City of the Dead (Northern Cemetery)
City of the Dead (Northern Cemetery)
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Many magnificent funerary complexes are located here including the Mosque of Qaitbey (completed in 1474 AD), the Complex of Sultan Ashraf Barsbey and the Mausoleum of Ibn Barquq.
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Robert O
Rotterdam, The Netherlands5,948 contributions
Apr 2024 • Solo
In a way this cemetery is a spectacular place not just because of the many tombs and grave sites compiled over a period of more than 1300 years, but also because of the atmosphere. The friendly people who live here earn a poor living maintaining the site. The dogs who don't bother you during the day, become active and agressive after dark. The many shadows of the higher structures in combination with unexpected dwellers sometimes have an eerie effect,
Written May 30, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Philip P
Herentals, Belgium1,479 contributions
Jan 2020
On our way back from the pyramids light- & sound show and the diner we drove through part of this particular place. Very impressive, especially the more important buildings like the mosques that had absolutely no illuminating.
We drove through via the highway a couple of years ago, no we entered it rally ... even more impressive!
It didn't invite to leave the cab...
We drove through via the highway a couple of years ago, no we entered it rally ... even more impressive!
It didn't invite to leave the cab...
Written January 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maria Solange O
Farroupilha, RS30,754 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
I was impressed by this cemetery, as I knew that many people make their homes their tombs and not a few people live there in precarious conditions, without electricity, without sewage, without drinking water and without dignity. The cemetery is located along a highway and is very large. We didn't go in, we only saw it from the road.
Written February 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BobPraz
Toronto, Canada238 contributions
Aug 2011 • Solo
General info:
As other reviews point out, this is a neighborhood where people have made their homes amongst cemeteries and medieval mausoleums - some of which are fairly ruined, others in good condition. Many of the most elegant examples of Mamluk (medieval islamic) architecture are actually found here, outside the old walls of the city where Cairo's sultans had more room to build large funerary complexes for themselves and their families. Due to Cairo's very old housing problems, however, people have been squatting here for centuries and today it is densely populated, but the cemeteries are still in use (there was one funeral going on when I passed).
Visiting this place was one of my favorite experiences in all of Cairo, but it's understandably off the tourist trail at the moment and as such I will provide below all the information I can for prospective visitors. With the right kind of awareness, this can be a real highlight of Cairo.
Recommended sights:
The main monuments are usually funerary mosques with multiple functions and attached royal mausoleums. The best are usually agreed to be:
- The Funerary complex of Sultan Qaitbay (1474): It's known for having the most magnificent outer dome in Cairo. It would be great if, unlike me, you managed to climb the minaret. Otherwise, the inside of the mosque is particularly beautiful. The mausoleum itself was also closed as there was no grounds-keeper around when I was there, possibly due to a government funding issue though that's unclear. You'll have to see when you get there (the mosque itself is public anyways).
- The funerary complex of Sultan Ashraf Barsbay (1432): You probably can't visit the interior, but from the street you can see another brilliant example of Mamluk domes with stone-carved star patterns.
- The funerary complex of Sultan Farag ibn Barquq (1411): this is a large courtyard mosque with two mausoleums (one for men, one for women) flanking the prayer hall. The mausoleums are normally closed but try to get someone to let you inside at least one of them, as they are beautiful examples of this particular architecture.
- If you keep going north from here there's several other nice buildings of the same era, most of which appear inaccessible but provide nice silhouettes from the street, including one domed mausoleum which now stands right in the middle of a four-way street intersection!
General safety/caution:
While the area is certainly poor, it's not exactly a slum either (quite a lot of modern Cairo consists of "informal" housing, but what you see are technically illegal construction of houses/apartments, not stereotypically dangerous slums).
My experience consisted of visiting for a couple of hours in the middle of the day (albeit during Ramadan). I was alone but had absolutely no problem. In fact I was less bothered here, off the tourist trail, then I was in other parts of Islamic Cairo. The only people who approached me were the occasional cute children who asked for my name (perhaps the only question they knew in English). There's also a kind shopkeeper besides the Qaitbay complex who sells the kind of lamps you see in mosques. Overall, people didn't seem to take much note of me even while I took pictures (though I tried not to be conspicuous). There were a few beggars when I entered the neighborhood walking from Al-Azhar, but I politely declined and no trouble was given me.
