STREET IN ALGIERS.STREET IN ALGIERS.
Constantine has a strikingly picturesque situation in the east. It stands on the summit of a gigantic mass of grayish white limestone, with precipitous sides. To add to the grandeur of the picture, the foaming waters of the Wed Rummel dash against three sides of this limestone mass, as if seeking to overthrow it.
The town and the immediate neighborhood abound in the ruins of ancient Roman structures. The very walls which surround and fortify the town were built by the Arabs from stones sculptured by the Romans. On one side is a fine old Roman bridge spanning a ravine.
In ancient times Constantine was one of the most important towns of Numidia; for a long time it was a residence for the royalty.
About three hundred years before Christ it was destroyed in the wars of Maxentius against Alexander. It was, however, soon rebuilt by Constantine the Great, and derived its present name from him.
The palace of Constantine is the most interesting of all the public monuments of Algeria, both on account of its antiquity and its special architecture. It is not imposing in its character, nor has it any finely finished details of very rare merit; neither can it be said to be perfectly harmonious in its structure.
If we compare it with the other magnificent buildings of the Turkish reign, we shall find that it is superior to them because of its elegant and handsome proportions. Its interior decorations, too, display all thebeauty and luxuriance of the most modern productions of the Algerines.
It was captured about 1830, and now constitutes the headquarters of the commanding general of the province of Constantine. One of the most striking apartments is known as the Saloon of Trophies, which is entered from the grand reception saloon by means of a door at the side. The room presents a delightful view. The rafters of the ceiling are supported by three slender columns of marble, which are most beautifully carved, and twisted into spirals. To add to the unique character of the ceiling, various colored lanterns of handsome form, as well as two beautiful glass chandeliers of ancient Italian style, are suspended from it.
About midway in the apartment is an alcove surrounded with luxurious divans. At the right and left are panels, with magnificent mirrors mounted in beautifully carved woodwork.
The side walls of the room are completely covered with rose work of the most brilliant coloring. The floors, and the walls between the windows, are finished with varnished tiles. The windows are protected by double shutters. These are most attractive in appearance, being decorated with mirrors on the interior, and beautiful rich carvings in cedar wood on the exterior.
A most curious piece of ancient furniture is found in this room. It consists of a candle stand in the form of an egg cup bearing an ostrich egg. The stand is of gilded bronze. It has three branches, or arms, to hold the candles. This stand is believed to have belonged to the daughter of the Turkish ruler who constructed thepalace. The Saloon of Trophies is said to have been her apartment.
The room derives its present name from the large collection of flags and arms, trophies of war, which decorate the walls. They serve to commemorate the various expeditions and war feats of the conquerors in the province of Constantine.
Here may be found guns, sabres, and pistols, of the most varied descriptions. Many of them are surmounted by the curious red, yellow, or green silk banners under which the Turks have fought against all invaders of their territory or disturbers of their religious faith and customs.
The court of the palace bears the name of the Court of the Genii, suggestive of tales from the "Arabian Nights." It is surrounded by five pointed arches on each side. It occupies a somewhat secluded space, and in ancient times served as a great basin, or reservoir, in which the women of the royal household were accustomed to bathe.
In this reservoir was a fountain, the waters of which fell back into a tier of basins, varying in size. On the edges of these basins, beautiful rose work and inter-twining foliage had been carved by a skillful artist, who with the cunning of his art had closely imitated nature.
The waters of the reservoir were filled with fish, which were the special care of the ladies of the royal household.
On one side of the court a staircase led down into a vaulted chamber underneath the palace. Here weresituated Moorish baths arranged exclusively for the royal household.
It was the custom each day to transport to the palace immense water bags made of oxhide. These were filled from the river, which flowed at the foot of the hill, and transported to the palace upon the backs of mules. The water was first poured into a sort of conduit. Pipes of pottery extending from it conducted the stream into the interior of the palace.
Chambers in which the bathers could repose were built over the baths. In one of these chambers was an immense bird cage in which nightingales, finches, parrots, canaries, and various other species were kept for the pleasure and amusement of the royal ladies.
When the French took possession of Algeria, the royal family fled from their palatial residence, many escaping through a hole in the wall, and these baths came into the possession of the conquerors.
