Discovering Cairo’s City of the Dead

Ezz Al-Turkey

Cairo's "City of the Dead" is a site rich in history and legacy and a city as much for the living as it is for the dead, despite the name's menacing connotations of graves and spirits. The City of the Dead in Cairo, also known as El Qarafa or El Arafa in Arabic, is a stretch of necropolises and cemeteries in the original city center. Locals refer to this region as Old Cairo (Masr El Adeema in Arabic), or Historic Cairo internationally. However, as we've already mentioned, City of the Dead is more than just about the dead; residential districts with all the typical commotion of a typical neighborhood have been constructed beside and throughout the necropolises. Nestled behind the Moqattam Hills to the east, Cairo's City of the Dead is divided into two large cemeteries, one to the north and the other to the south of the Cairo Citadel.

1What we've detailed thus far sounds like a collection of graves with typical communities strewn around, right? Why is it worth the visit, then?

There are some stunning old mosques, mausoleums, and other examples of medieval Islamic architecture scattered around Cairo's City of the Dead, as well as ruins from the Arab invasion of Egypt in the seventh century, as well as complete structures from the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. Remember; Cairo is a metropolis that dates back more than a millennium, and that one of Egypt's seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites is the portion of Historic Cairo that houses the metropolis of the Dead.

The City of the Dead, however, is ironically, older than Cairo itself. Amr Ibn El-As, the commander of the Arab conquest of Egypt, constructed Fustat, the first Muslim city, in 642 AD. Fustat is currently a neighborhood of Historic Cairo; and was swallowed by Cairo during its development and expansion after it was founded close to it in 969 AD. However, the City of the Dead came into being when Fustat was initially formed in the 7th century when they constructed a necropolis in the desolate desert beyond the main city. It kept expanding as the city did, and it gained notoriety for housing the mosques and mausoleums of some of the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad—Sayyida Aisha, Sayyida Nafisa, and Sayyida Ruqayya—who are said to have immigrated to Egypt. 

One of the main attractions of the City of the Dead is the mausoleum that was erected over the burial of Imam El Shafei, an influential Islamic philosopher who was buried there in the ninth century. It was completed in 1211 AD, more than eight centuries after he passed away. The Northern Cemetery of the City of the Dead is known locally as the "Desert of the Mamluks," since the most remarkable mosques and mausoleums were constructed during the Mamluk era.

Not only do the cemeteries and necropolises of the City of the Dead house medieval tombs, but many contemporary Egyptian families also maintain family plots and graves there to this day. This makes Cairo’s historic City of the Dead a must-visit for all those looking to discover a truly hidden architectural gem.