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.