That said, however, I was a lone man and my intuition would be that foreign women should perhaps not go there alone. I don't suspect it's dangerous, and I don't want to scare away anyone, but I also don't want to be heedless in my advice. In this case you should presumably follow the advice of guides like Lonely Planet as well as other advice from women who have been there or who are familiar with conservative areas of Cairo.
Preparation:
I have described my experience but other people have had different (but rarely negative) experiences or visited in different ways (for example, being invited to visit some tombs in one of the local homes built around them). So you can take a moment to read other reviews to get various ideas, while keeping in mind that different people also have different degrees of comfort with these places.
It's perfectly sensible to visit without a guide - either alone or, especially as a woman, with someone you know. Both the Rough Guide and the Lonely Planet (for example) have maps and information on the Northern Cemetery. If you want even more information to prepare or guide you, then there is a small but excellent book by Jeffrey A. Nedoroscik entitled "Walking in the City of the Dead: A Visitor's Guide" which specifically offers practical and historical information about this neighborhood and other similar neighborhoods (yes, there's more than one "City of the Dead" in Cairo).
And finally, for what it's worth, I'll be happy to answer any questions by private message.
As other reviews point out, this is a neighborhood where people have made their homes amongst cemeteries and medieval mausoleums - some of which are fairly ruined, others in good condition. Many of the most elegant examples of Mamluk (medieval islamic) architecture are actually found here, outside the old walls of the city where Cairo's sultans had more room to build large funerary complexes for themselves and their families. Due to Cairo's very old housing problems, however, people have been squatting here for centuries and today it is densely populated, but the cemeteries are still in use (there was one funeral going on when I passed).
Visiting this place was one of my favorite experiences in all of Cairo, but it's understandably off the tourist trail at the moment and as such I will provide below all the information I can for prospective visitors. With the right kind of awareness, this can be a real highlight of Cairo.
Recommended sights:
The main monuments are usually funerary mosques with multiple functions and attached royal mausoleums. The best are usually agreed to be:
- The Funerary complex of Sultan Qaitbay (1474): It's known for having the most magnificent outer dome in Cairo. It would be great if, unlike me, you managed to climb the minaret. Otherwise, the inside of the mosque is particularly beautiful. The mausoleum itself was also closed as there was no grounds-keeper around when I was there, possibly due to a government funding issue though that's unclear. You'll have to see when you get there (the mosque itself is public anyways).
- The funerary complex of Sultan Ashraf Barsbay (1432): You probably can't visit the interior, but from the street you can see another brilliant example of Mamluk domes with stone-carved star patterns.
- The funerary complex of Sultan Farag ibn Barquq (1411): this is a large courtyard mosque with two mausoleums (one for men, one for women) flanking the prayer hall. The mausoleums are normally closed but try to get someone to let you inside at least one of them, as they are beautiful examples of this particular architecture.
- If you keep going north from here there's several other nice buildings of the same era, most of which appear inaccessible but provide nice silhouettes from the street, including one domed mausoleum which now stands right in the middle of a four-way street intersection!
General safety/caution:
While the area is certainly poor, it's not exactly a slum either (quite a lot of modern Cairo consists of "informal" housing, but what you see are technically illegal construction of houses/apartments, not stereotypically dangerous slums).
My experience consisted of visiting for a couple of hours in the middle of the day (albeit during Ramadan). I was alone but had absolutely no problem. In fact I was less bothered here, off the tourist trail, then I was in other parts of Islamic Cairo. The only people who approached me were the occasional cute children who asked for my name (perhaps the only question they knew in English). There's also a kind shopkeeper besides the Qaitbay complex who sells the kind of lamps you see in mosques. Overall, people didn't seem to take much note of me even while I took pictures (though I tried not to be conspicuous). There were a few beggars when I entered the neighborhood walking from Al-Azhar, but I politely declined and no trouble was given me.
