Cairo’s City of the Dead is more than a cemetery – it’s a living neighbourhood at risk

On religious festival mornings, Egyptians gather among tombs in Cairo’s City of the Dead, a four-mile medieval necropolis at the foot of the Mokattam Hills. They’re upholding a longstanding tradition of remembrance and honouring their deceased loved ones. Though you might expect this ceremony to be marked with silence, the necropolis’s narrow alleys are filled with life as inhabitants carry on with their everyday routines.

Dating back to the 7th century, the City of the Dead has been a Unesco world heritage site since 1979. It began as a burial ground, but over time it has grown into a complex, lived-in urban area. Today, it’s home to generations of families who have adapted the cemetery’s structures into places for everyday living.

The City of the Dead reflects different layers of Egypt’s history. Its early Islamic character can be seen in the domed tombs, mosques, shrines and burial complexes, often built around inner courtyards with carved stone details, all connected by narrow paths and passageways.

Living among the dead

People used to mourn the loss of a relative in the City of the Dead for 40 days – a tradition inherited from ancient Egyptians. During this mourning period, they would stay in small built structures at the cemetery. Over the centuries, more of these buildings were constructed in and around the graves and monuments. They were then transformed into homes.

Over time, the necropolis became home to hundreds of thousands of people looking for a place to live. Many were drawn there by the lack of affordable housing in Cairo, as well as its central location, which makes it easier to access jobs and city life. Today, families continue to pass down stories about the area through generations. To get by, they rely on small businesses and informal work, such as looking after tombs, running cafés and kiosks, or continuing traditional carving and craft skills.

Though this Unesco site contains centuries of architectural and social history, it faces increasing external pressures due to ongoing urban development interventions. In 2020, the Egyptian government decided to build a network of roads and bridges through the area to connect central Cairo with the New Capital, a new city about 60km to the east.

The site is now only partly protected and recognised. This is partly because nearby historic areas are seen as having more tourism value and better fit official ideas about the city. As a result, large development projects often ignore the social, cultural and everyday importance of the City of the Dead as a place where people still live and maintain traditions.

Hundreds of graves have been cleared, and several important structures have been demolished, including the locally significant Halim Pasha Dome. This 19th-century royal mausoleum was part of the burial complex for the family of Muhammad Ali Pasha, who is often regarded as the founder of modern Egypt. Over time, it became an important local landmark and a symbol of the area’s history and identity.

Beyond the loss of buildings, long-term residents are also being forced to leave, which breaks up established social networks and on-site livelihoods. Activists, NGOs, heritage experts and local residents managed to temporarily stop some demolitions in 2024, including in parts of the northern cemetery around the Sultan Qaytbay Complex, as well as areas of Bab al-Nasr and Sayyida Aisha Cemeteries. However, despite this pause, demolition work began again later that year.

Local community resilience

People living in the City of the Dead deal with outside pressures by using a mix of everyday strategies that help them manage uncertainty, make a living and keep their social and cultural traditions alive.

A big part of this is how they adapt spaces to suit different needs. A courtyard, for instance, might be used for work, socialising, or prayer at different times. Spaces shift depending on what’s needed. Some families even rearrange the inside of tombs and nearby buildings to make room for extended relatives.

Residents of the City of the Dead also deal with the threat of demolition through strong community ties and support networks. They get by in uncertain conditions by relying on informal work and helping each other out. Many also work with NGOs like the Sultan Foundation and Archinos to keep their traditions going and strengthen their belonging in the area.

As Cairo continues to modernise, the necropolis faces a difficult situation, caught between pressure to develop the city, the need to preserve its history and the rights of the long-standing community who live there.

The City of the Dead is a rare and fragile place where tombs, everyday life and cultural traditions exist side by side. What makes it special isn’t just its historic buildings, but the way people continue to live there and keep its traditions alive every day.

Lamya Elsabban does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.