May 03 2010
Burials and tombstones in the Land of Living
City of the Dead is not just the name of several horror movies, this place actually exists. It is a four miles long area stretching from northern to southern part of Cairo, Egypt. City of the Dead is a weird hybrid of a gigantic cemetery with funeral monuments, tombs and mausoleums, and a home to people who live and work among their dead ancestors.
City of the Dead has old funeral traditions and in some ways it is a unique place of funeral alternatives as well. This historical necropolis dates back to the 7th century AD. Many famous Arab emirs and Mamluk rulers are buried here. In Middle Ages hundreds of custodians who were looking after noble burial monuments and family mausoleums.
Even after the conquest of Egypt by Ottomans City of the Dead still served as a place where the new governors - pashas chose to make this place their final resting place.
However, as the years rolled by, prestige of City of the Dead declined. Many impoverished Egyptians from overcrowded Cairo, peasants and farmers from nearby villages moved in settled right among the dead.
