is

which

where

it

it

the

capital

of

Upper Egypt, and

retains

in

its

Coptic

name, Sioout,

bore in Ancient Egypt, as shown by the hieroglyphics in the catacombs,

was written Ssout.

The

city

the resort of the caravans from Darfour,

and markets are only surpassed

in

contains is

twenty thousand inhabitants:

the seat of the Governor, and

Egypt by those of Wilkinson's Egypt.

Cairo.

its

it

is

bazaars

'

"

tost

'' '

INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE OF THE METWALYS. On

many

entering

mosques of Cairo, and particularly that of the Metwalys,

of the

the traveller observes the elegance and lightness of character which prevail

in

their

construction, and the effect produced

change

in

by the springing of the arches from the columns. architecture, which appears to have commenced in

Byzantium, became Arabic

or

Saracenic

That most

striking

West, became the Gothic of the remains

to

religious

Graeco-Roman

of those

East, and,

the

in

later period.

origin

Its

which

edifices

as

advanced

it

to

the

Byzantium may be traced

in

Arabs adapted

the

to

their

we now see them. Columns of various heights, the materials Roman temples, were everywhere pressed into a new service and

structures, as

and

relics

for

another worship, and their remains became part of the Basilica, the Mosque, or

of earlier

the Cathedral.

Those who have

Mosque

of the

visited

Rome

be reminded, on seeing this view of the inferior

will

of the Metwalys, of St.

John Lateran,

churches, constructed with similar materials furnished

Marble columns of every to

Arab

the

variety,

and

Maria Maggiore, and other

by the

capitals of various

ruins of ancient

of Cordova contains above eight hundred columns, which were

Roman

of their religious

roofs

Spain, which they conquered, furnishes similar examples:

buildings.

Rome.

forms and dimensions offered

means of supporting the

the ready

architects

Sta.

the great

mosque

removed not only from

temples in Spain but from the ruins of Carthage, and transported thence by

the Moors as a readier means of obtaining them than by quarrying the columns from

Wherever

the rocks.

common

the

pointed, but often with

many

Moslems

raised the temples, the principles of construction

with the Byzantines were observed,

lobes,

but

all

circle

supporting

forming the arch

arches, ;

generally

sometimes with

commonly observed in Spain and of the Arabs in Egypt, and distinguished by us as those were adopted in Christian countries, order grew out of

partaking of that peculiar character so

the Moorish remains in the Saracenic.

more than half the

— columns

When

the earliest and rudest arrangements

;

until at length

our

Norman and English

Gothic,

thus springing from the ruins of the

Lower Empire, became

structure,

which governed the construction of the temples

as

certain as the principles

established

by laws of

of the Greeks.

The Arabs who were forbidden by Mahomed, as the Jews had been by Moses, to make any image which bore resemblance to any living thing, sought by beautiful lines and forms and colours of their

invention,

forms and colours of the term

A

to decorate their temples

their

architecture

infinite

has been

:

whence, in the extraordinary

fertility

enriched with a redundancy of those

variety and beauty, and

become what we understand by

— Arabesque.

covering from the fervid sun, a fountain whereat to

make

the ablutions

commanded

by

their Prophet,

niosque.

by open

The

and a deep recess

building

porticoes;

is

sometimes the court of the square

frequently laid with slabs;

mosque

the

in the side towards

Mecca, are the

openings, the largest and principal

from the court, the naves of

supported by walls, which

opposite

is

the most decorated, often with fine stones, pearl and ivory:

Kiblah, placed exactly in the direction of the

Kaaba

Within the sanctuary and inclosed by

much

railing

Imam,

elevated and often

is

placed a large copy of the Koran, reads and expounds

he

enriched

from

:

the

it

it

the

towards the east

of Mecca, to which every

is

many

contain

Mihrab, or Mechrab;

the

to

more

planted with trees, but

is

in the centre is the fountain:

as they extend themselves are

turns in praying.

essentials of a

generally an oblong square inclosed by walls, and surrounded

is

the

the

Mussulman

Mimbar, which

whom

or preacher before to

part

is

the faithful

by whom

surrounded.

is

TOMBS OF THE MEMLOOKS, CAIRO, WITH AX ARAB FUNERAL. This group of buildings remarkable structures,

—

offers a

striking difference to the other views given of those

the generally nameless

variety in the three minarets,

all

mosque-tombs of the Memlooks;

beautiful, but unlike each other,

singular yet elegant in form, justify the endless praises which particularly,

All

that

have bestowed upon

burial-place.

which he has represented, rich

— the

shawl, was borne on the

which the shawl was fastened, followed by hired mourners, unfelt,

at

paid for

least it,

-

still

deceased.

The

verses from the to

is

used by

its

The coffin, covered with a Arab girl. head of a stout Arab above the head was a prop to The body was and thence fell in folds on the coffin. funeral of an

;

who gave

garments torn

extravagant utterance to lamentations

off in

when

well

their violent affectations of grief;

and

their heads,

or,

that

custom of the East so remote!}- recorded,

The group

following are of the near relatives of the

their heads,

sad procession

artists

Whilst our Artist was sketching, the event occurred

— women

preserved in Egypt.

and

this extraordinary class of buildings.

by them, and waving handkerchiefs over

parts of then

some throwing dust upon and

and the domes, so

all travellers,

Desert in the immediate vicinity of Cairo

part of the

inhabitants as a

the

is

led

by

several

Koran: and immediately before the

blind

men, who chaunt and

coffin a

group of boys are

be ready to strew flowers on the grave when the body has been deposited

necropolis of Cairo. Eoberts's Journal.

recite

stationed, in tins

:

GRAND ENTRANCE TO THE MOSQUE OF THE SULTAN HASSAN. No it

Mosque

part of this magnificent

impressive effect

its

The

decorations.

the

arch,

fifteen

one hundred

is

due

is

proportion to the

steps

entire

striking than the grand portal

the

at

extraordinary elevation, and

its

the

flight

its

building

grandeur requires

observed in this point of view.

