Cats of Cairo: Egypt's Enduring Legacy

104 Pages·2001·30.614 MB·English

by  Lorraine Chittock, Annemarie Schimmel

Pets
CAts Cairo
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BY LORRAINE GHITTOCK
Introduction by Annemarie Schimmel
F
ar from being pampered house cats, the
felines of Cairo are street-smart survivors
who roam freely throughout the city. Their
ancestors in ancient Egypt were revered as gods and
were so beloved that they were portrayed in statues
and jewelry. In fact, upon the death of a cat, if its
owner could afford it, a lavish funeral was held. In
subsequent centuries, the tradition of adoring cats
continued. According to folk tradition, the
prophet Muhammad cut off his coat sleeve because
he had to move in preparation for prayer, and he
didn’t want to disturb his cat, who was napping on
his sleeve. Today, as Lorraine Chittock’s captivat¬
ing photographs display, the mystique of the cat
lives on.
During her seven-year stay in Cairo, Chittock
pursued cats throughout the city’s streets, taking
intimate portraits of these wary inhabitants. She
portrays their lunar eyes coolly scanning the
relentless bustle around them and their long bod¬
ies slinking through souks and down alleys.
Supplementing the intriguing images are quotes
from a variety of historical and modern sources
and a fascinating introduction which traces the
timeless bond between people and cats in Cairo
revealing the rhythm of life there—its joys, sorrows,
and deep sense of religion.
Featuring the quintessential cat, this is the
quintessential cat book.
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EGYPT’S
ENDURING
LEGACY
Lorraine Chittock
INTRODUCTION BY
Dr. Annemarie Schimmel
■y-
ABBEVILLE PRESS PUBLISHERS
New York London Paris
Domesticated animals are our link with the wild.
Let our gift to them be respect and reverence.
Cover: Mosque of alMu’apyad near Bab /jiwayla Designer: Patty Fabricant
Frontispiece: Opposite the Mosque of Qajamas al-Ishaqi, Darb al-Ahmar Production Director: Louise Kurtz
Title page: Inside of the Mosque ofal-Mu'ayj ad near Bab /jjwayla Editor: Ashley Benning
Photographs © 1999 by Lorraine Chittock; First Published by Camel Caravan Press
[email protected] © 2000 Abbeville Press, New York
Introduction © 1999 by Dr. Annemarie Schimmel All rights reserved under international copyright conventions.
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form
Ancient Egyptian translations: or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
Jaromir Malek: page numbers I3> I4> !9> 22, 25, 26, 93- recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
Dr. M. Depauw: page numbers l6, 20. without permission in writing from the publisher. Inquiries should
be addressed to Abbeville Publishing Group, 22 Cortlandt Street,
Excerpt from The Tavern of the Black Cat,’ by Naguib Mahfouz, New York, N.Y. 10007- Printed and bound in China.
reprinted by permission of 2468 IO 975 3 I
The American University in Cairo Press.
Motifs from Ancient Egyptian Patterns and Islamic Designs, by Eva Wilson, Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
published by The British Museum Press, 1997- Chittock, Lorraine, i960 —
Envy’ and Every Cat Has a Story printed by permission of the author, Cats of cairo: Egypt’s enduring legacy/Lorraine Chittock;
Naomi Shihab Nye. Envy’ first appeared in Hugging the Jukebox, published introduction by Annemarie Schimmel.
by E.P. Dutton; 'Every Cat Has a Story’ first appeared in English Journal. p. cm.
After Fever’ printed by permission of the author, Lisa Suhair Majaj.
ISBN 0-7892-0707-9
I. Cats—Egypt—Cairo. I. Title.
The Gayer Anderson Cat,’ EA 64391 page 7- printed
SF442.63.E3 C45 2001
by courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum.
636.8’oo962'i6—dc2i 00-05185
The gnawing mouse,’ page 9, MS Poc 400 fol (cat), and I--f—H
The married man and his family,’ page IO, MS Bodl OrI33 fol 4°r,
by courtesy of the Bodleian Library.
MOBILE
SF442.63
The publisher is grateful for permission to reproduce material.
. E3
While every reasonable effort has been made to trace copyright holders, C45
the publisher would be pleased to hear from any not here acknowledged. 2000
Acknowledge*1*5
John Dawson, a reluctant cat lover, who listened end¬ Sally Skerrett for thoughtful design assistance on
lessly, patiently, and lovingly while watching this book numerous occasions.
proceed. Thank you for meticulous editing and counsel
on so many aspects of this project. Ahmed Sultan for his beautiful cat calligraphy.
Dick Doughty, for making valuable time to assist with the Matthew Kleinosky for patiently putting together a long
book’s flow from both a visual and literary viewpoint. overdue website.
Thank you for your inspired and knowledgeable editing.
Linda Cox, for her invaluable coordination after I’d left
Dr. Annemarie Schimmel, for freely sharing valuable Cairo and warm welcome when I returned.
information accumulated during years of dedicated
scholarship. A precious gift of knowledge from one cat Neil Hewison, who was always willing to share infor¬
lover to another. mation.
Jaromir Malek, whose academic knowledge of Egyptology Andy Smart for the camaraderie and support of a fellow
and love of cats were indispensible for this project’s publisher.
completion.
Mike and Kelly Zaug, who gave me confidence in this book.
Dr. M. Depauw for demotic translations.
Tanya Watkins (British Museum) and Doris Nicholson
Liz Waygood for translation. (Bodleian Library) for picture research.
Andrea Pape-Christiansen for endless hours of intuitive My mother, Barbara Timms, for all the cat books you
and sensitive translation. lovingly gave me as a child.
Professor Yahya Michot at the Oxford Centre for Islamic And especially to all the cat lovers in Cairo who enthusi¬
Studies for research assistance. astically shared their love of cats with me.
Introduction
by Annemarie Schimmel
W
hen the British orientalist
E. W. Lane lived in Cairo in the 1830s he was quite amazed
to see, every afternoon, a great number of cats gathering in the
garden of the High Court, where people would bring baskets
full of food for them. In this way, he was told, the qadi (judge)
fulfilled obligations dating from the thirteenth-century rule of
the Mamluk sultan al-Zahir Baybars. This cat-loving monarch
had endowed a "cats’ garden,” a pious foundation where the
cats of Cairo would find everything they needed and liked. In
the course of time the place had been sold and resold, changed
and rebuilt; yet the law required that the sultan’s endowment
should be honored, and who better than the qadi to execute the
king’s will and take care of the cats?
The tradition continues. To this very day, every visitor
to the Islamic world is aware of the innumerable cats in the
streets of Cairo — and of Istanbul, Kairouan, Damascus, and
many other cities. Virtually everywhere, one is reminded of
the saying popularly attributed to the Prophet Muhammad:
"Love of cats is part of the faith. ”
Yet of all Middle Eastern cities, it is still Cairo where
cats seem to be most beloved, for here the traditions regard¬
ing cats long predate Islam. In ancient Egypt the cat was
among the most important deities: the highest god, Ra, was
sometimes addressed as "Supreme Tomcat,” and in the
Book of the Dead,’ which dates to the second millennium
B.C., the cat was also equated with the sun—when we admire
the slim, golden Nubian cats we can well understand this!
The bronze 'Gayer-Anderson cat’ (c. 664-630 B.C.), British Museum
6