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[Page 129]
It is astonishing the number of mosques one comes across in Cairo, no less than 500 are said to be scattered about the city.
When a dome is on one of these mosques, it denotes it is the "mausoleum" of some great one of the country & acts as a canopy over his resting place. The interior of theses mosques present a glorious sight, but of course one is not allowed to enter before removing one's footwear, as these mosques are looked upon as holy ground by Moslems. Placed in a recess in the wall is a 'hanafieh" or tank, where the faithful wash before praying. In the centre of the wall on the eastern side is the "mirhab" (niche), which is in the direction of Mecca & towards which the Moslem prayers. The Mohammed Ali is the finest mosque I have seen in Egypt & contains over 3000 lights & beautiful carvings & ancient writings on its walls. I was not allowed to take a photograph of the interior of this mosque, the guards rushing to stop me when they saw me produce a camera.
The Muskey & bazaars are well worth a visit, the silk shops; brass workers of "Suken-Nahassin" amply repay one for the time spent visiting them, as they turn out glorious work of wonderful designs, which are all hand beaten & engraved. The native store keepers always put a high price on their goods & it is great fun arguing & beating them down til you purchase the goods at about half the original price & even then the vendor can always show a good profit.