101
FROM THE SQUARE TO THE Rue Rosette.
Route:—Square, Rue Chérif Pacha, Rue Rosette, leading
through the most modern section of the town. No tram line.
Chief points of Interest:—Square and Statue of Mohammed
Ali; Banco di Roma; Mosque of the Prophet Daniel;
St. Saba; Greco-Roman Museum.
102
The Square (officially, Place Mohammed Ali; formerly
Place des Consuls; known to cabmen as “Menschieh”
from the adjoining Police Station) was laid out by
Mohammed Ali as the centre of his new city. (About
1830; see p. 92). In Ptolemaic times the ground here
was under the sea. The Square is over 100 yds. broad
and nearly 500 long and well planted, but unworthy
buildings surround it. It suffered in the riots of 1882
(p. 95.) everything was then burnt excepting the statue
of Mohammed Ali and the Church of St. Mark.
In the Centre:—Equestrian Statue of Mohammed
Ali, an impressive specimen of French Sculpture, by
Jacquemart, exhibited in the Salon of 1872. Orthodox
Mohammedans were hostile to its erection, and even now
there is no inscription on it. Its presence is the more
welcome since it is one of the few first class objects in
the city. It should be studied from every point of view.
Right as one faces the Statue:—The Mixed Tribunals,
where, in accordance with arrangements dating
from 1875, civil and commercial cases between Egyptians
and Europeans are tried.
Left:—The French Gardens, a pleasant strip, stretching
at right angles from the Square to the New Quays,
(p. 140).
Also left:—Anglican Church of St. Mark, which with
the adjacent St. Mark’s Buildings was built on land
granted to the English by Mohammed Ali. Looking
through the railings of the church-yard is the funny
little bust of General Earle (k. 1885 at Kirbekan in the
Soudan). It was erected by the European Community,
103and represents their chief incursion into the realms of
art. The Church itself, considering its date (1855), and
its pseudo-Byzantine architecture, is however a tolerable
building. The interior is restful and the stained glass
and triptych in the chancel strike a pleasing note of
colour. Historically, its only associations are with the
fighting against Arabi in 1882 (p. 93). The Regiments
it commemorates are the 2nd Bn. Duke of Cornwall’s
Light infantry (on the scroll by the entrance stairs);
2nd. Bn. Derbyshires; Royal Marine Artillery; 1st. Bn.
London Division; Royal Artillery 1st Bn. Royal West
Kents (in the Nave). In the churchyard trees multitudinous,
sparrows gather at sunset, and fill the Square
with their chatter.
End of the Square:—The Bourse, with arcaded
exterior and clock. Inside is the Cotton Exchange, the
chief in the Egyptian trade; the howls and cries that
may be heard here of a morning proceed not from a
menagerie but from the wealthy merchants of Alexandria
as they buy and sell. At the other end of the same hall
is the Stock Exchange. The whole scene is well worth
a visit (introduction necessary).
Rue Chérif Pacha, a smart little street bristling
with flag staffs, leads out of the Square to the left of the
Bourse. Here are the best shops. Towards the end,
left, at the entrance of the Rue Toussoum Pacha, is the
Banco di Roma, the finest building in the city. Architect,
Gorra. A modified copy of the famous Palazzo Farnese,
which Antonio da San Gallo and Michelangelo built in the
16th cent., at Rome. The materials are artificial stone
and narrow bricks of a charming pale red. It has two
stories as against the Farnese’s three, but there is a sort
of half storey up under the heavy cornice. Each side of
the door are elaborate torch holders of bent iron; over
door, the Wolf of Rome. In a cosmopolitan city like
Alexandria, which has never evolved an architecture of
its own, there is nothing incongruous in this copy of the
Italian Renaissance. A little further up Rue Toussoum
104Pacha is the Land Bank of Egypt, with a good semi-circular
portico.
Rue Chérif Pacha then joins the Rue Rosette.
This street, despite its modern appearance, is the
most ancient in the city. It runs on the lines of the
Canopic Way, the central artery of Alexander’s town,
(p. 10), and under the Ptolemies it was lined from end to
end with marble colonnades. Its full title is “Rue de
la Porte Rosette” from the Rosetta Gate in the old
Arab walls through which it passed out eastwards (p. 81).
The Municipality have recently changed its name to the
unmeaning Rue Fouad Premier, thus breaking one of
the few links that bound their city to the past.
At its entrance, right, are:—the Caracol Attarine
(British Main Guard); the Rue de la Gare du Caire,
leading to the main railway station; and the Mohammed
Ali Club, the chief in the town—a small temple to Serapis
once stood on its site. Here too is Cook’s office.
100 yds. down it is crossed by the Rue Nebi Daniel
and by a tramway. Here, in ancient times, was the main
crossway of the ancient city—one of the most glorious
places in the world (p. 10). Achilles Tatius, a bishop
who in A.D. 400 wrote a somewhat foolish and improper
novel called Clitophon and Leucippe, thus describes it:—
The first thing one noticed in entering Alexandria by
the Gate of the Sun (i.e. by the Rosetta Gate) was the beauty
of the city. A range of columns went from one end of it to
the other. Advancing down them, I came in time to the
place that bears the name of Alexander, and there could see
the other half of the town, which was equally beautiful.
For just as the colonnades stretched ahead of me, so did
other colonnades now appear at right angles to them.
Thus the tramway was also lined with marble once.
Turning to the right, a few yards up the Rue Nebi
Daniel, we come to:—The Mosque of the Prophet Daniel
105which stands on the site of Alexander’s tomb—the
“Soma” where he and some of the Ptolemies lay,
buried in the Macedonian fashion (p. 19). The cellars
have never been explored, and there is a gossipy
story that Alexander still lies in one of them, intact: a
dragoman from the Russian Consulate, probably a liar,
said in 1850 that he saw through a hole in a wooden door
“a human body in a sort of glass cage with a diadem on
its head and half bowed on a sort of elevation or throne.
A quantity of books or papyrus were scattered around.”
The present Mosque, though the chief in the city, is
uninteresting; a paved approach, a white washed door,
a great interior supported by four colonnades with
slightly pointed arches. The praying niche faces south
instead of the usual east. All has been mercilessly restored.
Stairs lead down to two tombs, assigned to the
Prophet Daniel and to the mythical Lukman the Wise;
it is uncertain why or when such a pair visited our city.
The tombs stand in a well-crypt of cruciform shape, above
which is a chapel roofed by a dome and entered from
the mosque through a door. Here and there some decorations
struggle through the whitewash.
In a building to the right of the approach to the
Mosque are the Tombs of the Khedivial Family, worth
seeing for their queerness; there is nothing like them in
Alexandria. The Mausoleum is cruciform, painted to
imitate marble, and covered with Turkish carpets.
Out of the carpet rise the tombs, of all sizes but of similar
design, and all painted white and gold. A red tarboosh
indicates a man, a crown with conventionalised hair
a woman. The most important person buried here is
Said Pacha—third tomb on the right. He was the son
of Mohammed Ali and ruled Egypt 1854-1863: Mohammed
Ali himself lies at Cairo.
Between the Mausoleum and the street:—a fountain
with eaves and a dome; Turkish style.
Opposite the Mosque:—some antique columns used
as gate posts; perhaps the facade of the Mouseion
stretched along here (p. 17).
106Behind the Mosque:—Fort of Kom-el-Dik. View.
Site of ancient Paneum or Park of Pan—the summit of the
hill was then carved into a pinecone, which a spiral path
ascended.—In Arab times the walls of the shrunken city
passed to the south of Kom-el-Dik, (p. 81), and a fine
stretch of them still survives, half-way between the base
of the Fort and the railway station; they border the
road, but cannot be seen from it, being sunken; they
include a moat.—Beyond the Fort the high ground continues;
the little Arab quarter of Kom-el-Dik is built
along its crest, and the winding lanes, though insignificant,
contrast pleasantly with the glare of the European
town.
We return to the Rue Rosette.
A little further down the Rue Rosette a turning on
the left leads to the Church and Convent of St. Saba, the
seat of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch. (For history of
Patriarchate see p. 211). A church was founded here in
615, on the site of a Temple of Apollo. The present
group dates from 1687, and has an old world atmosphere
that is rare in Alexandria. In the quiet court of the
Convent are three tomb stones of British soldiers, dating
from Napoleonic times: Colonel Arthur Brice of the
Coldstreams, k. in the Battle of Alexandria, 1801 (p. 88)
Thomas Hamilton Scott of the 78th, and Henry Gosle,
military apothecary, who both died during General
Frazer’s disastrous “reconnoitering” expedition, 1807,
(p. 89).—From the court, steps descend to the church
which has been odiously restored. In the nave, eight
ancient columns of granite, now smeared with chocolate
paint. In the apse of the sanctuary, fresco of the Virgin
and Child. Right—Chapel of St. George with a table
said to be 4th cent., and an interesting picture of the
Council of Nicaea (p. 48); the Emperor Constantine
presides with the bishops around him and the heretic
Arius at his feet. Left—Chapel of St. Catherine of Alexandria,
with a block of marble purporting to come from
the column where the saint was martyred.—Hanging outside
the church, three fine bells.
107At the top of the street, to left, is the Greek Hospital,
a pleasant building that stands in a garden.
The Rue Rosette now passes the Native Courts (left)
and reaches the Municipal Buildings. Behind the latter, a
few yards up the Rue du Musée, is the Municipal Library;
go up the steps opposite the entrance gate; push the
door. The Library is good considering its miserable
endowment; the city that once had the greatest Library
in the world now cannot afford more than £300 per
annum for the combined purchase and binding of her
books.
Beyond the library is a far more adequate institution—the
Greco-Roman Museum.
The collection was not formed until 1891, by which
time most of the antiques in the neighbourhood had
passed into private hands. It is consequently not of the
first order and little in it has outstanding beauty.
Used rightly, it is of great value, but the visitor who
“goes through” it will find afterwards that it has
gone through him, and that he is left with nothing but a
vague memory of fatigue. The absence of colour, the
numerous small exhibits in terra cotta and limestone, will
tend to depress him, and to give a false impression of a
civilization which, whatever its defects, was not dull. He
should not visit the collection until he has learned or
imagined something about the ancient city, and he should
visit certain definite objects, and then come away—a
golden rule indeed in all museums. He may then find
that a scrap of the past has come alive.
108
Plan of Greco-Roman Museum
The collection is well housed (date of building 1895)
and well catalogued. There is a Guide (in French) by
the Director, Professor Breccia, extracts from which are
pasted up about the rooms. On this scholarly work the
109following notes are based. They are compiled, however,
from a particular point of view. They attempt to illustrate
the historical section of the book (p. 1), and are
connected with it by cross references.
For arrangement of exhibits, see Plan p. 108.
INTRODUCTION.
The Museum mainly illustrates the civilization of
Ancient Alexandria. There are some portraits—not
satisfactory—of the Founder (Room 12), and magnificent
coins of the Ptolemies (Room 3); also sculptures of them
(Rooms 4, 12). Their religious policy appears in the
statues of Serapis (Room 16). As for the Roman Emperors,
we have besides their coins (Room 2) colossal
statues of Marcus Aurelius (Room 12), and of Diocletian
(?) (Room 17); then some gold coins of their Byzantine
successors (Room 5). Meanwhile the career of the
private citizen is also being illustrated, but mainly in
his grave. Masses and masses and masses of funerary
stuff (Rooms 6, 13, 14, 15, 17-21), mostly dull, but
attaining great beauty in the terra cotta statuettes of
women (Room 18). The “Egyptian Queen” pottery
(Room 17) is more cheerful. In the same room is lovely
glass. With Christianity, the Alexandrian, though still
mainly presented to us through his tombs (Room 1),
develops the interesting cult of St. Menas (Rooms 1, 5,
22, A.).
The Museum also exhibits, though imperfectly, other
aspects of Egyptian life.
(i). Pharaonic Egypt:—There are some mummies,
etc. from Thebes, Heliopolis, etc. (Rooms 8 and 10),
but they have the air of being here because not good
enough for Cairo; also a collection of small objects
(Room 10), and Rameses statues from Aboukir (Room
9 and North Garden). The blend of Pharaonic and
Hellenistic is shown in Room 11.
110(ii). The Fayoum:—This is the most important non-Alexandrian
section in the Museum. The Fayoum, an
irrigated depression south-west of Cairo, was developed
by Ptolemy II Philadelphus, and, as in Alexandria,
Greek and Egyptian mingled, but with different results.
It was barbaric and provincial. Note especially crocodile
worship (North Garden, Rooms 9, 22 A). Mummies of
quite a new type (Room 17). Black basalt statues
(Room 11). It is a pity that the Fayoum exhibits
cannot all be shown together.
(iii). Akhmin:—An early Christian Necropolis in
Upper Egypt. Hence come the robed mummies (Room
1), and the fragments of tapestry (Rooms 1, 2, 4), whose
beauty will linger when many a grandiose statue has been
forgotten.
VESTIBULE.
Plans, Photographs, etc.
Note especially (1) Thiersch’s reconstruction of the Pharos
and (10) Photographs of Kait Bey Fort, where the Pharos stood.
(p. 16). (8) Cleopatra’s Needle in situ (p. 161). At the entrance
of Room 6 (left) is a cast of the Rosetta Stone (p. 185) which
contains a tri-lingual decree (Hieroglyph, which was the script of
the Ancient Egyptian priests, Demotic, a running hand-writing
evolved from it, and Greek); the decree was passed by the priests
of Memphis, B.C. 196, in honour of Ptolemy V Epiphanes. The
original stone was discovered by the French in 1799 in the Fort of
St. Julien, Rosetta—water-colour of it hangs close by. General
Menou had to surrender it to the English in 1801, and it is now
in the British Museum. Carducci’s fine poem on Alexandria
hangs framed on the adjacent wall.
In the case are stone-age tools from the Fayoum.
From the Vestibule are: right, Room 1 (Christianity); left,
Room 6 (Inscriptions); straight ahead, the Verandah leads
between the Garden Courts to Room 17.
ROOM 1: Christian Remains.
Right Wall: Inscriptions. 106 shows a cross with a
looped top, directly derived from the symbol of life (ankh) that
the ancient Egyptian gods carry (p. 69). In the middle of the
wall Case A: terra cotta dolls, etc. from St. Menas.
Centre of Room: facing door:—magnificent Byzantine
capital, supposed to have been in the church of St. Mark (p. 46).
Found in the Rue Ramleh. Case K: Carved ivories and bones,
111mostly from Alexandrian rubbish heaps—1979, 2012, 2021, 2025
are good examples. Case I: Interlaced cushion from the Christian
necropolis of Antinoe, Upper Egypt. Middle of room: fine
porphyry cover to a sarcophagus, decorated on each side by a
charming head. From the Lebban quarter. Beyond: Christian
mummies from Antinoe, still wearing their fine embroideries.
At the end: another Byzantine capital, found near the Mahmoudieh
Canal.
Left Wall, centre: Cases La and M.: Flasks from
St. Menas. They were filled with water, which must soon have
evaporated, and exported all over the Christian world: usual
design—the Saint between camels. Between the vases interesting
fragments from a church to St. Menas at Dekhela; (p. 171), the
bas-relief of the Saint is a clumsy copy of the one that stood in his
shrine in the desert (p. 195). Cases P., Q.,
R., S.: Coptic tapestries from Akhmin and
Antinoe—beautiful. Date 3rd cent. onward. Near Case N, two
absurd reliefs (Christian era) of Leda and the swan—in one of them she
holds an egg.
ROOM 2: Coins.
Chronological continuation of the Ptolemaic coins in Room
3, which should be visited first. Illustrate history of Alexandria,
and also her religion, under Rome and afterwards under Constantinople.
Series begins in Case A (further right-hand corner)
with Octavian (Augustus) 675; Case B No. 675 (of Domitian)
shows the Pharos (see p. 16). 750 (of Trajan)—a temple to Isis
in Alexandria, with pylons between which the goddess stands.
771 shows Serapis on his throne. 890-892, the sacred basket
that he sometimes carries on his head. Case C, 1363-1366—interviews,
very friendly, between the emperor Hadrian and
Alexandria. 1409—interviews between him and the god Serapis.
1450, Isis as guardian of the Pharos.
Round the Room: Four marble capitals from St. Menas.
ROOM 3: Coins.
The collection of Ptolemaic coins begins in Case Ab (right of
room) and continues through Case C-D (left) and Case E-F
(entrance). The coins are numbered consecutively. They are
of great historical and artistic interest, but must not be taken
seriously as portraits, since the ruler is generally approximated
to some god (i.e. numeral ‘one’ 1). Silver four drachma of Alexander
the Great, struck by his Viceroy Cleomenes. 2-45. Ptolemy
I as Viceroy. On the obverse is always the head of Alexander the
Great, with horns of the God Ammon. 46-274. Ptolemy I as King
(Soter). A new type gradually appears; on the obverse the head
of the King, on the reverse an eagle (note 14 gold coins—four-drachma
pieces). 275-510. Ptolemy II (Philadelphus) instructive
for the domestic history of his reign (p. 14). At first the King
112appears alone—e.g. on gold five-drachma. 275-280. Then his
formidable sister and wife Arsinoe is alone—gold coin 342. Then
the couple appear together—gold 428-434, while on the other side
of the coins are their predecessors, Ptolemy I and his wife, to
show that the dynasty emanated in pairs. 551-619. Ptolemy III
(Euergetes). 620. Magnificent gold eight-drachma, representing
Euergetes, but struck by Philopator his son; the most gorgeous
coin in the collection. 621. Silver four drachma, with heads of
Serapis and Isis. Ptolemaic coinage now deteriorates; the
eagle in the later issues (Case D) becomes formalised and ridiculous.
1059 (Case E) features—what disillusionment!—Cleopatra!
Round the room—Casts.
ROOM 4: Coins. Akhmin Tapestry.
The coins are coppers of the later Roman Emperors.
Not beautiful. Of historical interest to Alexandria. In Case
A-B (right) 3884—Aurelian and Vabatathe. 3896—Zenobia.
In Case C-D (left) 4024—Diocletian.
Round the walls: 1-8. Tapestries from the Christian
cemetery at Akhmin.
Back wall: Large and impressive statue of a mourning
woman with her child. Hellenistic. Perhaps represents Berenice
wife of Ptolemy III Euergetes, mourning for her little daughter—the
daughter whom the priests deified in the Decree of Canopus,
B.C. 239 (p. 42).
Entrance of room: Large Christian Jar.
ROOM 5: Coins.
Beautiful Byzantine gold coins. Note especially the Emperor
Phocas and his conqueror Heraclius (p. 53); the latter
displays the Exaltation of the Cross, recovered by him from the
Persians.
Back wall: Pilaster from the Hospice at St. Menas. The
cross has been erased, probably at the Arab conquest. At each
end of it, more St. Menas flasks.
Case A: Painted masks, from the (pagan) Necropolis of
Antinoe. Case B: Christian potteries from Kom es Chogafa.
Return to Vestibule.
ROOM 6: Inscriptions, etc.
This room contains nothing of beauty, but is interesting
historically. The exhibits are not in numerical order.
Right wall, close to entrance: 42—Inscription on a
statue of Antony (p. 26), dedicated on December 24th, B.C. 50
(Found near Ramleh Station, i.e. the site of the Caesareum).
2. Dedication to Ptolemy II Philadelphus. 1. Dedication to
Ptolemy I. 37. Doorway with inscription to Ptolemy VI; in
113it is a case containing (59) two bronze plaques belonging to a
Roman Soldier, (Julius Saturninus), inscribed with a certificate
of his good services and privileges. 61a, also in the case, is
another military document, a wooden tablet written at Alexandria,
but found in the Fayoum, and also conferring benefits on a
veteran. 94. Base of a statue of the Emperor Valentinian (4th
Cent. A.D.); found in Rue Rosette. 88b. Tombstone with the
figures of Isidore and Artemisia, two ladies of Pisidia, found at
Hadra. 87b. Tombstone of a lady with her servant.
Then come some painted tombstones protected by glass;
they are inferior to some in the rooms further on. 119 (in corner
of room); Tombstone of a woman expiring between two friends.
Left wall: Inscriptions and tombstones of the Roman
period (p. 44). 480. On a pedestal: Memorial of Aurelius
Alexander, a Roman soldier of Macedonian birth who died aged
31. 252. Another of Aurelius Sabius, a Syrian soldier, aged 35.
Each side of the room, near entrance door: Two Cases
of papyri—the left hand one containing two interesting inscriptions.
119. Incantation to the Nile and to the great spirit Sabaoth
shewing mixture of Egyptian and Jewish faiths. 122. Demand
of Aurelia, priestess of the crocodile god, Petesouchos, for certificate
of having worshipped the gods. It was made during the
Decian persecution, (p. 46), and suggests that, despite her
position, she had been accused of Christianity. 352b. On a
pedestal: Colossal scarab. 35b. Fine headless sphinx. 351.