Early in the present century, the name Algiers terrified every schoolboy who read of the evil deeds of the pirates, whose business it was to roam over the seas for plunder from foreign vessels.
Many a brave man lost his life trying to save his vessel from surrender, while his crew was mercilessly cut down by the sabres of the infuriated pirates, who were determined to capture the prize at any cost.
Sometimes, forced to surrender, the hapless captain and his crew were conveyed in their vessel to Algiers, and thrust into dark and loathsome dungeons, where life became one long torture.
The confiscated vessel was then employed as a decoy,or painted over so as not to be recognized on the high seas by the crews of other vessels sailing from the same country.
So desperate were these pirates that, if they saw no chance of securing a vessel, they did not hesitate to scuttle it, and to leave the crew to find a watery grave, as it sank beneath the waves.
Early in the present century, the English nation sent out a fleet to bombard Algiers. Then the French nation, in turn, sent its fleets to wage war against the Algerine pirates, whose name had become a terror, and whose deeds were notorious throughout the commercial world.
Tunis is the smallest and most easterly of the Barbary States.
Ancient Carthage included within its territories those of the modern state of Tunis. The ruins of the ancient city may be found about thirteen miles northeast of the walled city of Tunis.
Nothing remains now of the ancient capital but scattered piles of stones and two crumbling arcades, which, in the course of ages, have yielded to the force of the elements.
Tunis, which is the political capital of the state, is situated upon the Mediterranean Sea. It is located atthe extreme end of a lagoon some twelve miles in circumference. It is connected with the Bay of Tunis by the narrow channel of Goletta. At the mouth of this channel is a little town bearing the same name. Goletta is really the port of Tunis.
The city of Tunis is divided into an upper and a lower part. The upper section is occupied by the Mohammedans. The lower section, as well as the suburbs, is occupied by the Italians, Maltese, French, and Jews.
The streets of the city are narrow and exceedingly dirty. Modern civilization seems to have done little in the way of improving their sanitary conditions.
At Tunis is situated the palace of thebey, or Turkish ruler. There is nothing remarkable about its exterior, but the interior is furnished with all the luxuriance of the Moorish style. This palace is used as a residence for distinguished foreigners. Thebeyhas his residence at El-mersa, which is situated on the sea coast about three leagues from the city.
About two miles northwest of the city of Tunis stands an immense building, the Bardo, with many towers and projections. It is the official seat of government. The state prisons, the garrison, the military school, and an entire street of shops, are included within the government grounds.
The city is connected by rail with several of the other chief towns in the neighborhood. The principal railway, which belongs to a French company, runs from Tunis to the Algerian frontier.
The trade with different ports of Europe, principally with Marseilles, Genoa, and Leghorn, consists in exportingthe productions of inner Africa. Not only Tunis and its seaport Goletta, but also Susa and Sfaks upon the east coast, are concerned in this trade with Europe. The latter port is connected by telegraph with the capital.
Besides its political capital, the state has its spiritual capital, Kairwan. It lies about seventy-five miles south of Tunis in a barren plain and is regarded as one of the sacred cities of Islam. At one time neither a Jew nor a Christian could have his residence there.
The manufactures of the state of Tunis are mostly woolen fabrics. These consist of the burnooses, or Arab mantles, and the peculiar red caps, familiar all along the Mediterranean. Soap, earthenware and the famous Morocco leather are among the manufactures.
Two kinds of alcoholic beverages are made by the people. They are held in great esteem, since the Koran does not forbid Mohammedans to use them. One of these drinks is made from dates; the other from the Indian fig.
Some of the products of the sea coast of Tunis are quite valuable, as coral and sponge. Salt is also obtained. In various parts of the mountains, lead ore and quicksilver are known to exist. Deposits of saltpeter are found in the plateau of Kairwan.
The government of the state is despotic. The ruler bears the titlebey. In the spring of 1881 the French invaded the state to punish the Berber inhabitants of the mountains in the extreme northwest, because they had invaded French territory. This invasion by the Berbers was made the pretext to compel thebeytoaccept a treaty making the French rule supreme in Tunis.
