Cairo, a city steeped in history and culture, is undergoing a painful transformation. The Egyptian government’s ambitious modernization plans have led to the destruction of a significant part of the historic City of the Dead, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This sprawling cemetery, one of the oldest necropolises in the Muslim world, has been home to thousands of graves for centuries. Now, it is being razed to accommodate new roads and bridges intended to alleviate the city’s notorious traffic congestion.
For families like that of Ahmed el-Meligui, an architect, the destruction of the cemetery is a deeply personal tragedy. He was forced to exhume the remains of his grandfather and 23 other relatives from their family tomb, a 105-year-old structure built in traditional Islamic style. The experience was deeply harrowing, leaving him emotionally shattered. “I had to separate the bones of the men from the women,” he said, describing the Islamic burial custom. “The most heartbreaking moment was when I found the shroud of my grandfather, who raised me, torn and tattered. The bones fell down and I had to gather them up from the ground.”
The Egyptian government has offered alternative burial sites outside Cairo, but they are smaller and more remote, failing to offer the same sense of peace and connection to their loved ones. While authorities argue that the destruction is necessary for the “public interest,” many families, including Meligui’s, are left grappling with an indescribable pain.
The demolition has also impacted the lives of those who called the cemetery home. For decades, thousands of Egyptians, facing a severe housing crisis, have found refuge within the sacred grounds. One such resident is Sayyed al-Arabi, a 71-year-old man who has lived and guarded a cemetery in Old Cairo for years. His home, where his three children were born, is now surrounded by rubble from demolished tombs. The bulldozers continue to raze the ground, leaving him uncertain about his future. “They told us they would remove the bodies and demolish the cemetery,” he said, “but what about me? Where should I go?”
This destruction not only represents a loss of cultural heritage but also highlights the complex and often painful consequences of urban development. It raises questions about the balance between progress and preserving the past, and the impact of such decisions on the lives of ordinary people who are forced to bear the burden of change.