Great Apis bull (restored); period of Hadrian. 350. Sphinx,
rather sentimental, with crossed paws. All these last four were
found near Pompey’s Pillar. (p. 144).
ROOM 7: Ancient Egypt: Canopus.
These monuments, though mostly found in the Aboukir sites
(p. 180), may have been imported there at some unknown date
from Heliopolis or Sais.
1. Statue of a Hyksos Pharaoh (Shepherd King, about B.C.
1800) which has been appropriated by Rameses II (B.C. 1300);
on the shoulder appears Rameses’ daughter Hout-Ma-Ra, traditionally
the princess who found Moses in the bullrushes.
18. Part of a statue of Rameses II.
Case C (left of room). Two statues of a Ptolemaic official;
from the Temple of Serapis, Alexandria, (p. 146).
ROOM 8: Ancient Egypt.
Five mummy cases.
Case B (right): The interior is painted—an eerie receptacle.
By the head, a winged serpent; along the sides, a serpent with
the sign of Life (cf. the Coptic Cross, Room 1, No. 106, also p. 69),
and genii, mostly serpent-headed. The mummy lay on the sun-goddess
Neith, on a serpent entwined round a lotus, and on the
114soul as a bird. The outside of the case is also painted. From
Deir el Bahri, Upper Egypt.
Case E (centre): Richly painted mummy with the goddess
Neith on its breast. Very effective. Date—about B.C. 600.
3 (back wall): Relief from over the door of a tomb. Left
the deceased, enthroned between two bouquets of lotus: to one
of them a couple of ducks are tied. Then comes an old harpist,
who is singing, accompanied by a girl on a drum, and by two
others who clap their hands. To the right, a man preparing
drink; then two dancing girls. Beautiful work. From Heliopolis.
ROOM 9: Ancient Egypt: Crocodile worship.
The contents of this room, though not Alexandrian, are
Ptolemaic, and well illustrate that dynasty in its Egyptian aspect.
They come from the Temple of Petesouchos, the crocodile god
of the Fayoum. The temple was adorned by Agathodorus, a
Greek official there B.C. 137, in honour of Ptolemy VII (Physkon)
and of his two wives, one his sister, one his niece, and both called
Cleopatra. (For the marriage arrangements of this unattractive
monarch, see tree, p. 12). The temple itself has been in part
brought to the Museum, and well set up in the North Garden
(see below).
Centre of room: Wooden stretcher on which is a mummied
crocodile. It was carried thus in procession by the priests, as
the water colour below (copy of a fresco) shows. The stretcher
rests on a wooden chest, also found in the shrine.
Back wall: Wooden door of the outer gateway (see North
Garden). Greek inscription. Here are some photographs by
which the temple can be reconstructed.
39 (right of the chest): an offering table to the god, ornate
and unpleasing. He lies in a little tank.
Left of the entrance door: Relief of a priest adoring the
god, who crawls upon lotus flowers.
ROOM 10: Ancient Egypt: Small exhibits.
In the entrance: Offering table, with basins for the
libations.
Right wall—Case C; Statuettes of gods, all named. The
most interesting for the history of Alexandria are 3-25 Osiris,
and 26-40 the bull Apis, with whom he was compounded to make
Serapis. (p. 18).
Case D: Mummies of a baby, of an eagle, of an ibis.
Case Aa—Shelf b (at the top): winged scarabs in blue
enamel. Shelf k (No. 1): statuette of Sekhet, goddess of the
heat of the sun—she has the head of a lioness and holds a gold
flower. Shelf f: Bast, the cat-god. No. 39 has a kitten between
the paws. 51 gold earrings. Shelf 1 has more statues of Bast.
55 very good.
115Left wall: Case h “Canopic” vases of alabaster. Used
to hold those parts of the dead that could not be embalmed.
Each dedicated to a son of Horus. Amset held the stomach;
Hapi the intestines; Douamoutef the lungs; Kebehsenouf the
liver. For their connection with the town of Canopus, see p. 176.
Case Bb:—More statuettes—especially shelf i.—Harpocrates
and Horus, and shelf k. Isis nursing Horus—the artistic origin
for the Christian design of the Madonna and Child. (p. 69).
There are some rattles and vases of the Isis cult.
Case L: Little serving figures (Ushabti), which were put in
the grave with the mummy to do the work for it in the underworld.
Also round the wall of the room: six painted mummy
cases.
Down the middle: two big tables of scarabs, amulets, gold
trinkets, etc.
ROOM 11. Greco-Egyptian.
Objects in which the Greek and Egyptian influences mingle.
They are few in number, and not as interesting as one might
expect. No living art was born from the union.
Right wall: 18. Dedication to the Egyptian god Anubis
with a Greek inscription. 20. Profile of a Ptolemy—rather
charming. 33-40. Serpent worship—very repulsive. 40. is a
curious mixture. The male snake has the basket of Serapis and
the club of Hercules; the female, the disc of Isis and the sheaf
of Ceres. 41. Bad painting, Greek style, of a girl with Egyptian
gods round her. From Gabbari.
End wall—both sides: 43-53. Clumsy statues from the
Fayoum, in which Greek influence appears.
Left wall—centre: 61. Large fragment of a relief from
a temple at Benha; left, Horus with a falcon’s head; right, a
human figure, by whose side is a Greek inscription. 62. Model
of a shrine, mixed style: in the sanctuary Isis nurses Horus.
69. (in case A)—beautiful statue (headless) of a woman, Egyptian
style, but Greek feeling.
Archway between Rooms 11 and 12. On right: Portrait
of a youth in white marble (from Kom es Chogafa). Left: Pleasing
portrait of a child of two or three years of age.
ROOM 12: Portraits: mostly Greco-Roman in style.
Centre: 30. Dull colossal statue of Marcus Aurelius. The
Emperor, looking bored but benignant, appears as a general: his
right arm rests on a cornucopia. A cross has in Christian times
been scratched on the stomach of the cuirass.—From Rue Rosette.
Right wall: 8. Exquisite bust of Venus; 16a and 17.
Heads, in marble and granite, of Alexander the Great (p. 8);
of no artistic merit; but found in Alexandria. 18. Head of a
116young soldier. 20. Marble head of a goddess; beautiful hair.
Found near Pompey’s Pillar. 21. Head, perhaps of Berenice wife
of Euergetes; found in same place.—Cabinet A: small
portraits: note as especially fine 15 and 15a Ptolemy Euergetes (?) and 12
Berenice his wife (?) with elaborate curls; they stand in the
centre of the case on the second shelf. Cabinet D: Alleged
portrait in marble of Cleopatra in her declining years. Thin,
firmly compressed lips and general expression of severity discredit
the theory. 60. Colossal granite head of Ptolemy IV Philopator;
from Aboukir.
Left wall: 51. Bust of Emperor Hadrian. 52. Head in
white marble—noble features, supposed to be those of Marcus
Aurelius in youth. Cabinet B. Heads and torsos: No. 27 Centre
shelf, Head of a child with radiant smile—found in Alexandria.
36. Head of Zeus, hirsute countenance—thick lips. Has been
scalped. Cabinet F. Various small bronzes; 44. Life-sized head
of woman in marble: has Rosetti-like neck and mouth.
ROOM 13. Miscellaneous.
Centre: 1. Statue of an Emperor, on which a head of
Septimus Severus has been fixed.
In Case F (right): 2. Smiling face of a Faun. On the top
of the case, a queer relief of a winged griffin and a woman on
two wheels. (Nemesis?).
In Case H (left): 2. Caricature of a Roman senator with a
rat’s head.
ROOM 14. Miscellaneous.
Centre: Mosaic from Gabbari, once displaying a Medusa’s
head.
Back wall: 1. Marble statue of a Roman Orator. The
head does not belong.
Left corner: 2-4. Delicate architectural details. From
Rue Sultan Hussein.
Left wall: 6. Door of a tomb-niche, blending Greek and
Egyptian styles. The table in front is from the same tomb and
was used for funeral offering. From the Western Necropolis.
ROOM 15. Architectural.
Small fragments, etc., many of them very dainty and
showing traces of paint.
Right wall: 9. Sacrificial altar, imitating a building, with
doors realistically ajar.
On a column in the right-hand corner: 2. Capital, well
illustrating mixture of styles; the general form and the acanthus
leaves are Greek, the lotus, papyrus, and serpents are Egyptian.
Middle wall, behind a curtain: 20. Painted side of a
sarcophagus; a shallow and pretty design of two game cocks
about to fight across a festoon of flowers. 2nd Cent. A.D.
117Left wall: 50. Other side of same sarcophagus: buildings
in perspective.
ROOM 16. Statues, mostly Greco-Roman in style.
Right wall: 4. Marble torso of a young hero or god; the
head and arms, which were worked separately, are lost, good work.
From Alexandria—probably on a temple. 7-8. On a shelf—Statuettes,
headless and insignificant, but interesting for their
subject:—Alexander the Great as a god with the aegis. From
Alexandria. 12. On a column—Bust of the composite-goddess
Demeter-Selene, showing head-dress of Demeter and horns of
the moon. 21-23: Priestesses of Isis, recognisable by the sacred
knots into which their shawls are tied in front. 28. Large Ionic
capital; another stands opposite, four others in the garden court.
From Silsileh, and is probably part of the Ptolemaic Palace.
(p. 17) 27. Greek funeral relief, as old as 3rd Cent. B.C. Found
at Alexandria, but probably imported from Athens.
Centre of room: 31. Fine bath of black stone, decorated
with heads of lions and of a lynx, through whom the water escaped.
Further on (37) is another. Both from the Western
Necropolis, where they were used as tombs. 33. Colossal votive
foot, merging above the ankle into a bust of Serapis. On the
head a Greek dedication, to Serapis from two of his worshippers;
two serpents above with a child (Horus?) between them. From
Alexandria. 34. An immense eagle, rather cumbersome, and presented
by the late Khedive; from the island of Thasos. 39.
Gigantic forearm, holding a sphere. From Benha.
Left wall: 40. Big limestone Corinthian capital. 3rd
cent. B.C. 47, 48, 49, 51, and (on shelf) 53 and 52a: Statues
and Heads of Serapis. Important (p. 19). 47 is probably
a Roman copy of the original—ascribed to Bryaxis—in the
Temple, and well renders the type—half terrible half benign.
On its head are the marks where the sacred basket was attached.
From the Rue Adib. 48. shows Cerberus. 52 and 52a were
found near the actual Serapeum; the blue-black colour of the
latter recalls the original statue. 50. Priest of Serapis (?) headless;
robe with seven-rayed stars, scarabs, the crescent moon.
Apis Bulls and a great serpent. From the Temple. 53. Realistic
Portrait head. 54. Apollo seated on the Omphalos, or Navel of
the World at Delphi; a rare subject; probably imported from
Antioch, Asia Minor. 59-59. Headless statues, Roman, some
with rolls of papyrus by them. From Sidi Gaber. 62. Entrance
of Room 17: Genius of Death asleep.
ROOM 17: Miscellaneous.
An interesting room.
Centre: Delightful mosaic of a water party in Upper
Egypt; birds, frogs, eels, fish, hippopotami and pigmies; in the
middle a lady and gentleman with their offspring and an attendant
118recline beneath an awning that sways in the wind. Caesar and
Cleopatra may have disported themselves thus (p. 25). Greek
inscription and ornamental border.
Back wall: Colossal headless porphyry statue of Diocletian
(?) on a throne. From Rue Attarine.
In front of statue: Marble sarcophagus; Dionysus and
Ariadne. From the Western Necropolis. The type is rare in
Alexandria, the decorations being generally fruit or flowers.
Placed about the room: Mummies from the Fayoum
(see preliminary note); the best (Case U) stands against a pillar;
it has a realistic portrait of the deceased, painted on wood.
Round the walls: Case A Lovely iridescent glass; the
Alexandrian glass was famous. Case D, terra cotta dish for
serving poached eggs. Table Rr: Funerary objects from the
Western Necropolis; 2506, &c., Gnostic Amulets (p. 71).
Case G and adjoining Table S: Fragments of “Egyptian Queen”
pottery, a commercial product of Ptolemaic times. The type was
a green enamel vase on which was a relief of a princess sacrificing
at an altar with some such inscription as “Good luck to Queen
Berenice.” These vases were bought as ornaments by loyal
citizens and tourists. Case G: Funerary furniture; in the
centre a skull, wreathed with artificial laurel. 3rd cent. B.C.
(From the Chatby Necropolis. p. 164). Case K: Fine cinerary
urns, dated—earliest, 281 B.C.—Right and left of the door into
the gardens; Marble sarcophagi of the usual Alexandrian design.
Cases P. Glass vases of exquisite hue and design; there is more
beauty in this little case than in tons of statues.
ROOM 18. terra cotta Statuettes.
The statuettes, of which the best are Hellenistic and Alexandrian,
were at first connected with funeral rites and later
placed in the tomb from the sentiment that prompts us to drop
flowers, especially when the dead person is young. They have
mostly been found in the tombs of children and women. They
are the loveliest things in the Museum.
Facing entrance, and to right, (Cases HH and A): Cinerary
urns from Alexandria.
Left wall: Case F (covered with curtain): Here are the
masterpieces—27 statuettes of women. 1, 4, 7, 8, 12, 13, are the
most beautiful perhaps—so delicate but so dignified. 1. is
crowned with ivy and wears tiny earrings; the shape of her arm
shown through the wrap that covers it. 7. carries her child.
12. with her little draped head is curiously impressive. Case G:
1. Child on his mother’s shoulder. Case H: 1. Child on a toy
chariot, full of grapes and drawn by dogs. Case I: Caricatures.
Case L: Moulds for terra cotta. Case in corner, also FF:
Fragments from Naucratis, the Greek predecessor of Alexandria
in Egypt.
119Right wall: Terra cottas from the Fayoum—stupid and
vulgar.
Down the centre of room: Four mosaics from Canopus
(p. 180); they probably decorated the Temple of Serapis there.
ROOM 19. Miscellaneous.
In entrance: Funerary urn still garlanded with artificial
flowers. From Chatby. 3rd cent. B.C.
Centre: Mosaic—the best geometrical mosaic in the
museum. From Chatby.
In angles of room: Cases A, B, C, D: Terra cottas from
Kom es Chogafa. Note in Case C, shelf b, 1. Model of seven pots
and a big jar—like doll’s furniture; and in Case D some unamusing
grotesques.
Also in the angles of the octagon: Cases I, II, III, IV.
Funerary furniture from Hadra. (p. 156). In Case I are two
beautiful objects; a blue enamel vase decorated with faces of
Bes, Egyptian god of luck; and (shelf b, 2): Terra cotta statuette
of a boy, who clings, laughing, to a term of Dionysus, and holds
an apple in his hand.
ROOM 20. Chatby Necropolis. (p. 164).
Several painted tombstones. The best are protected by
tinted glass, and better studied in the water-colour copies hanging
above.
Left of entrance: 1. Isodora, a lady of Cyrene, with her
child. 2. A young Macedonian officer, riding; his orderly runs
behind holding the horse’s tail. Date 4th cent. B.C.—i.e. shortly
after Alexander had founded the city. 10231: Boy and child.
Cases A and B: Funerary furniture. In Case B are some
pretty terra cottas: 1, 2. Ladies sitting. 7, 8, 9. Schoolgirls at
lessons.
Pedestal V (right wall): Tombstone of young man with a
foot-stool and pet dog.
Centre of room: Fine marble group, mutilated, of Dionysus
and the Faun. Found near the demolished Porte Rosette.
ROOM 21. Ibrahimieh Necropolis. (p. 164).
Case in entrance: Wreaths of artificial flowers. Ugly
really, but one is impressed by their being so old. Double flute
of ivory.
Case in centre: Mummied birds from Aboukir (p. 180).
Cases D and F: From Ibrahimieh. Case D. Inscription
in Aramaic—one of the few relics of the early Jewish settlement
at Alexandria (p. 62); some more are on the floor. Date 3rd
cent. B.C. Case F (right wall) Cinerary urns. Groups in painted
piaster of the phallic Min (whom the Greeks identified with Pan),
Hercules, Horus, etc.
120ROOM 22. Canopus. (p. 180).
Disappointing; better work than this tenth rate Hellenistic
stuff must have existed at the great shrine.
Left wall: 1-3:. Inscriptions of historical interest: they
mention Serapis and Isis, the deities of the place, and the
Ptolemies Philadelphus and Euergetes.
Back wall: in cases, sculptures and terra cottas.
Right wall: Stucco-coated columns from the Temple of
Serapis; others have been left in place.
Centre: Mosaic from Alexandria.
ROOM 22A. Frescoes.
Right of door: Three pagan frescoes, connected with
crocodile worship (see Room 7 and North Garden). From
Temple of Petesouchos, Fayoum. Date 2nd cent. A.D. Thank
offerings to the god from Heron Soubathos, an officer: 1. He
stands. 2. He rides.
Rest of room: Christian frescoes of great interest, from
crypt discovered in the desert beyond Lake Mariout. Date 5th
cent. A.D. A staircase led down to a square room. 1 and 2 are
from the ceiling of this room; from its walls come—3 St. Menas
standing between camels—4 and 5 the Annunciation. A passage
led to a smaller room; on its vault was 6 Head of Christ. In this
smaller room were 7 and 8. Out of it opened a little niche at the
end of which was 9 a saint in prayer among the scenery of paradise.
VERANDAH AND GARDENS. Large Exhibits.
In the middle of the Verandah: Colossal headless statue of
Hercules.
North Garden: Left—Gateways and shrine of the Temple
of Petesouchos, crocodile god of the Fayoum (see Room 9 for
further details). The first gateway is the entrance Pylon, over
which is a Greek inscription dating the temple to B.C. 137. The
wooden door in Room 9 belonged here. On each side of the
gateway are lions. It led to a brick courtyard, in which was a
Nilometer. The court was closed by the second gateway, which
is flanked by sphinxes, and led to a second and similar court.
Then comes the third gate, and, closing the perspective, the shrine.
The shrine has three cavities, in each of which lurked a mummied
crocodile upon a wooden stretcher (see Room 9). In the left
cavity is the fresco of a crocodile; in the central the fresco of a
god with a crocodile’s head between two other deities. Over the
cavities are several decorative friezes—one of snakes. The outside
of the shrine is also frescoed to imitate marble. In front of
it was found a wooden chest (Room 9).
At back of Garden: Granite group of Rameses II and his
daughter—headless. From Aboukir. Against the wall behind:
colossal green granite head of Antony as Osiris. From near
Nouzha (p. 157). The companion head of Cleopatra as Isis is in
Belgium.
121South garden: Two reconstructed tombs from the Chatby
Necropolis (p. 164). The first (in the corner) is remarkable. The
sarcophagus imitates a bed with cushions each end. The chamber
where it stands was once preceded by a long vestibule for the
mourners (as in the Anfouchi tombs, p. 126). The date 3rd.
cent. B.C. The second tomb has a shell vault niche (like Kom es
Chogafa, p. 148).
The Rue Rosette continues and at last issues from
between houses. Here, ever since its foundation, the
city has ended; in Ptolemaic times the Gate of the Sun
or Canopic Gate stood here, in Arab times the Rosetta
Gate. The Public Gardens (left and right) follow the
line of the Arab walls (see p. 81 and Section IV). The
tramway to Nouzha crosses the route. The road continues
under another name to Sidi Gaber (Section V),
thence to Ramleh, and to Aboukir (Section VII). It is
a good road and well planted; but terribly straight, like
all roads that the Ancients have planned.
122
FROM THE SQUARE TO RAS-EL-TIN.
Route:—By the Rue de France and Rue Ras-el-Tin to
Ras-el-Tin promontory; returning to the Square by Anfouchi
Bay and the Eastern Harbour—the “Circular” Tram (Green
Triangle) runs along the Quays.
Chief points of interest:—Terbana and Chorbagi Mosques;
Mosque of Abou el Abbas; Anfouchi Catacombs; Ras-el-Tin
Palace; Prehistoric Harbour; Fort Kait Bey; New Quays.
123We start from the north-west corner of the Square.
The Rue de France traverses the “Turkish Town”
(p. 84), which was built in the 17th and 18th cents. on
the spit of land that had accreted round the ruined
Ptolemaic dyke (p. 10). Its bazaars and Mosques are
on a small scale, for the city was then at her feeblest.
But the district is picturesque and, especially at evening,
full of gentle charm. The best way of seeing it is to
wander aimlessly about.
In the Rue de France:—Right: Rue Pirona. Built
into the wall at its entrance are fragments of Egyptian
sculpture, the lion-headed goddess Sekhet, &c. The
road opens into a picturesque little square which contains
a former Native Tribunal, and a building (No. 4) that
has a carved gateway and a tranquil court yard with
antique columns.
In the roads to the left of the Rue de France are
some Mosques:—
Mosque of Sheikh Ibrahim Pacha, off the south-west corner
of the Square; big ugly building with red and yellow minaret.
Chorbagi Mosque, in the Rue el Midan. Well worth a visit.