The inhabitants are, generally speaking, of good figure. The men are rather spare and sinewy. The women are considered very beautiful. When they are young they have a bright color, clear complexion, and large, expressive eyes. Their hair, which is usually of a blue-black color, is allowed to float freely over the shoulders.
In Tunis, as in other Oriental countries, flesh is considered a mark of beauty. It is said that the Moorish ladies have a recipe for becoming fleshy which never fails—to eat freely of young dogs.
The women of the wealthy classes decorate themselves with a profusion of gold and silver ornaments, and carry about with them small mirrors and scent-boxes. They adorn themselves, too, with precious stones, chains, and corals. The poorer women of the Arab populace load themselves down with strings of glass beads, and copper jewelry.
The Arab children when but a few days old have a skin almost as white as a European's, though rather a dull white. Exposure to the sun soon tans the skin, little by little, to a brownish hue. This is by no means unpleasing to the eye.
The Jewish women of Tunis have a very different costume from that of the women of Algeria and Morocco. It is strikingly original and of the most brilliant coloring. Tradition identifies it with the old Hebrew costume of Scriptural times.
Its peculiar features are a pointed cap set upon thehead, and a very loose jacket, which falls a little below the waist, and which is often ornamented with the richest of embroidery. A close-fitting pair of stockings to cover the legs, and peculiar slippers or Hessian boots decorated with tassels, complete the quaint costume.
The Jewish men wear a costume much more like that of the Turks, except that their full, loose trousers do not fall much below the knee.
The women of the Turkish households in Tunis, as well as in all Mohammedan countries, are regarded more as pets and favorites than as the companions and helpmates which they are in American and European households. Their homes are like gilded cages, for the inmates can leave them only by permission of the head of the household. Even when allowed to go upon the street, they are always heavily veiled from observation.
If we leave the port of Tunis on one of the little Maltese schooners, we can, after a sail of some forty-eight hours with a favorable wind, easily discern the walls of Tripoli rising out of the sea from the low, rocky tongue of land in the western extremity of the province.
The coast line is so low that we have been able to see it only upon very near approach to shore. The mountainsof the interior, however, were discernible even at a distance of ten miles from shore, and our pilot has not hesitated to use them as safe landmarks by which to direct the course of our little vessel.
As we approach the coast it is seen as a more distinct line above the waves. Gradually it assumes the form of a long crescent, the white walls of the town rising from the center.
The eastern point of the crescent-shaped shore is overgrown with a dense grove of palm trees, which stand like troops protecting the coast, even to the water's edge, by what seems like an advance guard. The western point of the crescent is but a stretch of the yellow sands of the desert, with here and there a stunted growth to break the monotony.
A small gulf forms the harbor of the town. Across the front of this gulf a reef of low rocks serves as a foundation for a natural breakwater. One would think that it would be an easy matter to add to nature's work and make this feature of valuable service to the harbor; but the indolent Arabs have contented themselves with throwing out a frail rampart for a short distance from the shore.
Doubtless this rampart was made upon foundations laid by the Romans. On it some rusty cannon are mounted, as if to recall the glory of departed days, when the power of this kingdom, with its piratical character, struck terror to all the European nations whose vessels plowed the seas. Like Algiers, Tripoli was, in past ages, notorious for its piracy.
As far back as the middle of the sixteenth century, agovernor of the province, a noted corsair himself, encouraged piracy to such an extent that the town of Tripoli had become the headquarters of the worst class of men that had ever sailed the seas. All commerce was at the mercy of these men, who were hated as much as they were feared.
This condition of affairs had continued until the beginning of the present century, when the English compelled the Tripolitans to abandon their infamous doings upon the seas. Hence, in Tripoli, as in Algiers, piracy is at an end. Thanks to war ships, we can rejoice that the black flag, the skull and crossbones, the clipper ships that carried them, and the dastardly crews that maimed these pirate crafts are all things of the past.
Tripoli, like all the cities of the Orient, is beautiful, if seen from a distance; approach to it is sure to be very disenchanting to the traveler. Let him once step foot upon the little quay, built of masonry, gayly striped in green, yellow, blue, and red, and all poetic fancies leave his mind, as his eyes and nose are greeted with the most disenchanting, yet striking, sights and smells.
