The City of the Dead: A History of Cairo's Cemetery Communities

by Jeffrey Nedoroscik

Overview

Home to some of the most impressive monuments of the Islamic world, Cairo's City of the Dead is also home to hundreds of thousands of Egypt's urban poor. This book presents a comprehensive look at this unique informal community, and includes biographies of some of the residents of the cemeteries.

This book presents a comprehensive look at one of the most unusual informal communities in the world. The City of the Dead is a group of vast Islamic cemeteries that have been the primary burial grounds for the city of Cairo for 1200 years. Within its borders are some of the most impressive monuments of the Islamic world. The City of the Dead, however, is also home to the living, as it was always an active part of the community of Cairo.

Qu'ran reciters and tombkeepers have always made their homes among the graves. The cemeteries have also been a popular destination for Islamic pilgrims seeking spiritual blessing, as well as thieves and runaways seeking refuge from the law. In more modern times, given the housing crisis that has plagued Cairo in the 20th century, the cemeteries have become the primary source of shelter for hundreds of thousands of otherwise homeless Egyptians. This community of people includes both rural migrants to Cairo and more established city dwellers. This book takes an in-depth look at these individuals' lives and introduces the reader to the life stories of some residents. The future of this unique community is also explored. An important work for students, scholars, and researchers of Egypt and the Islamic world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780897895330
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/23/1997
Pages:	152
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

JEFFREY A. NEDOROSCIK is Deputy Executive Officer for the United States Agency for International Development's Mission to Rwanda. He studied the City of the Dead as a Thomas J. Watson Fellow.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
The Physical and Social Growth of the Cemeteries
The Modern Era: Informal Housing in the City of the Dead
The Future of the City of the Dead
Conclusion
Glossary of Arabic Terms
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Provides an overview of the historical evolution of Cairo's City of the Dead, a labyrinth of cemeteries stretching across five square miles of Cairo in which hundreds of thousands of the city's poorest inhabitants live. Describes the development and social dimensions of the cemeteries and their ghettos, the state of the housing, and the likely future of the City of the Dead, with personal accounts by inhabitants. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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