Published by Longman. Hurst Rees, Orme, & Brown. Paternoster Row. May, 18.

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As this is mentioned as the first mofque that was built here, it was doubtless founded by Omar, the fecond calif of the race of Mahomet, who firft conquered Egypt.

From old Cairo, I went over to the pleasant ifle of Roida, or Raoudah, which is opposite to it, the channel of the Nile between being dry when the water is low; it is a very delightful fpot, the weft fide is planted with large fycamore trees, commonly called Pharaoh's fig. Towards the north end is the fmall village of Roida, the ifle being near a mile long. At the fouth end is the Mikias, or houfe in which is the famous pillar for measuring the Nile; it is a column in a deep bafin, the bottom of which is on a level with the bed of the Nile, the water entering on one fide, and paffing out on the other. The pillar is divided into measures, by which they see the rife of the Nile; it has a fine old Corinthian capital at top, which has commonly been omitted in the draughts, and on that refts a beam which goes across to the gallery. Concerning this manner of measuring the rife of the Nile, I fhall have occafion to fay more in another place. From the court that leads to this houfe, is a defcent to the Nile by steps, on which the common people will have it, that Mofes was found, after he had been expofed on the banks of the river.

There are great remains of buildings at this end of the island, especially about the measuring place; and to the weft there are remains of walls ten feet thick, built of brick, with turrets that are a quarter of a circle, but do not feem to have been high, and I suppose that they were rather defigned to prevent the ifle being encroached on by the river, than for any defence. They fay fome Sultan built a palace here, and refided much on this ifland for the fake of the air, and the pleasantnefs of the fituation.

Half a mile north of old Cairo, is a place called Caffaraline, where there are several gardens of oranges, lemons, citrons, and caffia; but what it is most remarkable for, is a convent of between thirty and forty dervishes. As these people affect a fort of extraordinary fanctity, fo they live in a manner in their mofque, which is a large fquare room covered with a very fine dome. In this we were prefented to the head of them, who was reading, and entertained us very civilly in the Turkish manner. In it I faw fome ancient vafes, one being of white oriental alabaster. The fuperior had two pikes near him with Arabic fentences on them, and there was alfo one on each fide of the niche, which directs them which way they are to turn at prayer. In this room, and likewise at the entrance of the convent, are several curious things hung up, that have been collected by the dervishes in their travels abroad, most of them having fomething of the wonderful in them; as particularly I faw a very large boot, which they fay belonged to fome giant, and a bowl of a pipe in proportion to it. These dervishes are not thofe that dance, of which fort there are none in Egypt.

A mile further north on the river is Bulac, about a mile from new Cairo; it is near two miles in compafs, and is the port for all boats that come up the river from the parts of Delta: here they have a custom-house, many warehouses and canes for travellers; it is remarkable for nothing but a fine bagnio.

The city of Cairo is fituated about a mile from the river, and extends eastward near two miles to the mountain; it is about feven miles round, for I was fomething more than two hours and three quarters going round the city on a beast of Cairo, computing that I went two miles and a half an hour

* From the great mofque, which is in the way going from the European quarter to Ali Caia Agelphi's house, to the entrance at the fouth-west corner of Lake Efbikien, twenty-five minutes. From thence to the entrance from old Cairo, twenty-three minutes, and then round the castle to the place 1 began at, two hours.

The city is faid to have been larger than it is at prefent, when it was the centre of trade from the Eaft Indies; it was walled round, and part of the walls of freestone remain to the north-eaft of the caftle, where they make an angle, turning from the north to the west: I faw alfo fome remains of them to the fouth of the castle, going towards the aqueduct, which I fuppofe were the walls of Tailoun; they are built with femicircular towers, and feem to have been made in imitation of the outer walls of Alexandria. There are likewife three or four very grand gates that were built by the Mamalukes; the workmanship of them is very good, and amidst all the fimplicity of the architecture, every one must be ftruck with the furprizing magnificence of them. One of them to the fouth is called Babel Zuile (the gate of Zuile) from a fuburbs of that name it leads to. Under the arch of the gate is a piece of rope fastened to a hook, where they fay Toman Bey, the laft Mamaluke Sultan, was hanged by order of Sultan Selim, after he had been tortured to reveal treasures, and carried through all the streets on a lean camel, dreffed in ragged clothes, and his hands bound. Another gate is Babel Naffer; and they fay that Sultan Selim made his public entrance through this gate. It probably had its name from fome of the Califs or Sultans of Egypt, who had the name of Naffer. A little to the fouth of it is a gate ftill more magnificent, which is called Babel Futuh, that is, the gate of victory; it is of hewn ftone, very high, and has a square tower on each fide, the water tables of which are richly adorned with fculptures.