Mosque

In

size,

more should be

that

would be equal

portal

to

who have

those

which

road

traverses,

it

not visited

The projects

it

above the

six

feet.

It

street.

This

has

like

the portal

know Paris, this will convey some Mosque of the Sultan Hassan. grand cornice,

a

Mosque, and

surrounds the

and simple breadth, a vast addition

the great

would have the same entire elevation:

height of the wall through which the portal leads

feet

can be

to

yet

Cairo,

of the immensity of this entrance to the

eight

if this,

is

beautiful

its

than

seen

door

the narrow

to

most imposing, though

is

this

the

sprang from a platform raised nearly fifteen

of the Sultan Hassan,

above the

feet

noble arabesque

leading to

of steps

opening of the arch of the Barriere de FEtoile, at Paris; and of the

its

by which

north-eastern

its

Seen from the entrance

eighty-five.

itself

ascend,

extremity of

right

stupendous entrance, from the street to the top of

of which

feet,

and the portal

feet,

to

height of this

whence the

street

Sook

from the

entered

is

side;

more

is

El-Silah,

to

the

is

one hundred and twenty-

fifteen

gives,

idea

feet

from

high, its

and which

great

elevation

grandeur of the building, and excites

an emotion of sublimity in the contemplation of

this

arched portal, greater perhaps

than that produced by any other extant.

At are

of the

the

built,

the

base

and against the walls of the

Mosque, wretched houses and shops

which, like those stuck into every corner

Cathedrals in France,

beautiful

carving,

entrance to the

rich

are

and niche of the outside walls

most unseemly, and form a striking

contrast to

compartments, and inscribed cornice of the magnificent

Mosque above them.

CAIRO

THE AQUEDUCT OF THE NILE FROM THE ISLAND

:

OF RHODA. This aqueduct, which conveys the water of the Nile from a point opposite the Island of

Rhoda

to

supply the

the city, was erected

to

from the well sunk there was

The water from tower, which it

was

to

is

the Nile

by the Sultan El Ghoree about the year 1503,

with

of Cairo

citadel

this

improve

When

exhibition.

raised

is

first

Belzoni

When

to

induced to

relates

to

the

that

after

frolic,

tread

it

;

to

visit

in

Mehemet

to

the great

Ali had seen

Belzoni's

make

to

servant,

it

first

oxen successfully

the

out,

and

fifteen

James, an

by the preponderating weight

Arabs

Irish

lad,

of the water, returned with

the catch had not strength enough to restrain

who was

carried

round, had

fatalist as

the Pasha, led to the abandonment of the scheme.

ingenuity of Belzoni

of some Egyptian

constructed

witness the success of the

have the oxen taken

with them

He

Egypt.

such velocity that

name

obtained

that

wheel had once turned round, the Arabs took alarm and leapt

the wheel, overcome

The

as

be placed, and by treading

was ready the Pasha attended

it

put into the wheel

out;

life,

by an hydraulic machine, erected

Belzoni was

this that

employed, he wished, for a

entered.

element of

the chief feature in the sketch, by a very inefficient apparatus, and

a large wheel, within which oxen were revolve.

essential

brackish.

anticpiities,

his

thigh

broken.

This

was then employed by Mr. and led

to

unlucky

Salt

to

it,

and poor James,

trial,

effect

with

such

a

the removal

those discoveries which have associated the

of Belzoni so honourably with Egyptian research.

ff

w-

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1

.

M g

2

8

3

a

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:

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:

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LuA-n

BAZAAI

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atii

i

EE STREET IS CD I]

:

BAZAAR

THE STREET LEADING TO THE MOSQUE

IN

EL-MOORISTAN, CAIRO. Mb. Roberts

making a drawing

this

sketch the difficulty which an artist has in

" The view," he says, " was taken from

Cairo of such a scene.

in

of a fountain,

steps

the

upon

in a note

states

— one

it,

This bazaar of the

as he passes.

Khan Khaleal

who

desires

situated in the principal street,

is

the Cheapside of Cairo, which leads from the Gate of Metwalis to Bab-e-Nasr.

crowded by such an endless throng, that disheartening, for

you are not only

ignorant of what you

are

doing,

from hatred and

curiosity as

gross offence

to

It

is

undertake to make a drawing there

is

and interruption, but the crowd,

liable to jostling

not

are

Just as

much

so

disposed

to

interrupt

you from

a Frank, which they would willingly show by

dislike to

they dared.

if

by

of those elegant structures which have been raised

the benevolence of individuals to furnish a draught of water to any person,

I

had

finished a drawing, a half-sucked orange

was thrown from a window above me, and struck

my

sketch-book out of

The overhanging

on looking up the assailant had disappeared.

projecting cages, afford great facility for such a freak

but, perhaps, a

;

my

hand

structures, like

Turk

vast

sketching

might not have escaped more easily from interruption, though not in the

in Cheapside

same way."

The

large

ruined building on the

one of the extirpated are the

Koran, acts,

Memlook

shops, or bazaars, to

pray or to deal

chiefs;

left it

is

was formerly the sumptuous residence of

now

where the merchants

sit

a customer applies;

if

Beneath

rapidly hastening to decay.

and the owners appear to be utterly indifferent

usual to smoke

as

for

either or all to

the

or

read the

these are public

crowds who pass their

places of business.

The

fine

minaret which bounds the view, with

its

striped

and chequered walls and

ever-varying balconies and enrichments, belongs to the mosque of the Sultan Kalaoon, better

known

made

Mooristan, or madhouse of Cairo, which was established by that

as the

Sultan a.d. 1287.

On

its

foundation,

many

wise and benevolent arrangements were

for the benefit of the unfortunate inmates.

