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Medina Meyed, that means “deadcity”, is the central cemetery of Cairo where except the dead rest some thousands of alive people. Families with many children, homeless, watchmen, as well as immigrants coexist with the sleeping souls and their bones… Some of the grave inhabitants are guardians of their tomb-houses, buriers, housekeepers of the tombs, while others want to live and die near their ancestors. Earthquake victims expatriated from Sadad’s and Mubaraq’s governments, debtors and unemployed make up the majority of Medina Meyet dwellers.
The oldest grave constructions of the most alive cemetery in the world were built by the Mamluks, circa 1250-1517. Plenty of these tombs are luxurious, designed to include a room where visitors could stay overnight. The municipality has installed water, gas, electricity, local police station, school, post office, even telephone and satellite plates. One also finds body shops to repair the hearses, nargile-coffee shops, and little shabby, decadent restaurants. Mini-buses, taxis, and gharries carried by horses provide the main transportation in a city that expands for six km in the south – east region of medieval Cairo.
Photographs & Text: © Maro Kouri

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125 Egypt, Cairo:Life in the Dead City. Twenty-three year old Amer shares a clean tomb-house with three women, in Seyida Nafisal cemetery with basic comforts like electric oven and a refrigerator. She speaks English fluently and works as a security guard at a famous mufti grave. © Maro Kouri 126 Cairo, El Abagiya deadcity. Sixty-year old Faouzi Mohamet lives for free with his 6 kids between the tombs. He works as a guardian and burier, holding the keys of 50 tombs, and gets paid 300 Egyptian pounds per month. © Maro Kouri 127 Egypt:Cairo, El Abagija deadcity. 26 y. old Hamis Aouis lives with his wife and their 2-year old daughter, Amal, above a family tomb. Hamis is a tomb burier and guardian. He receives a government salary of 400 Egyptian pounds per month but his electricity bill alone is 25 Eg. pounds per month. Their home is just a room, where they also got married. Actually, it was their fathers matchmaking... © Maro Kouri 129 Egypt, Cairo:Life in the Dead City The young Hamanda has become a distinguished sculptor by making tomb sculptures and decorative marble headstones. © Maro Kouri 131 Egypt:Cairo,Life in El Abagija deadcity. 26 y. old Hamis Aouis lives with his wife and their 2-year old daughter, Amal, above a family tomb. Hamis is a tomb burier and guardian. He receives a government salary of 400 Egyptian pounds per month but his electricity bill alone is 25 Eg. pounds per month. Their home is just a room, where they also got married. Actually, it was their fathers matchmaking... © Maro Kouri 132 Egypt. Life in Dead City never ends... A man repairs his car outside his tomb-house in Medina Meyet, that means 'deadcity'. Mini-buses, taxis, and gharries carried by horses provide the main transportation in a city that expands for six km in the south - east region of medieval Cairo. © Maro Kouri 133 Cairo:Life in the dead city Since the pharaonic tradition, family graves had a visitor's room providing overnight accommodation. Nowadays, this room hosts the living habitants of the cemetery for a coffee, nargile or tea break while listening to traditional music. © Maro Kouri 134 Cairo:Life in the deadcity Thousands of poor and homless women & children, live in El Abagija cemetery. The municipality has installed water, gas, electricity, local police station, school, post office, even telephone and satellite plates in some tomb-houses. © Maro Kouri 135 Cairo:Life in the deacity Nargile-coffee shops next to a body shop that repairs hearses. © Maro Kouri 136 Egypt, Cairo:In Medina Meyet (that means dead city) life never ends... A young lady passes over Hamanda's sculpture atelier. Hamanda has become a distinguished sculptor by making tomb sculptures and decorative marble headstones. © Maro Kouri 137 Cairo:Life in the dead city The central market of Abageya dead city © Maro Kouri 138 Cairo: Life in the Dead city. Children seems to play taws with the dead in Medina Meyed, the central cemetery of Cairo where except the dead, rest some thousands of alive people. Families with many children, homeless, watchmen, as well as immigrants coexist with the sleeping souls and their bones... Some of the grave inhabitants are guardians of their tomb-houses, buriers, housekeepers of the tombs, while others want to live and die near their ancestors. The oldest