The city of the dead

As a photographer, varying places interest me a lot. Through the course of my travels, I live in each place day after day and explore the relationships between the place and the people who inhabit them. 

'The city of the dead' is the cemetery below the Mokattam Hills in southeastern Cairo, Egypt. 'The Cairo necropolis' has been explored over and over again for its natural beauty and how people live their modern lives in such an ancient place. 

It is a place with a dense grid of tomb and mausoleum structures where some people live and work amongst the dead. Other than the favourite tourist spots in Egypt, 'The Qarafa' is a place, which portrays an ancient yet novel narrative of life and death. 

In this photo series, I will portray the living conditions of the people, their relation with the cemeteries and the pressures of urbanisation on the city. I tried to capture the juxtaposition of class struggle and the colourful existence of this place through my lenses.

A general view of the city of the dead in Cairo, Egypt. It's the oldest burial site in the city, dating back to the 7th century.

A man sleeps between tombstones in front of his single-room home on a hot day in the city of the dead

Chicken walk around tombs like tourists

Man walks through the narrow alleyways of the city of the dead