The

ablest medical

men and

regular

nurses were attached to the establishment, and a band of music played at intervals to relieve their minds.

most wretched.

In time, embezzlement and neglect

In 1833,

what was necessary; but In the mosque

mass of building,

The tomb

is

is

the

the

Ahmed Pasha Taher lately the lunatics

left

have been removed

tomb of the founder, and near

tomb of

his son,

of the Sultan Kalaoon

and mosaics in the Byzantine

is

taste

the condition of the patients

repaired the building, and re-established

it,

to another hospital.

forming part of the same

Naser Mohammed, who finished the Mooristan.

handsome, and the enrichments of mother-of-pearl have a rich and curious

effect.

Of

this striking scene, so

be unjust

to

Mr. Haghe

highly characteristic of the City of the Caliphs,

if so

work

beautiful a

of art as this

view

is

it

would

were passed

without some attempt to do justice to the talent which has been so remarkably developed progress of this work, from the series

in the

the Holy Land effect of colour

unrivalled

to

which

that

now

is

now produced from

treatment of his

of Eastern scenery which began

the press

due

is

chiaro-scuro, and

his

to

and

spirit

and

skill

ability

taste;

the

in

grouping of the crowded thoroughfares, appear

to leave

ment

so greatly distinguished.

in the art of lithography, in

with

near completion in Modern Egypt.

so

which he

is

Roberts's Journal.

The

and the

characteristic

no room for further improve-

Wilkinson's Egypt.

PRINCIPAL MOSQUE AT BOULAK. BotriAK, situated

on the right bank of tbe Nile, and distant about two miles from

Cairo, of which,

in

fact,

it

a suburb,

is

about

contains

the city, existed, and Boulak

Formerly, an old canal, used for a nearer approach

to

was then on an

filled

island,

but this canal having been

thousand inhabitant:

five

up,

it

became the nearest

point on the Nile to Cairo, and thence acquired the advantages and rank of a port.

Here

the custom-house

is

placed, and dues paid on imported

and exported merchandise

which passes by the Nile below Cairo.

At Boulak to

the

their to

capital,

being

imagine

travellers

and

here

in

the

a

structure

usually the

vicinity

of

more

Situated in the line of street

hire

first

camels, mules, or donkeys,

decided

and

vivid

the most

Oriental

beautiful

and

which leads

to

and scarcely surpassed for elegance by any only beautiful in the proportions of

its

of

in

it

its

is

the short ride

are

one of the itself.

received

would be

It

than the mosque

the city

difficult

before

finest in

of

us.

Boulak,

The minaret

is

not

diminished diameter from balcony to balcony,

but the arabesque enrichments and decorations have of

Cities.

striking

Cairo,

for

impressions

class of structures.

Wilkinson's Egypt.

left

it

one of the most beautiful

Jjjmlir,

!

CAIRO,

FROM THE GATE OF

TOWARDS THE DESERT OF This, and the previous

View

SUEZ.

of Cairo looking towards the west,* presents nearly a

panorama of the City of the Caliphs

;

in that the

view lay towards the Pyramids and

the lower range of the Libyan chain, this, on the opposite that Desert

Red Sea

which

many

so

which leads

is

to old

is

in

their

towards

journey to the

by Egypt.

One

Cairo (the Egyptian Babylon) and Geezeh. citadel

on the rock, which

is

a deep

directed

side,

countrymen now traverse

taken from the high ground immediately without the gate of Citizenib,

in the scene is the

by

of our

in the short course to India

This view

LOOKING

CITIZENIB,

artificial

rising boldly

in

of the finest objects

magnificent view, from

this

its

foundation

a spur of the Mokattim range, but isolated wholly or

The range

trench.

of the

Mokattim

in part

stretches as far as the eye

can reach to the Desert.

From

this

elevation,

the minarets and noble

and

between the

dome

citadel

and the extreme

left,

to the right, stretching to the foot of the

Mokattim range,

cration of the graves of our forefathers, the

are

to

seen

to

rise

that part of the western

Desert, which, near Cairo, forms the vast cemeteries of the city;

dead

are

of the vast pile of the mosque of the Sultan Hassan;

Arab

for,

unlike our dese-

holds the spot once occupied by the

Here

be sacred, and extends the burial-ground over unbroken depositories.

seen the graves of thousands of the humble

among

those structures of singular

and picturesque beauty, the ruins of the mosques and tombs of the Memlooks.

The narrowness

of the

streets

of the

city prevents the

observer from distinctly

tracing their course, and from such a point of view acquiring any accurate knowledge

of the plan of the city; in the flat roofs

and

in

but the character of the domestic architecture the

the former the Caireens enjoy the cool of evening, and the observer the

may

be seen

to the dwellings;

open spaces which are the gardens

"Arabian Nights," "Anastasius," "Zohrab,"and every Eastern

is

tale

whose author

has laid his plots amidst the domestic privacies of the Turks and Arabs, and the

roofs

intrigue

*

of their

dwellings

the

scenes of the

adventures and

perils

title.

made

of lovers,

and revenge, and the catastrophes of Eastern romance.

Erroneously printed " from the west" in the

on

reminded of

Roberts's Journal.

of

GROUP The market

in

IN

THE SLAVE-MARKET IN CAIRO.

which formerly these devoted beings were

to be bought,

is

no longer

one of the sights of Cairo, for the black slaves are kept at the mosque of Kai'tbey, without the city, whilst the Circassians and Georgians, as well as most of the Abyssinians,

remain

in the private

to be seen awaiting a

That which

is

houses of the well-known dealers, where these poor wretches are

change of masters.

held without the city, in the court of the mosque, was visited

by

Warburton, who says that he was received by a mild-looking Nubian with a large white turban wreathed over his swarthy brows, and a bernoose or cloak, of white and

brown

striped hair-cloth, strapped

as I entered,

and led

me

in

round

scattered in groups about an inner court. until their

"He

his loins.

