in
minarets seem to tower above the rosy-tinted heights of the Mokattam
Hills. Even here the noise of the city reaches you in a subdued hum,
for Cairo is not only a large city, but it is densely populated, and
contains nearly a twelfth part of the whole population of Egypt. Away
towards the sunset the pyramids stand out clearly against the glowing
sky, and the tall masts and sails of the Nile boats reach high above
the palm groves and buildings which screen the river from view.

[Footnote 2: A distant suburb of Cairo.]

Cairo consists of two distinct and widely different parts, the
Esbikiyeh and Ismailieh quarters of the west end, built for and almost
entirely occupied by Europeans, and the purely native town, whose
streets and bazaars, mosques and palaces, have remained practically
unchanged for centuries.

At one time the European quarters were in many ways charming, though
too much like some fashionable continental town to be altogether
picturesque; but of late years the shady avenues and gardens of the
west end have entirely disappeared to make way for streets of
commercial buildings, while the new districts of Kasr-el-Dubara and
Ghezireh have arisen to house the well-to-do. Our interest in Cairo,
therefore, is centred in the native quarters, where miles of streets
and alleys, rich in Arabesque buildings, are untouched except by the
mellowing hand of Time.

It is difficult at first to form any true idea of native Cairo; its
life is so varied and its interests so diverse that the new-comer is
bewildered.

Types of many races, clad in strange Eastern costumes, crowd the
narrow streets, which are overlooked by many beautiful buildings whose
dark shadows lend additional glory to the sunlight. Richly carved
doorways give glimpses of cool courts and gardens within the houses,
while awnings of many colours shade the bazaars and shopping streets.

[Illustration: AN ARAB CAFE, CAIRO.]

Heavily laden camels and quaint native carts with difficulty thread
their way through the crowd, amongst which little children, clad in
the gayest of dresses, play their games. Goats and sheep pick up a
living in the streets, clearing it of garbage, and often feeding more
generously, though surreptitiously, from a fruit or vegetable shop.
Hawks and pigeons wheel and circle in the air, which is filled with
the scent of incense and the sound of the street cries. Everywhere is
movement and bustle, and the glowing colour of the buildings