Cairo’s most unique area is the so-called City of the Dead,
in the eastern part of the city. It began as flat open space well
away from the city and was a logical place to have a cemetery.
Many of the wealthy Turkish Mamluks were buried here in
magnificent mausoleums. Over time, citizens of Cairo estab-
lished small family burial plots there, and it grew into a sprawl-
ing cemetery. The citizenship of the City of the Dead began to