A

THOUSAND MILES

UP THE NILE

AMELIA B. EDWARDS

 

 

 

PREFACE.

 

CHAPTER I.--CAIRO AND THE GREAT PYRAMID. Arrival at Cairo.--Shepheard's Hotel.--The Moskee.--The Khan Khaleel.--The Bazaars.--Dahabeeyahs.--Ghizeh.--The Pyramids.

 

CHAPTER II.--CAIRO AND THE MECCA PILGRIMAGE. The Mosque of Sultan Hassan.--Moslems at prayer.--Mosque of Mehemet Ali.--View from the Platform.--Departure of the Caravan for Mecca.--The Báb en-Nasr.--The Procession.--The Mahmal.--Howling Dervishes.--The Mosque of `Amr.--The Shubra Road.

 

CHAPTER III.--CAIRO TO BEDRESHAYN. Departure for the Nile Voyage.--Farewell to Cairo.--Turra.--The Philæ and crew.--The Dahabeeyah and the Nile sailor.--Native music.--Bedreshayn.

 

CHAPTER IV.--SAKKÂRAH AND MEMPHIS. The Palms of Memphis.--Three groups of Pyramids.--The M. B.'s and their groom.--Relic-hunting.--The Pyramid of Ouenephes.--The Serapeum.--A royal raid.--The Tomb of Ti.--The Fallen Colossus.--Memphis.

 

CHAPTER V.--BEDRESHAYN TO MINIEH. The rule of the Nile.--The Shâdûf.--Beni Suêf.--Thieves by night.--The Chief of the Guards.--A sandstorm.--"Holy Sheykh Cotton."--The Convent of the Pulley.--A Copt.--The Shadow of the World.--Minieh.--A native market.--Prices of provisions.--The Dôm palm.--Fortune-telling.--Ophthalmia.

 

CHAPTER VI.--MINIEH TO SIÛT. Christmas Day.--The Party completed.--Christmas Dinner on the Nile.--A Fantasia.--Noah's Ark.--Birds of Egypt.--Gebel Abufayda.--Unknown Stelæ--Imprisoned.--The Scarab-beetle.--Manfalût.--Siût.--Red and black pottery.--Ancient tombs.--View over the plain.--Biblical legend.

 

CHAPTER VII.--SIÛT TO DENDERAH. An "Experienced Surgeon."--Passing scenery.--Girgeh.--Sheykh Selim.--Kasr es Syad.--Forced labour.--Temple of Denderah.--Cleopatra.--Benighted.

 

CHAPTER VIII.--THEBES AND KARNAK. Luxor.--Donkey-boys.--Topography of Ancient Thebes.--Pylons of Luxor.--Poem of Pentaur.--The solitary Obelisk.--Interior of the Temple of Luxor.--Polite postmaster.--Ride to Karnak.--Great Temple of Karnak.--The Hypostyle Hall.--A world of ruins.

 

CHAPTER IX.--THEBES TO ASSÛAN. A storm on the Nile.--Erment.--A gentlemanly Bey.--Esneh.--A buried Temple.--A long day's sketching.--Salame the chivalrous.--Remarkable Coin.--Antichi.--The Fellâh.--The pylons of Edfû.--An exciting race.--The Philæ wins by a length.

 

CHAPTER X.--ASSÛAN AND ELEPHANTINE. Assûan.--Strange wares for sale.--Madame Nubia.--Castor oil.--The black Governor.--An enormous blunder.--Tannhäuser in Egypt.--Elephantine.--Inscribed potsherds.--Bazaar of Assûan.--The Camel.--A ride in the Desert.--The Obelisk of the Quarry.--A death in the town.

 

CHAPTER XI.--THE CATARACT AND THE DESERT. Scenery of the Cataract.--The Sheykh of the Cataract.--Vexatious delays.--The Painter's vocabulary.--Mahatta.--Ancient bed of the Nile.--Abyssinian Caravan.

 

CHAPTER XII.--PHILÆ. Pharoah's Bed.--The Temples.--Champollion's discovery.--The Painted Columns.--Coptic Philæ.--Philæ and Desaix.--Chamber of Osiris.--Inscribed Rock.--View from the roof of the Temple.

 

CHAPTER XIII.--PHILÆ TO KOROSKO. Nubian scenery.--A sand-slope.--Missing Yûsef.--Trading by the way.--Panoramic views.--Volcanic cones.--Dakkeh.--Korosko.--Letters from home.

