August 31, 1943 (Continued).

CAIRO.

August 31, 1943. (Cont.)
The Moslems take their shoes off when they enter the Mosque. So, they placed slippers over our shoes. The Citadel is located at the entrance to the Mosque. Here are stone slabs, and the faithful sit on them. There are faucets in front of the faithful. The well that feeds these faucets is 300 feet deep, and is nearby. They sit on the stones and wash their hands, face and head three times before they enter the temple. The marble vaults, in the corridor, contain the remains of holy men.
Next, we went to the Bazaar - past the native section. In older times, when one of the family would pass on to their reward, they would be buried in the home or in the courtyard. Finally, after the whole family had died, the home served as a family plot and was no longer lived in.
The Bazaar is composed of many shops - perfume, jewelry, novelty items, etc. The merchants did a good tourist business - evident by their speaking English - even some slang! The merchant pulls up a chair for you to sit on, and then asks you if you care for coffee, tea or lemonade? They also pass you Egyptian cigarettes. Then, they drag out their wares on top of the counter. They are 20th century “feather merchants” for sure! They are gamblers from the old school. They are willing to “flip” you “double or nothing” for the material that you are interested in - or for either their price or yours. There are brass and copper shops; silk shops; ivory shops, etc.
Then, we get back into the 1931 Model A Ford -taxi, and proceed to another Mosque. Our guide’s father had been a Tourist Guide for 55 years, and was now working for one of the larger hotels. Between our guide, and his dad, they sent out 1,000 Christmas cards to people that they had worked for, to England and the United states. Our guide said that he had a chance to go back to the States with Mr. Reynolds, President of Camel cigarettes. But, he was only ten years old, and the only son. His mother cried so much that his father decided that he hadn’t better go! Our guide said that he has been unlucky ever since.
(to be continued.)