That said, however, I was a lone man and my intuition would be that foreign women should perhaps not go there alone. I don't suspect it's dangerous, and I don't want to scare away anyone, but I also don't want to be heedless in my advice. In this case you should presumably follow the advice of guides like Lonely Planet as well as other advice from women who have been there or who are familiar with conservative areas of Cairo.
Preparation:
I have described my experience but other people have had different (but rarely negative) experiences or visited in different ways (for example, being invited to visit some tombs in one of the local homes built around them). So you can take a moment to read other reviews to get various ideas, while keeping in mind that different people also have different degrees of comfort with these places.
It's perfectly sensible to visit without a guide - either alone or, especially as a woman, with someone you know. Both the Rough Guide and the Lonely Planet (for example) have maps and information on the Northern Cemetery. If you want even more information to prepare or guide you, then there is a small but excellent book by Jeffrey A. Nedoroscik entitled "Walking in the City of the Dead: A Visitor's Guide" which specifically offers practical and historical information about this neighborhood and other similar neighborhoods (yes, there's more than one "City of the Dead" in Cairo).
And finally, for what it's worth, I'll be happy to answer any questions by private message.
Written March 31, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
commoncatlover
United Kingdom113 contributions
Oct 2010 • Couples
Cairo is a very beautiful city, with lovely shopping food is lovely, and of course the Pyramids, i love the history of Egpyt, the Pyramids was amazing Wow they are so big the three of them is just breathtaking, we went on a camel which was just great, and the Egyptian people are just lovely, they will do any thing for you, and if you get Mohamed as your tour Guide well you will have an amazing time, he is just lovely, he show us loads of things, very friendly and helpfull, and he will make sure you have a wonderful time, i would very recomment Mohamed, there isn't anything that do doesn't know about Egypt.
I Absolutely love Egypt and i really can't wait to go again, and i will be haveing Mohamed as my tour Guide.
I Absolutely love Egypt and i really can't wait to go again, and i will be haveing Mohamed as my tour Guide.
Written September 9, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BRYNSI
LONDON148 contributions
Although the City of the Dead, or "Qarafa" as it is known locally, is sadly an undiscovered Pearl in Cairo, due to the mass of people living within these necropolis Boundaries, it is strongly advisable not to enter these areas unless in a supervised tour or with a reputable and trustworthy guide, as these necropolis are very dangerous. Among these five necropolis which make up the area known as the City of the Dead, lives a community of Egypt’s urban poor, forming an illegal but tolerated, separate society. It is estimated that more than five million Egyptian live in these cemeteries.
There are five major cemeteries which constitute the City of the Dead, the Northern Cemetery, Bab-el-Nasr Cemetery, the Southern Cemetery, the Cemetery of the Great, and Bab-el-Wazir Cemetery.
The Northern Cemetery is the most widely used for guided tours, attempting to visit the Cemetries alone is not encouraged, as these places lie out with tourist police jurisdiction.
Although we did not enter the City of the Dead, (we were stopped twice by policemen telling us it was unsafe), we walked from the Citadel to the Botanic Gardens along the Salah Salem Highway, which gave us an opportunity to admire and take in the vast scale of these Necropolis. The size, scale and beauty of these Mausoleums were breathtaking.
With such a vast wealth of History and Architectural Beauty, spanning over 700 years, the City of the Dead is not only a hidden treasure right in the heart of Cairo but it is the least explored and the least developed.
Sadly at this point in Cairo, we had run out of time to organise a proper guided tour around the City of the Dead and would most certainly put this high on an agenda for our next visit
There are five major cemeteries which constitute the City of the Dead, the Northern Cemetery, Bab-el-Nasr Cemetery, the Southern Cemetery, the Cemetery of the Great, and Bab-el-Wazir Cemetery.
The Northern Cemetery is the most widely used for guided tours, attempting to visit the Cemetries alone is not encouraged, as these places lie out with tourist police jurisdiction.
Although we did not enter the City of the Dead, (we were stopped twice by policemen telling us it was unsafe), we walked from the Citadel to the Botanic Gardens along the Salah Salem Highway, which gave us an opportunity to admire and take in the vast scale of these Necropolis. The size, scale and beauty of these Mausoleums were breathtaking.
