Pipe Economics: Engineering the Waters of Modern Cairo

In 1865 the Cairo Water Company secured a ninety-nine-year concession granting it exclusive control over the water supply in the Egyptian capital. What followed was a profound remaking of the city and everyday life. Historically, water had been drawn from the Nile and delivered to public facilities by manual labor. By the early twentieth century, however, mechanized pumping, underground pipes, and in-home fixtures were rapidly becoming the new norm. Pipe Economics tells the story of modern ...