As he passes through the little gate of the fishers he emerges into a perfect labyrinth of narrow, irregular streets, far more dirty than any imagination could picture. These streets are lined with the most miserable little shops and old houses crumbling to ruins, and are littered on all sides with dirt of every description.
Only on rare occasions has the town known any spasmodic attempts at cleanliness. Such an occasion offers itself whenever a new pasha arrives from Constantineto assume official duties and issues an eloquent appeal to the people to cultivate cleanliness.
A spirit of emulation seems then to possess the people. Each person tries to outdo his neighbor. The proprietor of each little shop cleans away all dirt from his house and premises and carefully places it in a little heap in the street, to be removed to a place outside the town limits. Alas! the removal of the garbage is postponed indefinitely, the piles of dirt and waste increase in size, and are finally scattered to the four winds, and the old state of dirt and filth prevails.
Most of the houses are united to one another every few rods by arches of masonry. After heavy rains these supports have to be strengthened by rafters. In spite of these precautions many houses tumble to pieces in the course of a single year. It is hard to assign a cause for this. Possibly it may be due to the poor quality of the lime used in building, to the brackish nature of the water, or to the inferior quality of the building stone, which, is merely a compressed sand.
It is a curious fact that houses rarely last more than a year without showing signs of decay. This condition of things discourages architects and builders. Hence, few handsome edifices and buildings are seen, if we except those of a few Europeans, the buildings of the consul, the convent of the mission, and a few others.
The houses are low, usually of one story, and their flat roofs do not add to the apparent height of the buildings. The arrangement of the houses is about the same in all cases. There is a square court, around which extends a covered gallery, supported by slender columns.
Long narrow rooms, generally in the form of a Latin cross with the foot wanting, lead from this gallery. At right angles to these narrow rooms, or more strictly speaking, corridors, are two larger rooms which open from them. These several apartments are separated from each other by draperies or portières.
The section of Tripoli which lies nearest to the quay is populated by Christians, who have grouped their dwellings around the two or three churches of the town. The Jews occupy the western section of the town, which is, if possible, more unsanitary than the others.
Still, Tripoli is not without interest; for, both within and without its walls, we find not only beautiful gardens but manufactories for leather, carpets, scarfs, and the like.
From Tripoli we can watch the departure of the great caravans for the Sahara on their way to Timbuctoo Bornoo, and other points, to obtain the products of the Soudan. This overland trade we shall find, however, has to a great extent decreased in recent years. The town of Tripoli may well be considered the center of a large agricultural population. Here the native men of wealth, or capitalists, increase their revenues by acting as money lenders to the peasantry, who of course have to pay high rates of interest for the loans.
It is interesting to notice that in no other section of North Africa does the Great Desert approach so closely to the sea as in the province of Tripoli. The Atlas chain of mountains, which, so far, has served as a protection to the Mediterranean shore from the shifting sands of the desert, here dwindles away to a low ridge ofhills, and finally disappears entirely in the little Gulf of Systa, which lies west of the town of Tripoli.
On this gulf is the natural seaport of the Soudan, from which, according to Dr. Barth, opens the easiest route to the center of the continent.
The boundaries of the province of Tripoli can hardly be said to be definitely fixed. By some writers the whole area, including Fezzan and Barca, has been estimated at four hundred thousand square miles. Some writers include the oasis of Kufra, east of Fezzan; others declare it to be independent. The total population of the province is estimated at upwards of one million. Of this number about three hundred thousand belong to Barca.
Strange to say, the coast line, stretching as it does over a distance of between seven and eight hundred miles, has only one harbor, that of the town of Tripoli.
The eastern part of the interior is really a continuation of the Great Desert, and has the same general character; hence, large tracts of barren sand are common. The southern portion of the province is partly crossed by the Black Mountains, an eastern range of the Atlas. These slope away into successive terraces, which include many valleys and fertile plains. Off to the west, the surface of the country shows still greater variety; here the scenery is often beautiful and grand.
By far the richest tract in the whole province of Tripoli is Mesheea. This has a stretch of about fifteen miles of coast line. Its width, however, does not exceed five miles. Its capital is situated very nearly in the center of the district.