Date—1757. Plan—similar to the Terbana (see below). Exterior
spoilt by restoration, but the door from the vestibule into
the mosque proper has over it a trefoil arch full of brilliant tiles;
in the centre of the arch is a miniature praying niche (mihrab).—The
Interior, though mean architecturally, retains its magnificent
Tile Decoration almost intact. The tiles are grouped round the
walls in great panels, the design being sometimes geometrical and
sometimes a pot of flowers. Between the panels are bands of
contrasting tiles. Colours:—in the panels, yellow, green, and a
deep cornflower-blue predominate; in the bands, china-blue and
white. A few of the panels are of polished conglomerate stone.
The Prayer Niche—flanked by two bizarre twisted columns—has
the pot of flowers design. The door of the pulpit is handsome; it
has duplicated Cufic inscriptions, which on the right read from
124right to left, as is usual, and on the left are reversed for the sake
of symmetry: a good instance of the decorative tendency of
Arab Art. Externally the Mosque is flanked by arcades; one
overlooks the street and is used by the Muezzin, since there is no
minaret; the other looks into a courtyard of stilted arches.
Mosque of Abou Ali. (Go nearly to the end of the long Rue
Bab el Akdar; thence, right, into Rue Masguid Ali Bey Guenenah;
thence, right again). There is nothing to see in this
humble little Mosque, but it is said to be the oldest in the city.
In it are the figures 677, which, if they record the date A.H.,
would mean 1278 A.D. The natives say that it once stood at
the edge of the sea, so that the faithful made their ablutions with
salt water before praying. The tradition may be correct, for
the old line of the coast lay here. (see map p. 98). The
building in its present appearance cannot be earlier than the
18th cent.; in it, perched on the summit of the pulpit, is the
model of a boat.
Continuing from the Rue de France we see ahead
the white mass of the Terbana Mosque.
Well worth visiting, in spite of modern plaster and
paint. Date—1684. The little doorway on the street is in
the “Delta” style—bricks painted black and red, with occasional
courses of wood between them and Cufic inscriptions
above: “There is no God but God,” and “Mohammed is
the Prophet of God”; better examples of the style at Rosetta
(p. 185). The rest of the ground floor is occupied by shops. At
the top of the stairs an interesting scene unfolds. To the left
are two great antique granite columns with Corinthian capitals,
and through them an open air terrace with an iron trellis and
barred windows. To the right is the Vestibule of the Mosque,
once very beautiful; two thirds of the entrance wall are still
covered with tiles, designed like those in the Chorbagi, and over
the door is the inscription “Built in 1097 A.H. by Haj Ibrahim
Terbana,” surmounted by a trefoil arch. More antique columns.
The Interior is a rectangle, divided up by eight columns, disfigured
but antique. Good painted ceiling, best seen from the
western gallery. The Prayer Niche is finely tiled, as is the wall
to its right; the large tiles with white daisies on them are inferior
modern work. Lamentable chandeliers.—There is an external
gallery with antique columns. The Minaret rises above the
entrance landing; its topmost gallery is tiled.
The main route now takes the name Rue Ras-el-Tin.
Here once began the southern shore of the Island of
Pharos. Consequently ancient remains occur in situ.
125Right: Rue Sidi Abou el Abbas leads to the square
of that name—the most considerable in the Turkish
Town; here, by evening light, one sometimes has the
illusion of oriental romance; here (1922) is the rallying
point of the Nationalist demonstrations. The road,
just before it enters the square, crosses the site of a
temple to Isis Pharia who watched over the lighthouse.
(see coin in Museum, Room 2).
Dominating the square is the great white Mosque of
Abou el Abbas Moursi, built 1767 by Algerians, some of
whom still live in the neighbourhood; the tomb of the
saint (d. 1288) is under a low dome; the other side of the
Mosque (reached by a winding passage to the right) has
an unrestored brick entrance in the “Delta” style, with
pendentives, tiles, and a Cufic inscription.—At the end
of the Square:—little Mosque of Sidi Daoud, with tomb
of the saint, from whose precinct two tall palm trees rise.—Just
off south side of square is a typical street tomb
(Sidi Abou el Fath), enclosed in its green lattice; of the
houses close to it No. 31 has good carved “Mashrabieh”
work, No. 33 a carved lintel, with door posts of alternate
courses of limestone and wood. All this tangle of lanes
preserves the atmosphere of the 18th cent. East.
Between the Abou el Abbas Mosque and the sea is a
large modern Mosque—the Bouseiri—where the Sultan
usually makes his Friday prayer; a little up the street is
a stone fragment, covered with hieroglyphs, and now
used upside down as a seat.
The Rue Ras-el-Tin is now joined by the “Circular”
tram line. To the right is a large piece of waste ground.
In the corner of this, close to the road, are some dilapidated
glass roofs; these protect the Anfouchi Tombs;
the custodian lives close by.
126
The Anfouchi Tombs
I. Vestibule with scribblings
II. Vestibule with chessboard decorations
III. Vestibule with benches
IV. Vestibule with Roman additions
Though inferior to the Kom es Chougafa Catacombs,
(p. 148), these tomb groups are interesting for their decoration
scheme. Their entrances adjoin, their plan is
127similar:—a staircase, cut through the limestone, leads
down to a square hall out of which the tomb-chambers
open. The decoration is of stucco painted to imitate
marble blocks and tiles. It is shoddy, and sometimes
recalls the imitation wall papers of Victorian England.
Archaeologists know it as the First Pompeian style.
Date:—Ptolemaic with Roman additions. Name of
occupants: unknown.
Right-hand tomb group. (see plan p. 127).
At the first turn of the stairs, protected by a cloth, is a good
picture. Subject:—Purification of the Dead by water (?);
Horus, with a falcon’s head, points with one hand to the land of
death, and with the other tries to draw the dead man towards
it; Osiris holds out a lustral vase; Isis is behind.—At the second
turn of the stairs is another picture, half destroyed;—Osiris sits
on a throne as king of the Dead with the dog-god Anubis behind
him; before him, just discernable, stands Horus introducing the
dead man.
Thus the staircase reminded visitors of the difficulties through
which the dead must pass, and honoured Osiris, Isis, and their
son Horus—a trinity whose worship was popular in Ptolemaic times
and often connected with the worship of Serapis. The walls
imitate alabaster &c.; on the vault, geometric designs.
The Hall is open to the air. It gives access to two tomb
chambers, each of which has a vestibule for mourners. That
to the right (i) is undecorated, but the scribblings on the vestibule
walls are most amusing; they were made over 2,000 years ago
by a visitor or workman, and help us to reconstruct the life of
the Greco-Egyptian city. The inscriptions are in Greek. On
the left wall Diodorus has immortalised Antiphiles, his friend.
Further on is a sailing ship. Right wall, a battle ship with a
turret for fighting, such as might have accompanied Cleopatra
to Actium.
The vestibule in front (ii) is quite charming. It was decorated
in the same style as the staircase—traces of this remain on
the inside of its entrance wall—but soon after a fresh coat of
stucco was applied, and painted like the first to imitate marble,
but in better taste. Below, is a dado of “alabaster” above it an
effective design of black and white squares arranged chess board
fashion and divided by alabaster bands. In the chess board are
mythological scenes, now defaced. The ceiling, being purely
geometric, probably belongs to the earlier scheme.
At the end of the vestibule is the entrance to the tomb chamber,
with the disc of the Sun (Ra) carved above it, and,
on either side, little sleeping sphinxes upon pedestals. A door
once closed it; holes for the bolt remain. The tomb chamber
128itself is decorated in the same pretty style. An altar once stood
in the middle. In the back wall is a tiny shrine, closing the vista.
The general effect is good, but dainty rather than solemn; the
terrors of ancient Egypt are on the wane.
Left hand Tomb group.
The vestibule in front, as one enters the Hall, is very long,
and low benches on which the mourners sat run up it on each side.
(iii). In the tomb chamber is an enormous sarcophagus of rose
coloured granite from Assouan.
The vestibule and tomb chamber to the left (iv) were excavated
and decorated on the usual plan. But in the Roman
period they were much pulled about, and brick work introduced,
together with three new sarcophagi.
There are traces of other tombs over the waste ground,
which covers the cemetery of the ancient Island of Pharos.
We are now in the centre of the Island, and about to
visit its western extremity.
Straight ahead, up a rise, is Ras-el-Tin Palace, the
summer residence of the Sultan, who makes his state
entry every June. It was built by Mohammed Ali
(p. 88), who had here the stormy interview with Sir
Charles Napier, that ended his loftier ambitions (p. 89);
Ismail restored it; Tewfik was here during some of the
troubles of 1882 (p. 95). It is not ugly, as palaces go;
the grandiose classical portico is rather impressive. To
the right are the barracks.
The peninsula narrows. The road leads on to the
Yacht Club (left), and terminates at the Military Hospital
which is beautifully situated on the rocky point of
Ras-el-Tin (the “Cape of Figs”); splendid views of the
Western Harbour and the sea; a Temple of Neptune
once stood here, and there are ruins of tombs all along
the northern shore. A modern lighthouse stands in the
Hospital enclosure, and marks the entrance to the harbour.
The Breakwater (constructed 1870-74) starts
below, makes towards the isolated rock of Abou Bakr,
then bends to the left. Over the water are the island of
Marabout and the headland of Agame, which are part of
the same limestone chain as Ras-el-Tin, and connected
with it by submarine reefs.
129The sea west and north of the point is full of remains
of the Prehistoric Harbour.
For details of this important and mysterious work see “Les
Ports submergés de l’ancienne Isle de Pharos” by M. Jondet,
the discoverer. Possibly it may be the harbour alluded to in the
Odyssey (see p. 6), but no historian mentions it. Theosophists,
with more zeal than probability, have annexed it to the vanished
civilisation of Atlantis; M. Jondet inclines to the theory that it
may be Minoan—built by the maritime power of Crete. If
Egyptian in origin, perhaps the work of Rameses II (B.C. 1300);
statues of his reign have been found on Rhakotis (p. 7), and we
know that he was attacked by “peoples of the West,” and built
defences against them. It cannot be as late as Alexander the
Great or we should have records. It is the oldest work in the
district and also the most romantic, for to its antiquity is added
the mystery of the sea.
Long and narrow, the Harbour stretched from the rock of
Abou Bakr on the west to an eastern barrier that touched the
shore beyond the Tour de la Mission d’Egypt. These two points
are joined up by a series of breakwaters on the north. The
entrance was from an unexpected direction, the south. Having
rounded Abou Bakr, ships turned north under the Ras-el-Tin
promontory, where there is deep water. To their left were
solid quays, stretching to Abou Bakr, and recently utilised in the
foundation of the modern breakwater. To their right was
another quay. Having entered, they were well in the middle
of the main harbour, with a subsidiary harbour to the north.
The visit to the Harbour is best made by boat, since
most of the remains now lie from 4 to 25 feet under the
sea. They have, like all the coast line, subsided, because
the Nile deposits on which they stand are apt to compress,
and even to slide towards deeper water. They
are built of limestone blocks from the quarries of Mex
and Dekhela, but the construction, necessarily simple,
gives no hint as to nationality or date. The modern
breakwater, being built across the entrance, makes the
scheme rather difficult to follow. (see Plan p. 131.).
130
The Prehistoric Harbour
Modern work shown thus .......
Ancient work shown thus ________
The Small Quay (a) is in perfect condition, and not
four feet under water. Length: 70 yards, breadth, 15;
the surface curves slightly towards the south. The
131blocks, measuring about a yard each, are cut to fit one
another roughly, small stones filling up the joints. The
Ras-el-Tin jetty crosses the end of this Quay; the point
of intersection is near the red hut on the jetty.—At the
north end of the Quay is an extension (b) that protected
the harbour entrance.
Further north, well inside the harbour, is an islet (c)
covered with remains. Some are tombs, and of later
date; submerged, are the foundations of a rectangular
building (30 yds. by 15) reached on the south by steps,
and connected by little channels with the sea on the north.
This islet may have contained the harbour offices.
From the modern breakwater the Great Quays (d)
show here and there as ochreous lines below the waves.
They are 700 yds. long, and constructed like the Small
Quay, but from larger stones. They connect with the
rock of Abou Bakr (e), the western bastion of the Prehistoric
Harbour; it is a solid mass over 200 yds. square;
most is on the sea level, but a part juts up; it is marked
all over with foundation cuts and the remains of masonry.
West of Abou Bakr is a double breakwater (f) further
protecting the works from the sea and the prevalent wind;
and on it hinges the huge northern breakwater (g) also
double in parts, which runs with interruptions till it
reaches the eastern barrier (h). The rock is named after
the first Caliph of Islam.
The outer harbour (i) has not yet been fully explored.
Having returned as far as Ras-el-Tin Palace, we
bear to the left, and follow the tram line along the shore
of Anfouchi Bay. The Bay is very shallow and the
entrance is protected by reefs. Pirates used it once.
Native boat builders work along its beach and are pleasant
to watch. In the corner is Anfouchi Pier, with a bathing
establishment; beyond, on a small promontory, stands
all that is left of Fort Adda; Arabi had his powder
stored here in 1882, and the English blew it up (p. 94).
Now the tram turns a sharp corner, and a second Fort
swings into view—Fort Kait Bey.
132
This battered and neglected little peninsula is
perhaps the most interesting spot in Alexandria, for here,
rising to an incredible height, once stood the Pharos
Lighthouse, the wonder of the world. Contrary to
general belief, some fragments of the Pharos still
remain. But before visiting them and the Arab fort in
which they are imbedded, some knowledge of history is
desirable. The fortunes of the peninsula were complicated,
and the labours of scholars have only lately
made them clear.
HISTORY.
(1). The original building. (see also 16).
The lighthouse took its name from Pharos Island (hence
the French “phare” and the Italian “faro”). No doubt it
entered into Alexander the Great’s scheme for his maritime
capital, but the work was not done till the reign of Ptolemy
Philadelphus. Probable date of dedication: B.C. 279, when
the king held a festival to commemorate his parents. Architect:
Sostratus, an Asiatic Greek. The sensation it caused was tremendous.
It appealed both to the sense of beauty and to the
taste for science—an appeal typical of the age. Poets and
engineers combined to praise it. Just as the Parthenon had been
identified with Athens and St. Peter’s was to be identified with
Rome, so, to the imagination of contemporaries, the Pharos
became Alexandria and Alexandria became the Pharos. Never,
in the history of architecture, has a secular building been thus
worshipped and taken on a spiritual life of its own. It beaconed
to the imagination, not only to ships at sea, and long after its
light was extinguished memories of it glowed in the minds of men.
It stood in a colonnaded court. (Plan II p. 135). There
were four stories. (Plan I, Fig. i). The square bottom storey
was pierced with many windows and contained the rooms, estimated
at 300, where the mechanics and attendants were housed.
There was a spiral ascent—probably a double spiral—and in the
centre there may have been hydraulic machinery for raising
fuel to the top; otherwise we must imagine a procession of
donkeys who cease not night and day to go up and down the spirals
with loads of wood on their backs. The storey ended in a square
platform and a cornice and figures of Tritons. Here too, in
great letters of lead, was the Greek inscription; “Sostratus of
Cnidos, son of Dexiphanes: to the Saviour Gods: for sailors”—an
inscription which, despite its simplicity, bore a double
meaning. The “Saviour Gods” are of course Castor and Pollux
who protect mariners, but a courtly observer could refer them to
Ptolemy Soter and Berenice, whose worship their son was promoting.
133
Kait Bey Plan I
Fig I The Pharos as built by Sostratus
Fig II The Pharos in the Arab Period
Fig III The Castle before 1882
134
135The second storey was octagonal and entirely filled by the
spiral ascent. Above that was the circular third story, and above
that the lantern. The lighting arrangements are uncertain.
Visitors speak of a mysterious “mirror” on the summit, which
was even more wonderful than the building itself. What was
this “mirror”? Was it a polished steel reflector for the fire at
night or for heliography by day? Some accounts describe it as
made of finely wrought glass or transparent stone, and declare
that a man sitting under it could see ships at sea that were
invisible to the naked eye. A telescope? Is it possible that the
great Alexandrian school of mathematics discovered the lens,
and that their discovery was lost and forgotten when the Pharos
fell? It is possible. It is certain that the lighthouse was
fitted with every scientific improvement known to the age, that
the antique world never surpassed it, and that the mediaeval
world regarded it as the work of Jinns.
Standing on the lantern was a statue of Poseidon. This
terminated the tower, whose complete height certainly exceeded
400 feet and possibly touched 500.
(2) History of the Building.
We must now follow this masterpiece of engineering into
ages of myth and oblivion. It retained its form and functions
unimpaired up to the Arab Conquest (A.D. 641). The first,
and irreparable, disaster was the fall of the lantern (about 700),
entailing the loss of scientific apparatus that could not be replaced.
There is a legend that the disaster was planned by the Byzantine
Emperor, who could not attack Egypt owing to the magic
“Mirror,” which detected or destroyed his ships. He sent an
agent who gained the Caliph’s confidence and told him that
beneath the Pharos the treasure of Alexander the Great lay
buried. The Caliph commenced demolition, and before the inhabitants
of Alexandria, who knew better, could intervene, the
two upper stories had fallen into the sea. Henceforth the Pharos
is only a stump with a bonfire on the top.
There were restorations under Ibn Touloun (880), and also
about 980, but they were unsubstantial additions to the Octagon
which the wind could blow away. Structural repairs were
neglected, and about 1100 the second disaster occurred—the fall
of the Octagon itself through an earthquake. The square bottom
story survived, but only as a watchtower on the top of which
was run up a small square Mosque. (see Plan I, Fig. ii, which
illustrates this state of the Pharos. The level of the ground has
risen owing to the debris from the octagon, and the lower story has
been buttressed). Then came the final earthquake (14th cent.)
and the slow dissolution was over.
136Though unable to preserve the Pharos the Arabs admired
it, and speak, with their love of the marvellous, of a statue on it
whose finger followed the diurnal course of the sun, of a second
statue who gave out with varying and melodious voices the
various hours of the day, and of a third who shouted an alarm as
soon as a hostile flotilla set sail,. The first two statues may have
existed; the Alexandrians loved such toys. And there is an
element of truth in another Arab legend—that the building
rested upon a “glass crab.” Some vitrious composition probably
did form the foundation, and we know that “Cleopatra’s Needle”
actually did rest on crabs of metal (p. 162); the oriental mind has
confused the two monuments. The legend culminates in the
visit to the Pharos of a cavalcade of horsemen who lose their way
in the 300 rooms, and inadvertently riding into a crack in the
glass crab’s back fall into the sea! But sometimes the lighthouse
sheltered pleasanter adventures. The poet El Deraoui, for
example, writes:
A lofty platform guides the voyager by night, guides
him with its light when the darkness of evening falls.
Thither have I borne a garment of perfect pleasure
among my friends, a garment adorned with the memory of
beloved companions.
On its height a dome enshadowed me, and thence I saw
my friends like stars.
I thought that the sea below me was a cloud, and that
I had set up my tent in the midst of the heavens.
Moreover “El Manarah,” as the Arabs called it, gave the name
to, and became the model for, the “minaret.” There is no
minaret in Alexandria that closely follows the Pharos, but at Cairo
(e.g. at the Tombs of the Mamelukes) one can still see the square
bottom story, the Octagon, the Round and the Summit that
exactly reproduce the four-stage design of Sostratus.
(3). Fort Kait Bey.
For a hundred years ruins cumbered the peninsula. Then
(1480) the Mameluke Sultan Kait Bey fortified it as part of his
coast defence against the Turks, who had taken Constantinople
and were threatening Egypt. (p. 81). Kait Bey is a great
figure at Cairo, where mosques commemorate his glorious reign.
Here he only builds a fort, but like all his work it is architecturally
fine, and even in decay its outlines are harmonious. The scheme
was a pentagon (Plan II) and in the enclosed area, on the exact
site of the Pharos, stood a square castle or keep with a mosque
embedded in it. (Plan I, Fig. iii, which shows the castle before
it was ruined, the minaret sticking up inside it). The Turks
effected their conquest in 1517, and when their power in its turn
declined, Mohammed Ali (1805-1848) modernised the defences.
No visitors were admitted, and the Fort gained the reputation
of an impregnable and mysterious place. Its career ended with
137the English bombardment of 1882. Though it did not suffer as
much as its neighbour Fort Adda, damage enough was done.
The castle was shattered, the minaret snapped, and the desolation
and squalor re-established that brood there to-day.
We can now examine the existing remains. (See
Plans I & II pp. 134 & 135).
The connecting spit of land only formed in the 9th
cent. Previously there was shallow water, spanned by
a bridge. Right, as we approach, is anchorage for an
Italian fishing fleet; the men come from Bari in the
Adriatic.—The road leads by the side of the fort to the
new breakwater, built to protect the Eastern Harbour
and the Sea wall. The Breakwater is a noble work, and
it is a pity it is approached through a gateway that
suggests an English provincial Jail; the embellishments
of modern Alexandria are unduly lugubrious.
