The Egyptian Cabinet will meet in a few days to discuss an Urban Planning Authority (UPA) development project for the Fustat district of Old Cairo. The project includes the removal of 35,000 graves from the city cemetery to make room for public parks, while preserving graves of historical significance.
"There are 63 historical graves and shrines in the area that we will preserve," said UPA Chairman Mostafa Madbouly. "The rest will be moved to the Cairo-Sukhna desert road east of the capital."
"Many of the graves in the area are flooded by subterranean water," he explained. "Building a new cemetery costs much less than removing the water."
"We will also re-open the seven famous wells in Ain Al-Seira district that are used for medicinal purposes," he added, explaining that the initial cost of the project is LE3 billion, allocated to "retain the historical and cultural glare of the area."
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