The whole district of Mesheea is covered with fertile fields producing wheat, barley, millet, Indian corn, together with madder, saffron, and other crops. Olive groves, vineyards, and orchards producing all kinds of southern fruit, abound.
This fertile little district is divided into small inclosures. In the center of each of them are two upright piles of mason-work. Between them a pulley is suspended, and on this a pointed leathern bucket is made to ascend and descend. Each time the bucket ascends it gives out a stream of limpid water.
The pulley is worked, usually, by a half-clothed negro, who leads a most disconsolate-looking specimen of an ox or cow, as he toils up and down an inclined plane, the lowest part of which is below the surface of the land.
All day and all night this work goes on, from the end of one rainy season till the beginning of the next. During these eight months all the gardens are like so many basins, which are under a regulated system of inundation.
Another curious custom prevails at the season when the sap begins to ascend in the date palm. A man begins to mount one of these trees, aided only by his naked feet and a girdle which holds him to the trunk.
Slowly, steadily, he mounts till he reaches the crown, where the branches spread out. He does not scruple to cut these off until only four remain, stretching out as if to indicate the points of the compass.
Over one of these branches, where it joins the trunk, he passes a fine cord and allows the two ends to reachthe ground. He then wounds the tree by making a deep incision between two of the cuts where he chopped off the branches.
Making a descent from the tree, he sends up a bucket by means of the cord, and allows it to hang suspended just under the deep incision he has made. After a space of twelve hours, this bucket is brought down and another is sent up. The former is filled with a pale gray liquid, not quite clear in appearance. It looks much like barley water, is slightly sweet in taste, and is used as we would use mineral waters.
Exposure to the atmosphere for some hours changes the appearance of the liquid. Bubbles rise to the surface, and under this slight fermentation, travelers tell us, it becomes a refreshing beverage, somewhat like soda water.
Left to stand half a day longer, the harmless beverage changes to a thick milk-white fluid with a pungent odor and a slightly acid taste. Worse than all, it has become an intoxicating drink, as evil in its effects as brandy.
It is at this stage that the natives prefer it, and the most rigid Mohammedan, who would shrink with horror at the thought of taking a glass of wine, thinks it no sin to drink a cup of this intoxicating beverage. Without scruple or shame he drinks it publicly, for to him it is only the sap of the palm. If left to stand for another day, it changes to a most nauseating liquid and is unfit for use.
Barca is the eastern division of the province of Tripoli. It lies between the Gulf of Sidra and Egypt.No definite line separates it from Egypt, but several roving, independent tribes serve as a living boundary line between the two races and their countries.
On the south, Barca consists of a desert plain descending gradually to the northerly depressions of the Libyan Desert. The greater part of the province is an oval plateau. It has, in turn, been held by the Egyptians, Byzantines, Persians, and Arabs, and comprised the Cyrenaica of the ancient world.
Many remnants of ancient towns, particularly in the northwest, bear testimony not only to the important place it held in the past, but to the celebrated fertility of the soil. At the present time the fertile tracts cover only about one fourth of the entire province. In the eastern portions only naked rocks and loose sand greet the eye.
Among the productions of Barca are rice, dates, olives, and saffron. Excellent pasturage is afforded to cattle, and the horses are as much celebrated as in days gone by.
The climate of Barca is very agreeable and healthy in the more elevated portions—often twelve hundred feet high—and in the sections exposed to the sea breezes.
As we journey to the south, on the road to the Soudan, we find the great oasis of Fezzan, which extends far into the midst of the Great Desert. Therocky plateau of Hammada forms a natural defense for it on the north, and the superstition of the native Bedouins serves as another obstacle, in addition to those nature has placed along the road.
The Bedouins have a legend of the terribleDjin, who are doomed to everlasting imprisonment in the stony Hammada. The Djin were formerly the souls of a great people inhabiting this region. By reason of their great number and strength they not only disdained all humanity, but defied both law and justice, and made themselves feared by all of their neighbors.
King Solomon sent them an apostle, who might bring them to worship one God. They, however, not only spurned and mocked at the precepts and religious ceremonies of the apostle, but put him to death.
Not satisfied, they in derision placed a pig in their temples in imitation of the sacred niche which in the wall of the mosque indicates the direction of Mecca.
