The capital of Egypt, Cairo, combines the features of a modern metropolis and ancient city, where “oases” are found everywhere ancient culture and history. As a shining example A similar “oasis” can be cited as the city of the dead or, as the locals call it, al Qarafa (“cemetery”). This ancient place The burial site stretches for 6 km from south to north of Cairo and goes around the capital of Egypt on the eastern side.

Note to tourists

Citadel Hill divides Cairo's ancient cemetery into southern and northern parts. Here you can find many monuments of the Mamluk period Egyptian history. Cairo's City of the Dead is one of the oldest known to man cemeteries on the planet. Its age is more than 2000 years. Both ordinary citizens and nobles, right up to the sultans, are buried here. Single graves and many family mausoleums have been “coexisting” together in this necropolis for many years now. The city of the dead in Cairo is quite interesting for its architecture. However, holders of tours to Egypt do not travel too often through the city of the dead, especially from European countries.
Sightseeing tour You can start from anywhere in the city of the dead in Cairo, but it’s worth charting a route by climbing a hill, since it’s quite difficult to navigate while being directly on the necropolis. Northern part old cemetery Cairo preserves on its land such historical monuments as the mausoleum, mosque and khanaka of Sultan Inal, the mausoleum and mosque of Faraj Barkuk, the complexes of Barsbey and Sultan Qaitbey. In the southern part there are mainly mausoleums of the “river” Bahri Mamluks, and sometimes you can even find buildings from the Fatimid era. It should be noted that here, as a rule, the age of the monuments is older than in the north of the necropolis.

Interesting information

The main feature of the Cairo necropolis is that, strange as it may sound, life is in full swing here, and this is not an exaggeration. Shops and houses were built in the necropolis, people work and live here, cars and buses travel here. Some residents of the city of the dead settled here to be closer to their deceased ancestors and loved ones. For some, living in a necropolis is due to the inability to provide themselves with housing in another part of the city.
It's hard to believe, but many people live right in the crypts. According to some sources, more than 10 thousand people live here, forming a kind of “city within a city.” Very often, homeless people live in crypts, having received the consent of the relatives of the deceased, and at the same time monitor the order in the burials. A significant part of the necropolis is maintained in good condition, probably largely due to the fact that people live here. By the way, there is less garbage here than on some central streets in Cairo.
The tendency to populate the cemetery arose in the 60s of the 20th century - beggars, as well as refugees from the Suez Canal area, settled here. Soon the scale of settlement began to become alarming, but the Egyptian government managed to cope with the situation, and some people were provided with housing behind the oldest cemetery in Cairo. As the number of inhabitants grew, so did the number of burials - settlers eventually filled the tombs, helped, among other factors, by the high mortality rate in Egypt. This conclusion suggests itself due to the fact that in old photographs the mausoleums are located quite freely.

The City of the Dead (Qarafa) is one of the largest necropolises in the world. It is located on the outskirts of Cairo at the foot of the Mokattam Mountains. Cemeteries have existed here since the 12th century. and began to expand from the 15th century; the oldest tombs date back to this period. The shapes of the tombs are very different: some are simple stone tombstones, others are real mausoleums, erected to shelter the remains of emirs and sultans. But these are exceptions. The majority are small one- or two-room houses with gardens. About 50 years ago, low-income residents of Cairo and surrounding regions began to settle in the cemetery. Currently, between 50 and 500 thousand people live in the City of the Dead. The exact figure is not known even to the authorities.

In the foreground (see two photographs below) are the graves of poor people. And wealthier people are buried in the tomb houses. It is in such houses that the population of the City of the Dead lives.

View of the City of the Dead from the Citadel of Salah ad-Din:

In the first forty minutes of the walk, nothing reminded us of people’s lives, except for the garbage that is everywhere in Cairo:

Then signs of life began to appear:

Quite often you can see campaign posters of local parliamentary candidates.

Children walk near the graves:

Someone carefully made a fence around the trees, but the garbage is not removed:

There are taxis in the City of the Dead:

When the authorities realized that the cemetery was inhabited by a huge number of people, water supply, electricity were installed, and schools were built. No one is going to resettle people. The housing problem in Cairo is much more acute than in Moscow.

