Cairo. City of the Dead


Azhar Park, City of the Dead and Manshiet Nasser


Backyard with the Tomb


Typical Street.

Because of the intense need of space, between 500,000 – 1,000,000 people have moved into Cairo’s cemeteries, living in what were once tombs or in structures built originally for tomb caretakers. This is an extraordinary community, and many people now are paid by the owners of the tombs in which they are living to watch over them. While walking around one day, a young boy invited us into their home. There were three siblings and two parents living there. Water and electricity had been run to their home, which is not necessarily standard. The main living area was along the road, and in the back was where the tombs were located, most were now underground. Surreal.

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