 

CHAPTER XIV.--KOROSKO TO ABOU SIMBEL. El-'Id el-Kebir.--Stalking wild ducks.--Temple of Amada.--Fine art of the Thothmes.--Derr.--A native funeral.--Temple of Derr.--The "fair" families.--The Sakkieh.--Arrival at Abou Simbel by moonlight.

 

CHAPTER XV.--RAMESES THE GREAT. Youth of Rameses the Great.--Treaty with the Kheta.--His wives.--His great works.--The Captivity.--Pithom and Rameses.--Kauiser and Keniamon.--The Birth of Moses.--Tomb of Osymandias.--Character of Rameses the Great.

 

CHAPTER XVI.--ABOU SIMBEL. (unfinished) The Colossi.--Portraits of Rameses the Great.--The great Sand-drift.--The smaller Temples.--"Rameses and Nefertari."--The Great Temple.--A monster tableau.--Alone in the Great Temple.--Trail of a crocodile.--Cleaning the Colossus.--The sufferings of the sketcher.

 

CHAPTER XVII.--THE SECOND CATARACT. Volcanic mountains.--Kalat Adda.--Gebel esh-Shems.--The first crocodile.--Dull scenery.--Wady Halfeh--The Rock of Abusir.--The Second Cataract.--The great view.--Crocodile-slaying.--Excavating a tumulus.--Comforts of home on the Nile.

 

CHAPTER XVIII.--DISCOVERIES AT ABOU SIMBEL. (missing pictures) Society at Abou Simbel.--The Painter discovers a rock-cut chamber.--Sunday employment.--Reinforcement of natives.--Excavation.--The Sheykh.--Discovery of human remains.--Discovery of pylon and staircase.--Decorations of Painted Chamber.--Inscriptions.

 

CHAPTER XIX.--BACK THROUGH NUBIA. Temples ad infinitum.--Tosko.--Crocodiles.--Derr and Amada again.--Wady Sabooah.--Haughty beauty.--A nameless city.--A river of sand.--Undiscovered Temple.--Maharrakeh.--Dakkeh.--Fortress of Kobban.--Gerf Hossayn.--Dendoor.--Bayt-el-Welly.--The Karnak of Nubia.--Silco of the Ethiopians.--Tafah.--Dabôd.--Baby-shooting.--A dilemma.--Justice in Egypt.--The last of Philæ.

 

CHAPTER XX.--SILSILIS AND EDFÛ. Shooting the Cataract.--Kom Ombo.--Quarries of Silsilis.--Edfû the most perfect of Egyptian temples.--View from the pylons.--Sand columns.

 

CHAPTER XXI.--THEBES. (unfinished) Luxor again.--Imitation "Anteekahs."--Digging for Mummies.--Tombs of Thebes.--The Ramesseum.--The granite Colossus.--Medinet Habu.--The Pavilion of Rameses III.--The Great Chronicle.--An Arab story-teller.--Gournah.--Bab-el-Molûk.--The shadowless Valley of Death.--The Tombs of the Kings.--Stolen goods.--The French House.--An Arab dinner and fantasia.--The Coptic Church at Luxor.--A Coptic service.--A Coptic Bishop.

 

CHAPTER XXII.--ABYDOS AND CAIRO. (unfinished) Last weeks on the Nile.--Spring in Egypt.--Ninety-nine in the shade.--Samata.--Unbroken donkeys.--The Plain of Abydos.--Harvest-time.--A Biblical idyll.--Arabat the Buried.--Mena.--Origin of the Egyptian People.--Temple of Seti.--New Tablet of Abydos.--Abydos and Teni.--Kom-es-Sultan.--Visit to a native Aga.--The Hareem.--Condition of women in Egypt.--Back at Cairo.--"In the name of the Prophet, Cakes!"--The Môlid-en-Nebee.--A human causeway.--The Boulak Museum.--Prince Ra-hotep and Princess Nefer-t.--Early drive to Ghizeh.--Ascent of the Great Pyramid.--The Sphinx.--The view from the Top.--The end.

 

I. A. M'Callum, Esq., to the Editor of the Times.
II. The Egyptian Pantheon.
III. The Religious Belief of the Egyptians.
IV. Egyptian Chronology.
V. Contemporary Chronology of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Babylon