Demolitions return to Bab al-Nasr Cemetery
Despite promises by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbuly to halt the demolition of historic Cairo cemeteries, the removal of human remains and razing of tombs resumed in April in Bab al-Nasr Cemetery. Madbuly’s pledge followed public outcry over the destruction of the funerary dome of Nam Chaz Qadin, a concubine of Mohamed Ali Pasha and mother of Prince Mohamed Abdel Halim.
Bab al-Nasr Cemetery is one of Cairo’s oldest, located opposite Islamic Cairo’s Nasr Gate and falling within the bounds of historic Cairo as designated by UNESCO. Its wooden funerary structures are a rare and unique form of architecture. The site contains thousands of graves and tombs belonging to Sufi sheikhs and saints, as well as the Swiss Orientalist Johann Burckhardt (d. 1817). The cemetery also features several ornate mausoleums of wealthy families, and the mud-brick dome of Al-Sitt Zeinab al-Hanafiya (d. 940).
In 2024, the cemetery lost approximately 13,000 square meters of its total area as officials moved forward with plans to construct a parking garage and shopping center in its place. Today, it appears authorities are intent on erasing what remains of the cemetery — piece by piece.
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