Imperial Airways - Operations - Empire Air Routes Cigarette Cards - Page 2


	EMPIRE AIR ROUTES Issued by Lambert & Butler


	13: CAIRO - CITADEL AND MOSQUE OF MOHAMMED ALI We leave Alexandria in an Imperial Airways liner of the Hannibal class (see card No. 17), and fly over the western portion of the Nile Delta to Cairo. The area is one of centuries-old civilization and remains of Ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman and early Arab cities may still be seen. "Modern" Cairo was founded about A.D. 970 by Gohar, General of the armies of the Arab Caliph. After its long and eventful history the city still flourishes, having a population of over 1,050,000. In the foreground of our picture may be seen the walls of the Citadel, built by the famous Sultan Saladin in 1179. Towering above them is the Mosque of Mohammed Ali, Governor of Egypt, who captured the Citadel in 1805, and began the building of the Mosque some years later.


	14: PYRAMIDS OF GIZA, NEAR CAIRO From Cairo our air liner takes a southerly course, following the Nile. Below us, to the west, are the pyramids of Giza, dating from about 3000 B.C. Designed as tombs for the Pharaohs, they are not only remarkable as memorials to the long-dead rulers of Egypt, but also as evidence of the untiring industry of the Ancient Egyptians. The largest is that of Cheops, which has a perpendicular height of 450 ft., the length of each side being 746 ft. Some 500 yds. east of this pyramid is the Sphinx. We fly on to Assuit, where there is a great barrage across the Nile. 50 miles east of this point the river turns eastward and skirts a barren range of hills; south of these we see Thebes.


	15: TEMPLE OF QUEEN HATSHEPSUT, UPPER EGYPT During the period of the New Empire (1589-1090 B.C.), Ancient Egypt attained to the dignity of a great power, and Thebes, the capital, became the favourite seat of the Pharaohs. Over its ruins our air liner now passes. On the east bank of the river, about 2 miles from the modern Luxor, we see the huge Karnak temple erected for the worship of Amon, the chief Egyptian deity, while on the west bank we catch a glimpse of the twin Colossi of Memnon - two huge statues over 60 ft. in height. We also see the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut (illustrated), which was built by the Queen at the beginning of the 18th dynasty (1540-1315 B.C.) and dedicated to Amon. Some of the chapels, however, were devoted to the worship of the Queen herself.


	16: TEMPLE OF HORUS AT EDFOU, UPPER EGYPT Our air liner follows the Nile southwards from Luxor, and we soon see below us the Temple of Horus at Edfou. The Temple, which was erected over 2,000 years ago and is the most complete example of an Egyptian temple now standing, took about 180 years to build. It is dedicated to the Sun God, Horus. After crossing a rugged gorge, faced by black basalt hills, we come to Assuan. Above the town is the famous dam, over 2,000 yds. long, built by British engineers. South of the dam, upon an island in the Nile which is submerged in floodtime, are the ruins of Philae.


	17: THE "HANNIBAL" AT KHARTOUM We fly towards, then over, the Egyptian border, and after leaving Egypt, reach the frontier post of Wadi Halfa in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. We then pass over part of the Nubian Desert to Khartoum, which we see from the air to be laid out in the shape of a series of Union Jacks. Khartoum is the junction for the Imperial Airways air mail service to Nigeria. The Hannibal class in which we have flown from Alexandria is similar to the Heracles (see card No. 4). It has, however, more room for mail and freight, and so less space is given to passengers, 24 being carried instead of 38.


	18: THE "HANNIBAL" AT MALAKAL, ANGLO-EGYPTIAN SUDAN South of Khartoum the transition from desert to tropical vegetation begins. We fly over bush country to Kosti, seeing the White Nile below. At Malakal village we may see Shilluk natives, who are of particularly fine physique, many being over 6 ft. in height. Our illustration shows some of those natives in front of the Hannibal, in which we have flown from Alexandria. On their heads and around their necks are gold beads, and across their foreheads may be seen bead-like cicatrices. At Malakal begins the area of the Sudd swamps.


