If you want to Muqattam in Cairo, Egypt, will always pass through an area like a city. One way through Salem, and then through the beautiful gardens of Al Azhar, then through the castle that graceful Salahudin, the road will turn into Muqattam. In that area there is a unique settlement is visible on the side of the road.
At first glance like a regular housing. Complete with carved doors, high walls, and room amenities. But who would have thought, turns out it was a vast cemetery area to resemble a city. The length of the region reached 4 mile (6.4 km). The Egyptians called it madinatul mayyit, or city of the dead. Abbreviate it as makober community.
The foreign tourists who come to the area there is called the City of the Dead, Cairo Necropolis, Qarafa, or el-Arafa. This place is situated in the heart of Cairo, and may be the only unique residential area specifically for people who have died.
Cairo believes makober community has existed since the time of Amr bin Ash (642 M), the commander who conquered Egypt. Initially only the family cemetery, as time continues to spread. Starting from the sultan's body to the common people, since thousands of years buried in makobe
At each grave, there is a metal door to the dungeon. Iron door is not visible (faint). Each one died, the iron lid is opened, then the bodies together in the underground tunnel. The bodies of thousands of years now piled into one.
The new burial has always posed a problem because it united with the body of new entry. As a result, when the iron door opened, out pleasant aroma due to the decomposition of a body that just happened. Often, the odor does not go away and strongly attached to the clothes of mourners, even after washing. Odor is also attached to the body, hair, and the whole body. If only one shower, the smell will faithfully stick guaranteed.
Funeral mass was held together by a common grave indeed, for most people. While the royal family tomb, placed one on one, not just mixed. So is the tomb of the imam, sheikh, and the scholars, usually set apart, and even built a mosque.
Like the tomb of Imam Syafi i, founder of the school of that adopted by most Muslims in Indonesia, his tomb was in the mosque of Imam Syafi 'i. Location separate from the city of the dead area. So is the tomb of Sayyida Aisha and Zaenab, grandchildren and great-grandson of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, each one with its mosque and separate from the region.
In addition to the Muslim area, adjacent to and across the street there to the Christian makober area. Same shape, the building height and building a very nice carved door.
Between bodies, Tea, and Shisha
Although the name of the body, many people live in makober to inhabit the tomb building. The area was a slum area in Cairo. As a result of urbanization, the villagers came to town. Because they can not reach an increasingly expensive housing prices in Cairo, rather than vagrancy, mending inhabit the tomb. It is estimated, more than 5 million people live in the city of thousands of corpses. Their activity, business, and sleep in that place. Although illegal, the people who live in the area was never evicted
The various activities undertaken. There is what makes the cafe, where people sip ngeteh shisha. The visitors did not have that feel uncomfortable or afraid to relax in the tomb. All very relaxed and enjoy the atmosphere. In fact, tea table made of stone tomb.
There is also an open car garage. Cairo and the surrounding residents would rather fix the vehicle at low cost and makober as smart mechanic. While waiting for his car fixed, they spend their time drinking tea and smoke shisha.
Tombs barely more like the place dead. The residents-leyeh leyeh fun in front of the tomb. While the crack in the door of the tomb, see a sofa in a room adorned, like the living room.
Place occupied tomb, the tomb of the rich are generally due to the room wide, covering an area of the mosque. So they nyambi well as a caretaker. But can stay for free, they get electricity from the mosque which is located not far from the tomb area. Although there is no electricity, unfortunately that night there was no street lighting. So even though there are residents, passers-by often speeding, too. Perhaps fear of running with the "original inhabitants" madinatul mayyit.
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