Entrance into Cairo of the princess, mother-in-law to Abbas Pasha, coming back from a pilgrimage in Mecca.

January 7th, 1850, 5pm

Entrance into Cairo of the princess, mother-in-law to Abbas Pasha, coming back from a pilgrimage to Mecca. We went to the palace in the Suez desert to wait for her.

Pilgrims on camels, coming down and falling into the arms of friends and family - two men kiss and cry and pull back immediately; the infantry doing parades in the desert - it is cold with a lot of dust. Bekir Bey brings us among the General Staff; the music plays polkas; the master of music, big belly, in frog coats and boots, on horseback; Nubar Bey, young Armenian who looks like he comes out of the Quartier Latin; - ludicrous figure of the poor Turkish Pashas in their tight European uniforms.

Dressed camels. The Princess’s camels have mirrors surrounded by pearl necklaces tied to their knees; around the neck a triple necklace made of bells - on the head bunches of colored feathers.

A litter. The windows of her litter are shaped like a ship’s portholes and decorated with mirrors on the inside. The spears of the irregular soldiers are decorated with feathers at the end of the shaft.


David Wade said thanks.

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Gustave Flaubert

"Travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world." [extracts from Flaubert's travel diary written in 1849-1851]

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