Peeps at Many Lands: Egypt | Page 3

else which makes
Egypt so attractive to thoughtful people.
CHAPTER II
THE LAND
It would naturally be supposed that a country which for so long a time

exercised such influence upon the world at large would be extensive
and densely populated.
Neither is the case, however, for though upon the map Egypt appears to
be a large country, the greater part consists of rock and burning sand,
and is practically uninhabited.
The real land of Egypt is the narrow strip of alluvial soil which forms
the Nile banks, and the fertile delta which spreads fan-like from Cairo
to the sea. These two divisions of the land practically constitute Upper
and Lower Egypt. In area each is less than Wales, while the total
population of the country is not twice that of London.
It is its extreme fertility which has made Egypt prosperous, and
throughout the world's history it has been a granary for the nations, for
while drought and famine might affect other lands, Egypt has always
been able to supply food to its neighbours.
How does this come about? Let me try and explain.
Thousands of years ago, when the world was very young, the whole
land was covered by the sea, which is plainly shown by the fossils
embedded in the rocks, and which lie scattered over its highest deserts.
As the sea receded, the Nile, then a mighty river, began to cut its
channel through the rock, and poured into the sea somewhere about
where Cairo now stands.
As the ages passed the river cut deeper and deeper into its rocky bed,
leaving on either side the mountains which hem in its narrow valley,
and at the same time depositing along its banks and in the delta forming
at its mouth the rich alluvial mud which it had carried with it from the
heart of Africa.
In this way the Egypt of history has been formed, but, surrounded as it
is by sandy wastes, and often swept by hot desert winds, no rain falls to
bring life to the fields, or enable the rich soil to produce the crops
which are its source of wealth.

Nature provides a remedy, however, and the river which first formed
the land is also its life-giver, for every year the Nile overflows its banks,
re-fertilizing the soil, and filling the canals and reservoirs with water
sufficient for the year's needs, without which Egypt would remain a
barren, sun-baked land, instead of the fertile country it is.
The first view of Egypt as it is approached from the sea is
disappointing, for the low-lying delta is hardly raised at all above
sea-level, and its monotony is only broken by an occasional hillock or
the lofty minarets of the coast towns.
[Illustration: AN IRRIGATED FIELD.]
Formerly the Nile had several mouths, and from many seaports Egypt
carried on its trade with the outside world. To-day only Rosetta and
Damietta remain to give their names to the two branches by which
alone the Nile now seeks the sea. These interesting seaports, mediæval
and richly picturesque, are no longer the prosperous cities they once
were, for railways have diverted traffic from the Nile, and nearly all the
seaborne trade of Egypt is now carried from Alexandria or Port Said,
the northern entrance to the Suez Canal, and it is by either of these two
ports that modern visitors make their entry into Egypt.
Alexandria is interesting as the city founded by Alexander the Great,
but with the exception of Pompey's pillar and its ancient catacombs has
little attraction for visitors. The town is almost entirely Italian in
character, and is peopled by so many different races that it hardly
seems Egypt at all; boys, however, would enjoy a visit to the
Ras-el-Tin Fort, which figured so largely in the bombardment of
Alexandria, and away to the east, near Rosetta, is Aboukir Bay, the
scene of a more stirring fight, for it was here that, in A.D. 1798, Nelson
destroyed the French fleet,[1] and secured for Britain the command of
the Mediterranean.
[Footnote 1: In the "Battle of the Nile."]
After the monotony of a sea voyage, landing at Port Said is amusing.
The steamer anchors in mid-stream, and is quickly surrounded by gaily

painted shore boats, whose swarthy occupants--half native, half
Levantine--clamber on board, and clamour and wrangle for the
possession of your baggage. They are noisy fellows, but once your
boatman is selected, landing at the little stages which lie in the harbour
is quickly effected, and you and your belongings are safely deposited at
the station, and your journey to Cairo begun.
Port Said is a rambling town, whose half brick, half timber buildings
have a general air of dilapidation and unfinish which is depressing. The
somewhat picturesque principal bazaar street is soon exhausted, and
excepting