One

gloomy countenances were lighted up with hope

off as a horse-dealer does his cattle,

and exhibiting their paces. the

African

best

He

examining their

eyes,

his pipe girls

— the hope of being bought!

Their proprietor showed them teeth,

The Abyssinians

from their superior gentleness and

country are the most numerous and hardy. beautiful

down

found nearly thirty

removing

their body-cloths,

asked only from twenty-five to thirty pounds sterling

and comeliest of them.

slaves,

I

or two looked sad and lonely enough,

Their faces were for the most part woefully blank.

for

rose and laid

silence to inspect his stock.

are

the most

intelligence

;

those

prized

of the

The former have well-shaped

an agreeable brown colour, and shining smooth black

have low foreheads, crisp

It is

a group in such a scene that our Artist has sketched, and in which

seen huddled together in hitherto undisturbed repose.

The Crescent and the

Cross.

Galla heads,

tresses.

latter

hair, sooty complexions, thick lips,

of the

The

and projecting jaws."

many

are

•,

^

O

3

H

M E* :

ft

t>

O

_

S

i

^

;

THE SIMOOM This fearful scourge that

the traveller in the East sometimes occurs so near to Cairo

to

and oppressive

hot

its

THE DESERT.

IN

extend to the

effects

but

city,

it

is

there

frequent

less

The Turks

than to the east of the Libyan range and in the great deserts of Arabia.

by the name of Samieli, and the Arabs call it the Simoom in Egypt it is better known as the Khamsin. It only readies the valley of the Nile and sweeps over the Delta when it accompanies the winds from the south-south-west and southdistinguish

it

;

;

bring with them the

west, these winds are then very hot and most oppressive, and fine

sand of the Desert, which gives a

the

sun, or

refracts

murky hue

that he

his light,

and so obscures

to the atmosphere,

enlarged and of a blood-red

appears

colour,

lurid and appalling.

That heated and subduing in

Southern

Italy,

influence;

it

is

dry and suffocating power

its

the air of the Mediterranean, and

Those who have the

Simoom

is

in the Desert, its

felt

to

all

where

left

its

depressing

its

surcharge of fine sand

influence

who

travellers

it is

be remembered for

to

withering

its

Italy

in

encounter

it

in

may

its

to sink into

how

imagine

that sea.

pestilential

impure and unchecked

so often found to be destructive of animal

On

life.

state

perceiving

approach, travellers envelope their heads in their drapery, or throw themselves on

The camels

the ground.

are said to be sensible of

close to the sand to avoid

who

Bruce, felt

travellers

exhausted Simoom, which has traversed and been cooled by

sort of

a

is

by

felt

called the Scirocco, which, blowing over from the African deserts,

enough of

retains

still

atmosphere so frequently

state of the

its

influence,

they became

so

wrapped himself

an exceedingly hot and enervating wind,

frequently

way

to Rascid,

and once, when he and enfeebled in

his

Simoom blew

poisonous

as

it

approach, and lay their heads

effects.

its

describes

its

company were on

his

they were incapable of pitching their

that

cloak

and resigned himself

as

it

if

their

to

came from an oven

;

rest

it

till

Each

tents.

" The

passed.

our eyes were dim, our

lips

cracked, our knees tottered, our throats perfectly dry, and no relief was found from

drinking an immoderate quantity of water. in

vinegar

relieved

and

water,

holding

it

before

The

my

people advised

mouth

me

dip a sponge

to

and nose, and

greatly

this

me."

One remarkable

effect

has been perceived in these "blasts," they frequently consist

of a quick succession of hot and cold gusts of wind, with differences of temperature

between these gusts of more than 20° of Fahrenheit's thermometer. the

human

probable

and

it

body, and produce

that is

extreme feebleness and

such great and sudden

believed

that

the

hot

even

death,

These for

changes of temperature conduce

gusts

bring

a

pestilential

air,

as

a

it

to

is

this

putrid

affect

very

end

and

sulphurous smell

such times perceived.

at

than the atmosphere:

heavier

is

is

this

may

the danger to which they are often exposed;

them

ground, they generally cover

with

It

is

even asserted that the hot

air

account for the Arab mode of avoiding

mouths near the

instead of placing their

the

kefieh,

or

kerchief,

which they bear

on their heads. Brace's Travels.

THE KILOMETER ON THE ISLAND OF RHODA, CAIRO. The Nilometer built

on the

is

a graduated upright

island,

placed in a well within a walled inclosure,

pillar,

which the waters of the Nile are admitted by concealed

into

channels.

The amount

of tax levied upon the land

be consequent upon the

to

maximum

said that the height of the Nile

the exchequer, as the tax

That the building

is

is

is

is

guided by the

fertility

which

is

of the rise which the pillar indicates;

as often

guided by the

of comparatively

suited

by the government

expected

but

it

is

to the state of

rise of the Nile.

modern

date,

is

shown by

the

arabesque

ornaments on the gate by which the water passes, and by the Kufic inscriptions on the walls, to be not site

which now to

more than nine hundred years old; but

was appropriated

to the

incloses the

strangers.

same purpose

whole

is

at

it

is

highly probable that

a remoter period.

used as a powder-magazine, and

Mr. Roberts got access

to

it

by climbing over the

The all

large

access

wall,

its

building is

denied

and made a

hurried sketch, but at the risk of being drowned in the well of the Nilometer, or shot

by

the sentinel. Roberts's Journal.

-

-

r-

-

:

-

;

VIEW ON THE

AND FERRY

ISLE OF EHODA,

NILE.

OF GHEEZEH. The

Rhoda

Island of

about a mile from Cairo, and

off the shore

lies

is

reached from

by Mehemet

Ali.

