CAIRO. 



411 



The so-called " Joseph's Well," sunk near the mosque by order of Yusûf Salah- 

 ed-din (Saladin the Great), descends to the level of the Nile at a depth of 286 feet. 

 From the surface of the ground to about half of this depth a winding incline 

 enables the oxen to reach a landing, whence the water is raised to the top by 

 working a system of buckets. 



South of the citadel in the direction of Old Cairo, and northward of the fort 

 of the Jebel-Mokattam, other mosques of all sizes raise their graceful domes above 



Fig. 126. — MosauE of Mohammed Ali 



the tombs of kings and princes. These elegant structures present a striking con- 

 trast to the bare ground, here strewn with all manner of débris, and to the rugged 

 walls of the surrounding quarries. The Kait-bey mosque, north of the cluster of 

 hills, dates from the fifteenth century, but has been recently restored. It is, 

 perhaps, the most perfect specimen of Arab architecture in Egypt, at least as 

 regards the arabesque and geometrical designs of its fretted walls, and the exquisite 

 symmetry of its minaret, disposed in corbelled galleries. Thus the country which 



