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The City of the Dead
The City of the Dead, as Westerners call it, is a metropolis made up of Cairos otherwise homeless located near Islamic Cairo. Some families come to live here as they transition from rural to urban life, while others consist of a widow with her young children. Others live here taking care of the graves of their ancestors, while some are paid by wealthier families to take care of their ancestors graves. Since pharaonic times, Egypt has always looked at cemeteries as not just a place for the dead, but also as a place where a new life begins. Tombs were built with receiving areas and space for caretakers, and in these large funerary establishments, Cairos poorest have started taking up residence in vast numbers. Starting in the 14th century, the City of the Dead began its transition to a City of the Living. Estimates vary from 30,000 to up to 5 million people taking up living in the cemeterys mausoleums built for sultans, generals, and other important personages of Cairos past.
Qarafa, as the cemetery is called, was originally built on the outskirts of Cairo in more desert conditions, but as the metropolitan area has swelled to a population of almost 18 million, the cemetery has been absorbed into the city itself. Walking the streets in this region, you will find clotheslines hanging between tombs, coffins transformed into dining tables or ironing boards, and generally people living in the most remarkable of circumstances. Even Cairenes find this area mysterious and somewhat foreboding, but one should not go there expecting the quiet of a graveyard childrens laughter, weddings, and social gatherings are frequently heard even here, one of the most impoverished places imaginable. The locals are welcoming of tourists and often encourage pictures to be taken (only with permission!).
With its own Friday market, a variety of stores, and even a post office, the social nature of mankind has persevered and you will find that there is a community here. You realize that even in such hardship, wonder and beauty persist. Even in a place of darkness, one can find light and hope.