These and other sacrilegious acts they committed, trusting that their great isolation, and the vast distance which separated them from all neighbors, would prevent any accounts of their impiety from reaching the ears of the great Solomon.
It happened that there were many cranes in the land. These were so scandalized at the impious acts that they sent one of their number as a deputy to carry the news to the great prophet. Filled with indignation at what had taken place, he sent a summons to the lapwing, his favorite bird, commanding him to call together all the cranes upon the face of the earth.
When they were assembled they formed so vast anumber that they became a great cloud, which threw the earth into shadow from Misda, near Tripoli, to Murzuk, the capital of Fezzan.
Each crane held a stone in its beak. At a preconcerted signal all dropped their loads upon the heads of the wicked infidels, whose souls, set free, still wander over the solitary waste; while never has a crane been able to fly through this space of torment.
Some writers trace a resemblance between this Mohammedan legend and the story of the "Pigmies and the Cranes."
The northern part of the district consists for the most part of hills of a perfectly bare sandstone. There are no rivers nor brooks among these hills to irrigate the soil or to render it fertile. The southern part is mostly a level waste of desert sand, of which only about one tenth is capable of cultivation.
In the neighborhood of the villages of Fezzan, some ninety in number, situated mostly in the wadies, or apologies for valleys, we find wheat, barley, and other grains under cultivation. Camels and horses are raised in great numbers, and many wild animals and birds of prey are frequently found.
The inhabitants of Fezzan number about thirty-five thousand, and a nomadic or wandering population of perhaps nine or ten thousand.
The inhabitants are of a mixed race. Their skin is brown and in many respects they bear a strong resemblance to the negro. Their figures are, however, much more finely formed and better proportioned.
Originally of the Berber tribes, they have graduallymingled with the Arabs since the invasion of the country by them in the fifteenth century. Hence the Arab characteristics and language are very marked in their influence upon those of the original Berber tribes.
Generally speaking, the people are far behind the rest of the world in civilization. They spend their time in cultivating their gardens and in manufacturing the most indispensable necessaries of life.
Quite a large trade is carried on by means of caravans passing over the routes between the interior of Africa and the coast section.
Murzuk is the capital of Fezzan. It is situated at the foot of a high plateau surrounded by low dunes, or sand hills, thrown up by the wind.
While we can but admire the picturesque situation of the capital, yet, even at first sight, we cannot fail to notice the great barrenness of the scene. This impression is deepened rather than lessened after a few days' sojourn in the town or in its immediate neighborhood.
Cultivation of the soil is simply impossible, except in the shade of the date palms. Here, it is possible to raise only such fruits as the pomegranate, fig, and peach. Vegetables are very scarce, and the milk of the goat is the only kind that can be obtained, since there is no pasturage for cows.
Murzuk is said to have a population of about twenty-eight hundred people. These we find settled in and about the neighborhood of the bazaar. The quarters of the city most distant from it are almost deserted.
A broad street extends from the eastern gate to thecitadel. This peculiarity would seem to indicate that the town is more closely related to negro-land than to the Arab territories on the north.
Murzuk is not inhabited by wealthy merchants. It is not so much the seat of a large commerce, as it is a place of transit.
Alexandria has aptly been called the "doorway of Africa," for it is the port through which the continent has been entered for centuries.
Leaving Europe on a luxurious steamer, and possessing the necessary passport, we shall find the port of Alexandria an easy step from the comforts of European life to the picturesque features of that in Africa.
As we view the city of Alexandria from the harbor, it does not present a specially imposing appearance. Built upon a level plain it offers no great attraction to the eye, unless it be a double row of windmills, which stretch to either hand. Looking either to the right or left as far as the eye can distinguish them, they may be seen diminishing in the perspective of the dim distance, and ceaselessly turning.
In strong contrast to these humble sentinels rises an imposing column, a relic of old Roman days. Still there is little to indicate the former grandeur of the famed city whose ancient glories have disappeared.
The modern city of Alexandria does not occupy the exact site of the ancient one, but in a great measure is built upon the mole, Heptastadium. This, by means of alluvial deposits, has broadened into quite an extensive neck of land between the two harbors.