The luxurious tombs of emirs and sultans are gradually being destroyed:

While getting ready for a trip and looking at photos of Cairo on the Internet, back in Moscow I saw and wanted to visit a dilapidated mosque right in the middle of a steep mountain slope. The hotel managers, who, by the way, were very skeptical about my trips to bad areas, did not give me any information. I had to look for this mosque on my own.
The search did not take much time - I saw the mosque from the high walls of the Citadel, got into a taxi and after a 10-minute drive along the King Khaled highway through the City of the Dead I was not far from my goal.

It was impossible to go further by car, and I didn’t know how to approach the mosque, which, as it turned out, was called the Mosque Amir Al-Guyush (1085). A local teenager of about fifteen volunteered to accompany me for a reasonable fee. The road again went through the cemetery.

And here we are at the foot of the mountain. The mosque is only about 200 meters away on a rather steep slope. I told my guide that I wanted to try to climb the mountain. He didn't keep himself waiting. Lightly dressed, wearing simple slippers, he quickly covered the 50 meters of steep ascent. With a bag slung over my shoulder, containing two cameras, a bottle of water and sundry odds and ends, I began my clumsy ascent. As a result, after about 15 minutes I was hopelessly stuck. After laughing, the guide helped me down, and I decided to leave conquering the mountain until the next trip.

View from the Citadel. On the right in the background is the Amir El-Ghiyush Mosque. In the foreground is another colorful area of ​​Cairo - Scavenger City. There will be a next post about him.

P.S.
If anyone managed to climb the mountain and visit inside the Amir El-Ghiyush Mosque, please post photos and send a link. Thank you in advance!

General view of the city of the dead

City of dead, or Cairo Necropolis (Qarafa, Al Araf), an Islamic necropolis and cemetery below Muqatta Hillsli in southeastern Cairo, Egypt. The people of Cairo, Cairenes, and most Egyptians, call it el"arafa(trans. "Cemetery"). It is a 4 mile (6.4 km) long (north-south) dense grid of tomb and mausoleum structures where some people live and work among the dead. Some are here to be near their ancestors, the last recorded ancient lineage. Some of them live here after being forced out of the center of Cairo due to urban demolition renewal and urbanization pressures that increased from the Gamal Abdel Nasser era into the 1950s onwards. Other residents have emigrated to rural areas, looking for work - an example of rural to urban migration in LEDC (least economically developed countries). The poorest live in the city of dead slums, and the city of scavengers, which is also known as Garbage City, a recycling and reuse center for Zabbaleen suppliers.

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Caliphate era

Traditional Sunnism had rich history veneration of saints, often referred to as Aulii or "friends of God." Like the Mawlid of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the birth of some saints is celebrated by the people in the City of the Dead. Great festivals are held for the purpose of celebrating the birth of these people, as well as receiving them Barakah or blessings. Zainab bint Ali was one such figure.

Egypt is well-known even among those who have never been to this country in northern Africa. His famous pyramids, Luxor, Cairo tower and temple complex on Philae Island – part of the trampled tourist routes. But among the rich decoration of mosques, the historical heritage of museums and the beauty of natural oases, there are places where the living live among the graves. I discovered one of these places for the first time - thiscity ​​of the dead in Cairo.

It is elongated by 6 km and is, as if, under the protection Mukattam mountains- right at its foot. The city is divided by the Citadel into two parts - southern and northern. Each of them keeps its pearls of historical and cultural heritage. Locals This place is usually called a “cemetery.” This is not surprising, because in fact the city is a burial ground , which not long ago crossed 2000 year milestone . Here are numerous graves of ordinary people and rich tombs of sultans, which are thickly covered with centuries-old dust and desert sands.

Local Attractions

The path to the city of the dead somehow reminded me of the road to the kingdom of Hades. My group and I crossed the Nile River, a journey along which by boat is mesmerizing in itself. On the other side they appeared before us the majestic colossi of Memnon and the statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, hewn from stone. Just imagine - each of them weighs 700 tons! These figures are even more amazing if you consider that the statues were transported by land, which means their journey was very long.

But this is not all that was revealed to my eyes after a long journey. The real gems of this place are: Temple of Hatshepsut And Valley of the Kings , where the pharaohs of Egypt found peace. In total, the “cemetery” has about forty tombs. The tomb of the world-famous Tutankhamun is located here. The city became the eternal abode for Queen Nefertari. Her tomb is decorated with beautiful sculptures. Unfortunately, I never saw it, because it is closed to the public.