The gardens

of the island were rendered beautiful by Ibrahim Pasha, and are

now

so luxuriant in

the city through olive-grounds which were planted

vegetation that hailed

appearance to voyagers

its

almost with

A

Desert.

Rhoda

to

visit

who descend

oasis

the river from the south

welcomed by the

is

traveller

is

the

in

one of the pleasure excursions of the Caireens,

is

island

Old Cairo or Fostat, and near

nearly opposite to

is

ferry of the Nile at Gheezeh. roses

an

that

who

gardens to enjoy a spot so fresh and beautiful.

visit these

The

the pleasure

owes

It

name

its

which are profusely cultivated there, everywhere clustering, and one of the greatest charms of

the walls, they offer

eye with their beauty, and the

These gardens belonged

this

principal

the

overhang

as they

agreeable island,

filling

the

with their fragrance.

air

Ibrahim Pasha, and were

to

to

abundance and beauty of the

to the

under the direction

laid out

who was sent to Egypt for this object by the Horticultural Walks through borders and masses of myrtle lead among groves

of Mr. Trail, a Scotchman,

Society of London.

of orange and pomegranate trees in full bearing, and trellisses

and

surrounded

West, and

all

shaded by

gratefully

East, bananas and

and freshness

everywhere wind and distribute their ordinary

rises

of the

have

Nile

;

and the

trees

and

fruits

of the

mingle with the mulberry and the laburnum of the

date-palms,

offer fragrance

cypresses

Fountains

of vines.

at

every turn, whilst canals for irrigation

fertilising

Sometimes, however, extra-

effects.

destruction

carried

for

a

time

to

beautiful

these

gardens.

There

is

among

an interesting

Egypt

princes of

The

daughter of Pharaoh. to the visits

made

that

it

was on

localities

in these lands;

contradiction, boast of a scepticism

those of Saccara.

The busy and

picturesque boats

lie

of these

which

near,

traditions give intense interest

biblical

is

weaker than

is

of

the pyramids in the distance are

bustling scene near the great ferry

is full

of animation

artist.

The tower

of the Nilometer or Mekyas,

enclosed, in a deep walled square well or basin, the pillar

the rise of the Nile

spirit

belief.

and everywhere groups of Turks, Arabs, and Nubians,

present subjects for the pencil of the is

always chosen by the

but there are travellers who, in the mere

In our view the spectator looks up the river;

within which

this island,

and retirement, that the mother of Moses placed him,

on the banks, and where he was found by Thermuthis, the

bulrushes

the

tradition

for its beauty

measured,

is

by which

situated at the southern extremity of the island,

on the spot marked by tradition as that where Moses was found in the bulrushes.

The water

stagnates within

bears the

appearance of

it,

except at the season of high

dilapidation

and decay,

like

all

tide,

and the whole building

other buildings in

Egypt,

except those of modern erection raised for pleasure and retreat, such as the Kiosks,

which are perched

the

little

fine

and presents

immediately below

scene; all

in

from

Rhoda

of these on the Island of

is

whose course stretched on

me

lay the whole extent

map

either

side

of as

many far

of the

island

colours girded

the

as

spread out with

by the

silvery river,

Cairo was

eye could reach.

behind me, but immediately in front stood out the colossal Pyramids in bold

me

a blue misty haze intervened, and reminded us.

I

three

its

parterres and terraces, like a

its

One

situations.

" I stood upon summit a beautiful panorama. balcony of one of the windows," writes a lady, " quite enchanted with the

high,

stories

many

of the

relief:

which separated

miles

who had been and would not allow me to

could have looked and looked for ever, but some carpenters

working

at the

enjoy

long."

it

w indows were r

pestering

me

for

backshesh,

Wilkinson's Egypt.

St.

John's Egypt and Nubia.

THE LETTER-WHITER. This has been a favourite subject with painters, and Wilkie made studies in the East of such groups as in

were thus presented

the market-place, or in

known

The

him.

to

stations,

letter-writer

is

usually found

where those who are unable

to write

can

with his aid communicate their joys or their sorrows to those far distant from them.

The woman in this group, a Copt or Christian, man the news to be conveyed to those whom the

is

pouring into the ear of the old

imagination can supply,

—a

husband,

a son, or a brother, torn perhaps from her by the hatred and cruel conscription, an exercise of power the most remorseless in This business of a letter-writer

is

scribes are to be found in every city, but in

Spain have also noticed them;

in

Paris

sage-looking old

men

its

rigour ever exercised by

not confined to the

more

and,

especially in

unless

East.

Rome and

In

Mehemet Italy

Naples

very recently become

;

Ali.

public

travellers

extinct,

even

are intrusted with the secret correspondence of those

whose education has not extended

to the

accomplishment of writing.

Roberts's Journal.

PLATE

*

V

SLz,

.

TEE LETTER WRITER,

CAIR.C

343.

I

i

ENTRANCE TO A PRIVATE MANSION, CAIRO. Mr. Lane,

in his

" Modern Egyptians," mentions the peculiar character of the private

houses of their metropolis as

the

deserving particular

woodcut of a narrow

characteristic

windows

projecting

overhang

so

effectually

as

and the alternate courses,

The

seen

as

in

commonly

first-floor is

the

is

wider than usual, where

From

exclude the sun.

to

foundation to the ground-floor the walls are cased

white.

and he gives a very

description,

which, he says,

street,

with

the

a yellowish-coloured stone,

mosques, are also often

and

coloured red

windows projected

carried out on corbels, and the

from the rooms.

There

is

a general style in the architectural arrangements to the entrances of the

The door

houses in Cairo.

private

partments, with sometimes lasting

frequently ornamented;

is

such

inscriptions,

"

as,

He

these are usually in white or black characters.

;"

compartments of the same form, but variously coloured generally green, though

it

;

arrangement of wires, they are not dissimilar

A

locks.