The blocked up Gateway to the Fort is flanked by
round towers; inside it are several rooms with 15th
cent. vaulting.—To its left, built into the masonry of
Kait Bey’s wall or lying on the beach, are about thirty
broken columns of red Assouan granite; also two or three
pieces of fine speckled granite and one piece of marble.
These are survivals from the Pharos, and may have stood
in the colonnade of its surrounding court; the sea wall
of that court probably diverged here from the line of
Kait Bey’s wall; there are traces of cutting among the
rocks.
The interior of the Fort (best entered from the right)
is now a bare enclosure with a few coast-guard huts.
The isolated lump of building at the end is the remains of
Kait Bey’s Castle, occupying the ground plan of the
Pharos and utilising in part its foundations. Some of
these foundations can be seen in the passage immediately
to the right of the Castle. The orientation of the Castle
and the Pharos was not exactly the same, since the Castle
had to be adjusted to the points of the compass on account
of the mosque that it contained.—The modern
buildings to the right of the passage also rest on old
foundations; it is thought that here stood the reservoir,
138filled with fresh water from the mainland and that on
the other side (left of present Castle) stood another edifice
with the mechanical statues to balance the design. But
this is all conjecture.
The Mosque in the Castle is notable for two reasons:
architecturally it is the oldest in the city, and in style it
is essentially Cairene. It was built by the central
government in the course of their coast defence scheme,
and so does not resemble the ordinary mosque of the
Delta. The entrance, with its five monoliths of Assouan
granite, taken from the Pharos, is almost druidical in
effect, but the arch above them and the flanking towers
faintly recall the glories of Kait Bey’s work at Cairo.
In the vestibule are remains of stucco on the ceiling and
marble on the floor.—The actual Mosque is of the
“school” type—a square with an arched recess opening
out of each side, each recess being assigned to one of the
four orthodox sects of Islam; the Mosque of Sultan
Hassan at Cairo is a famous example of this type. The
square, and the step leading up to each recess are inlaid
with marble. Light enters through carved woodwork
above.
Over the Mosque are vaulted rooms. From the
summit of the mass is a View of Alexandria, not beautiful
but instructive. From right to left are:—Fort Adda,
Ras-el-Tin lighthouse (background); minarets of Abou el
Abbas and Bouseiri Mosques (foreground); Kom-el-Nadur
Fort; Terbana Mosque (foreground); Pompey’s Pillar
(back); Kom-el-Dik Fort; the long line of Eastern
suburbs; beyond them the distant minaret of Sidi
Bishr; the coast ends in the wooded promontory of
Montazah. Close beneath is the modern Breakwater
stretching towards the opposing promontory of Silsileh;
and left, awash with waves, the Diamond Rock.—And
now let the visitor (if the effort is not beyond him)
elevate himself 400 feet higher into the air. Let him
replace the Ras-el-Tin lighthouse by a Temple to
Poseidon; let him delete the mosques and the ground
they stand on, and imagine in their place an expanse of
139water crossed by a Dyke; let him add to “Pompey’s
Pillar” the Temple of Serapis and Isis and the vast
buttressed walls of the Library; let him turn Kom-el-Dik
into a gorgeous and fantastic park, with the Tomb of
Alexander at its feet; and the Eastern Suburbs into
gardens; and finally let him suppose that it is not
Silsileh that stretches towards him but the peak of the
Ptolemaic Palace, sheltering to its right the ships of the
royal fleet and flanked on the landward side by the tiers
of the theatre and the groves of the Mouseion.—Then he
may have some conception of what Ancient Alexandria
looked like from the summit of the Pharos—what she
looked like when the Arabs entered in the autumn of 641.
Beneath the Batteries on the north of the Fort, and
almost level with the beach, is a long gallery in which
lie some shells that were fired by the English in 1882.
The tram now follows the curve of the Eastern
Harbour, a beautifully shaped basin. It was the main
harbour of the ancients, but Mohammed Ali when he
planned the modern city, developed the Western instead
(p. 91). There is a sea wall in two stages, to break the
waves which dash right on to the road in rough weather;
and there is a very fine promenade—the New Quays—which
stretches all the way from Kait Bey to Silsileh.
A walk along it can be delightful, though occasionally
marred by bad smells.—We pass, right, the Bouseiri
Mosque (see above) and finally come to the French
Gardens, that connect with the Square, whence we started.
Left of the French Gardens are: the French Consulate—an
isolated building; the General Post Office—entered
from the road behind; and the Church of St.
Andrews—Church of Scotland. To the right, down Rue
de l’Eglise Maronite, is the Maronite Church, an inoffensive
building; (for the Maronites see pp. 77, 213).
140
FROM THE SQUARE TO THE SOUTHERN QUARTERS.
Route:—By the Place St. Catherine and Pompey’s Pillar
to the Mahmoudieh Canal, taking the Karmous Tram (Green
Lozenge). The Ragheb Pasha Tram (Red Crescent) and the
Moharrem Bey tram (Red Circle) also go from the Square to the
Canal. There is also the “Circular” Tram (Green Triangle)
which crosses the three lines just mentioned, on its course from
Cairo Railway Station to the Docks. There is a carriage road
along the Canal.
Chief points of Interest:—Pompey’s Pillar, Kom es Chogafa
Catacombs, the Canal.
141The Southern Quarters are neither smart nor
picturesque. But they include the site of Rhakotis, the
nucleus of ancient Alexandria, and preserve some remarkable
antiquities (see pp. 7, 18). Here too are the
churches and schools of the various religious and political
bodies (see p. 211).
We start from the south side of the Square, and
immediately reach the Place St. Catherine, a triangular
green. Here is the traditional site of St. Catherine’s
martyrdom, whence she was transported to Mount
Sinai by angels. But the legend only dates from the 9th
cent. and it is unlikely that the saint ever existed (see p. 46).
Franciscans settled here in the 15th cent. and built a
church that has disappeared. In 1832 Mohammed Ali
granted land to the Roman Catholics, and the present
Cathedral Church of St. Catherine was begun. It fell
down while it was being put up, but undeterred by the
omen the builders persisted, and here is the result.
Gaunt without and tawdry within, the Cathedral makes
no attempt to commemorate the exquisite legend round
which so much that is beautiful has gathered in the West;
St. Catherine of Alexandria is without grace in her own
city. The approach to the church has however a certain
ecclesiastic calm.—Behind (entered from Rue Sidi el
Metwalli) is the Catholic Archbishop’s Palace; the wayside
tomb of the Mohammedan Saint Sidi el Metwalli, a
prior arrival, abuts into his Grace’s garden.
Left of the Cathedral is another in equally bad taste—the
Cathedral of the Greek Community (Greek Orthodox)
dedicated to the Annunciation. The Schools of the
Community are close to it.
142Left, after leaving the Place St. Catherine:—Rue
Sidi el Metwalli, following the line of the ancient Canopic
Way; it leads past the Attarine Mosque, which is worth
looking at. In the past, buildings of greater importance
stood on this commanding site. Here was a church to
St. Athanasius, dedicated soon after his death (4th cent.).
In the Arab Conquest (7th cent.) the church was adapted
into a great mosque, square in shape like the Mosque of
Ibn Touloun at Cairo, and stretching some way to the
north of the present building; travellers mistook it for
the tomb or the palace of Alexander the Great. In it stood
an ancient sarcophagus, weighing nearly seven tons. The
English, informed that Alexander had once lain here,
took the sarcophagus away when they occupied Alexandria
in 1801. (see p. 88). The French protested, and the
sheikhs of the Mosque, deeply moved, came down to the
boat to bid the relic farewell. The sarcophagus is now
in the British Museum, and has proved to belong to the
native Pharaoh Nekht Heru Hebt. B.C. 378.—The
present Mosque is wedge shaped with a minaret at the
point; a good little specimen of modern Mohammedan
architecture. It has a second facade in the Rue Attarine,
(Scent Bazaar) whence its name. Inside is the Tomb of
Said Mohammed (13th cent.), a friend of Abou el Abbas
(p. 126).—Beyond it the road becomes the Rue Rosette
(see Section I); right is the American Mission Church
and the Cairo Station.
Right after leaving the Place:—district inhabited
by the Armenian community (see p. 212). Their church
is simple and rather attractive, and has the projecting
western vestibule characteristic of Armenian architecture,
e.g. of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Etchmiadzine. In
the grave yard are monuments of Nubar Pasha by Puech
(see p. 155), and of Takvor Pasha. In the grounds of
the school, a black basalt sphinx.
Straight ahead after leaving the Place: is the
Rue Abou el Dardaa. In a turning out of it to the right
(Rue Prince Moneim) in the grounds of a florist
named Mousny, are some remains of the Old Protestant
143Cemetery.—The burials are of a later date than those at
St. Saba (p. 106). The most interesting is the Tomb of
Henry Salt. Salt, a vigorous but rather shady Englishman
with an artistic temperament, first came to these
parts in 1809, when he was sent on a mission to Abyssinia.
Six years later he became Consul General and fell in with
the financial plans of Mohammed Ali (p. 90), and acquiesced
in his illegal monopolies. He was an ardent
archaeologist of the commercial type and got concessions
for excavating in Upper Egypt, offering the results, at
exorbitant rates, to the British Museum. After much
haggling the Museum bought his collection in 1823. He
died near Alexandria in 1827. The quaint inscription
on his tomb says:—
His ready genius explored and elucidated the Hieroglypics
(sic) and other antiquities of this country. His
faithful and rapid pencil and the nervous originality of his
untutored senses conveyed to the world vivid ideas of the
scenes that had delighted himself.
Some of the tombs are hidden among plants and ferns.
The Cemetery was once much larger; the road has cut
through it.
At the end of the Rue Abou el Dardaa, where the
tram turns, is the Mosque of Amr. Here probably stood
the Mosque of Mercy which the conqueror Amr ordered
to be built where he had sheathed his sword after the
recapture of the city in 643 (see p. 57).
We turn right for a few yards, along a road that
follows the line of the vanished Arab Walls (p. 81).
Then to the left by the big Italian schools. The tram has
now entered the ancient district of Rhakotis.
As often happens in Alexandria, history and archaeology
fail to support one another. Ancient writers do
not mention “Pompey’s Pillar,” but they tell us a great
144deal about the buildings that stood in its neighbourhood
and have now disappeared. This shapeless hill was from
early times covered with temples and houses. Long
before Alexander came it was the citadel of Rhakotis
(p. 7). Osiris was worshipped here. Then with Ptolemy
Soter it leaps into fame. Osiris is modified into Serapis
(p. 18), and the hill, encased in great bastions of masonry
was built up into an acropolis on whose summit rose the
God’s temple. Under Cleopatra it gained additional
splendour. The great library of Alexandria had been
burnt in the Caesarian war, and the queen began a new
collection which she attached to the Serapeum. Here
for four hundred years was the most learned spot on the
earth. The Christians wiped it out. In 391 the Patriarch
Theophilus (p. 50) led a mob against the temple, sacked
it, and broke the statue of the God. It is impossible that
the books should not have perished at the same time:
they were arranged in the cloisters that surrounded the
temple (see below) so that the mob had to pass them to
reach its central prey. The monks now swarmed over the
hill and built a church to St. John the Baptist in the
gutted shrine. Here were the head quarters of Theophilus’
nephew, Cyril (p. 51) and hence his supporters issued to
murder Hypatia at the other end of the town (415).
With the invasion of the Arabs the darkness increases.
The library had already disappeared (the legend accusing
them of burning it has the flimsiest foundations), but
they did plenty of harm in other ways: one of the Arab
governors threw a quantity of columns into the sea in the
hope of obstructing a hostile fleet. When the Crusaders
visited Egypt (15th cent.) the original scheme of the
Acropolis had vanished, and their attention was caught
by this solitary pillar. The Crusaders were no scholars
but they had heard of Pompey, so they called the pillar
after him, and said that his head was enclosed in a ball
on the top. (see Belon’s View p. 83). The error has been
perpetuated and the visitor must remember, firstly that
the pillar has nothing to do with Pompey and secondly
that it is a subordinate monument that the accident of
145time has preserved: it is a part and a small one of the
splendours of the Temple of Serapis.
The following remains can be visited (see Plan 144).
(i). “Pompey’s Pillar.” 84 feet high and about 7
thick; made of red granite from Assouan. An imposing
but ungraceful object. Architecture has evolved nothing
more absurd than the monumental column; there is no
reason that it should ever stop nor much that it should
begin, and this specimen is not even well proportioned.
The substructure is interesting. It is made up of blocks
that have been taken from older buildings. On the
eastern face (nearest turnstile) is a block of green granite
with an inscription in Greek in honour of Arsinoe, the
sister and wife of Ptolemy Philadelphus (p. 14). On the
opposite face (upside down in a recess) is the figure and
hieroglyph of Seti I (B.C. 1350), suggesting the great age
of the settlement on Rhakotis.
Why and when was the pillar put up?
Probably to the Emperor Diocletian, about A.D. 297.
There is a four line Greek inscription to him on the granite
base on the western side, about 10 feet up. It is illegible
and indeed invisible from the ground. Generations of
scholars have worked at it with the following result:—
“To the most just Emperor, the tutelary God of Alexandria,
Diocletian the invincible: Postumus, prefect of Egypt.”
The formidable Emperor (p. 46) had crushed a
rebellion here and was a god to be propitiated; the
pillar, erected in the precincts of Serapis, would celebrate
his power and clemency and presumably bore his statue
on the top.—There is another theory: that the column
was dedicated after the triumph of the Christians in 391
and glorifies the new religion; if this is so it must itself
have previously been pagan, for by this date the Alexandrians
had not the means or the power to erect a new
monument of such a size.
(ii). The Temple of Serapis. West of the Pillar,
reached by a staircase, are long subterranean galleries,
excavated in the rock and lined with limestone. These
146were probably part of the Serapeum—basements of some
sort—and enthusiastic visitors have even identified them
with the library where the books were kept; in them
are some small semi-circular niches of unknown use.
Some marble columns stand on the ground above.—South
of the Pillar, near the Sphinxes, are more passages,
lined with cement; these too may have been part of
the temple. All is conjectural, and the plan of the
Serapeum, as we gather it from classical writers, can in
no way be fitted in with existing remains. According to
them, it was rectangular, and stood in the middle of a
cloister, with each of whose sides it was connected by
a cross-colonnade. The temple consisted of a great hall
and an inner shrine. The architecture was probably
Greek; certainly the statue was—made of blue-black
marble (p. 19), the work of Bryaxis.
(iii). The Temple of Isis. Isis, wife of Osiris, was
equally united to his successor Serapis, and had in Ptolemaic
times her temple on the plateau. North of the
Pillar are some excavations that have been identified
with it.
(iv). Two Sphinxes. Found in the enclosure and set
up south of the Pillar. Of Assouan granite.
(v). Fragments of a Frieze. These, magnificently
worked in granite, lie on the slope east of the Pillar; we
pass them on the way up. Date:—about 1st cent. A.D.
They may have belonged to the great entrance gate of the
temple enclosure. He who meditates on them for a little
may recapture some idea of the shrine. Note the Pillar
itself so suggests vanished glory and solidity.
This concludes the remains. They are disappointing
for so famous a site, but there is one satisfaction: this
is the actual spot. Long in doubt, it has been identified
by the statues and inscriptions that have been found here;
they are now in the Museum; see Rooms 6, 12, and 16.
Just beyond the enclosure of Pompey’s Pillar we
leave the tram route and turn to the right, reaching in
ten minutes the Kom es Chogafa Catacombs.
147
Through the turnstile (5 piastres) is modern asphalt
laid down to preserve the subterraneans from wet. Left,
four fine sarcophagi of purplish granite. Above, the
original level of the hill, which has been cut down by
quarrying and excavations; in its slopes are some cemented
passages, antique but uninteresting. On the top
of the hill, a mosaic of black and white stones, much
broken away. The entrance to the catacombs is down
the larger of the two glassed well-shafts.
The Catacombs of Kom es Chogafa (“Hill of Tiles”)
are the most important in the city and unique anywhere:
nothing quite like them has been discovered. They are
unique both for their plan and for their decorations
which so curiously blend classical and Egyptian designs;
only in Alexandria could such a blend occur. Their size,
their picturesque vistas, their eerie sculptures, are most
impressive, especially on a first visit. Afterwards their
spell fades for they are odd rather than beautiful, and
they express religiosity rather than religion. Date—about
the 2nd cent., A.D. when the old faiths began to
merge and melt. Name of occupants—unknown. There
is a theory that they began as a family vault which was
developed by a burial syndicate. They were only discovered
in 1900.
The scheme should be grasped before descending;
there are three stories, the lowest is under water. (See
Plan p. 148).
148
Kom es Chogafa - Plan of Chief Chambers
First Story .............
Second Story _________
A Well Staircase
B Vestibule
C Rotunda
D Banquet Hall
E Staircase
F Vestibule
G i ii iii Central Tomb
H Passage
I Tomb Chamber
J Gallery
K Square Well
L Hall of Caracalla
M Gallery of Painted Tomb
The Staircase (A) is lit from a well, down which the dead
bodies were lowered by ropes.—It ends at the Vestibule (B).
Here are two semi-circular niches, each fitted with a bench and
elegantly vaulted with a shell—a classical motive unknown to
the art of ancient Egypt. Close by is the Rotunda (C): in its
centre is a well, upon whose parapet stand 8 pillars, supporting
a domed roof. A circular passage runs round the well.—Left
from the Rotunda is the Banquet Hall (D), where the friends and
relatives ate ceremonially in memory of the dead. It is a gloomy
scene. Here, cut out of the limestone, are the three couches
where they reclined upon mattresses; the table in the middle
150has disappeared; it was probably of wood. Pillars support the
roof.—From the Rotunda a Staircase (E) goes down to the
second story; the amazing Central Tomb is now revealed; weird
effects can be got by adjusting the electric lights. The Staircase
is roofed by a shell ornament; half-way down, it divides on each
side a thing that looks like a prompter’s box; this masks yet
another staircase that descends to the third story, now under
water.
THE CENTRAL TOMB.
In the Vestibule (F) the Egyptian note predominates. In
front, two fine columns with ornate capitals and two pilaster
with square papyrus capitals—the four supporting a cornice
adorned with the winged Sun (Ra), and guardian falcons. Inside
the Vestibule, to right and left, are white limestone statues of a
man and woman—the proprietor and his wife, perhaps. On the
further wall the religious and artistic confusion increases. Two
terrific bearded serpents guard the entrance to the Tomb Chamber,
and each not only enfolds the pine-cone of Dionysus and the serpent-wand
of Hermes, but also wears the double crown of Upper
and Lower Egypt. Above each serpent is a Medusa in a round
shield. Over the lintel of the inner door is the winged Sun and
a frieze of snakes.
The Tomb Chamber (G) contains three large sarcophagi, all
cut out of the rock. They are classical in style—decorated with
festoons of fruit or flowers, Medusa Heads, Ox skulls, &c. The
lids do not take off; the mummies would have been pushed in
from the passage behind (see below). But as a matter of fact
none of three sarcophagi have ever been occupied; it is part of
the queerness of Kom es Chogafa that its vast and elaborate
apparatus for mourning should culminate in a void.
In the niche over each sarcophagus are bas reliefs, Egyptian
in style but executed with imperfect understanding.
Centre niche (G.i). A mummy on a lion shaped bier: the
lion wears the crown of Osiris and has at its feet the feather of
Maat, goddess of truth. Behind the bier, Anubis as the god of
embalming; at its head Thoth with the symbol of immortality;
at its foot, Horus; beneath it three “Canopic” deities—vases
for the intestines—there ought to be four.—Lateral relief: Left,
a man with a priest, right a woman with a priest.
Right-hand niche (G.ii). Graceful design of a prince, who
wears the double crown of Egypt, offering a collar to the
Apis Bull, who, with the Sun between his horns stands on a
pedestal. Behind Apis, Isis, holding the feather of truth and
stretching out her protective wings with good decorative effect.—Lateral
reliefs: Left, a king before a god (Chons?); right, two
“Canopic” deities, one ape headed, one a mummy.
151Left-hand niche (G.iii).—Similar to right hand, except that
on the right lateral wall one of the “Canopic” deities has the
head of a hawk.
On either side of the entrance door stands an uncanny figure.
Right, (as one goes out) is Anubis, with a dog’s head, but dressed
up as a Roman soldier, with cuirass short sword lance and shield
complete. Left, the god Sebek, who though mainly a crocodile
is also crushed into military costume with cloak and spear.
Perhaps the queer couple were meant to guard the tomb, but one
must not read too much into them or into anything here; the
workmen employed were only concerned to turn out a room that
should look suitable for death, and judged by this standard they
have succeeded.
