City of the Dead

Last year I blogged about attending the El Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration in California the day after Halloween. This year in keeping with the theme and tradition, I decided to blog about Cairo's unique "City of the Dead". What is this you ask? Simply, it is a cemetery compound that stretches along the base of Moqattam Hills in Old Cairo that is inhabited by the city's poor. It is the slums of Cairo infiltrated by squatters who have taken over mausoleums inside the high bricked walls of the cemetery's compound. While the "City of the Dead" sounds morbidly disturbing, Cairenes think nothing of it. Egypt's government turns a blind eye to the squatters, since there are no social welfare programs that assist their indigent population. Daily sightings of laundry hanging out to dry, and the occasional satellite cable dish on top of a mausoleum rooftop are common sightings to passersby. On my way home from work last week, I adeptly took several photos (in a moving vehicle mind you) of this morbid section of the city, and found additional photos online to provide you with a visual concept of the "City of the Dead".

pic found online



pic found online





pic found online