The eastern harbor is called the New Port; the western is spoken of as the Old Port. All the largest steamers enter the eastern harbor; hence the stranger from a European port first steps foot upon African soil at the eastern quay.
In no way can the modern city be said to bear any resemblance to the old city; nor has there been any attempt to reproduce the grandeur of the ancient one. It has, in fact, an entirely different character. The Alexandria which endeared itself to the Greeks and Romans was a city rich in its treasures of literature and philosophy. The modern one, on the contrary, was designed for, and is devoted to, the interests of commerce.
The ancient city was founded by Alexander the Great in the year 332b.c.Its original situation was on the low stretch of land separating the lake Mareotis from the Mediterranean Sea.
Just in front of the city, in the Mediterranean Sea, was the island of Pharos. Upon the northeast corner of this island stood the lighthouse, famous in history, which was constructed by a noted architect at the command of Ptolemy Philadelphus.
Tradition tells us that the architect when building the lighthouse cut his own name in the stone foundations, which he covered with concrete. He then carved the name of his royal master in the more perishable portionof the structure, trusting that as the years rolled by Old Ocean and Father Time would reveal the name of the true builder. Thus would his name become known to fame, and not only appeal to the eyes of the people, but live on in their memories.
The island of Pharos had connection with the mainland by means of the mole Heptastadium, named from its great length the "Seven Furlong" mole. Thus the two harbors were formed.
The entire length of the original city is said to have been about four miles, while its circumference was not less than fifteen miles.
Two main streets ran straight through the ancient city. These crossed at right angles in the heart of it. The streets were well built and were adorned with colonnades throughout their entire length.
The most beautiful section of the city had a situation upon the eastern harbor; here were located the palaces of the Ptolemies, and the museum and ancient library. Here, too, stood the Soma, or Mausoleum, of Alexander the Great and of the Ptolemies, and the imposing theater of the city.
A little farther to the west was the emporium, or exchange. Rhacotis, or the Egyptian quarter, was in the western section of the city. It contained the temple of Serapis.
Just at the west of the city was the great Necropolis. To the east lay the race course. Just beyond it was the suburban district of Nicopolis.
Most of the houses in ancient Alexandria had spaces under them. In these were built vaulted undergroundcisterns, which were capable of holding water enough to supply the wants of the whole city for an entire year.
From its earliest history Alexandria was the "Greek capital of Egypt." We are told that at the time of its greatest prosperity it contained about three hundred thousand free citizens. This did not include the slaves and strangers, who must have doubled the number of the people.
The population, for the most part, consisted of Greeks, Jews, and Egyptians, with settlers, probably, from all nations of the then known world.
On the death of Alexander the Great the city became the residence of the Ptolemies. Under their reign it became the most magnificent city of antiquity except Rome and Antioch. In addition it became the center of learning and Greek literature, while its influence spread over a large portion of the Old World.
The situation of the city was most favorable for its prosperity. The connecting link, as it were, between the East and the West, it soon became the great commercial center of the world.
About 30b.c., when the Romans took possession of it, it had reached the pinnacle of its glory. From the time of this conquest its prosperity was on the wane. Little by little the influence of the invader was felt. The removal of all works of art to Rome was the death-blow to the prosperity of which Alexandria had been so proud.
Then followed frightful massacres, the laying in waste of the most beautiful portion of the city, the siege and pillage of the now doomed capital, and finallythe increasing prosperity of its rival, the city of Constantinople.
Thus did circumstances rapidly combine to destroy Alexandria. In the fourteenth century, all that remained of its former splendor of buildings was the temple of Serapis.
Soon the strife between Christianity and heathenism arose. The final victory was gained in 389a.d., when the only remaining seat of heathen theology was stormed by a body of Christians and speedily turned into a place of worship.
Thus ended heathenism in Alexandria. It became the great center of Christian faith and theology, and nothing marred its prosperity till it was taken by the Arabs 638a.d.. The conquest by the Turks completed the destruction of the city 868a.d.
True, under the Egyptian califs its prosperity revived somewhat; for, under them, it remained the chief commercial center between the east and the west.
The discovery of America, and the existence of a passage to India by way of the Cape of Good Hope, had a most disastrous effect on the trade of Alexandria, and reduced it to very small proportions compared with that of former days.