With such a vast wealth of History and Architectural Beauty, spanning over 700 years, the City of the Dead is not only a hidden treasure right in the heart of Cairo but it is the least explored and the least developed.
Sadly at this point in Cairo, we had run out of time to organise a proper guided tour around the City of the Dead and would most certainly put this high on an agenda for our next visit
Written March 21, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BobPraz
Toronto, Canada238 contributions
Oct 2012 • Friends
This is my second review of this place, as I have some things to add to my review from last year.
This year I went a few times on various days; once or twice alone and once with friends (including a foreign woman). If you're walking, you can enter the area either through the footbridge over the highway, from where the street will take you almost directly to the Qaitbey mosque, or by going under the highway overpass east from Al-Azhar street, from where it's a more complicated path but one that gives you views of the hundreds of small cemeteries along the way.
The neighbourhood is still very friendly but still very dirty. People are often curious to find you there (although they do see tourists around the main monuments), but this is usually the extent of the attention you get. You can take pictures but be a little careful not to take pictures of obvious piles of garbage, as there's a chance someone may find this disrespectful. Sadly, garbage is sometimes piled up next to some beautiful monuments.
My most important update: the Qaitbey mosque, the most famous building in the area, is closed to visitors due to ongoing restoration inside. You can still see it and its beautiful dome from the streets, but the doors only open for prayers for the locals.
The Barsbay mosque was open when I dropped by and you can enter the prayer hall (remember to tip the caretaker), though the mausoleum itself may not be open.
The funerary mosque of Sultan Farag ibn Barquq is still open, but you should look around for a caretaker who can take you one of the two beautiful high-domed mausoleums. In my experience he will usually only volunteer to take you into one of them; you'll need to ask or insist if you want to see both. Both are beautiful and fairly similar, but personally I find the women's mausoleum on the south side (on the right) more satisfying. A tip is warranted for unlocking doors, but the mosque area is open to all.
Further north are some other impressive monuments, but these are in more ruined condition, fenced off and located on some fairly desolate streets where you may find yourself quite alone.
Still a great place to visit, and hopefully future visitors will find the Qaitbay mosque newly restored and open to visit.
This year I went a few times on various days; once or twice alone and once with friends (including a foreign woman). If you're walking, you can enter the area either through the footbridge over the highway, from where the street will take you almost directly to the Qaitbey mosque, or by going under the highway overpass east from Al-Azhar street, from where it's a more complicated path but one that gives you views of the hundreds of small cemeteries along the way.
The neighbourhood is still very friendly but still very dirty. People are often curious to find you there (although they do see tourists around the main monuments), but this is usually the extent of the attention you get. You can take pictures but be a little careful not to take pictures of obvious piles of garbage, as there's a chance someone may find this disrespectful. Sadly, garbage is sometimes piled up next to some beautiful monuments.
My most important update: the Qaitbey mosque, the most famous building in the area, is closed to visitors due to ongoing restoration inside. You can still see it and its beautiful dome from the streets, but the doors only open for prayers for the locals.
The Barsbay mosque was open when I dropped by and you can enter the prayer hall (remember to tip the caretaker), though the mausoleum itself may not be open.
The funerary mosque of Sultan Farag ibn Barquq is still open, but you should look around for a caretaker who can take you one of the two beautiful high-domed mausoleums. In my experience he will usually only volunteer to take you into one of them; you'll need to ask or insist if you want to see both. Both are beautiful and fairly similar, but personally I find the women's mausoleum on the south side (on the right) more satisfying. A tip is warranted for unlocking doors, but the mosque area is open to all.
Further north are some other impressive monuments, but these are in more ruined condition, fenced off and located on some fairly desolate streets where you may find yourself quite alone.
Still a great place to visit, and hopefully future visitors will find the Qaitbay mosque newly restored and open to visit.
Written October 29, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ronald L
Denver, CO2,962 contributions
Nov 2019
We passed by this desolate looking part of Cairo on our way to see the largest Citadel in the Arab World at Saladin Citadel. Not much sign of life, but evidently there are thousands of persons living among the tombs of the dead.