Surrounding the central tomb is a broad Passage (HHH)
lined with cavities in two rows that provided accommodation for
nearly 300 mummies. Where the passage passes behind the
central tomb one can see the apertures through which the three
grand sarcophagi were hollowed out, and through which the
mummies would have been introduced. Leading out of this
passage is another tomb chamber (I) and, to the left, a big
Gallery (JJJJ), fitted up with receptacles in the usual style.
All the above chambers form part of a single scheme. We
now return to the Rotunda (C), and enter, through a breach in
the rock, an entirely distinct set of tombs. They are lighted by
a square Well (K) and were reached by a separate staircase now
ruinous. The Hall (L) is fancifully called the Hall of Caracalla
because that emperor massacred many Alexandrian youths whom
he had summoned to a review, and because many bones of men and
horses have been found intermingled on its floors; it is lined with
tomb cavities on the usual plan.—The Gallery (M) contains rather
a charming tomb: it was once covered with white stucco and delicately
painted. In the niche above the sarcophagus are Isis and
her sister Nephtys, spreading their wings over the mummy of
Osiris. More figures on the lateral walls. Above, on the inner
wall, the soul as a bird. Above the entrance, the Sun and golden
Vase on either side of which is a sphinx with her paw on a wheel.
We now ascend the staircase (A). View of Mariout. Those
who are not tired of empty tombs will find plenty more to the
right, down a stairway cut in the rock.
Immediately below Kom es Chogafa flows the
Mahmoudieh Canal, made by Mohammed Ali (for the
circumstances see p. 91). There is a road along it which
leads, right, into the region of cotton warehouses. (Section
VI).—To the left one can walk or drive all the way
to Nouzha (Section IV). The route is partly pleasant
152partly not. It crosses, at Moharrem Bey, the Farkha
Canal, which leaves the Mahmoudieh Canal at right
angles and which went all the way to the sea.—Further
on, there is a shady tract called the “Champs Elysées”
it resembles, neither for good or evil, its Parisian original.
153
FROM THE SQUARE TO NOUZHA.
Route:—Take Nouzha Tram (green trefoil) at the lower
end of the Boulevard Ramleh, just off the Square. The Rond
Point Tram (white star) passes through the Square, but does not
go further than the Water Works—about half-way to Nouzha.
Chief Points of Interest:—Municipal Gardens; Nouzha
and Antoniadis Gardens.
154For the Boulevard Ramleh see Section V. Having
traversed it, the tram bears to the right and passes
the Alhambra Theatre, the only one in the town—not a
bad building.—Just beyond the Theatre a road leads
left, to the Cathedral of the Coptic Catholic Patriarchate,
(p. 212) or Church of the Resurrection. The building
is not remarkable, but of interest to all who would
explore the ecclesiastical ramifications of Alexandria.
It was dedicated in 1902 by the Patriarch Cyril II and
endowed by the Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria, as
an inscription by the entrance (shortly to be removed)
states; the alternative date—1618—reckons by the
Coptic Calendar, which begins not with the birth of
Christ but with the persecutions of the 3rd cent.
(p. 47). The facade of the church imitates that of St.
John Lateran, Rome. Beyond the church are the British
Consulate and the Egyptian Government Hospital
(Section V).
The Tram turns left, along the Rue Sultan Hussein,
still popularly known as the Rue d’Allemagne, and passes
between the Menasce Schools (Jewish) and Cromer Park,
a small fenced garden reserved for ladies and babies.—Place
Said, a round space in the midst of which is a large
Ptolemaic Column, erected in memory of the retaking
of Khartoum, Sept. 2nd, 1898; on each side of the column,
statues of the lion-headed goddess, Sekhet. The
native women who sometimes sit in masses in the Place
are professional mourners and await a funeral out of the
Egyptian Government Hospital behind. Roads go from
the Place: left, to Mazarita Station on the Ramleh tram
line (Section V); right, to the Rue Rosette. (Section I).
Left, the Municipal Gardens, small but admirably
planned; the designer, M. Monfront, has shown real
genius in his treatment of the area. The gardens follow
155the line of the Arab Walls (p. 81) and also cross the course
of the old Farkha Canal that once connected the Mahmoudieh
Canal and the sea (p. 152). Both these features
have been utilised; the fortifications have turned into
picturesque hillocks or survive as masses of masonry,
which, though of little merit in themselves, have been
cleverly grouped and look mediaeval by moonlight;
while the water of the canal has been preserved in an
artificial pool, the abode of ducks. The gardens should
be thoroughly explored. In them—visible from tram—is
a Statue of Nubar Pasha, by Puech; the tarboosh is
too large but the general effect dignified; the left hand
rests on a tablet inscribed “La justice est la base de tout
Gouvernment,” and the same maxim appears on the
pedestal. Nubar was an Armenian—a politician whose
honesty is variously estimated, though there is no question
as to his ability. He became minister under the
Khedive Ismail (1878) and tried to regulate his finance,
also serving under Tewfik. He was, as his favourite
motto suggests, cautious in temperament. He is buried
outside the Armenian Church, (p. 143).
The tram touches the end of the Rue Rosette
(Section I) and passes through the belt of the gardens:
they continue on the right, still following the course of the
vanished Arab walls and utilising the acclivities, and are
to be continued still further, as far as the railway station;
they will then form a great horseshoe.—Left are the
Roman Catholic Cemeteries, and in the second of these,
at the end of the main walk, is a fine Antique Tomb,
which should be seen. It lies in a hole; great walls of
alabaster have fallen and exposed their shining surfaces.
The shrine (Heroon) of Pompey stood near here, and it
has been suggested that this was the actual place where
his head was deposited after his murderers had brought
it to Julius Caesar; this is pure conjecture, but the tomb
may well date from the period (B.C. 48) for the work is
very good.—To the right, in the new part of the cemetery
are other ancient tombs, also a cemented shaft with foot
holds cut on its interior.
156Almost opposite the entrance to the Cemetery is the
War Memorial to French Soldiers, a truncated obelisk
of Carrara marble, designed as a labour of love in memory
of his fallen comrades by Mons. V. Erlanger, the French
architect of Alexandria and unveiled April 23, 1921 by
Lord Allenby.
The scroll facing the main thoroughfare bears the
following inscription:
“In memory of French Soldiers fallen during the Great
War and offered by members of the British Community to the
French Colony to Commemorate the glorious deeds of arms,
performed by the French Armies 1914-1918.”
Now the tram turns, right, by the Rosetta Gate
Police Station, surmounted by a turret clock in commemoration
of King Edward VII, and comes to the
Rond Point, where are the Waterworks, and up the rise
Hadra Prison; then crosses the railway, the ancient
Hadra cemetery (see Museum Room 19) and Hadra village,
and reaches its terminus at Nouzha, close to Nouzha
railway station and to the Mahmoudieh Canal.
Nouzha was in Ptolemaic times the suburb of
Eleusis. Here lived Callimachus the poet (p. 30); here
(B.C. 168) Popillius the Roman general checked the King
of Syria who was about to seize Alexandria, and, drawing
a circle round him in the sand, obliged him to decide
forthwith between peace and war. Here (A.D. 640),
were quartered the cavalry of Amr (p. 55), before he
entered the town.—The Gardens are across the railway.
They have been developed by the Municipality out of
a small park of Ismail’s, and are most beautiful; if one
could judge Alexandria by her gardens one would do
nothing but praise. Some are formalised, others free; those
who like pelicans will find them in a pond to the right;
the zoological garden, a bandstand, and a restaurant,
are straight ahead; view from over the top over Lake Hadra
towards Abou el Nawatir (Section V).—Right of the
bandstand is an enclosure entered by payment; this too
157should be visited as the trees and flowers are fine;
glasshouses also.
Above the pelican pond a small gate leads from the
Nouzha Gardens into the Antoniadis Gardens (entrance
charge; varying according to the day of week). These
too belong to the Municipality of Alexandria. They are
full of modern statues, which, though of no merit, make
a pleasant formal effect. The trees and creepers are fine,
and there is a beautiful lawn at the back of the house.
Here, until recently, lived the Antoniadis family, wealthy
Greeks.
In the field behind the Antoniadis Gardens is an
antique Tomb. It is easiest reached through the back
gate, which a gardener will sometimes unlock; otherwise
one must return to the Nouzha Gardens, pass out, and
follow the canal for a little way, finally turning to the
left. The tomb is behind an absurd spiral of rockwork.
It is reached down a flight of steps and the hall is often
under water. Same plan as at Anfouchi (p. 126); a
sunken hall, out of which three tomb chambers open.
The road beyond the Gardens, along the edge of the
Canal, is pretty, and probably follows the course of the
ancient Canal to Canopus, whither the Alexandrians
used to go out in barges, to enjoy themselves and to
worship Serapis. In one place it skirts the waters of
Hadra.
The other way (west) the Canal flows into the city
(Section II) finally entering the Harbour.—(For history
of the Canal see p. 91).
There is a road direct from Nouzha to Sidi Gaber
(Section V) by the side of the lake. It passes, left, the
place where two colossal statues were discovered: Antony
as Osiris, and Cleopatra as Isis: Antony is in the Museum
(Garden Court, p. 120).
159
FROM THE SQUARE TO RAMLEH.
Route:—By the Boulevard Ramleh to the Tram Line
terminus—10 min. walk. Then take tram with red label to
Bulkeley, San Stefano, and Victoria. Tram with blue label goes
to San Stefano only, via Bacos. The service is fair.
Chief points of Interest:—The Sea; the view from
Abou el Nawatir; private gardens; the Spouting Rocks.
160We start at the north-east corner of the Square, and
take the Rue de l’Ancienne Bourse, in which are, right, the
Union Club frequented by British, and, left, the former
Bourse—the latter not a bad building, with a portico of
marble columns and a vaulted interior; it is now the
offices of the Lloyd Triestino. The street leads into the
Boulevard Ramleh—turn to right.
The Boulevard (officially Rue de la Gare de Ramleh)
is a busy shabby thoroughfare, full of people who are
escaping to or from the tram terminus.
Right from Boulevard, in Rue Debbane, is a Greek
and Syrian Catholic Church, dedicated to St. Peter.
(p. 213). It was built by Count Debbane, a Syrian
under Brazilian protection who received his title from
the Pope. His family vault extends along the whole
length of the Chancel. The scene is of no interest, but
typical of the complexities of religion and race at Alexandria.
Left from Boulevard, at end of Rue Averoff, is the
church of the Armenian Catholics (p. 213).
Right from Boulevard, in Rue de l’Eglise Copte, is
the Cathedral of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate (p. 212)
dedicated to St. Mark. Those who have never seen a
Coptic Church should look in. It is fatuously ugly. On
the screen that divides nave from sanctuary are several
pictures—among them St. Damiana with her wheel; she
is the native Egyptian Saint who was probably the origin
of St. Catherine of Alexandria: round her are the forty
maidens who shared her martyrdom. In the sanctuary
are some pictures of St. Mark, whose primitive church
is wrongly supposed to have stood on this site (p. 46);
he is shown writing his Gospel or standing between
Cleopatra’s Needle and Pompey’s Pillar. Outside the
161Church are the Schools, ineptly adorned with a Lion of
St. Mark of the Venetian type.
Right from Boulevard, the Rue Nebi Daniel leads
past the chief Jewish Synagogue to the Rue Rosette
(Section I).
The Boulevard reaches the tram terminus. To the
right is the road to Nouzha (Section IV), to the left the
sea and the New Quays (Section II).
On this featureless spot once arose a stupendous
temple, the Caesareum, and a pair of obelisks, Cleopatra’s
Needles.
(i). History of the Caesareum.—Cleopatra began it in
honour of Antony (p. 26). After their suicide Octavian finished
it in honour of himself. (B.C. 13). He was worshipped there as
Caesar Augustus, and the temple remained an imperial possession
until Christian times. Constantius II (A.D. 354) intended to
present it to the Church, but before the transference could be
effected St. Athanasius, who was always energetic, had held an
Easter Service inside it. The Emperor was offended. Two years
later his troops nearly killed Athanasius inside the building, and
gave it to the Arians. Arians and Orthodox continued to fight
for and in it and smashed it to pieces. (p. 49). Athanasius, just
back from his final exile, built on the ruins a church which was
dedicated to St. Michael but usually retained the famous title
Caesareum. It became the Cathedral of Alexandria, superseding
St. Theonas (p. 189). Here in 416 Hypatia was torn to pieces by
tiles (p. 51). Here in 640 the Patriarch Cyrus held a solemn
service before betraying the city to the Arabs (p. 55). Date of
final destruction—912.
(ii). Appearance. Nothing is known of the architecture
of the temple, but the Jewish philosopher Philo (p. 63) thus
writes of it in the day of its glory:
“It is a piece incomparably above all others. It stands
by a most commodious harbour: wonderful high and large
in proportion; an eminent sea-mark: full of choice paintings
and statues with donatives and oblatives in abundance; and
then it is beautiful all over with gold and silver; the model
curious and regular in the disposition of the parts, as galleries,
libraries, porches, courts, halls, walks, and consecrated
groves, as glorious as expense and art could make them, and
everything in the proper place; besides that, the hope and
comfort of seafaring men, either coming in or going out.”
(iii). The Obelisks. In front of the Caesareum (between
present tram terminus and sea) stood “Cleopatra’s Needles” of
which one is now in the Central Park, New York, and the other
162on the Embankment, London, They had nothing to do with
Cleopatra till after her death. They were cut in the granite
quarries of Assouan for Thothmes III (B.C. 1500), and set up by
him at Heliopolis near Cairo, before the temple of the Rising Sun.
In B.C. 13 they were transferred here by the engineer Pontius.
They rested not directly on their bases but each on four huge
metal crabs, one of which has been recovered. Statues of Hermes
or of Victory tipped them. In the Arab period, when all around
decayed, they became the chief marvel of the city. One fell.
They remained in situ until the 19th cent., when they were
parted and took their last journey, the fallen one to England in
1877, the other to the United States two years later.
The walls of the Arab city used to reach the sea at
this point (cf. Belon’s View, p. 83).; they ended in a
tower that was swept away for the New Quays. We now
take the tram.
The first half mile of the tram lines traverses ground
of immense historical fame. Every inch was once sacred
or royal. On the football fields to the left were the
Ptolemaic Palaces (p. 17) stretching down to the sea
and projecting into it at the Promontory of Lochias
(present Silsileh). There was also an island palace on a
rock that has disappeared. The walls of the Mouseion,
too, are said to have extended into the area, but we
know no details and can only be certain that the Ancient
World never surpassed the splendour of the scene. On
the right, from the higher ground, the Theatre overlooked
it, and the dramas of Aeschylus and Euripides
could be performed against the background of a newer
and a greater Greece. No eye will see that achievement
again, no mind can imagine it. Grit and gravel have
taken its place to-day.
Right of the line on leaving:—The British Consulate,
an imposing pile. Next to it, the Egyptian Government
Hospital probably on the site of the Ancient
Theatre, so a visit should be made. In the garden is
the tomb of Dr. Schiess a former Director; an early
Christian sarcophagus has been used, and on each side
of it are impressive Christian columns, probably from the
163church of St. Theonas (p. 46) and each carved with a
cross in a little shrine. In the spiral ascent above the
tomb are other antiquities and a howitzer of Arabi’s: on
the summit, an antique marble column, erected in
memory of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee.
Mazarita Sta.—A road leads, right, to the Public
Gardens (Section IV) and, left, to the Promontory of
Silsileh (see above). The promontory, like the rest of
the coast, has subsided; in classical times it was broader
and longer than now, and extended in breakwaters towards
the Pharos (Fort Kait Bey), thus almost closing
the entrance to the Eastern Harbour. The private port
of the Ptolemies lay immediately to its left. A beacon,
the Pharillon, was at its point in Arab times. The
original Church of St. Mark, where the evangelist was
buried, must have stood on the shore to its right. There
is nothing to see to-day except a coast-guard station and
the exit of the main drain.
Chatby Sta.—The tram has now pierced the ancient
royal city and enters the region of the dead, where owing
to the dryness of the ground the cemeteries both ancient
and modern have been dug. Right, the modern cemeteries,
Jewish nearest the tram line, behind them
English, then Greek and Armenian, then Catholic, opening
into the Aboukir road (Section I). Close to the sta. are
the spacious schools of the Greek Community, and the
Orwa el Woska schools. Left of the station, is the
Sultanian Institute of Hydrobiology, containing a small
but interesting aquarium and an extensive and valuable
technical library, also models of fishing craft, nets and
marine instruments. Visit by arrangement with the
Director, Prof. Pachundaki. In the enclosure in front
of the Institute some ancient Mosaics have been recently
(1921) discovered; they are said to be of fine period and
in good condition, but are not on exhibition yet; it is
to be hoped that they will be accessible shortly. Traces
of ancient roads and drains have also been found here.
164Chatby-les-Bains Sta.—Turn left, as far as the
fire station, then turn right. Here, in the waste to the
left of the road, is the great Chatby Necropolis, the oldest
in the Ptolemaic city (see Museum, particularly Room 20
and Garden Court). Little remains. There is a tomb group
close to the road of the Anfouchi type (p. 126)
i.e. a sunken court out of which the burial places open;
at the end of the tombs is a double sarcophagus of the
shape of a bed, with cushions of stone.—Right of the
tram line, other burial places, Ptolemaic and Roman,
can be found all the way to the canal.—The tram goes
through a cutting; right is the fine French Lycée, subsidized
by the French Government.
Camp de César Sta.—Caesar never camped here.
An unattractive suburb, anciently Eleusis by the Sea.
Ibrahimieh Sta.—Then to the right flat fertile
land appears. This, geologically, is delta deposit, which
has been silted up against the narrow spur of limestone
on which Alexandria stands (p. 5). In the foreground,
the green turf of the Sporting Club; further, the trees of
Nouzha and the waters of Hadra. Traces of ancient
Cemeteries continue on the dry ground on the left.
Sporting Club Sta.—Close to the Grand Stand of
the Race Course. Bathing beach left.
Cleopatra Sta.—Cleopatra never lived here. Right
begin the famous fig trees of Sidi Gaber, reputed the best
in Egypt. Also broad leaved bananas, maize, &c. A
pleasant road leads across the railway and by the side of
the lake to Nouzha Gardens (Section IV); it can be
beautiful here in the evening.—Left from the sta., at the
base of a cliff by the edge of the sea, is a Ptolemaic tomb
with painted walls, but even while one describes such
things they are being destroyed. The reefs by this tomb
form the pretty little “Friars’ pool.”
165Sidi Gaber Sta.—Close to the main-line railway
sta. where all the Cairo expresses stop.—Left, a road
leads between fine trees to the Abercrombie Monument,
a poor affair, but interesting to Englishmen, as it commemorates
our exploits in 1801 (p. 88). It is a three-sided
column of white marble, surmounted by a flaming
urn. Inscription:
“To the memory of Sir Ralph Abercrombie K.B. & C.
and the Officers and Men who fell at the battle of Alexandria,
March 21st, 1801.... As his life was honourable so was his
death glorious. His memory will be recorded in the annals
of his country—will be sacred to every British soldier—and
embalmed in the recollection of a grateful posterity.”
Close to the Monument is the modern Mosque of Sidi
Gaber, a beneficent local saint, who flies about at night,
looks after children, &c.
Mustapha Pacha Sta.—Right, up the road, is the
hill of Abou el Nawatir, the highest near Alexandria,
overlooking the lakes of Hadra and Mariout; exquisite
view, especially by evening light. The square enclosure
at the top belongs to the reservoir; to its S.E. half-way
between it and the railway, a Gun lies in the sand. This
is a relic of the fighting of July 1882. General Alison
placed most of his artillery up here (p. 96), and the gun
still points to the Mahmoudieh Canal, in the direction
of Arabi’s camp.—Left of Mustapha Pacha Sta. on the
rise, are the British Barracks, occupying the site of the
Roman; history repeats herself, just as she has done in
the Cemeteries. Octavian’s town of Nicopolis, which he
founded in B.C. 30 to overawe Alexandria (p. 44), began
here. Among the Roman Units here quartered were the
2nd Trajana Fortis and the 3rd Cyrenaic; the British
are too numerous to record.
Carlton Sta.—The big Villa up the hill to the right
was built by a German in the Greek style, regardless of
expense or taste.
166Bulkeley Sta.—We are now in the heart of Ramleh
(“Sand”) the struggling suburb where the British and
other foreigners reside. Lovely private gardens, the best
in Egypt. Left of the sta. is Stanley Bay, a fine bit of
coast scenery and a favourite bathing place: also the
Anglican Church of All Saints’. (p. 213).
The tramline here divides into two branches that
reunite at San Stefano. The left branch—more direct—goes
by Saba Pacha (pretty cove in coast), Glymenopoulo,
Mazloum, Zizinia—all bathing places. The right branch,
through pretty palm gloves, via Fleming, Bacos, Seffer,
Schutz, Gianaclis (left is the fine new Mosque of Ahmed
Pacha Yehia, the statesman, with provision for his tomb).
