Cairo's City of the Dead - in pictures

  • More than 2,000 tombs will be bulldozed if a plan to build a highway through the southern cemetery of Cairo’s vast historic necropolis comes to fruition. Nada El Sawy / The National
    More than 2,000 tombs will be bulldozed if a plan to build a highway through the southern cemetery of Cairo’s vast historic necropolis comes to fruition. Nada El Sawy / The National
  • The Zulfiqar family cemetery, where Queen Farida, the first wife of King Farouk, is buried. Nada El Sawy / The National
    The Zulfiqar family cemetery, where Queen Farida, the first wife of King Farouk, is buried. Nada El Sawy / The National
  • The family cemetery of Ismail Sedky, a former prime minister of Egypt in the first half of the 20th century. Nada El Sawy / The National
    The family cemetery of Ismail Sedky, a former prime minister of Egypt in the first half of the 20th century. Nada El Sawy / The National
  • Dr Mostafa El Sadek, a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Cairo University, is part of a campaign to save the city’s historic cemeteries. Nada El Sawy / The National
    Dr Mostafa El Sadek, a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Cairo University, is part of a campaign to save the city’s historic cemeteries. Nada El Sawy / The National
  • Intricate Islamic calligraphy is inscribed on a tomb above ground in the City of the Dead. Mahmoud Nasr / The National
    Intricate Islamic calligraphy is inscribed on a tomb above ground in the City of the Dead. Mahmoud Nasr / The National
  • Dr El Sadek in the family mausoleum of Ismail Sedky. Mahmoud Nasr / The National
    Dr El Sadek in the family mausoleum of Ismail Sedky. Mahmoud Nasr / The National
  • Markings in black spray paint indicating plans for demolition have left families devastated. Nada El Sawy / The National
    Markings in black spray paint indicating plans for demolition have left families devastated. Nada El Sawy / The National
  • Medhat Khalaf, the caretaker of the Ismail Sedky family cemetery, points to a black marking indicating the street will be expanded by 32 metres. Nada El Sawy / The National
    Medhat Khalaf, the caretaker of the Ismail Sedky family cemetery, points to a black marking indicating the street will be expanded by 32 metres. Nada El Sawy / The National
  • Families have emptied their relatives’ graves based on black markings and informal notices that they would soon be demolished. Nada El Sawy / The National
    Families have emptied their relatives’ graves based on black markings and informal notices that they would soon be demolished. Nada El Sawy / The National
  • A decision issued by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stated the owners of cemeteries affected by the highway project will be compensated. Nada El Sawy / The National
    A decision issued by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stated the owners of cemeteries affected by the highway project will be compensated. Nada El Sawy / The National
  • Architect Galila El Kadi and Islamic antiquities professor Hossam Ismail were among the speakers at an event at the Greater Cairo Public Library on Saturday. Nada El Sawy / The National
    Architect Galila El Kadi and Islamic antiquities professor Hossam Ismail were among the speakers at an event at the Greater Cairo Public Library on Saturday. Nada El Sawy / The National
  • Hany Eissa Al Fekky, the planner of road expansions in City of the Dead, defended the projects as beneficial for the public good. Mahmoud Nasr / The National
    Hany Eissa Al Fekky, the planner of road expansions in City of the Dead, defended the projects as beneficial for the public good. Mahmoud Nasr / The National
  • More than 200 people attended a photography exhibit and talk at the Greater Cairo Public Library in Zamalek on Saturday about saving the city’s historic cemeteries. Mahmoud Nasr / The National
    More than 200 people attended a photography exhibit and talk at the Greater Cairo Public Library in Zamalek on Saturday about saving the city’s historic cemeteries. Mahmoud Nasr / The National