	19: ELEPHANTS IN THE SUDD At Malakal our air liner begins to cross the area of the Sudd swamps of the Upper Nile. Vast areas of the reaches are covered with these floating islands of grass and decayed vegetation, which are between 15 and 20 ft. in thickness. The peaty mass of decayed vegetation becomes so compressed by the currents that it can support the weight of elephants. At length the pressure of the water forms side channels and causes the Sudd to break away in small islands. And Bor, 75 miles north of Juba, the swamps come to a gradual end.


	20: EMBARKING ON THE "HANNIBAL", ENTEBBE, UGANDA As we fly southwards, at various places in the bush we may see giraffe, rhinoceros, buffalo and buck, while hippopotamus and large crocodile scurry into the water. From Juba our air liner passes over steeply rising ground into Uganda. Approaching Entebbe, we see the beautiful shores of Lake Victoria. Entebbe is the administrative capital of Uganda and the residence of the native ruler of the Buganda people. There is much sport in the surrounding district and interesting excursions may be made upon Lake Victoria, the town being situated on a promontory in the lake.


	21: MOUNT KENYA, KENYA COLONY From Entebbe our air liner flies over Lake Victoria and along the equator to Kisumu, Kenya Colony. Here we change to the Atalanta class of air liner (see card no. 22). From Kisumu to Nairobi we fly over the Mau escarpment, and just after crossing this we have a very good view of the Rift valley. It is possible under certain conditions to see Mount Kenya, 17,040 ft., far away to the north. En route we may see tea plantations, coffee shambas and the homes of European settlers.


	22: THE "ASTRAEA" AT NAIROBI As our air liner approaches Nairobi, the capital of Kenya Colony, many kinds of game may be seen grazing. The Astraea is of the Atalanta class, which comprises eight liners. They each have a span of 90 ft., a length of 71 ft. 11 in., and a height of 16 ft. 4 in. Their weight, fully loaded, is nearly 9 tons and they are capable of a speed of 155 m.p.h. Built by Sir W.G. Armstrong-Whitworth Aircraft, Ltd., they are fitted with four Armstrong Siddeley Serval engines, each of 340 h.p. There is accommodation for 11 passengers and a crew of 3.


	23: GOVERNMENT HOUSE, BULAWAYO From Nairobi we fly on to Lusaka, the new capital of Northern Rhodesia. Our air liner now passes over densely-wooded country and crosses the great Zambezi river. The route then follows a chain of landing-grounds (clearings in the bush) to Salisbury, the capital of Southern Rhodesia. Our journey now takes us over the cattle plains of Matabeleland to Bulawayo, its capital. In 1893, following raids by the Matabele people on the Mashonaland natives living under the protectcrate of the British South Africa Company, a British force marched against Lobengula, King of Matabeleland, and occupied Bulawayo.


	24: IN THE MATOPO HILLS, RHODESIA Our route now takes us over the Matopo Hills, which are some 30 miles from Bulawayo. Among these hills lies the grave of Cecil Rhodes, at the burial place dedicated by him "for those who deserved well of their country". The simple grave, situated at the summit of a granite hill, bears a brass plate with the inscription: "Here lie the remains of Cecil John Rhodes". We fly above the boundary between Southern Rhodesia and South Africa at the Limpopo river and then pass over the Zoutpansberg mountains to the agricultural centre of Pietersburg.


	25: RAND AIRPORT, JOHANNESBURG Our air liner flies southward, crossing extensive citrus estates and passing east of Pretoria, the administrative capital of the Union. We next see Johannesburg, with its huge mine dumps on the outskirts of the city. This is the terminus of the Imperial Airways route, and we have flown over 7,000 miles from London in 8 and a half days. From Johannesburg there are connections to Durban, Cape Town and other cities in South Africa, by South African Airways. New schemes for the development of Empire air transport are being planned, and after the introduction of these it is hoped that the journey from London to South Africa will be made in 4 days. We show the Rand Airport, recently reconstructed to deal with the growing volume of traffic.


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