Almost no tourists visit funeral temple of Ramses III . There is no prohibition for tourists, it’s all about the inconvenient location of the attraction. But experienced travelers who are not afraid of difficulties will discover all the beauties that are hidden inside the temple. And these are the paintings and bas-reliefs that have survived to this day. I will definitely come here next time, but without a tour.

Walking around the northern part cities of the dead , added to the collection of impressions with views Faraj Barhouk Mosque And khanqah of Sultan Inal, temple complexes of Kaitbeya And Barsbay . But I liked the buildings in the southern part of the necropolis more - they are of more ancient origin. Some of them were built during the Fatimid Caliphate.

Life in the cemetery

City of the Dead in Cairo -not one of the necropolises where life stopped millennia ago. Today, in the local slums there live people who are not bothered by their “quiet” neighbors. Some have houses, while the homeless live in crypts with the permission of the relatives of the deceased. As payment, they clean the place and keep order.

In the middle of the day in the city of the dead we met merchants and hairdressers. There is a cafe here. Our group had lunch in one of them. We also visited the local market. Fortunately, it was Friday. On other days the market is closed.

It was amazing to see buses and cars scurrying through the streets. In a word, everything indicated that life in the cemetery was going on as usual. Perhaps in contrast to other areas of Cairo in the city few children . It turned out that out of respect for the dead, relatives send them to other parts of the capital.

The number of living people in the city significantly exceeds the number of dead. According to some estimates, the necropolis is inhabited by 300,000 people.

City `s history

The City of the Dead in Cairo is magnificent an example of Islamic architecture and a monument from the Mamluk times (10th century AD). Here squat graves are adjacent to impressive size mausoleums. But the transformation into the Necropolis occurred only in the 14th century. Before that, on the site of the “cemetery” there was a royal hippodrome.

The guide also told us, that the first settlements began to form in the city in the 60s of the 20th century. People settled right in dilapidated houses. These were settlers who had previously lived near the Suez Canal. The war between the Arabs and the Israelis was to blame. Refugees built shelters for themselves, next to which they buried their relatives and neighbors. The mortality rate was very high and the density of burials was also very high. This can be seen in old photographs.

What about now?

It was a discovery for me that many modern Egyptian families have a family crypt – this has been the case since ancient times. The absence of such a crypt most often indicates financial problems, because not everyone can afford to pay for a place for it. Saves the situation the opportunity to bury deceased loved ones with great-grandparents. Only for this you need documentary proof of relationship.

If there is no own crypt and there are no relatives either, the deceased will be buried in a public crypt, which is cared for by rich and wealthy families. They also handle repairs that may be required from time to time. The tradition has become widespread not only among the Muslim part of the population, but also among the Copts - Egyptians who profess Christianity.

In our country, burials in crypts are not accepted among any of the religious groups. It is traditional in Russia to bury the body in the earth. In Europe, traditions are similar to ours. Only the approach to organizing burial sites differs. Some cemeteries look creepy, others resemble hanging gardens and invite tourists to admire (this is the word that is appropriate here!) at the creations of great sculptors. A kaleidoscope of such necropolises and tombs gathered in my head after traveling around Europe. First-hand impressions and photographs are on the blog!

You should read:

Shooting from 2010. A significant part of Cairo - almost a third of the area - is occupied by old cemeteries. People live in these cemeteries, right in the crypts converted into houses. Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who came to Cairo from the provinces to work. The crypts belong to old and wealthy families, who are forced to hire invaders as “guards.” Illegal immigrants are paid little money so that the burials are not disturbed. The inhabitants of the crypts do not like to be photographed: they can throw a stone at a persistent tourist with a camera.

Cats, what would you do without them?!


View of the cemetery from the viaduct.


Fashionable youth live in the crypts. Even university students.


There is no water or sewerage in the crypts. To go to the toilet you need to go to the next “block”.


The cemetery is quiet and relatively clean, unlike many other areas of Cairo. Almost an elite area.


Local residents, even children, turn away as soon as they see the camera.


Adults don't like to be filmed either.


They also sell here.


Products are delivered by bicycle “from the city”.


This man is repairing and decorating the crypt he occupied. And the kids help him.


The Souq Al Goma Friday market also takes place at the cemetery. Here they sell and buy real garbage collected by city scavengers during the week. Despite such a dubious product, some come to the market by carriage. So life in a cemetery also has its own chic.