Often, there are corresponding

mounting-stone

The

is

also

seen

often it

is

in

by the doors

principle

is

doors have iron of a simple and

by means

to

our Bramah's Before

of private houses.

usual for the visitors to utter, often at the top

certain sentences, in order to give the females,

of their voices, their domestic

the remainder of the door

these are very secure, for,

entering even the poorest houses,

com-

in

the Creator Ever-

is

be the sacred colour of the Prophet.

knockers and wooden locks: efficient

and generally

God)

(i. e.

avocations, time to veil or cover

their faces.

who may be busy

in

mark

of

Without

this

decorum, no one would think of entering the most humble dwelling.

The doorways

are generally arched with merely the segment of a circle, and often

with beautiful arabesque decorations and traceries around the arch and on the spandrels within

the

rich

mouldings which bound the portico.

ladies

inside,

drawn by and

within

by the

These windows are sometimes, but more frequently they are

times.

The framework

and though often painted,

The

example

third,

rises

above the

door

;

and others within, but perfectly concealing them from the passers-by in the

street.

all

is

the

a projecting latticed window, adapted for observation

Mr. Roberts a second arch, and even a between two of these

In

it

in

left

without glass, giving free access to the air at

of the lattice, formed of turned wood, is

more frequently

external appearance of these latticed

teristics

the houses of the richer inhabitants, glazed

left

windows

is

the

is

generally fixed,

natural colour

of the

one of the most striking charac-

of Oriental domestic architecture.

Lane's

Modern Egyptians.

wood.

Roberts's Journal.

TOMBS OF THE MAMELUKES, CAIRO. Another of

those

picturesque but nameless

mosque-tombs which are scattered over

that part of the Desert which lies just without the walls of Cairo

they help to

necropolis; left a

line

Raised at a great cost by the caliph, or the bey for his tomb,

sometimes happened that he never rested there; for life

its

the pages of the artist's sketch-book, though they have not

fill

for the historian's.

tection

and forms

it

but found in the utter want of pro-

and property under such governments as have cursed Egypt, a more

ignoble and dishonoured grave, with no one to inherit, for none ventured to claim the

dangerous

honour of being his successor:

mosque-tomb around him.

left

to fall

his

name was soon common

into decay, like the dust of the

forgotten

and

his

inhabitants of earth

c pi

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CITADEL OF CAIRO, THE RESIDENCE OF THE PASHA. Tins striking view towards the rock

taken from a ruined mosque near the city walls, and lookup

is

of the

which

Citadel,

Between the observer and the

Hassan.

along the horizon, from where

stretches

Mocattam

intercepts the range of the distant

to the

hills

of the Citadel

hill

it

Great Mosque of the Sultan the great necropolis of

lies

Cairo, that part of the eastern desert which extends from

walls to the Mocattaii'

its

range, in which the dead of ages are laid, and where those splendid religious edifices

commonly

are found which are the foreground

caravan

is

seen

issuing,

Tombs

called the

The ruined mosque

of the Sultans.

From

an angle of the city wall.

built in

is

one of the gates below a

and masses of building which intervene between the ruined

mosque and the Citadel are broken by the domes and minarets of the mosques

The

Citadel it-elf

The

his court,

though

his domestic residence

fortress of the Citadel

is,

Mocattam

tory or spur of the

plain of the city, and completely

in the twelfth century,

The French, during also

built

hill.

The

distant

however, very strong, and

hills,

Citadel

is

Mocattam.

and the palace

it;

it

is

strongly fortified, especially towards its

founder

;

he built

its

defences

their occupation of Cairo, fifty years ago, strengthened the forti-

AH

has

still

the lofty building which on the

The

further improved

its

He

defences.

hareem which are seen on the right cresting the left

minaret of the old or great

of the range intercepts the

mosque

and another grand mosque, now erecting,

;

above the

feet

and manfully opposed Richard Coeur de Lion and Philip Augustus.

splendid palace and

the

erected upon a promon-

is

which forms a table two hundred

commands

by outworks; and Mehemet

fications

mosque of the Pasha, where

in the Isle of Shoubra.

is

Saladin of history and of romance was

The

the city.

of Cairo.

covered with a range of buildings, that present in this view

is

rather the appearance of a barracks than the palace and

he holds

in

rises

is

more

between the Citadel

intercepted

by the dome

of the ruined mosque in the foreground.

The new with

all

palace

is

magnificent and capacious, combining the splendour of the East

the luxuries of

Europe which he could command.

England and mirrors from France

Gorgeous chandeliers from

plate-glass in such profusion that the

;

the state-apartments are triply glazed to keep out the sand of the Desert.

windows of

The

ceilings

are painted in fresco, the marbles of Italy are employed in the decoration, and gorgeous carpets from

England form the furniture of

The Hall

of Audience

is

this vice-regal residence.

a noble apartment, one hundred and fifty feet long, and

one hundred and twenty wide, paved with marble.

mosque, not yet completed, which the Citadel are

many

To make room

for the

is

public offices,

— the

the palace, there

Besides

intended to surpass

all

others in Cairo.

is

a

Within

Mint, the Hall of Justice, and the Arsenal.

mosque, the famous Hall of Joseph, a

lofty building supported

on numerous handsome granite columns, was removed in 1829;

a few of the columns

only are yet standing, but those which formerly stood there were so carelessly removed that

by

far the greater

number were broken

—a

fate that

probably awaits the removal

of the remainder.

There are

still

some remains of the palace of Saladin, and the

mosque remains, but the ruined palace

is

fine

minaret of his

used as a weaving manufactory

!