San Stefano Sta.—Close to the Casino, a fashionable
summer hotel, by the side of a sea that seems
especially fresh and blue. There are Symphony
concerts here in the season. The audience however
comes not to listen but to talk; their noise is so great
that from a little distance the orchestra appears to be
performing in dumb show.
The tram goes on by St. George, Laurens and Palais
stations to Sidi Bishr, on the edge of a desert coast.
Fine walk or ride past Sidi Bishr Mosque to the Spouting
Rocks. These are most remarkable. Masses of limestone
project into the sea, which penetrates beneath them and
spouts up through blow holes and cracks. Some of the
vents have been artificially squared, and the Ancient
Alexandrians, who loved scientific toys, may have fitted
them up with musical horns or mechanical mills.—The
expedition may be continued along the coast to the
woods of Montazah (Section VII).
Victoria Sta. The terminus. Here is a Ry. sta.
for the Aboukir and Rosetta lines (Section VII), also
Victoria College, a huge building. It offers an education
on English Public School lines to residents in Egypt,
whatever their creed or race, and was much approved
by Lord Cromer, who founded a scholarship here.
167The coast walk from Alexandria to Ramleh is rarely
taken but is charming—low crumbly cliffs, sandy beaches,
flat rocks, and vestiges of ancient houses and tombs that
help one to realise how the whole site of the city has sunk.
There is no road east of Silsileh. The scheme for a
grandiose “Corniche” drive has fortunately failed, and
the scenery has escaped the standardised dulness that
environs most big towns.
Ramleh can also be reached by the Aboukir Road, an
extension of the Rue Rosette (Section I).
169
Route:—By the Rue des Soeurs and Gabbari, taking the
Mex Tram (White Star). The journey is uncomfortable and
uninspiring, but Mex is pleasant.
170We start from the south side of the Square, down
the long Rue des Soeurs, which takes its name from the
Roman Catholic Convent and School near its entrance.
The surroundings become squalid.
Right of Rue des Soeurs:—Rue Behari Bey leads to
the mound of Kom-el-Nadoura, which rises abruptly
out of mean streets. Its history before the arrival of
Napoleon (1798 p. 86) is unknown. His engineer Cafarelli
fortified it for him, and it held back the British
advance in 1801, (p. 88). The entrance is on the south
side, through a doorway by a winding path fringed with
prickly pear and pepper trees. The summit—104 feet
above the sea—is now used as a signalling station and
observatory under the Ports and Lights Administration.
Interesting set of instruments, and fine view of harbour
and city. At the N.N.W. corner are some remains of
Cafarelli’s masonry.—Outside the Fort, in the Rue Babel-Akhdar
(Section II) is the Gold and Silver Bazaar.
Left of Rue des Soeurs is the Genenah, a curious
rabbit warren.
The tram passes down Rue Ibrahim Premier. To the
right, close to the docks, in the Rue Karam, is a Franciscan
church and school. They are modern and of no
interest, but stand on a site that was important historically.
Here was the Church of St. Theonas (p. 46)
and the early palace of the bishops. Here St. Athanasius
was brought up. The Arabs (641) incorporated what
they found into a fine Mosque, called the Mosque of the
Seventy (from some fallacious connection with the Septuagint)
or the Mosque of the 1000 Columns. It was on
the lines of the Mosque of Ibn Touloun at Cairo; the Rue
Karam bisects its area; its prayer niche faced south
west. It was standing in a ruined condition when the
French came, and was turned into artillery barracks.
Just before the tram reaches the Canal we pass,
right, the cotton exchange of Minet-el-Bassal. A visit—introduction
171necessary—is interesting. The Exchange is
round a pleasant courtyard, with a fountain in the midst.
Samples are exhibited. The whole neighbourhood
is given up to this, the main industry, of Alexandria;
warehouses; picturesque wooded machinery for cleaning
the cotton and pressing it into bales; in the season, the
streets are slippery with greasy fluff.
The Mahmoudieh Canal (p. 91) is now crossed. The
banks have here their original stone casings and double
descents, recalling the commercial enterprise of Mohammed
Ali. A walk along the banks to the left is dirty
but attractive; it can terminate at the Kom es Chogafa
Catacombs (Section III). Right, the Canal enters
the Western Harbour.
Then comes the district of Gabbari, called after a
sheikh of that name. Here was the Western Cemetery
of the Ancient City; the finds have been taken to the
Museum (Room 14). Nothing interesting until Mex.
Mex, once a fishing village, might have become a
prosperous suburb of Alexandria, like Ramleh. But
the intervening slums have choked access to it. It lies
midway on the big curve of the Western Harbour, the
waters of Lake Mariout being close behind. There is a
good pier, with a wooden causeway that leads on to a
distant rock. The little sea front has rather a Neapolitan
air.
Beyond Mex are the limestone quarries that
provided the stone for the ancient and the modern towns.
They are cut in the ridge that here separates lake and
sea.
The village of Dekhela lies further along the beach.
Fine walk from it to Amrieh (Section VIII). Beyond
it the desert begins, strewn with fragments of antique
pottery.
Beyond Dekhela, at the western point of the Harbour:
Fort Agame. A strategic point in Napoleonic
times (p. 86) and in the Bombardment of Alexandria
(p. 94). Magnificent bathing. Just off the Fort is
Marabout Island, so called from the tomb of a local saint
172which stands here, adorned with votive models of boats.
Makrizi (writing in the 14th cent.) says that men lived
longer on Marabout Island than any where else in the
world, but no one at all lives here now. From it extends
the chain of reefs that close the entrance of the Western
Harbour (p. 6).—It is easy to visit this district from
Alexandria by sailing boat, but not easy to get back
again in the evening when the wind drops.
173
Route:—By train from the Main (Cairo) sta., or from Sidi Gaber,
where all trains stop, and which is also a sta. for the
Ramleh tram (Section VI).
Chief Points of Interest:—Montazah; Canopus; Aboukir
Bay; Rosetta.
174
175At Sidi Gaber sta. is a view of Lake Hadra on the
right.—Five stations on:—Victoria, close to the College
and tram terminus.—The train passes over sand and
through a palm oasis, which is carpeted with flowers in
spring.
Mandarah Sta.—One of the houses in the village
is painted outside in commemoration of the inmates
pilgrimage to Mecca—pictures of things that he saw or
would like to have seen, such as a railway train, a tiger,
a siren, and a very large melon.
Montazah Sta.—Close to the station is the Summer
Resort of the ex-Khedive Abbas II, now (1922) being
restored and refurnished by King Fouad. Permission
to enter should be obtained if possible, for the scenery
is unique in Egypt and of the greatest beauty. The road
leads by roses, oleanders and pepper trees. From it a
road turns, right, up the hill to the Selamlik (men’s
quarters), built by the Khedive in a style that was likely
to please his Austrian mistress; on the terrace in front
is a sun dial and some guns. From the terrace, View
of the circular bay with its fantastic promontories and
breakwaters; the coast to the right is visible as far as
Aboukir, whose minaret peeps over a distant headland;
to the left are the Montazah woods; beneath, down
precipitous steps, a curved parade. Beautiful walks in
every direction, and perfect bathing. On the promontory
to the right is a kiosk, and at its point are
some remains of buildings or baths—fragments of the
ancient Taposiris Parva that once stood here; some
of them form natural fishponds. The woods are Pines
Maritimes, imported by the Khedive from Europe, and
in the western section, beyond the Pigeon House, the
trees have grown high. Various buildings are in the
estate; in one corner are the foundations of an
enormous mosque. During the recent war (1914-1919)
176Montazah became a Red Cross Hospital; thousands of
convalescent soldiers passed through it and will never
forget the beauty and the comfort that they found there.
Mamourah Sta.: The low ground to the right is on
the site of the Aboukir Lake (p. 87), drained in the
19th cent. Here the Aboukir and Rosetta railways part.
Route:—Aboukir Station is the terminus. Walk or take
donkey. Turn sharply to the left to Canopus, 1 mile, then
follow coast all the way round by Fort Kait Bey to Fort Ramleh;
return to Aboukir Village.
Aboukir, though intimately connected with Alexandria,
has a history of its own. Three main periods.
(i). Ancient (see also p. 7).
Geologically, this is the end of the long limestone spur that
projects from the Lybian desert (p. 5). The Nile had to
round it to reach the sea, and it is to the Nile that its early fame
is due. The river poured out just to the east, through the
“Canopic” Mouth, which has now dried up, and there were
settlements here centuries before Alexandria was founded. On
the left bank of the Nile (south of the present Fort Ramleh)
Herodotus (B.C. 450) saw a temple to Heracles, and was told
that Paris and Helen had sought shelter here on their flight to
Troy—shelter that was refused by the local authorities, who
disapproved of their irregular union. There was a second
settlement at Menouthis (Fort Ramleh itself), and a third and
most famous at Canopus (present Fort Tewfikieh), from which
the whole district took its name.
Canopus, according to Greek legend, was a pilot of Menelaus
who was bitten here by a serpent as they returned from Troy,
and, dying, became the tutelary God. The legend, like that of
Paris and Helen, shows how interested were the Greeks in the
district, but has no further importance. There is also a legend
that Canopus was an Egyptian God whose body was an earthenware
jar: this too may be discredited. With the foundation of
Alexandria (B.C. 331) the district lost much of its trade, but
became a great fashionable and religious resort. There was a
canal from Alexandria, probably connecting with the Nile just
where it entered the sea, and the Alexandrians glided along it in
barges, singing and crowned with flowers. In connection
177with his new cult of Serapis (p. 18) Ptolemy Soter built a
temple here (see below) whose fame spread over the world and
whose rites made the Romans blush with shame or pale with
envy; here originated the idea, still so widely held in the west,
that Egypt is a land of licentiousness and mystery. The district
decayed as soon as Christianity was established; it had not, like
Alexandria, a solid basis for its existence in trade. But Paganism
lingered here, and as late as the end of the 5th century twenty
camel-loads of idols were found secreted in a house and were
carried away to make a bonfire at Alexandria. Demons gave
trouble even in later times.
(ii). Christian.
The Patriarch Cyril (p. 51) having destroyed the cults of
Serapis and Isis in the district (A.D. 389) sent out the relics of
St. Cyr to take their place. The relics were so intermingled with
those of another martyr, St. John, that St. John had to be brought
too, and a church to them both arose just to the south of the present
Fort Kait Bey. The two Saints remained quiet for 200
years, but then began to disentangle themselves and work
miracles, and recovered for the district some of its ancient
popularity; indeed many of their cures are exactly parallel to
those effected in the temple of Serapis. With the Arab invasion
their church vanishes, but St. Cyr has given his name to modern
Aboukir (“Father Cyr.”) In the 9th century the Canopic
branch of the Nile dried up. The Turks built some forts here
for coastal defence, but history does not recommence until the
arrival of Nelson.
(iii). Modern.
In Napoleonic times Aboukir saw two great battles.
178(a). “Battle of the Nile.”
For the event that led to this engagement see p. 86. Brueys,
Napoleon’s admiral, brought his fleet into the bay for safety, and
anchored them in a long line, about two miles from the coast.
He had 13 Men-of-War, 4 Frigates, 1182 canons, and 8000 men.
To the north was “Nelson’s Island,” as it is now called, which
he had fortified and upon which his line was supposed to rest.
His flagship, the Orient, was midway in the line. He took up
this position on July 7th, 1798.
On August 1st Nelson arrived in pursuit, with 14 Men-of-War,
1012 canons and 8068 men. The wind was N.W., a usual
direction in summer. Half his fleet, including his flagship the
Vanguard, attacked Brueys from the expected quarter, the east.
The other half, led by the Goliath, executed the brilliant manœuvre
that brought us victory. It gave Brueys a double surprise: in the
first place it passed between the head of his line and “Nelson
Island” where he thought there was no room; in the second
place it took up a position to his west, between him and the shore,
179where he thought the water was too shallow. Thus he was
caught between two fires—attacked by the whole British Fleet
with the exception of the Culloden, which, sailing too near
Nelson Island, stranded.
The engagement began at 6.00 p.m. At 7.00 Brueys was killed,
at 9.30 the Orient caught fire and blew up shortly afterwards;
the explosion was tremendous and terminated the first act of the
battle; an interval of appalled silence ensued. Casabianca
was sailing the Orient, and it was on her “burning deck” that
the boy of Mrs. Hemans’ poem stood. The fighting recommenced,
continuing through the night, and ending at midday on the 2nd
with the complete victory of Nelson. The French fleet had been
annihilated; only two Men-of-War and two Frigates escaped,
and Napoleon had lost for ever his command of the Mediterranean.
Nelson accordingly signalled the following message:—
Almighty God having blessed His Majesty’s arms
with victory, the Admiral intends returning public thanksgiving
for the same at two o’clock this day, and he recommends
every ship doing the same as soon as convenient.
The French expected an attack on Alexandria, but Nelson had
suffered too much himself to attempt this; having rested for a
little, he dispersed his fleet, leaving only a few ships behind to
watch the coast. In his despatches home he stated that the
engagement had taken place not far from the (Rosetta) mouth of
the Nile; hence the official “Battle of the Nile” instead of the
more accurate “Naval Battle of Aboukir.”
(b). Land Battle of Aboukir.
Less important than its predecessor, but the strategy is
interesting, and Napoleon himself was present. For the events
that led up to it see p. 87; Turkey, at the instigation of England,
had declared war on France, and in July 1799 the Turks occupied
Aboukir Bay and landed 15,000 men. Their left rested on the
present Fort Ramleh, their right on the present Fort Tewfikieh,
their camp was in the narrow extremity of the peninsula, between
the redoubt and the Fort at the very tip. They were supported
on three sides by their fleet, which was stationed in the Mediterranean,
in the Bay of Aboukir, and in the (vanished) Lake of
Aboukir. From this stronghold they proposed to overrun
Egypt.
On receiving the news, Napoleon hurried down from Cairo
and arrived (July 25th) with only 10,000 men, mostly cavalry.
Murat and Kléber accompanied him. He began by clearing the
Turkish gun boats out of Lake Aboukir; then his force attacked
Forts Ramleh and Tewfikieh, while his cavalry under Murat,
advancing over the level ground between them, drove the flying
defenders of each into the Mediterranean and the Bay respectively.
5,400 Turks were drowned. The tip of the peninsula
180remained and resisted vigorously, but Napoleon managed to
mount some of his guns on the hard spit of sand that still extends
along the shore of the Bay, and thus to cannonade the Turkish
Camp, which was finally taken by storm.
Ruins of Canopus.
The ruins (see above) lie round Fort Tewfikieh which
is seen to the left as the train runs into the station. They
were once of interest, but have been almost entirely
destroyed by the military authorities, who use the limestone
blocks for road making, and allow treasure hunting
to go on. The remains are not easy to find, as the area
is pitted with excavations. Consult map.
(a) About 50 yds. from the gateway of the fort, in
a hollow to the left of the road, are two huge Fragments
of a granite temple. Here were found the busts of
Rameses II in the Museum (Room 7) and the colossi of
the same King and his daughter (Museum, Court). Date
of statues:—B.C. 1300.
(b) Further to the left, round the Fort, is the site of
the Temple of Serapis, the most famous building on the
peninsula, and celebrated throughout the antique world.
It was dedicated by Ptolemy III Euergetes (p. 15) and his
wife Berenice. A few years later (B.C. 238) their baby
daughter died, and the priests met here in conclave to
make her a goddess, and incidentally to endorse some
reforms in the Calendar that the King, who had a scientific
mind, was pressing. The pronouncement has been
preserved in the “Decree of Canopus,” now one of the
chief documents for Ptolemaic history. As for miracles,
the temple even outstripped the original Temple of Serapis
at Alexandria: invalids who slept here even by
proxy discovered next day that they were well. It was
also the abode of magic and licentiousness according to
its enemies, and of philosophy according to its friends.
Christianity attacked it. Just before its destruction
(A.D. 289) Antoninus, an able pagan reactionary, settled
here, and tried to revive the cult. “Often he told his
disciples that after his time there would be no temple,
181and that the great and venerable sanctuary would remain
only as an unmeaning mass of ruins, forgotten by all.”
(Eunapius, life of Edesius). Antoninus was right.
In ancient time the Temple probably stood on the
highest ground, but with the general rising of level the
site is now in a deep depression and must be hunted for
patiently. An oblong space has been cleared and some
columns and capitals from the excavations have been
ranged round it, but it is impossible to reconstruct
the original plan, and much has yet to be unearthed.
Indeed it is not quite certain that this is the right
temple; an inscription has been discovered dedicating
it not to Serapis but to Osiris—with whom however
Serapis was often identified. The columns are of
granite or of stucco-coated limestone. Beneath the
broken tin shelter was once a pretty mosaic. The finest
object is a stupendous fluted column of red granite that
lies in a pit close by; no use for it has yet occurred to the
military authorities. To the south and east of the Temple
were the houses of the priests, showing fine cemented
passages; these have been destroyed.
The canal by which revellers and worshippers
approached this shrine ran to the south, through the low
land by the railway; its course is uncertain; its exit
was either into the (vanished) Nile, or into Aboukir Bay.
(c) The Upper Baths. These lie about 100 yds.
nearer the sea, on the slope just above the corner of the
great bay that stretches to Montazah (p. 175). When
excavated a few years ago they were almost perfect. The
swimming bath—lined with the hard pink cement that
indicates Ptolemaic or Roman work—had at the top a
double step for the bathers. All round its sides were
inserted large earthenware pots, their mouths level with
the surface. Of this unique building a small fragment
now survives. The brick central cistern and the hot
baths can also still be traced.
(d). The Lower Baths and Broken Colossus.—Continuing
to round Fort Tewfikieh we reach the coast and
follow it N.E. Awash with the sea are the foundations
182of some large baths, showing the entrance channels
which were probably closed with sluices, also some
grooves of unknown use. On the shore above are the
hot baths of the same establishment, retaining traces of
pink cement. In the surf to the left lie blocks of granite:
closely inspected, they resolve into fragments of a Colossus
(Rameses II?) and a sphinx.
(e). Catacombs.—Fifty yards on, at a point about
half-way between the coast and the fort are a couple of
catacombs, lying each of them in a hollow. One has a
subterranean room, the other a sarcophagus slide.
Traces of tombs and tunnels all over the area and along
the low cliff by the shore.
This completes our survey of Canopus, once so enchanting
a spot. Of its ancient delights only the air and
the sea remain.
Continue to follow the coast. Perfect bathing. To
the right, half-way between the coast and the railway sta.
in some rising ground, are catacombs that have been
filled in. Then comes the end of the promontory, which
is fine. There are two forts:—Fort Saba, closing the
neck, where the French resisted when the Turks landed
in 1799 (see above); and Fort Kait Bey, on the extremity,
founded in the 15th cent. by the Sultan of that name as
part of his defence scheme against the Turks (cf. Fort
Kait Bey at Alexandria, p. 81). The views are good,
with the Mediterranean on one side and the tranquil
semi-circle of Aboukir Bay on the other, and from here
or from Fort Ramleh the scene of the “Battle of the
Nile” can be surveyed, and Nelson’s great manoeuvre
appreciated; “Nelson’s Island” from which the French
line depended and where the Culloden was wrecked lies
straight ahead. (see above.) The promontory was anciently
called Zephyrium, because it caught the cool
zephyr winds; here stood a little temple to Aphrodite
and when the great queen Arsinoe, died in B.C. 270, one
of the court admirals had the happy idea of associating
her with the elder goddess so that mariners might render
183thanks to both. The shrine then became fashionable and
Queen Berenice hung up her hair here in 244 as a thank-offering
for her husband’s safe return; in the following
year the hair was snatched up to heaven, where it may
still be observed on any fine night as the constellation
of Coma Berenice. The temple was less fortunate, and
all that remains of it is the base of a column, down among
the rocks.—In Christian times the Church of St. Cyr and
St. John (see above) stood here, on the side of Aboukir
Bay.
Aboukir Bay.—The shore is airless and there are
palm trees, the waters shallow. From a boat one can
look down on the mud in which the Orient, Brueys’
flagship, has disappeared with all her treasure; attempts
have been made to locate her, but in vain. Good sailing.
Turtle fishing. On the projecting spit to which Napoleon
dragged his guns (see above) is the landing enclosure for
the fishing boats; many of the fishermen are Sicilians;
they have lived at Aboukir for generations and form a
community by themselves. Here (site uncertain) once
stood Menouthis.
Fort Ramleh.—Topped by the waterworks. Magnificent
view. The flat ground to the south marks the
Canopic Mouth of the Nile, through which Herodotus
entered Egypt; here Heracleum stood (see above).
