﻿THE CITY OF CAIRO AND THE SPHINX. 103 



are the first which the traveller beholds on approaching the city. 

 Ascending a long flight of steps, and passing under a magnificent 

 doorway, we entered the vestibule, and proceeded towards the sacred 

 portion of the edifice ; where, on stepping over a small railing, it was 

 necessary to take off our babooshes, or red Turkish shoes. Here we 

 beheld a spacious square court, paved with marble of various colors, 

 fancifully arranged, with a beautiful marble fountain in the centre. 

 At the extremity of the court, and entirely open to it, is a large 

 apartment, containing a marble tabernacle, surrounded by slender 

 tapering columns, with a finely-sculptured pulpit. Numerous Ara- 

 bic sentences are written on the wall, in letters of gold; and below, 

 scratched with pen or pencil, are the names of various devotees. 

 Massive doors of bronze, elegantly ornamented, close the entrance 

 into the body of the edifice ; into which, for motives of piety or pru- 

 dence, my Turkish conductor was unwilling to introduce me. To 

 behold this, however, having been my principal object, I addressed 

 myself directly to the keeper of the mosque, at the risk of being 

 discovered ; and, somewhat to the surprise of the Turk, obtained 

 instant permission to enter. Here, in the centre of the apartment, 

 and surrounded by a neat railing, stands the tomb of Sultan Has- 

 san. On the marble slab was placed an antique manuscript copy 

 of the Koran, in heavy massive binding, resembling that of our an- 

 cestors, in which oak supplied the place of mill-board. Before I was 

 permitted to touch this sacred relic, the keeper of the mosque ex- 

 plicitly demanded of my companion what were my religion and 

 country. Without the slightest hesitation, he replied, " He is a 

 Turk from Stamboul;" upon which the Koran was placed in my 

 hands. The manuscript, which was of fine parchment, and many 

 centuries old, was \vritten partly with ink, and partly in gold char- 

 acters, and beautifully illuminated with stars of bright blue, purple 

 and gold. These tastefu. ornaments, varying in size from that of a 

 crown piece to sixpence, studded the pages and the margin, but 

 varied only in dimensions, the pattern being always the same. The 

 title-page was slightly torn, and exhibited a glittering mass of gild- 

 ing, intermingled with arabesques in brilliant colors." 



It would be an endless task to visit all the places of worship in 

 Cairo. Many of them are constructed in beautiful style, and well 

 deserve a visit from the traveller. 