On

the

a relic of the great Saladin, not so easily destroyed or misappropriated,

Citadel

is

known

as Joseph's Well,

and eighty

and

feet,

which

sunk

is

forty-two

is

in the solid rock to the depth of

feet

A

circumference.

in

mules can ascend and descend, reaches

the water;

to

this

it is

two hundred

winding gallery, which well

renders the Citadel

independent of the aqueduct from the Nile. It

may

how very

he easily imagined

country must he from those

the

line

view of Cairo and the surrounding

accessible points of the Citadel

survey, especially from the platform, where the city

thousand minarets and domes

its

which complete a panoramic

seen below the observer, with

and the valley of the Xile

;

is

commanded from

Great Pyramids and those of Saccara on the south, and towards the north, to

the its

is

subsidence into the Delta.

THE COFFEE-SHOP OF CAIRO. The

character of the Oriental coffee-shop

and wherever there are

pipes,

is

and Mussulmans,

coffee,

They have

sometimes with arched lattice-work.

it

They

Cairo contains more than a thousand coffee-shops. front,

Throughout Syria,

not limited to Cairo.

the resort of the

is

idler.

are generally small, open in

usually a low bench, covered

with matting along the front except at the door, and there are similar low seats on

two or three observers of

sides within, all

found there,

where those who occupy them are

passers-by.

who

for hours

whom

a frequent visitor,

is

all

show

respect.

He

is

constitute

who

sit

fire,

;

A

East

to be served hot

duced one of a frequent

artisan, after

generally

this,

:

who

class of listeners,

his

day's

esteemed an important personage, to

observed here pouring out the beverage which

cross-legged on the ground or a low

ophthalmia

is

large copper pot

is

is

nowhere

always simmering

and the cups arranged near him, seem to

whole stock in trade and furniture,

his

The hardy

classes.

and the proprietor

so productive of enjoyment as in the

over a charcoal

is

together will secure the attention of an audience chiefly

composed of tradesmen and the working labour,

once the observed and

at

Musicians frequent them, and the Story-teller

for chairs are not required for those

In the group, our Artist has intro-

seat. is

blind from that scourge of the Egyptians,

he resorts to the coffee-shop for the news of the day, or

to listen to

the

stoiy of some narrator.

The

visitors

preparation of

generally

hemp

is

properties of this plant

bring

own

their

often smoked,

were known

pipes

and tobacco, but an intoxicating

and can be obtained to

used by the Scythians to produce inebriating

Arabs become excited and boisterous

in

effects.

these

Modem

When

coffee-shops,

intoxicating fumes of this preparation of hemp. Lane's

in the

low coffee-shops; the

Galen, and even mentioned by Herodotus as

Egyptians.

even taciturn Turks and it

is

due

chiefly

to

the

,:

—

INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE OF THE SULTAN EL GHOREE. The

The

or, as

and El Ghoree, the

in

in

mosques as

Work,

this

diversity

this

view of the Bazaar of the Silk-

in the

is

those

obvious

Christian churches.

in

and open courts and fountains

spacious

;

In the three

Sultan Hassan, the Metwalys,

of the

the fine ranges of columns in the basilican character of the second, and

first,

El Ghoree, the grand opening

in this of

by two large segments of

arch, formed

the Mehrab, with

to

singular arabesque

its

which join in a pointed arch

circles

an opening above the abutments nearly equal

top, leaving

On

much

varies as

interior

shown

is

sometimes called after the founder, the Mosque of El Ghoreeh.

is

it

which have been given

in

Mosque

entrance to this fine

Merchants,

to

the

at

two-thirds of a circle.

from the open court, the lamps, the arabesques, and enrichments of

looking in

colour, characterise the Oriental place of worship.

The Mosques have

may who

had

be

to

been

already

Under

described.

who have obtained leave to infidels. The Turkish costume on

enter

appointed to attend those

is

are generally forbidden to

always be adopted, and the utmost caution

Mr. Roberts narrates

" Thanks

his

kindness

the

to

a

private journal

General

of

janissary,

these occasions should

which he made

visit

to

great danger.

Campbell

Patrick

to

(

the

Mosque

He

says

Colonel

then

mosques

without exception.

:

Campbell),

my

Consul-general at Cairo, and the interest he took in furthering

I obtained access to all the principal

which

precincts

required not heedlessly to give offence.

is

where he inadvertently exposed himself

of Flowers,

who was

in

access

regulations,

certain

them by Franks, when accompanied by a cawass, or a

views,

Franks, in general,

are limited to that of the Sultan Hassan and a few others.

" In that

young

rounds

I

was among others permitted

called the

is

my

officer;

a

my

which

two

janissaries

officer of the

whose name

I

of Flowers.

were

I

as

left

as

which

I

saw

was

who had been educated

strolling

to

it

at

the

attendant

I

very soon found that

moment

first

I

him the that

I

result

where

so

might be

much

I

came upon

knelt

with

not to

others,

a

kiss

had been guilty of some dreadful

was unconscious of

put his finger on his

plain and significant English in this,

know

England, but

in

over this vast building, I

found they did, but to examine more minutely the material of

was composed.

not follow

Accompanied by

entrance.

arabesque flowers which prevailed in the work being of gold upon

afterwards

my

one of the most sacred,

found several people employed upon a most superbly embroidered

I

crime, though

the

at

black silk tissue, exceedingly beautiful in design. it,

enter

to

wore the dress of a nazib, or military

I

guards

Pasha, one of several

avoid mentioning, in

an apartment where covering, the

Mosque

fatal.

bigotry

and

lip

his

I

prevails

it;

but on

lifting

and then across gesture

his

showed me that

had been long enough there

up

was danger.

I

my

throat

in

:

if

eyes there I

did

Egypt not

had presence

mind enough

of

again prostrate myself before

to

and slowly rising

I

as

it,

me

saw others around

I

do,

made my way to the door not that by which my Once out I ran almost breathless through

gradually

;

friend retired, though he beckoned to me.

several crooked streets before

had been guilty

sacrilege I

had led me.

and which

I is

found that annually

of,

this

sent,

again met the

I

officer.

and the danger

into

was the mosque

in

soon

I

which the holy covering

Had

it

sacred drapery had been polluted by the touch of an unbeliever

had been caught,

I

curiosity thoughtlessly is

prepared,

accompanied by thirty or forty thousand pilgrims,

be placed over the tomb of the Prophet at Mecca.