About quarter mile S.W. of Fort Ramleh, and close
to a small modern pumping tower, are the so-called
Baths of Cleopatra. She had nothing to do with them,
but they are worth seeing. The western outer wall, of
limestone blocks, is well preserved. Steps lead up through
it. Within are pavements of pebble mosaic, fragments
of stucco, a stone with a drain groove, &c. In a chamber
to the left, is an oblong bath nearly six feet deep; steps
lead down to it and in the centre of its pebbled floor is
a little depression; in the edge of the brim and on the
wall opposite are niches, as if to support beams, and provision
for the entrance and exit of the water can also be
seen. Further on, past a small stucco cistern, is an
entrance to a small room which contains an oblong bath
184to lie down in, quite modern and suburban in appearance;
close to it, under a niche, is a footbath—the bather sat
on a seat which has disappeared but whose supports can
be seen.—These baths are all in the western part of the
enclosure; the rest contains other and larger chambers
but is in worse preservation. It is much to be wished
that these baths, which have been recently excavated,
could be protected properly; otherwise they will share
the fate of the other antiquities within the military zone.
Aboukir Village, to which we return through palm
trees, contains nothing of note.
On leaving Mamourah Junction (p. 176) the railway
to Rosetta bears to the right, and crosses the salt marshy
ground over which the Canopic branch of the Nile once
flowed to the sea. Rural Egypt can be seen at last.
Beyond El Tarh station the train crosses a bit of Lake
Edku; view of the village to the left.
Edku (no hotel or café) stands on a high mound
between the lake and the Mediterranean. The houses
in its steep streets are of red brick strengthened with
courses of palm and other woods; they anticipate the
more complicated architecture of Rosetta; there are
some carved doors, Italianate in style. Mosques, unimportant.
On the top of the ridge are some eight sailed
windmills; they grind corn. Fine date palms grow on
the sand dunes towards the sea, for there is fresh water
just beneath the surface. There is an interesting local
weaving industry, chiefly of silk, imported in its rough
state from China. The work rooms are generally on the
upper floors of the houses, and reached by an outside
staircase. Quiet pleasant places; on the walls of some
are Cufic inscriptions, inlaid in brick. The weavers sit
to their looms in small oval pits; they have the hands of
craftsmen and produce on their simple wooden machinery
fabrics that are both durable and beautiful.
Fish are caught in Lake Edku. Some of the fishermen
wade far into shallow waters; there is also a fleet
185of boats which moor to the long wooden jetty by the
station. Occasional flamingoes.
The railway continues between lake and sea, finally
bending northward and curving round great groves of
palm trees, behind which lie the town of Rosetta and the
river Nile.
Rosetta and Alexandria are rivals; when one rises
the other declines. Rosetta, situated on the Nile, would
have dominated but for an overwhelming drawback:
she has, and can have, no sea-harbour, because the coast
in this part of Egypt is mere delta; the limestone
ridges that created the two harbours of Alexandria do
not continue eastward of Aboukir. Alexandria required
organising by human science, but once organised she was
irresistible. It is only in an unscientific age that Rosetta
has been important. Let us briefly examine the birth
and death, rebirth and decay, of civilisation here.
(i). In Pharaonic times the town and river-port of Bolbitiné
were built hereabouts—probably a little up stream, beyond the
present mosque of Abou Mandour. Nothing is known of the
history of Bolbitiné. When Alexandria was founded (B.C. 331)
traffic deserted the “Bolbitiné” mouth of the Nile for the
“Canopic” and for the Alexandrian harbours, and the town
decayed consequently. Its chief memorial is the so-called
“Rosetta Stone,” a basalt inscription now in the British Museum.
The inscription enumerates the merits of King Ptolemy V
Epiphanes (B.C. 196; see genealogical tree p. 12). It is a dull
document, a copy of the original decree which was set up at
Memphis and reproduced broadcast over the country. But it is
important because it is written in three scripts—Hieroglyphic,
Demotic and Greek—and thus led to the deciphering of the ancient
Egyptian language. The antique columns &c. that may be
seen in Rosetta to-day also probably came from Bolbitiné. But
it was never important, and the sands have now covered it.
(ii). Rosetta itself was founded in A.D. 870 by El Motaouakel,
one of the Abbaside Caliphs of Egypt. The date is most significant.
By 870 the Canopic mouth of the Nile had dried up, and
isolated Alexandria from the Egyptian water system. Shipping
passed back to the Bolbitiné mouth, and frequented it again for
nearly a thousand years. “El Raschid” as the Arabs named
186the new settlement, became the western port of Egypt, Damietta
being the eastern. It was important in the Crusades; St. Louis
of France (1049) knew it as “Rexi.” In the 17th and 18th centuries
it was practically rebuilt in its present form; the mosques,
dwelling houses, cisterns, the great warehouses for grain that line
the river bank, all date from this period, it evolved an architectural
style, suitable to the locality. The chief material is brick,
made from the Nile mud, and coloured red or black, there was no
limestone to hand, such as supplied Alexandria: with the bricks
are introduced courses of palm wood, antique columns &c. and
a certain amount of mashrabiyeh work and faience. The style
is picturesque rather than noble and may be compared with the
brick style of the North German Hansa towns. Examples of it are
to be found throughout the Delta and even in Alexandria herself
(p. 125), but Rosetta is its head quarters. In architecture, as in
other matters, the town kept in touch with Cairo; an Oriental
town, scarcely westernised even to-day. So long as Alexandria
lay dormant, it flourished; at the beginning of the 19th century
its population was 35,000, that of Alexandria 5,000.
In 1798 Napoleon’s troops took Rosetta, in 1801 the British
and Turks retook it, in 1807 the reconnoitring expedition of
General Frazer (p. 89) was here repulsed. These events, unimportant
in themselves, were the prelude to an irreparable disaster:
the revival of Alexandria, on scientific lines, by Mohammed Ali.
As soon as he developed the harbours there and restored the
connection with the Nile water systems by cutting the Mahmoudieh
Canal, (p. 91), Rosetta began to decay exactly as Bolbitiné
had decayed two thousand years before. The population now
is 14,000 as against Alexandria’s 400,000, and it has become
wizen and puny through inbreeding. The warehouses and
mosques are falling down, the costly private dwellings of the
merchants have been gutted, and the sand, advancing from the
south and from the west, invades a little farther every year
through the palm groves and into the streets. One can wander
aimlessly for hours (it is best thus to wander) and can see nothing
that is modern, nor anything more exciting than the arrival of
the fishing fleet with sardines. It is the East at last, but the
East outwitted by science, and in the last stages of exhaustion.
The main street of Rosetta starts from the Railway
Station and runs due south, parallel to the river, so it is
easy to find one’s way. In it is the only hotel, kept by
a Greek; those who are not fastidious can sleep here:
the rest must manage to see the sights between trains.
The hotel has a pleasant garden, overlooked by the minaret
of a mosque.
187In the main street, to the right;—Mosque of Ali-el-Mehalli,
built 1721, but containing the tomb of the
Saint, who died in the 16th century. A large but uninteresting
building, with an entrance porch in the “Delta”
style—bricks arranged in patterns, pendentives, &c.
Further down, to the left, by the covered bazaars:
Entrance with old doors to a large ruined building,
probably once an “okel” or courtyard for travellers
and their animals; one can walk through it and come out
the other side through a fine portal, in the direction of the
river. All this part of the town is most picturesque.
The houses are four or five stories high, and have
antique columns fantastically disposed among their brickwork.
The best and oldest example of this domestic
architecture is the House of Ali-el-Fatairi, in the Haret
el-Ghazl, with inscriptions above its lintels that date it
1620: its external staircase leads to two doors, those of
the men’s and women’s apartments respectively. Other
fine houses are those of:—Cheikh Hassan el Khabbaz in
Rue Dahliz el Molk; Osman Agha, at some cross roads,—carved
wood inside, date 1808; Ahmed Agha in the
Chareh el Ghabachi to the west of the town, invaded by
sand.
At the end of the main street is the most important
building in the town, the Mosque of Zagloul. It really
consists of two mosques: the western was founded about
1600 by Zagloul, the Mamaluke or body-servant of Said
Hassan; the other and more ruinous section is the mosque
of El Diouai. There is a courtyard with fountain in centre.
The entire mass measures about 80 by 100 yds.
All is brick except the two stone minarets; the ruined
one was “cut with scissors” according to local opinion,
but according to archaeology fell in the early 19th cent.
The sanctuary of the Mosque of Zagloul proper is a
stupendous hall; over 300 columns, many of them antique,
are arranged in six parallel rows, there are four
praying niches, three of them elaborately decorated,
there is the tomb of the ex-body-servant himself, now
worshipped as a saint and wooed by votive offerings of
188boats, and, in the tomb, his former master, the Said
Hassan, lies with him, and shares his honours. The
sanctuary is ruinous and carelessly built, but its perspective
effects, especially from the south wall, near the
tomb, are very fine and rival those of the Mosque of El
Azhar at Cairo. Light enters through openings in the
roof.
East of the Mosque of Zagloul and close to the river
is the Mosque of Mohammed el Abbas, date 1809, of
superior construction but on the same style; it has,
unlike the other mosques of Rosetta, a fine dome, covering
the tomb of the saint.
Other Mosques:—Toumaksis Mosque, built by Saleh
Agha Toumaksis in 1694; it is reached up steps; fine
iron work round the key holes; there is a good pulpit
inside, also tiles, and the prayer niche retains its original
geometrical decoration of hexagons and “Solomon’s
seals.”—Mosque of Cheikh Toka, which stands in an
angle of the Chareh Souk el Samak el Kadim; portal
in “Delta” style with rosace over its arches; inside,
pulpit dated 1727.
About a mile to the south of the town, best reached
by boat, is the Mosque of Abou Mandour, a showy modern
building, well placed on the bend of the river bank, and
backed by huge sand hills that threaten to bury it, as
they have buried Bolbitiné.
North of the town, and half-way between it and the
sea, is the site of Fort St. Julien, which Napoleon’s
soldiers built, and where they discovered the Rosetta
Stone. The Fort has disappeared; there is a sketch of
it in the Alexandria Museum (Vestibule).
Sailing on the Nile: delightful.
189
Routes:—By the Mariout Railway to Bahig for Abousir
and for St. Menas; each expedition takes a day.
By Railway via Tel-el-Baroud and Khatatbeh to the Wady
Natrun; 2 or 3 days.
190Alexandria, though so cosmopolitan, lies on the verge
of civilisation. Westward begins an enormous desert of
limestone that stretches into the heart of Africa. The
very existence of this desert is forgotten by most of the
dwellers in the city, but it has played a great part in her
history, especially in Christian times, and no one who
would understand her career can ignore it.
The Mariout Railway was originally the property
of the ex-Khedive. The line starts from the central
station and diverges from the main line at Hadra.
Having passed Nouzha station (Section IV) it crosses the
Mahmoudieh Canal (p. 91) then bends westward along
the edge of Lake Mariout. Just before Gabbari Garden
station is a fishing village built on a tiny creek and quite
Japanese in appearance. It is worth going down here
when there has been a catch: the lake fish are uncanny
monsters. The neighbourhood is very fertile—palms
bananas and vegetable gardens. But it does not make
pleasant walking owing to the smells.
Mex Station. (Section VI). The train crosses the
western or Mellaha arm of Mariout. Right, are the salt
pans that turn dull purple and red in the summer
beyond them the white spur of limestone that divides
lake from sea.
Abd el Kader Station. Now we approach the
Libyan desert. The scenery and the people change.
From the hill to the right, by the tomb, is a fine view, and
wonderful colour effects in the evening.
Amrieh Station. This large village was formerly
head of the Eastern district of the Western Desert
Province, but the Administration is transferring to
Burg el Arab. Bedouins come to the train, bigger and
wirier than the Egyptians, and more graceful; they wear
rough white robes and soft dark red tarbooshes.—There
191is a fine walk from Amrieh to Mex—the best day’s tramp
near Alexandria. The path leads north from the station,
by the communal gardens, then makes for a ridge where
limestone is quarried. View from the top over the western
arm of Mariout. Take the causeway that crosses the lake
and on the further bank turn to the right, finally crossing
the coastal ridge to Dekhela (Section VI) and so to Mex
by the sea shore.
Ikingi Mariout Station. (Ikingi is Turkish for
“second.”)—A good centre for the wild flowers of February
and March. Go northward towards the lake, and
keep to the lower ground; the local flora is one of the
finest in the world.
Bahig Station.—Centre for two fine expeditions—Abousir
on the coast, and St. Menas inland.
The ruins of Abousir lie 5½ miles N.W. from Bahig station.
They can be found without a guide. (see map). There is
a good road as far as Bahig village (¾ mile). Just above
the village is a big quarry, worked in ancient times and
very picturesque. A path crosses the ridge rather to
the left of this quarry, after which the ruins are in sight
all the way. The end of Mariout has to be crossed, so
the expedition should not be made in winter on account of
the mud. The last half hour of the journey is magnificent.
The Temple and the Tower stand out on the height, which
is golden with marigolds in spring time; and near the
top of the ascent the sea appears through a gap, deep
blue, and beating against a beach of snowy sand. The
flowers can be amazing, colouring the earth in every
direction. The ruins are supposed by the Bedouins to
be the palace of Abou Zeit; they really mark the Ptolemaic
city of Taposiris, whose name is preserved in the
modern Abousir.
Taposiris must have been built soon after Alexandria (about
300 B.C.), and it is instructive to compare the two towns. They
stand on the same spur—Taposiris at its base, where it has
192emerged from the mass of the desert. The lake is to their south,
the sea to their north, so each commanded two harbours, to the
advantage of their trade. Each has a lighthouse, each worshipped
Osiris. Little is known of the history of Taposiris—called the
“Great” to distinguish it from “Little” Taposiris at Montazah
(p. 175). Its immediate trade was with the lake, its sea-harbour
being ½ mile below, at the vanished port of Plinthinus. The
Arabs turned the Temple of Osiris into a fortress, and in modern
times coast guards have been installed here.
The Chief remains are:—
(i). Temple of Osiris. The eastern, and main, entrance
adjoins the coast-guard station. At first sight it
looks no more than a hole in a ruined wall, but it can
easily be reconstructed. Each side of the entrance were
Gate-towers (Pylons) like those of Edfu or Kom Ombo in
Upper Egypt. Their bases project from the main wall,
and up the face of each are two grooves for flag staffs,
from whose tops crimson streamers floated. Staircases,
reached from the inside, ascend each tower, and there are
also two square rooms in the base of each.
The enclosure—about 100 yards square—is in a terrible
mess. The actual temple has disappeared. There must
have been a colonnaded court with an altar in the middle,
and beyond it the temple facade: on north and south of
temple would have been other courts. The arrangements
were Egyptian, but some of the workman were Greek;
mason marks with Greek letters (e.g. Alpha Kappa Rho)
have been found on the stone in the boundary wall.
The north boundary wall of the enclosure is very
fine; it projects over the slope of the hill and rests on
substructures: in it is a gate for the descent to the sea.
Note the projections in the masonry. In the north
west corner are some architectural fragments, piled up
by the Arabs.
194(ii). Lighthouse. The ruined tower on the hill to the
east of the temple was once mistaken for a tomb, since
it stands in the ancient cemetery. It is really the
Ptolemaic lighthouse of Taposiris, first of a chain that
stretched from the Pharos at Alexandria all down the
North African coast to Cyrene. It has, like the Pharos,
three stages: a square basement, an octagonal central
stage and a cylindrical top. On the north, where
the outer wall of the octagon has fallen, one can see
the marks of the staircase by which the wood was carried
to the top—a simpler version of the double spiral that
ascended the huge Alexandrian building. There can be
no doubt that the Taposiris lighthouse was modelled on
its gigantic contemporary—scale about ⅒th—and it is
thus of great importance to archaeologists and historians.
(see throughout p. 133).
There are tombs close to the lighthouse, and tombs and
houses all along the slope to the south of the temple.
(iii). Causeway. South of the town, in the bed of the
lake, are traces of the embankment that connected with
the desert. It was doubtless pierced with arches like
the Heptastadion at Alexandria, to allow boats to go
through.
The other point of interest in the district is Burg el
Arab (Modern Bahig). It lies some miles west of Bahig
village (see above) but is easily located by the tower of
the new carpet factory. Here is to be the capital of the
Eastern District of the Western Desert Province Frontier
Districts Administration; it is being planned and executed
with great taste, thanks mainly to the genius of the Officer
Commanding, W. E. Jennings Bramly, M.C. The factory
consists of a great cloister and of two halls, one each
side of the big tower. Fragments of antique sculpture
and architecture have been cleverly introduced. The
carpets are woven from camels’ and goats’ hair by
Bedouin and Senussi women—the industry was started
at Amrieh, during the late war. Specimens can be had
in the Alexandrian shops. Further to the west other
buildings are rising, including a small walled town. It
is all most interesting, and one of the few pieces of
modern creative work to be seen in these parts.
195
Seven and a half miles south of Bahig Station, in the
loneliness of the desert, lie the ruins of a great Christian
city. They can be visited between trains on a good horse,
but it is better to camp out. The track passes over
gently undulating expanses of limestone. The scenery
grows less interesting, the flora scarcer, as the coast is
left behind. At last the monotony is broken by the square
hut where the excavators used to live. The ancient name
of the place is preserved in the modern—Abumna.
St Menas
Plan I. The Sanctuary Group
Subterranean work thus .........
Menas, a young Egyptian officer, was martyred during his
service in Asia Minor because he would not abandon Christ
(A.D. 296). When the army moved back into Egypt his friends
brought his ashes with them, and at the entrance of the Lybian
Desert a miracle took place: the camel that was carrying the
burden refused to go further. The saint was buried and forgotten.
But a shepherd observed that a sick lamb that crossed
the spot became well. He tried successfully with another lamb.
Then a sick princess was healed. The remains were exhumed,
and a church built over the grave.
This church can still be traced. It is the Basilica of the
Crypt (Plan I p. 196) date 350, to which, at the end of the century,
an immense extension was added by the Emperor Arcadius.
What caused so rapid a growth? Water. There were springs
in the limestone that have since dried up, and that must have had
curative powers. Baths were built, some of them opening out
of a church (Plan II). Little flasks, stamped with the Saint’s
image, were filled from the sacred source by his tomb. The
environs were irrigated, houses, walls, cemeteries built, until in
the pure air a sacred city sprang up, where religion was combined
with hygiene. Nor did the saint only protect invalids. He was
also the patron of the caravans that passed by him from Alexandria
to the Wady Natrun, the Siwan Oasis, and Tripoli, and
so he is always seen between two camels, who crouch in adoration
because he guides them aright. By the 6th century he had
become god of the Lybian Desert, then less deserted than now,
and his fame, like that of his predecessor Serapis, had travelled
all round the Mediterranean, and procured him worshippers as
far as Rome and France.
196Islam checked the cult. But as late as the year 1,000, an
Arab traveller saw the great double basilica still standing. Lights
burned in the shrine night and day, and there was still left a
little trickle of “the beautiful water of St. Menas that drives
away pain.”
The site, entirely forgotten, was discovered in 1905. It has
been carefully excavated. Little more than the ground plans of
the buildings remain, but they are most interesting, and the
marble decorations delightful.
197
St Menas – Plan II.
The Sacred Baths
198The Sanctuary Group. This lies a little to the south
of the excavators’ huts. Combined length, nearly 400 ft.
In the centre is the original church covering the tomb.
To its east is the impressive addition of Arcadius; to its
west a baptistery. On its north side a monastery.
The best view of the group is from a mound outside the
baptistery. The general arrangement is quite clear.
(Plan I, p. 196). Taken in detail:—
(i). Church of Arcadius.—Length nearly 200 feet.
A cruciform basilica with a nave and two aisles, and
aisled transepts. Over the intersection was a dome,
beneath which, now much ruined by its fall, is the
High Altar. Behind the altar are curved steps that
supported the ecclesiastical throne. Both altar and
throne are in a square enclosure where the priests and
singers stood; a narrow alley connects it with the nave.
The eastern apse has been used for burials.
The Nave is paved with white marble from the
Greek archipelago. Green and purple marbles (verde
antico and porphyry) were also used. From its south
aisle, three doors open into a fine atrium. This was the
principal approach to the church. The north aisle opens—at
its east end—on to a staircase that ascended to the
roof of the church; the other doors to the monks’ apartments
and hospice (see below). The west end of the
nave is irregular, because the apse of the primitive
church impinges.
(ii). Primitive Church. A small, three-aisled basilica,
not well preserved, but with interesting crypt. The
descent to this is by a marble staircase that starts in the
Arcadian church, passes by a portico with a vaulted roof
of brick, and then, after a little, turns to the south into
an oblong subterranean chamber. Here, amid rich decorations,
the ashes of the young saint once lay, is a tomb
that was probably visible from the church above. A
199bas-relief of him was fixed to the south wall; the place
for the marble slab can still be seen there. The ugly
bas-relief in the Alexandria Museum (Room I) is a
copy. Attached to the crypt is a chapel once vaulted
with gold mosaic; the well in it was made by treasure-hunters.