The canal that comes out of the Nile at old Cairo, goes all through the city, though it is feen only from the back of the houses that are built on it; for though there are feveral bridges over it, yet there are houfes built on each fide of them, fo as to intercept the view of the canal, but when it is dry, it is as a street, along which the common people frequently go; however towards the time it begins to be dry, it is but a bad neighbour, as a stench arises from it that is very disagreeable to those that live on it, and must be unwholesome.

If one imagines that there are feveral fquares or places about the city, from a quarter to three quarters of a mile round, contrived fo as to receive and hold the water of the Nile, that is conveyed to them by the canals when the river rifes, it may give some idea of the feveral lakes that are about the city during the greater part of the year; and nothing can be imagined more beautiful than to fee thofe places filled with water, round which the best houses in the city are built; and when the Nile is high in the fummer, it must be an entertaining profpect to fee them covered with the fine boats. and barges of all the great people, who come out in the evening to divert themselves with their ladies: as I have been informed, concerts of mufic are never wanting, and fometimes fireworks add to the amufement; all the houses round being in a manner illuminated, and the windows full of fpectators to behold this glorious fight. The scene is much altered when the waters are gone off, and nothing but mud appears; but is foon fucceeded by a more agreeable view of green corn, and afterwards of harvest, in the middle of a great city, on those very spots where the boats were failing a few months before.

The streets of Cairo, as of all the Turkish cities are very narrow; the wideft goes the length of the city from the gate Naffer to the gate Zuile, but would be looked on as a lane in Europe. The other streets are fo narrow, that they frequently make a roof from one houfe to the other over the street, and put a flight covering on it to defend them from the fun. The city of Cairo is exceedingly well regulated for its fecurity, more especially by night; for most of the streets, or at least each end of every district or ward, has a gate and porter to it, who shuts up the gate as foon as it is dark,

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and to every one of these wards is a guard of two or three or more janizaries, fo that no idle people can go about the streets at night. Some little streets confift only of fhops, without any houses, and fo they leave their fhops locked up, and go to their houses at night. There are alfo feveral places for fhops like our exchanges, called bezeftans, which are shut up at night, and fhops of the fame trade are generally together in these as well as in the streets.

Turkish houses, especially in Cairo, have very little beauty in them; they are generally built round a court, where they make the best appearance, nothing but use being confidered as to the outfide of their houses, what they have of ornament being in their faloons within; fo that their houfes, built below of ftone, and above a fort of cage work, fometimes filled up with unburnt brick, and few or no windows towards the street, are a very difagreeable fight to one who has feen only European cities, that have fomething of outward regularity, as well as conveniency and beauty within.

There are feveral magnificent mofques in and about Cairo; but that which exceeds them all, both as to the folidity of its building, and a certain grandeur and magnificence that strikes in a very surprising manner, is the mofque of Sultan Haffan, built at the foot of the castle hill; it is very high, of an oblong fquare figure crowned with a cornish all round that projects a great way, and is adorned with a particular fort of grotefque carvings after the Turkish manner; the entrance to it is very finely inlaid with feveral forts of marbles, and carved in like manner at top; the afcent was by several steps which are broken down, and the door walled up, because in times of public infurrections, the rebels have often taken fhelter there. The place is so strong that now there is always a garrison of janizaries within the district of it, in apartments. adjoining to the mofque. To the north-east of the town is a very fine mofque called Kubbeel-Azab, or the cupola of the Arabs, belonging to the body of the Azabs; it is a very fine room about fixty feet fquare, with a beautiful dome over it, raised on a bafe of fixteen fides, in each of which is a window; the room is wainscotted round eight feet high in pannels, with all the most valuable marbles, among which are several fine flabs of red and green porphyry; the borders round the pannels are carved and gilt, a fort of freeze ranges round, in which are fentences cut in large gilt characters, called the Couphe character, in which they here anciently writ the Arabic language. The walls above this are adorned with Arabic infcriptions in letters of gold, and the whole cupola is painted and gilt in the finest manner, and all over the mofque are hung a great number of glafs lamps and oftridges' eggs; adjoining to it are feveral apartments built for the priests, and alfo fome grand ones for the great people who fometimes come and refide here. It is faid this magnificent room was built by a grand vizier, who defired the Sultan to give him leave to prepare a place fit to offer him a fhirbet in, on his return from Mecca.

A part of the town to the fouth is called Tailoun, faid to have been built before this city was founded, by Tholoun who was mafter of Egypt, in such a manner as to be almost independent of the Califs; and it is faid left old Cairo, and built a palace and mofque here. This at firft was probably called Cateia, because that perfon is faid to have built a palace of that name. What remains of the ancient palace goes by the name of Kalatel-Kebsh, and they fay Sultan Selim lodged here. There are remains of the caftle walls and high ground within them, which may have been raised by throwing out the dung of the city, and afterwards building on the high ground, though to the weft I faw there was a natural rock. In this wall is a fort of fquare turret they call the feat of Pharaoh; near it under an arch, is an ancient farcophagus of black marble, which receives the water of a conduit; it is called the fountain of treasure, and by

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