City of the Dead (Cairo)

The City of the Dead, or Cairo Necropolis, also referred to as the Qarāfa, is a series of vast Islamic-era necropolises and cemeteries in Cairo, Egypt. 4 km) long. They are included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of "Historic Cairo". The necropolis is separated roughly into two regions: the Northern Cemetery to the north of the Citadel (also called the Eastern Cemetery or Qarafat ash-sharq in Arabic because it is east of the old city walls), and the older Southern Cemetery to the south of the Citadel.

There is also another smaller cemetery north of Bab al-Nasr. The necropolis that makes up "the City of the Dead" has been developed over many centuries and contains both the graves of Cairo's common population as well as the elaborate mausoleums of many of its historical rulers and elites. It started with the early city of Fustat (founded in 642 CE) and arguably reached its apogee, in terms of prestige and monumentality, during the Mamluk era (13th–15th centuries).

Throughout their history, the necropolises were home to various...