fortification, it would seem almost invincible; but,
unfortunately, the fortress is itself commanded by the higher Mokattam
hills, as was shown in 1805, when Mohammed Ali, by means of a battery
placed on a hill, compelled Karishid Pasha to surrender the stronghold.
The mosque of Mohammed Ali, placed in the citadel, as already described,
can be seen from every side, and the barracks are also a prominent
feature; but the presence of British troops seems hardly to harmonize
with the Oriental environment.

A fine view of the city may be seen from the ramparts, but it is
surpassed by the view to be had from the Mokattam hills; on our way
there, some of the party took donkeys from near the citadel, but others
(like myself) walked, if the exercise of ploughing through the deep
furrows of sand may so be termed. A slippery climb, and all of Cairo
with its environs lay before us--and such a view! It was in the late
afternoon of a perfect day; the scene was, in the main, Oriental, the
European touches being less visible from a distance. First, a confused
stretch of domes, minarets, and roofs; then a separate mosque stood out,
and we recognized Sultan Hasan and Ibn Tulun. Farther on were seen the
towers above the Bab Zuweyler gate; then the Tombs of the Khalifs,
blended together, and still farther there appeared the shadowy outlines
of the old Mosque of Amr. At our feet stood the citadel, while the
Alabaster Mosque and the line of arches marking the old aqueduct were
clearly visible. The setting sun illumined the silver line of the Nile,
touched the distant pyramids resting on the desert, and revealed the
far-away step pyramid of Sakkara. Its glory seemed all to be gathered
here, suffusing the whole panorama, and resting upon the scene like a
silent benediction.

The island of Rodda divides the Nile, and was formerly connected by
bridges of boats with both the island of Gizeh and Fustat, now old
Cairo. It was formerly a place of commercial importance, and had
extensive dockyards; according to tradition it is a place of Biblical
associations, since a palace occupied by Pharaoh's daughter is pointed
out, and also the place on the river where Moses was found in the
bulrushes.

[Illustration: _Citadel and Mosque of Mahomet Ali_]

The old Nilometer, for measuring the depths of the Nile, which was
erected in 716, is of interest. It consists of a square well, sixteen
feet in diameter, having, in the centre, an octagonal column on whic