grave constructions of the most alive cemetery in the world were built by the Mamluks, circa 1250-1517. © Maro Kouri 140 Cairo:Life in the dead city.Sharia El Afifi avenue. Old mosques, nargile and coffee shops, and the tap water for the families who live just above the dead. Mini-buses, taxis, and gharries carried by horses provide the main transportation in a city that expands for six km in the south - east region of medieval Cairo. © Maro Kouri 141 Egypt. Life in Dead City never ends... A man repairs his car outside his tomb-house in Medina Meyet, that means 'deadcity'. Mini-buses, taxis, and gharries carried by horses provide the main transportation in a city that expands for six km in the south - east region of medieval Cairo. © Maro Kouri 142 Egypt. Life in Cairo's central cemeteries never stops. Outside pub Luazir, where men smoke nargile and, in the quiet, they drink beer, little boys play football and an old woman that waits to sleep for ever near to her ancestors, makes a phone call to her kids that probably have escaped from the dead city's destitution. © Maro Kouri 143 Egypt, Cairo:Life in the Dead City. The municipality has installed water, gas, electricity, local police station, school, post office, even telephone and satellite plates in some tomb-neighbourhoods. But, still dead city is hidden from tourist' eye as poverty hearts... © Maro Kouri 144 Cairo:Life in the deadcity. Souhir Ali Ibrahim was born in this house; she raised her children with her husband besides their family tomb, where she wants to be buried when she dies. A house with all comforts including a telephone line is common in El Yafir dead city. © Maro Kouri 145 Egypt, Cairo. Life in Dead City never ends... A man repairs his car outside his tomb-house in Medina Meyet, that means deadcity & expands for six km in the south - east region of medieval Cairo. © Maro Kouri 146 Cairo:Life in the dead city Magd has a sculpture atelier inside a family tomb. He makes arabesques for Seyida Nafisal cemetery customers, but the last years his customers are all over Egypt. Underneath his work surface is barried a couple of a doctor and a mechanical engineer. © Maro Kouri 147 Cairo:Life in the dead city Sharia El Afifi avenue. Old mosques, nargile and coffee shops and the tap water for the families who live just above the dead. © Maro Kouri 148 Cairo:Life in the dead city Sair plays with his son Gioulio at the top of Citadel cemetery, where they left some flowers to his dead father. © Maro Kouri 149 Egypt, Cairo:Life in the Dead City. Twenty-three year old Amer shares a clean tomb-house with three women, in Seyida Nafisal cemetery with basic comforts an electric oven and a refrigerator. She speaks English fluently and works as a security guard at a famous mufti grave. © Maro Kouri 150 Egypt, Cairo:Life in Dead City In the center of Segida Nafisa cemetery life never ends.... Seventeen year old Samar says: "I live just above a couple of scientists", and she runs to her trackman fiance © Maro Kouri 151 Cairo: Life in the dead city Old & young generations, homeless, immigrants, debtors and unemployed, co-exist with the dead in chaotic cemeteries. © Maro Kouri 152 Egypt, Cairo:Life in the Dead City. El Abagija deadcity. 26 y. old Hamis Aouis lives with his wife and their 2-year old daughter, Amal, above a family tomb. Hamis is a tomb burier and guardian. He receives a government salary of 400 Egyptian pounds per month but his electricity bill alone is 25 Eg. pounds per month. Their home is just a room, where they also got married. Actually, it was their fathers matchmaking... © Maro Kouri 153 Medina Meyed is the central cemetery of Cairo where except the dead rest some thousands of alive people. Families with many children, homeless, watchmen, as well as immigrants coexist with the sleeping souls and their bones... Some of the grave inhabitants are guardians of their tomb-houses, buriers, housekeepers of the tombs, while others want to live and die near their ancestors. Earthquake victims expatriated from Sadad's and Mubaraq's governments, debtors and unemployed make up the majority of Medina Meyet dwellers. The oldest grave constructions of the most alive cemetery in the world were built by the Mamluks, circa 1250-1517. © Maro Kouri 155 Cairo:Life in the dead city. Magd has a sculpture atelier inside a family tomb. He makes arabesques for Seyida Nafisal cemetery customers, but the last years his customers are all over Egypt. Underneath his work surface is barried a couple of a doctor and a mechanical engineer. © Maro Kouri
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