It was two days after bulldozers demolished Ablaa Zein El Abdeen’s family tomb in mid-June when the 72-year-old widow learnt what happened to the remains of family members buried in Cairo’s storied City of the Dead.
Relatives broke the news to her, saying they had to act fast to save the remains of their loved ones before they were lost forever. Instead, a new motorway and an overpass will replace the graves of hundreds.
“I was outraged,” said Mrs Zein El Abdeen, who had members of both sides of her family buried in the City of the Dead, for centuries Cairo’s main burial ground in the desert on the eastern edge of the capital.
“I could’ve never imagined that one day someone would remove my family’s remains."
The mother of two is not alone in her predicament.
Dozens of families with loved ones buried in the area have been shocked and angered in recent weeks that their burial plots had to make way for developments to ease traffic and cut travel time to suburbs east of Cairo. The Egyptian capital is among the fastest-growing cities in the Arab world and needs infrastructure upgrades to tackle heavy traffic congestion.
The government says that none of the demolitions touched sites listed as historical. Families, according to antiquities and urban planning officials, were given adequate notice to remove the remains of relatives before the bulldozers moved in, and alternative burial plots were offered in several satellite cities around Cairo.
The head of the Ministry of Antiquities’ Islamic, Coptic and Jewish sector, Osama Talaat, denied that the demolitions in the City of the Dead included the historic Mamluks Necropolis as claimed by critics. The demolished tombs, he said, belonged to the modern era and dated back to the 1930s.
“None of the tombs demolished were listed as Islamic or Coptic historical sites. They are modern tombs that belong to [ordinary] individuals,” Mr Talaat said in a statement.
The area’s architectural integrity, however, has been recognised by Unesco and included on its World Heritage List, deeming it one of the world’s oldest Islamic cities.
“The process is simple. We get word from authorities letting us know that demolitions will be happening soon and then we call the families to tell them,” said Shaymaa Mohmmed, who stands in for her husband, a graveyard guardian, while he is away on his day job.
“It could be a one-day or month-long notice.”
Mrs Zein El Abdeen said she was unaware of the demolitions until she found out from relatives. By then, her mother’s grave was disturbed but she and her family were eventually able to find her remains and relocate them elsewhere.
Cairo’s City of the Dead is roughly divided into two sections. The Northern cemetery stretches for about three kilometres and was used by the sultans and nobles of the Mamluk era between the 13th and the 16th centuries. The Southern Cemetery, also known as the Qarafa, is the older one, dating back to the 8th century and still in use today.
The City of the Dead is architecturally unique and is home to the final resting places of prominent Egyptians ranging from historical figures and senior aristocrats to former prime ministers.
The Mamluk mausoleums in the area, for example, house the tombs of sultans. King Farouq, Egypt’s last monarch, famous actor and singer Farid Al Atrash, a heart-throb in the 1940s and 1950s, and pioneering banker Talaat Harb are all buried here.
The demolitions in the Northern Cemetery are to make room for an expressway called Al Fardous, or Paradise. Mahmoud Nassar, head of the urban planning agency, said that these were carried out along a 300-metre stretch with tombs removed on either side of the under-construction expressway up to eight metres deep.
It is not the first time that tombs in the City of the Dead have been demolished to make way for urban development, according to Cairo University’s Islamic history professor Mukhtar El Kasbany. The last time, he said, was in 1956 to build a highway named after Salah Salem, one of the officers who staged the 1952 coup that toppled the monarch.
“There are plans under way to turn the Mamluk tombs into a tourist site,” he said.
The demolitions in the Southern Cemetery were to make way for the flyover.
But when news of the demolitions first surfaced on social media, with images of bulldozers bringing down walls surrounding graveyards, mausoleums and ornate arches, many were quick to criticise authorities for obliterating an integral and important part of the urban fabric of Cairo, now a city of 20 million people.
The government’s drive to ease Cairo’s nightmare traffic, they contend, has been pursued at too high a cost. They cite the leafy suburb of Heliopolis as among that drive’s victims.
The neighbourhood has had dozens of its trees cut down and greenery uprooted to make way for flyovers intended to speed up the journey to eastern suburbs and the new capital being built in the desert farther east.
Elsewhere in the city, a bridge is being so close to residential high-rises that it can be touched from upper-storey windows.
Ironically, the City of the Dead has been inhabited for centuries. It now attracts the city’s poor and new arrivals from rural areas who live inside the walled graveyards. The area is now connected to the city’s water and electricity grids, turning it into the closest thing to a regular neighbourhood.
Afaf Abdel Nabi is one of those residents. She was born and raised in the City of the Dead, where she started her own family. They have also fallen victim to the demolitions.
When The National spoke to her, she said she had received an eviction notice two weeks earlier.
“For the past two days I’ve been relocating all my furniture and trying to find somewhere to store them so they’re not stolen,” she said.
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Background: Chemical Weapons
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
Results
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Celtic Prince, David Liska (jockey), Rashed Bouresly (trainer).
7.05pm: Conditions Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Commanding, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
7.40pm: Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Grand Argentier, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 2,200m
Winner: Arch Gold, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed Dh265,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Military Law, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
9.25pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Ibn Malik, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
10pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