Under the dominion of the Mamelukes the city suffered still farther reverses. The conquest of the Osmanli followed this dominion, and destroyed such little prosperity as the Arabs had succeeded in restoring. The effect of these constant changes was such, that in 1778a.d.there were but about six thousand inhabitants in the whole city.
At the close of the eighteenth century Egypt was conquered by the French, and this had the effect of reviving the prosperity of her long suffering port.
Under Mehemit Ali, who had his home there for a portion of the year, the city prospered to such an extent that it soon attained the reputation of being one of the chief commercial cities on the Mediterranean Sea.
Through the influence of steam navigation it has, as of old, become the medium of communication between Europe and the East Indies. It is connected with Cairo by means of a canal which was constructed somewhere between the years 1818 and 1820. It is also connected by railway with Suez. Until quite recently, all passengers and freight for India went by the way of Suez.
The population of Alexandria is somewhat mixed, for it consists of Arabians, Turks, Copts, Jews, Greeks, and French.
Ancient Alexandria is associated in history with Julius Cæsar, who, 48b.c., went there to intercede in the dispute over the rightful successor to the Egyptian throne at the death of Ptolemy Auletes. According to the will of the late ruler, his daughter Cleopatra and her husband Ptolemy Dionysus should have succeeded to the throne.
In consequence of the dispute as to the rightful successor, the Alexandrian War followed. Ptolemy Dionysus was slain, and Cleopatra, after much delay, finally took possession of the throne.
The beauty and power, the extravagance and arrogance of Cleopatra have formed the subject for many a painter, the theme for many a poet and historian.
A trip into Egypt would be incomplete without obtaining a view of the Delta of the Nile, which lies east and southeast of Alexandria.
The ancient Egyptians believed that the alluvial deposit at the mouth of their beloved river had been gained from the sea, but modern geographers believe it to have been formed by particles of earth, which in the course of ages have been deposited at the river's mouth.
The water of the Nile is usually of a deep blue color, which changes to a reddish brown during the annual overflow of its banks.
All the Nile countries, or those which border on its banks, receive a deposit of soil during the annual inundation. This deposit, which covers even the rocks, consists of earth or loam mixed more or less with sand.
Around the Delta we find very noticeable signs of the gradual sinking of the ground. What were known as the "Baths of Cleopatra" at Alexandria have already sunk below the level of the water.
Several changes, due to the annual inundation, have taken place. In 1784 a lagoon, or small lake, was formed at Aboukir by the invasion of the sea. The bed of what now constitutes Lake Menzaleh was once a densely populated region.
The Delta presents the appearance of an immense marsh during the season of inundation; the variousislands, villages, towns, and plantations can barely be discerned above the water's level.
The houses of the well-to-do peasants in the Nile villages are built of bricks dried in the sun; the chief magistrate usually has a more pretentious house built of bricks that have been baked in regular ovens or kilns; the humbler peasants content themselves with huts, which they form from the mud of the Nile and roof over with the leaves and stems of the palm. The whole is then plastered with a coating of mud.
In these villages, a minaret towers above the various houses and hotels; while a few sycamores spread their leafy crowns and make the chief ornament of the village. Slender date trees sway in the breeze, and the long racemes of the acacia shed their delicate perfume abroad.
The rains of the tropics, to which the rise of the Nile is due, reach Egypt about the middle of June; they do not reach the Delta till about the end of the month.
The rise of the river dates from the appearance of the red water, about the middle of July. The water does not reach its maximum height till near the end of September. By the middle of October it has sunk very perceptibly, and by the month of April has gradually subsided to its minimum depth.
By the end of November the irrigated land has dried sufficiently to allow of its being sown. Soon the eye is gladdened by the sight of a rich covering of green crops which brighten the landscape till the close of February. In March comes the harvest time when all the crops are gathered and stored.
Since the days of Moses, Egypt has been associatedin the mind with plague, pestilence, and famine. It can by no means be considered a healthy country. Ophthalmia, a distressing disease of the eyes, prevails to an alarming extent.
It is no uncommon thing to find not only the father, mother, and children in a family suffering from the loss of sight in one or both eyes, but even the cat, dog, and donkey may share the same affliction.