— and

the monstrous

learnt

my

which

horrid

is

it

to

— a dog

of a Christian

my

upon what might have been

reflect

to

been known that that

punishment for the unconscious sacrilege." Roberts's Journal.

THE GHAWAZEES, OR DANCING-GIRLS OF CAIRO. These public dancers are

The Ghawazees rabble;

the

similar

their

that

to

often confounded witli the

who perform

are dancing girls

have

dances

worn by

the

little

Almehs, who are female

singers.

unveiled in the public streets to amuse

and

elegance

less

middle classes in Egypt.

decorum.

Their

They

perform

often

dress

is

the

in

court of a house, or in the street before the door, on occasions of festivity, such as a

marriage or the birth of a child

but they are never

;

handsome, and among them are certainly

Many have

aquiline

slightly

to be

the

noses,

found the

is

tombs

are

representations

of

females

the sounds of instruments, similar to the existence

as

to infer that distinct

own

:

in

classes

they have

a

Exodus of

language,

which

race,

:

too,

In

many

the for

Israelites,

they

which they

of the

dancing

to

these records of their

;

and abstain from marriages except peculiar

Egypt

entertainments,

private

they are descended from the same caste

from other

tribe

in

distinct

Gipsies.

modern Ghawazees

a class, on tombs prior to the

a

respectable

certainly involved in great obscurity,

resembling in some points another mysterious people, the ancient

of

a

to

are often extremely

women

finest

characteristic

they assert themselves to be; and their origin

admitted

They

hareem, for they are the most abandoned of courtesans.

still

witli

use

leave us fairly

keep themselves persons of their to

conceal

their

communications from strangers.

By

a decree of

and Lower Egypt,

Mehemet to

Ali,

Esneh, the

the first

Ghawazees were

banished from

place on ascending the Nile

formances are publicly allowed. !;

lately

iberts's Journal.

where

Cairo,

their per-

'

---

-

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;

MOSQUE OF THE SULTAN HASSAN, FROM THE GREAT SQUARE OF THE RUMEYLEH. This

Mosque

the finest

is

dilapidation

though

Cairo, and

in

unchecked by

is

repair.

it

one of the

It is

rapidly hastening to ruin,

is

its

examples of Arab architecture

finest

of the fourteenth century, and in plan, solidity, and scale,

is

unrivalled in the city.

It

was constructed by Meleo-el-Naser Ahou-el-Maali Hasan ben Mohammed ben Kalaoun (Coste has pleasure, like Dr. Primrose, of Zouaila.

the gate in

three years.

was begun

It

giving

in

all

the names), in the quarter out of

757 of the Hegira

in

1356), and finished

(a.d.

stands in the highest part of the city, just below the citadel, on

It

one side of the great square of the Rumeyleh, and in every general view of Cairo a striking feature from its magnitude and elevation. El Makreezee said, that " Islamism possessed no temple comparable to this in its architecture, its loftiness, and is

its

grandeur."

The tomb

of the Sultan

is

contained a valuable library.

within the square part of the building, which formerly Its

grand cornice has a noble projection, enriched with

fretwork and honeysuckle ornaments.

According

to

M.

about five hundred

tomb and

Coste,

the extreme length

exterior

irregular

of the

figure

of the Sultan, which corresponds with the choir of our cathedrals, three fifty-eight

Mehrdb,

the

in

feet;

length,

its

direction

is

and the greatest length of the nave within, including the

feet,

without

tomb, extending

the

about two hundred

of Mecca,

and

the

to

hundred

niche

of the

The tomb

fifty.

is

sixty-nine feet square, and the walls about one hundred and twenty-eight feet high in

some parts they are twenty-five

feet

and generally exceed thirteen

thick,

feet

in

thickness.

The

general plan of this Mosque, the most perfect of

It is vaulted Its

construction

cornice like

the

is

is

regular, in stone painted in alternate

bold and

fleur-de-lis.

corbelled,

The

and the

principal

parapet

entrance,

under the facade below the minarets,

class,

its

is

were not removed,

is

said

vestibule,

instead

placed in a narrow street

for the regular structure of so

cost of 20,000

that three years exactly

drachmas of

abandoned, but that

it

silver;

might

funds enough for such a work.

were occupied

in

its

said

that,

a

of

opening

and the general

;

It

is

extraordinary

grand a building;

erection,

an amount so enormous that

have been

The

surmounted with ornaments formed

a noble

perhaps a power, greater than that possessed by a tyrant ruler, forbade It is

the sanctuary.

white and red bands.

plan has been controlled by the previous direction of the streets. that these

a Greek cross.

is

Below that on the south-east

on every side of the court.

sovereign

it

but

it.

and

at

a daily

would have been

of

Egypt had not

The in

difference

this point of

the height of the

in

minarets

the

offends

view as when opposite the facade:

than the other; each has three stages or galleries; the highest

and eighty and seventy

feet.

The dome above

feet high,

the

tomb of the founder

and nearly seventy

eye, but

one of them

is

also

so

much

much

larger

not

is

about two hundred

is

about one hundred

feet in diameter.

The mosques are open from daybreak to the last evening-prayer, two hours sunset. The Mussulman does not consider a mosque, as some other religionists upon

their

sacred

as

edifices,

one wherein the presence of the Divinity

is

after

look

supposed,

but as a building only for the union of the faithful in prayer, or the accomplishment of a religious duty. is

the

Mehrab, from

The its

part of a

mosque which

position towards the

Coste's " Mouuinens

du Kaire," &c.

is

held in the greatest reverence

Kaaba, and

is

alone considered sacred.

Roberts's Journal

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