Part L Travels into thel^Ev knt. 129 
Caire^ on the way to Bonlac^ a very large place, called Lesbike^ which contains 
many Acres of Land. When the A7jd//\f runs, this place is under water, and 
continues fo four or five months, afrer which they few fcveral things there, 
that grow a pace, the ground being very fat. This fpacious place is furrounded 
with many very lovely Palaces of -Sep, and other Great Men of the Countrey, 
who go thither now and then to divert themfelves for fome days.But to my pur- 
pofe again, I think I may confidently fay, that Cure is not lo big as Pans ; but Î 
believe it is more populous, for there are in it ugly Sties or Holes, rather than 
Houfes, full of Women and Children, who never flir out of doors, becaufe 
in the Turkilh Empire, the Women go neither to Market, nor any other place 
out of doors, but only to the Bath, and yet the flreets are always full of people, 
and when a Plague fweeps away two hundred thoufand Souls in Caire, it is not 
perceived. Several have written that Caire has no Walls, and that, perhaps^ 
has made them confound Catre with BohLic and Old Caire, but they have not 
look'd well about them, for Caire is encompafied round with very fair and thick 
Walls j they are built of good Stone, which is ftill fo white, that one would 
fay they were newly built, if it were not to be known by the great cracks which 
are in many places^that they are very ancient. Thefe Walls have very handfome 
Battlements, and at lefs than an hundred paces interv.il, lovely Towers, able ' 
to contain many People ; they have been built very high, but are at prefent all 
covered with Ruines, which are fo high, that I have pafsM over fome places 
where they wholly hide the Walls, and are much above them j and in thofe 
places one would think there were no Wall, if (where the Ruines are lower) 
it were not to be feen carried on as the reft is : And though it would be very 
eafie to clear the Rubbifn, and by repairing what is v/anting, make the Walls 
appear beautiful and high, yet the Turks make no Reparations, butfufferall to 
run to decay. And fo have they fufFered a large and the lovelieft part of the 
Caftle to fall to ruine, through their negled in repairing it near to the faid 
Walls. In many places there are great Church-yards, full of Sepulchres, ador- 
ned With fair Stones, that yield a pleafant Profped, and would fuffice for 
-building of a Town. All agree, that there are three and twenty thoufand 23000 Pre- 
Precinds in Caire^ and as many Mofques, in every Precind there being one cinds, and as 
Mofque at leaft,and fome having more. A Precind is a Quarter, and in fome many mo/î^'" 
of them there are feveral Streets : Each Precind is watched by two Men, who '^^j^ien 
are chained together by one Chain, that they may notfeparate: Thefe Men chained toge- 
voluntarily undertake the office, for the profit they make of certain Dues, and ther, watch 
the Officers of the Sonf-Ba^oa keep the Keys of the Padlocks that lock up their every Quar- 
Chains j there are more Mofques then, than Precindts ^ and indeed, I could '^^Ca.m. 
.never perfwademy felf that there were three and twenty thoufand Precinds in 
C.îirf^ it is true, all the ftreets of C^i^Vf are very fhort and narrow, except the 
Hreet of the Baz,ar, and the Khalis, which is dry but three months of the year, 
and few people go in it too ; there is not a fair flreet in all Caire, but a great 
many little ones that go turning and winding ; which fhews, that all the Houfes 
of Caire have been built without any dcfign of making a City, every one pitching 
upon the ground he lik'd bell to build upon, without confidering if the Houfes 
ftopt a ftreet or not. As for the Mofques, I am apt to believe there are three The numbelr 
and twenty thoufand ; but of that number, a good many are but Holes or liitle of Mofims ia 
Chappels, not ten paces fquare : Not but that there are alfo feveral fair large 
Mofques, moft magnificent Buildings, adorned with lovely Frontifpieces and 
Gates , with very high Minarets ^ and the greateft of all is Bq^emiel-Az.em. Dgmld-âim^ 
The Houfes of Caire are feveral ft^ories high, with flat and TerrralTe roofs, as all 
over Tnrkte, and there they take the frefh air, when the Sun is down ; nay feve- 
ral lye upon them in the Summer-time : They make no Shew at all on theout- 
fide, but within you fee nothing but Gold and A^ure, at leafl in the Houfes of 
Peribns of Qiiality ^ and moft of their Halls have an open round hole in the 
roof or feeling to let in plenty of frelh air, which is a very precious thing in 
that Countrey j and commonly there is a Cufdo or Lanthorn over that hole, 
with many windows round it, to let in or keep out the wind. 
5 
CHAP, 
