Residents of the slums in Cairo’s Manshiyat Naser neighbourhood are predominatly Coptic Christians and have for years managed a meagre living collecting and recycling the city’s vast quantities of garbage. But ahead of next week’s presidential election, the Zabbaleen are feeling increasingly vulnerable to sectarian divisions and government neglect in Egypt’s post-revolution volatility.
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Coptic Christian men in the Manshiyat Naser neighbourhood packing garbage on a truck to sell in Cairo. Sandor Jaszberenyi / The National -
A street in Manshiyat Naser. Sandor Jaszberenyi / The National -
The Zabbaleen, or garbage people, perform a vital service by cleaning up rubbish in the city. Sandor Jaszberenyi / The National -
A boy at the main gate of the Manshiyat Naser slum in Cairo, leaving with his cart to the city to collect garbage. Sandor Jaszberenyi / The National -
A Coptic Christian family selecting garbage to sell. Sandor Jaszberenyi / The National
In pictures: meet Egypt’s garbage people, the Zabbaleen
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