On the west of the church runs the sacred water
course from which the sanctuary derived its fame. It
is a subterranean cistern, over 80 yards long; a shaft
was sunk into it from the nave. Passing, as it did, so
near to the saint’s remains, it had special sanctity. The
water was used to fill flasks, and also in the adjacent
Baptistery.
(iii). The Baptistery is square without and octagonal
within. In its centre, down steps, is the chief font,
which had an over-flow canal; we do not know how it
was filled. The floor was richly inlaid with serpentine,
porphyry and other marbles. There was a dome. On
its south side is an atrium. On its western exterior,
niches for statues.
A Baptistery of this type—separate from the rest
of the church—is common enough in the West. But in
the East it is unique. Only at St. Menas, where water
was so prominent in the worship, does it occur.
Immediately to the north of the Sanctuary Group
are the Monastery Buildings and Hospice, a confused
labyrinth. Best is a hall paved with marble and one
supported by eight columns. It lies 40 yards due north
from the gate of the Primitive Church. These buildings,
together with the Sanctuary Group that they served,
cover an area of over 40,000 square yards.
The Sacred Baths (Plan II). About 80 yards from the
Monastery Buildings. Best located by the fine circular
cistern of well-cut limestone blocks. The main building
has a heating apparatus and three baths. Also a small
but finely finished church; basilica type; apses at each
end; three aisles. Two baths open straight out of its
200south aisles, and in its nave are two marble fountains that
were probably filled from the source in the central
sanctuary (see above). Throughout the arrangements
are significant. The line between the hygienic and the
miraculous is nowhere clearly drawn; heating apparatus
and church have each to play their parts. Date of the
group, probably 5th century. Another group lies beyond.
Northern Cemetery.—This, the most important in
the city, is some way from the groups above described.
Indeed the visitor from Bahig leaves it to his left on his
way to the hut. There is a good view of it from a mound.
The main object is a church (150 ft. long), with three
aisles, a square apse and numerous mortuary chapels
where the more prominent invalids were buried. Others
lie outside. Late date—7th-9th cent.
This by no means catalogues the ruins of St. Menas.
There is a Southern Cemetery, private houses, wine
presses, a kiln where the terra cotta flasks were made.
All the desert around shows remains of the curious cult,
which in some ways anticipated the methods of Lourdes.
Half a day over the desert southward brings a rider
to the Wady Natrun.
The Wady is best visited by arrangement with the
Egyptian Salt and Soda Company, who have the concession
for developing that section of it where the Lakes
and the Monasteries lie. The Company’s private railway
starts at Khatatbeh, on the branch line between Cairo
and Tel-el-Baroud (see Map. p. 174). The train curves
up the desert to Bir Victoria, where it waters beneath
a solitary tree. Then it leaves civilisation, and for
three hours nothing is seen except an occasional
gazelle. At the end of that time the ground falls away
to the left, and the monastery of St. Macarius appears
far off. Then is seen the chain of the lakes, and across
201them, often in mirage, the monasteries of St. Pschoi and
The Syrians. The train descends to the terminus of Bir
Hooker, close to the Company’s factory and rest house.
The Wady Natrun (i.e. Natron, Soda) is a curious valley that
begins near Cairo, and slopes north-westward into the heart of
the Lybian Desert. It may have once been an outlet of the Nile,
though it is barred now from the sea by coastal hills. Its upper
and lower reaches are both barren, but in the central section—that
which the railway taps—water survives in the form of a
chain of mineral lakes.
The deposits were worked from antiquity, but with the rise
of monasticism the Wady took a new importance, owing to its
discomfort. As early as A.D 150 St. Fronto retreated here from
Alexandria. St. Ammon followed in 270; St. Macarius or
Mercury a hundred years later. The more moderate ascetics
extracted soda with the assistance of laymen; the extremists
sought a waterless stretch called Scetis—probably the southern
portion of the valley where the monastery to St. Macarius still
stands. There were soon 5,000 monks. It is natural that so
remote a community should lose touch with the theological niceties
of the capital, and in 399 the Patriarch Theophilus was obliged
to rebuke the monks for minimising the divine element in the
Second Person. Their reply was startling. They crossed the
desert, stormed Alexandria, and made the Patriarch apologise.
A few years later he led an army into the Wady to punish them,
but by now, oddly enough, they had veered to the opposite error;
they minimised the human element. The truth is they represented
native Egypt, the Patriarch the Hellenising coast. (see
p. 51). The quarrel was racial rather than theological, and
when in the 6th century it came to a head, the Wady became the
natural stronghold of the national or Monophysite party who,
under the name of Copts, worship there to this day.
With the 19th century came a new colony—the industrial.
It is the factory chimney of the Salt and Soda Company that
now dominates the scene. The lakes are dredged for their
deposits. The chief product is caustic soda which is poured red
hot into metal drums, and exported all over the east. Ordinary
soda (natron) is also produced. The factory is interesting. It,
and the surrounding settlement, are due in their present form to
Mr. A. H. Hooker, after whom the settlement is named.
More than eighty different species of birds have been identified
in the marshes surrounding Bir Hooker.
The Mineral Lakes.
These lie between the factory and the monasteries.
Some of them are squalid, others are indescribably beautiful,
especially in summer. The deposits form at the
bottom. As they reach the top, the lake seems to be
covered with white and crimson ice, in the midst of which
are pools of blue and green water, and trickling streams of
claret, and tracts that blush like a rose. When the
scene is in mirage, its strangeness passes belief. A bird
looks as big as a man, and the lump of salt it perches on
shows like a boat of snow. The finest of these lakes is
just to the left of Bir Hooker.
202
The Natrun Monasteries
Plan I. Church Of St. Pschoi
203
The Natrun Monasteries—Plan II
Convent of the Syrians—Church of the Virgin.
204The Monasteries.
Four of these survive, and there are the ruins of
many others. They are all of the same type, and to
avoid repetitions it may be thus summarised:
Exterior:—an enclosure of stone laid in the middle
of the desert, covering about an acre. Palm trees and
buildings show over its walls. The walls are blank
except for one high arch, which indicates the position
of a little door, the only entrance. The black-robed
monks, when the bell has been rung, look down from the
parapet, then unbar the door, and take the traveller to
the Guest House for coffee and lemonade. They are
dirty and ignorant, but most courteous and hospitable.
All payment is refused.
In the enclosure:—two or three churches, normally
consisting of nave, choir, and sanctuary (kaikal).
Refectory. Sleeping cells for the monks. Mill for
grinding corn. Oven, where is baked the hard brown
bread, and also the “isbodikon” (somatikon, sacrament),
a cake of fine flour beautifully stamped with a cross and
used for the Eucharist. Olive press. Granary. Garden
of palm trees, bananas, capsicums, etc. Keep (kasr) for
final retreat when attacked; reached only by a drawbridge
from the parapet of the wall; contains library,
dungeons, chapels; usually dedicated to St. Michael.
Date: general appearance and arrangement are of
the 6th century. Most of the details are later.
205Extract from the Thanksgiving offered at the
arrival of a distinguished visitor:—
He who visits these mansions with firm faith, fervent
desire, true repentance and good works, shall have all his
sins forgiven. Then, O my reverend fathers and my beloved
brethren, come that we may pray for these our dear and
honourable brethren, who are come upon this visit and have
reached these habitations, let us pray that Jesus Christ, who
was with his servants in every time and every place, may now
be with them, and may deliver them from all sins and iniquities.
May he grant them the best of gifts and full reward,
recompensing them for all that they have endured through
toil and peril and the weariness of the journey as they travelled
hither; giving them abundance of blessing; bring them
back to their homes in safety; and after long life transport
them to the brightness of Paradise and the life of bliss,
through the intercession of Our Lady the Virgin, and of all
our holy fathers. Amen.[7]
The Four Monasteries.
(A). Convent of St. Pschoi (Deir Abou Bishoi).
About an hour’s ride from Bir Hooker. Dedicated to
St. Pschoi or Besa. “B” is the Coptic article, so
the saint’s name is ultimately “Isa” i.e. Isaiah. Little
is known about him.
The convent enclosure contains:
(i). The Church of St. Pschoi (Plan I, p. 202). 6th-11th
cents. with later additions. A spacious entrance
porch leads to the dark but impressive interior. There
are three divisions: Nave, Choir and Sanctuary.
The Nave has an arched vault; massive piers with
pointed arches divide it from its aisles. In it is an
Ambon (lectern for reading the Gospel), and a small
marble basin level with the floor, where the priest washes
the feet of the people on Maundy Thursday in commemoration
of the action of Christ. Many of the Nave
arches have been blocked up to strengthen the building.
High and narrow folding doors—recalling a Japanese
screen—close the lofty arch that leads from the Nave into
the Choir; they are set with fine carved panels, enclosed
in ivory borders. Other doors lead from the aisles.
206The Choir too has vaulting, but it is at right angles
to that of the Nave. At each side of the Choir are
chapels, probably of later date. Left—Chapel of the
Virgin, with a chest containing the relics of St. Pschoi,
whom the monks state remains intact. Right—Chapel
of St. Ischyrion; off it is the Baptistery. The entrance
into the Sanctuary is through ancient carved doors; over
them is a triumphant arch.
The Sanctuary has, behind the altar, a fine tribune
of six steps—three straight and three curved. In the
centre was the throne of the Abbot. It has gone, and
the marble decorations of the steps are ruined. Above
the throne is a marble mosaic. In the centre of the
eastern dome is a Cross.
(ii). The Refectory.—This solemn room contains the
immense stone table, narrow and low, at which the
monks break their yearly fast. They do not eat here
usually, and use the table as a drying place for onions,
bread, etc., while cakes of salt are stacked against the
wall. At the head of the table is the Abbot’s seat. The
place is rough and indescribably untidy. But one could
scarcely find a more striking relic of primitive Christianity.
(B). Convent of the Syrians (Deir es Suriani).—Close
to the Convent of St. Pschoi. Founded by monks from
Syria. Dedicated to the Virgin. Here Robert Curzon
(1833) discovered in the oil cellar priceless Syrian, Coptic,
and Abyssinian MSS., now in the British Museum.
He describes his find in “Monasteries of the Levant”:
it was facilitated by plying the Abbot with liqueurs.
More were brought away by Archdeacon Tattam, and
nothing valuable remains now.
The enclosure contains:—
(i). Church of the Virgin (Plan II, p. 203)—A fine
building 40 ft. by 90, probably the model for the church
in
St.
Pschoi—i.e. originating in the 6th century.
The Nave has piers with high pointed arches, and
lofty vaulting, slightly pointed. In the middle, the basin
for the Maundy feet washing, a marble slab with a circular
207depression. In the western semi-dome, fine fresco
of the Ascension. Precious folding doors between
nave and choir, inlaid with ivory panels of Christ in the
nimbus of the Cross, the Virgin, St. Peter and St. Mark;
round their posts and lintels a Syriac inscription, dating
them back to the 7th century.
The Choir—North semi-dome; fresco of the Death
of the Virgin. South semi-dome; fresco of the Annunciation
and Nativity. Admirable work. More ancient
doors between Choir and Sanctuary; ivory panel representing
Dioscurus (Patriarch of Alexandria 450 and
founder of Monophysism see p. 51), Mark, Emmanuel,
the Virgin, Ignatius, and Severus (512). Syriac inscriptions
of rather later type—8th century.
Sanctuary. Skilful and effective plaster frieze
with a border below and panels of conventional trees
and vines above. Above the eastern niche a panel of
crosses. This unique decoration should be studied closely.
(ii). Smaller Church of the Virgin. Over its entrance
to the south-west a marble cross in low relief. Inside,
another cross in black marble. Probably dedication
crosses. Pulpit in the choir.
(iii). Tamarind tree under the enclosing wall. St.
Ephraim the Syrian (date 373) inadvertently, so they
say, laid his staff down, and it took root at once. But
it is unlikely that St. Ephraim ever visited Egypt.
(C). Convent of St. Baramus (Deir el Baramus).
About two hours ride from Bir Hooker. Dedicated to
an unknown saint (Romaios?).
In the enclosure are:—
(i). Church of the Virgin. The piers of the nave
are built round antique marble columns. There are ten
dedication crosses, marking places signed with holy oil
at the consecration of the church—six in the nave and
four in the choir. Fine carvings on the sanctuary
screen. In the reliquary lie the brothers S.S. Maximus and
Domitius from whose mouths, when they prayed, fiery
ropes ascended to Heaven. Attached to this church are
208two smaller ones—St. George (Mari Girgis) now used as
a granary; it has an ornamented dome—and St. Theodore
(Al Amir Tadrus).
(ii). Church of Baramus, ruined by restoration.
(iii). The Refectory—similar to that at St. Pschoi.
Date 5th or 6th century. At this entrance is a great
book-rest of stone.
(iv). Keep, with chapel to St. Michael.
(D). Convent of St. Macarius (Deir Abou Makar).
This monastery is the least accessible of the four,
being ten miles from Bir Hooker.
St. Macarius, or Mercury, the founder, was an Alexandrian
who was seen by another saint in a vision killing
the apostate Emperor Julian (d. 363). He is also celebrated
for a bunch of grapes that he refused to eat, and
for a mosquito that he killed. Overcome with remorse
at its death, he retired naked to the marshes near, and
at the end of six months was so distended by stings that
the brethren could only recognise him by his voice. He
selected this site for his monastery on account of the
badness of the communications and water supply. It
was repaired in 880. Of its later history nothing is
known.
The monastery enclosure is on the usual plan. It
contains:—
(i). Church of Macarius. Byzantine in character;
three sanctuaries, a choir, and an irregular western end.
The central sanctuary is roofed by a fine brick dome,
once covered with frescoes, and still showing traces of
its ancient windows, with their stucco partitions and
tiny panels of coloured glass. There were also frescoes
in the eastern niche, and paintings upon the entrance
arch. The sanctuary doors are well carved.
Left of Sanctuary: Chapel of St. John, with a
double screen. The outer screen is set with exquisitely
carved panels—probably 8th century. Frame later. The
plaster of the dome has fallen; it too was once coloured.
St. Macarius lies in the Reliquary.
209(ii). Church of the Elders (Al Shiulah), marked by
a detached bell-tower. A small building of similar plan.
One of its columns has a late classical capital.
(iii). Church of St. Ischyrion (Abou Iskharun)—one
of the martyrs whom Alexandria, in the past, so freely
produced. A magnificent low-pitched dome almost
covers both choir and nave. It is made of bricks that
must have been carried on camels from the Delta.
(iv). The Keep (Kasr), reached by a flight of steps
and a drawbridge. On its first floor are three chapels
dedicated to:—
St. Michael—Corinthian and Doric capitals in the
nave; the Sanctuary Screen has ivory inlay; in the
Sanctuary are the bodies of sixteen patriarchs, each in a
plain deal box: St. Anthony—three ancient frescoed
figures: and St. Suah, with more frescoes. On the ground
floor, a chapel to the Virgin, with a triple altar containing
depressions of unknown use.
Appendix I. THE MODERN RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES.
211
The ecclesiastical life of Alexandria is not as intense to-day
as in the days of St. Athanasius, but it is even more complicated.
The city is the seat of four patriarchates, and many other religious
bodies are represented in her. The complications are partly
due to the activity of Roman Catholicism, which, in order to
win oriental schismatics back to the fold, has in each case created
a counter church that shall approximate as nearly as possible to
the conditions and ritual that are familiar—e.g. an Armenian
Catholic Church for the Armenians, a Coptic Catholic for the
Copts. And further complications proceed from the modern,
commercial communities who tend to regard religion as an
expression of nationality rather than of dogma.
The following list of the Churches may indicate the unsuspected
vastness of the subject:—
Greek Patriarchate: “Orthodox Greek,” or “Melchite”
church (from Melek, Arabic for King). Present Patriarch, Photius
I. His position is curious. He is a subject neither to the Kingdom
of Greece, nor to the Patriarch of Constantinople, but holds,
or rather held, his position from the Sultan of Turkey direct.
Thus ecclesiastically he is independent. His title is “Patriarch
of Alexandria, Lybia, Pentapolis, Ethiopia, and all Egypt,”
but his patriarchate does not extend beyond Egypt, which he
administers through four bishops. Historically he represents
the church that kept loyal to Byzantium and to the Emperor at
the Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451) when the rest of Egypt began
to drift away over the Monophysite question. After the Arab
Conquest the Greek Patriarch resided in Cairo, but came back to
Alexandria about sixty years ago to the Convent and Church of
St. Saba. (p. 106). As for dogma, the Greek Orthodox chiefly
differs from the Roman Catholic and the Protestants over the
“Filioque” clause in the Nicene creed. It holds that the Holy
Ghost proceeded not from the Father and the Son, but through
the Son. This is the point over which the East and West split,
and failed to reunite in 1459.
Churches of the Greek Community: These too are
Greek Orthodox in faith. But they do not recognise the Patriarch.
Indeed their relations with him during the late war were of the
liveliest. They are the churches of a body of business men who
only owe allegiance to the Kingdom of Greece. They are self-administering,
and choose their own priests. The Patriarch
212however, has the right of examining those priests’ credential, and
of giving them permission to officiate. The Community has a
Cathedral (The Annunciation) near the Place St. Catherine
(p. 142); also three churches in Ramleh,—St. Stefano, St. Nicolas,
and the Prophet Elias.
Syrian Greek Orthodox: The Church of those members
of the Syrian Community who hold the Greek Orthodox faith.
Independent of the Patriarch. Under an archimandrite. Services
in Arabic. Church—“Dormition de la Sainte Vierge” in the
Rue el Kaid Gohar.
This completes the Greek Orthodox Churches.
Coptic Patriarchate: The Copts are Monophysites—i.e.
believe that after the Incarnation the Divine and the Human in
Christ were united into a single nature. (p. 76). This severs
them from the rest of Christendom. Historically the Patriarchate
is the opponent of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, from
whom it split at the Council of Chalcedon, and it claims to
represent Egyptian Christianity. In 960 the Patriarch went
to reside at Cairo, and the custom has continued, though the
title of “Patriarch of Alexandria” was retained: Besides his
powers in Egypt, the Patriarch consecrates the Metropolitan of
Abyssinia. Alexandria has a resident archbishop. Cathedral—in
the Rue de l’Eglise Copte. (p. 160).
Armenian Church: Founded by St. Gregory the Illuminator
in the 4th Century, and, like the Coptic, Monophysite. Its
head is a “Catholicos” at Etchmiadzin, Armenia. The Alexandrian
community has a church, SS. Peter and Paul, Rue Abou el
Dardaa. (p. 143).
We now come to the group of churches that are in communion
with Rome. Dogma, identical. Rite, differing.
Latin Patriarchate: Founded after the Crusades—13th
century. The Patriarch does not reside but lives at Rome, and
governs through an Apostolic Vicar who lives at Alexandria.
Chief Church—Cathedral of St. Catherine (Place St. Catherine).
(p. 142).
Coptic Patriarchate: Organised in 1895, with title of
“Patriarchate of Alexandria and of all the Preaching of St.
Mark.” The Patriarch resides at Alexandria, and administers
Egypt through the suffragan bishops of Hermopolis Magna and
Thebes. Cathedral—Rue de l’Hôpital Indigène. (p. 154).
Greek Catholic Church: Under the Patriarch of Antioch
who now lives at Damascus and governs Alexandria through a
213Vicar General. Church: St. Pierre, Rue Debbane. (p 160.).
The priests generally officiate in Arabic, though the ecclesiastical
language is Greek.
Maronite Church: Founded in the 5th century by St.
Maro, and at one time adhering to the Monothelite heresy. This
was a fainter version of the Monophysite, and asserted that
though Christ might have two natures, He only had one will.
(p. 77). The Catholic view is that Christ had two wills, human
and divine, which were exercised in unison, and in the 18th
century the Maronite Community subscribed to this, and is
consequently in communion with Rome. Patriarch at Antioch.
Ecclesiastical language—Syrian. Church at Alexandria in the
Rue de l’Eglise Maronite. (p. 140).
Armenian Catholic Church: Under the Patriarchate of
Cilicia, formed in the 18th century. There is a Bishop of Alexandria,
but he lives at Cairo. Church—Rue Averoff. (p. 160).
Chaldean Catholic Church: Under the Patriarchate of
Babylon, formed 1843, to counteract the Nestorian heresy. The
Chaldeans of Alexandria, 100 strong, are said to be looking for a
plot of ground on which to build a church.
This concludes the Catholic group. As regards the Protestants:
United Presbyterian Church of Egypt: Most, but
not all, native Protestants belong to this body. It is attached
to the American Mission, which proselytizes mainly among the
Copts. Church—Rue Tewfik I.
Church of England: Alexandria is in the diocese of
Egypt and the Sudan. The official church of the British community
is St. Marks in the Square, built on land given to the
community by Mohammed Ali. (p. 102). There is another
Anglican church at Ramleh (All Saints) built by some residents
there. Its living, after some heart-burnings, has been placed in
the hands of the Bishop of London. (p. 166).
Church of Scotland: St. Andrew’s, in the French
Gardens.
