the city, and are generally fronted by three or more wooden archways
painted in some bright colour and open to the street. Outside are the
"dekkas," or high benches, on which, sitting cross-legged, the
customer enjoys his coffee or his pipe. Indoors are a few chairs, and
the square tiled platform on which are placed the cooking-pots and
little charcoal fire of the café-keeper. Generally an awning of canvas
covered with patches of coloured cloth screens you from the sun, or
gives shelter from the occasional winter showers which clear the
streets of passengers and render them a sea of mud, for the streets
are unpaved and no drainage exists to carry off the surface water.

The café-owner is always polite, and glad to see you, and the coffee
he makes is nearly always excellent, though few of his European guests
would care to regale themselves with the curiously shaped water-pipes
with which the native intoxicates himself with opium or "hashīsh,"
and which are used indiscriminately by all the customers.

Like most of the small tradesmen, our host is clad in a "gelabieh," or
long gown of white or blue cotton, gathered round the waist by a
girdle of coloured cloth. Stuck jauntily on the back of his head is
the red "tarbūsh," or fez, universal in the towns, or, if married,
he wears a turban of fine white cotton; his shoes are of red or yellow
leather, but are generally carried in his hand if the streets are
muddy.

And now, having noticed our café and our host, let us sit comfortably
and try and distinguish the various types which go to form the crowd
which from dawn to dark throngs the thoroughfares.

First of all it will be noticed how many different trades are carried