Written December 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mathias S
332 contributions
Jul 2018 • Solo
There are two parts of Qarrafa necropolis. Northern and Southern.
Northern is adorned with many Mamluk tombs, some of them very impressive, especially the sultans' tombs, like the one of sultan Barquq. And I do encourage you to visit them. Mamluks were slaves imported mostly from Turkic steppes north from Black See, then from Caucasian Circassia, but there were other ethnicities among them, even one sultan of Mongol origin. Yes, a sultan, because in 1260, they took the power and ruled the country until 1517, and, under Ottomans, for 3 more centuries.
Southern Qarrafa has tombs of Abbasid caliphs. But I failed to find them, honestly. Abbasids were caliphs in years 750-1517. Their capitals were mostly in Iraq (Baghdad and Samarra are the most notable). Originally ruling a state from Morocco to the borders of China, they were gradually reduced, until in 1258 Mongols captured Baghdad and killed the calips. But Mamluk sultan Baybars established a new line of Abbasids, reigning as mamluk puppets, in Cairo. Which is ironic, as the city was origally built by Fatimids, Shia anti-caliphs.
There is also a tomb of famous jurist Ash-Shafi'i.
Most of all, however, this necropolis is known as being used by poor people for habitation. A very sad matter really, and not so nice to see.
Northern is adorned with many Mamluk tombs, some of them very impressive, especially the sultans' tombs, like the one of sultan Barquq. And I do encourage you to visit them. Mamluks were slaves imported mostly from Turkic steppes north from Black See, then from Caucasian Circassia, but there were other ethnicities among them, even one sultan of Mongol origin. Yes, a sultan, because in 1260, they took the power and ruled the country until 1517, and, under Ottomans, for 3 more centuries.
Southern Qarrafa has tombs of Abbasid caliphs. But I failed to find them, honestly. Abbasids were caliphs in years 750-1517. Their capitals were mostly in Iraq (Baghdad and Samarra are the most notable). Originally ruling a state from Morocco to the borders of China, they were gradually reduced, until in 1258 Mongols captured Baghdad and killed the calips. But Mamluk sultan Baybars established a new line of Abbasids, reigning as mamluk puppets, in Cairo. Which is ironic, as the city was origally built by Fatimids, Shia anti-caliphs.
There is also a tomb of famous jurist Ash-Shafi'i.
Most of all, however, this necropolis is known as being used by poor people for habitation. A very sad matter really, and not so nice to see.
Written April 17, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert O
Rotterdam, The Netherlands5,948 contributions
Dec 2017 • Solo
A cemetery with a 1300 year-old history of continued burrials and construction of tombs and graves. The area feels rather neglected and I would not go there after dark. Unlike elsewhere in Cairo dogs may bark at you, because they sense you are an outsider. They are more territorial then elsewhere. People I met greeted me and behaved friendly and pleasant. Being classified as a slum does not mean people living there are not good.
The structure of the cemetery is rather unusual. There are many private plots of land with tombs enclosed by walls with gates that can be locked or are guarded. Many people living among the dead have jobs related to maintenance and guarding of tombs.The oldest Mamluk tombs are in a rather bad state. The necropolis is a vast area and stretches more than 6 km (4 miles) north to south..
To get there on foot cross the highway near Al Azhar park. The park can be reached easily from the bazaar area (Islamic city). Follow Al Azhar street.
The structure of the cemetery is rather unusual. There are many private plots of land with tombs enclosed by walls with gates that can be locked or are guarded. Many people living among the dead have jobs related to maintenance and guarding of tombs.The oldest Mamluk tombs are in a rather bad state. The necropolis is a vast area and stretches more than 6 km (4 miles) north to south..
To get there on foot cross the highway near Al Azhar park. The park can be reached easily from the bazaar area (Islamic city). Follow Al Azhar street.
Written December 11, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Teboho87960
Johannesburg, South Africa
Hello.i would really like to know if the the city of the dead is publicly or privately owned. And details of the system.
Written March 16, 2015
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