Demolition of Cairo’s historic cemeteries erases 1,200 years of history
The ongoing demolition of Cairo’s historic cemeteries, known as the “Cities of the Dead,” threatens to erase centuries of history, as bulldozers tear apart a unique urban and historical fabric to make way for traffic axes and tourist developments.
The most stark example is the systematic destruction of the 1,200-year-old Al-Sayyeda Nafisa tombs. The northern section of Al-Qarafa Al-Sughra, or the Lesser Cemetery, now faces near-total eradication, with only a handful of landmark domes and mausoleums left standing in isolation amidst the rubble.
A Landscape Transformed
On the ground, the scale of destruction is staggering. The area running parallel to Salah Salem Street has been excavated to a depth of several meters. The access street to the historic Hosh Karimat Hussein Pasha Shahin—home to the mausoleum of Egypt’s revered “Prince of Poets,” Ahmed Shawqi—has been completely wiped out. The building containing Shawqi’s tomb now stands exposed and alone, seemingly awaiting its final demolition. A vast swath of graves between the main road and the Al-Sayyeda Nafisa Mosque has been cleared, with operations continuing behind the mosque itself.
A documented catastrophe
The demolition is part of a wider, officially announced plan to clear vast sections of Cairo’s cemeteries to construct new road networks, restaurants, cafes, and tourist resorts. The campaign has focused on the Eastern Cemetery, which features the tombs of Imam Al-Shafi’i and Al-Sayyida Nafisa.
Ibrahim Taie, a leading documenter of Cairo’s necropolises, told reporters that the operation has been “devastating for anyone concerned with Cairo’s heritage.”
“The situation is tragic,” Taie said. “Approximately two-thirds of the Al-Sayyeda Nafisa tombs are now gone. This includes architecturally significant mausoleums and the graves of major historical figures.”
Among the lost tombs are those of Al-Azhar Grand Imams Mohamed Mustafa Al-Maraghi and Hassan Ma’moon, scholar Sheikh Abdullah Darraz, and feminist pioneer Durriya Shafiq. The tomb of writer Yehia Hakki was removed earlier. The tomb of singer Samir El-Iskandarani is also under threat.
Irreplaceable heritage lost
The Al-Sayyeda Nafisa complex is an archaeological site of exceptional importance, containing monuments from multiple eras, including the Dome of the Abbasid Caliphs and the Dome of Al-Sitt Gawhara. Experts argue that the area, which has been a continuous burial ground for over a millennium, requires extensive archaeological excavation, not demolition.
“This is a heritage that formed over hundreds of years and is utterly irreplaceable,” said one archaeologist, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue. “We are losing layers of history that have never been properly studied.”
A Millennium of history
The site’s significance dates to the 9th century AD with the burial of Al-Sayyeda Nafisa, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. Her tomb became a major pilgrimage site, with Egyptians believing prayers there were answered. This spurred a demand for burial nearby, transforming the area into a prestigious cemetery.
The Fatimid and Mamluk dynasties lavished attention on the shrine, building and renovating the structures around it. The elite of successive eras, including the Ayyubid Sultana Shajar al-Durr and Mamluk Sultan Al-Ashraf Khalil, were buried here, creating a dense tapestry of history.
A Final blow and a lost opportunity
Despite this storied past, the bulldozers have moved in with finality. Critics condemn the failure to conduct emergency excavations before the demolition.
“The mind cannot accept that they are building roads and cafes without first investigating what is in the ground,” said Taie. “This area held treasures from more than 1,200 years of history.”
Preservationists argue that the cemetery could have been a unique tourist destination, generating sustainable revenue. That opportunity is now lost. A second chance—to conduct salvage archaeology in the freshly cleared land—is also being ignored.
With the stroke of a planner’s pen, a millennium of Cairo’s tangible history is being sentenced to death, replaced by asphalt and modern infrastructure, its secrets likely lost forever.
