Egyptians Debate New Road Projects

 

For hundreds of years, Egyptian rulers, religious leaders, educators, and commoners have been buried in two large cemeteries¹ in Cairo. These cemeteries together make an historic city of the dead.

Now the government is building highways through the burial grounds as part of a campaign to reshape Egypt's capital. The project is creating concern among preservationists and some people living in the area.

In the Northern Cemetery², construction equipment recently destroyed the walls of some tombs to widen a road for the new highway. The tombs are from the early 20th century. They include the final resting places of well-known writers and politicians.

A 500-year-old tomb lies in the path of work crews. Although the tomb will remain standing³, it will likely be surrounded on either side by the highway.

In the older Southern Cemetery, workers recently removed several hundred graves and built a huge flyover⁴ bridge. Nearby sits the tomb of one of Egypt's first leading Islamic clergymen, Imam Leith.

As workers operated the equipment, families hurried to move the bodies of their loved ones. Other people faced losing their homes. Although known as the City of the Dead, the cemeteries are also communities, with people living in the walled areas that surround each grave.

Cairo's government and the Supreme⁵ Council of Antiquities⁶ noted⁷ that no registered monuments were harmed in the building process.

Mostafa al-Waziri is the head of the council. He told Egyptian television it was "impossible" that the council would permit the destruction of objects from ancient times. He added that the affected⁸ tombs are from the 1920s and 1940s, and belong to people or families who will get money from the government.

But some antiquities experts are concerned about Cairo's history. Among the destroyed graves are many that have historical value, although they may not be on an official list of monuments.

Critics of the highway say it will destroy an environment that has survived largely unchanged for centuries.

May al-Ibrashy heads the Mugawara Built Environment Collective and has worked a lot in the Southern Cemetery. Al-Ibrashy described the cemeteries as an important "part of the history of Cairo" since its beginning.

Government campaign to modernize⁹ the country

In Cairo and other places around Egypt, the government has carried out a campaign of bridge and road building. Officials say they are needed to ease traffic and better connect different areas.

Critics say the building projects, at times, have no concern for the neighborhoods that they pass through. In some cases, flower gardens and greenery have been taken down to build bridges. One flyover bridge was built with almost the same width of the street it runs down. People who live there can step out of their upper-story windows onto the road.

The two cemeteries, each at least 3 kilometers long, stretch north and south outside of Cairo's Old City. The Northern Cemetery first began to be used by wealthy people in the 1300s and 1400s. The southern cemetery, known as al-Qarafa, is even older. It has been used since the 700s, not long after the Muslim conquest of Egypt.

"The thing about the cemetery is there's a lot of hidden gems¹¹ that no one knows about," al-Ibrashy said. Al-Ibrashy explained that some of the graves date back to Ottoman rule. Some structures only look modern; they are probably much older because their names appear in "ancient guidebooks," al-Ibrashy added.

"I've lived here for 41 years, I married my husband here," said a woman in her 60s. She lived at a mausoleum that belonged to a prime minister from the early 20th century.

The old stone structure was saved, but work crews and their machines destroyed some of its nearby walls and rooms that served as her home. Her husband's family members were the tomb's guardians¹², and he was born and raised there.

"We have a long connection to this place. They don't respect the living or the dead," she said.

Dina Bakhoum is an art historian. She said that in recent years some government officials have started to believe in saving historic areas, not just monuments. The problem is, two or more government agencies decide what happens in Cairo, and decisions are sometimes made without any public discussion.

Bakhoum said, "I think the real problem we have here is really how do we define what is heritage, what is valuable, and for whom."

I'm Ashley Thompson.

And I'm John Russell.

Words in This Story

cemetery – n. a place where dead people are buried

highway – n. a major roadway

preservationist – n. someone who actively¹³ supports the protection of something, such as historic buildings

tomb – n. a building or above or below the ground in which a dead body is kept

grave – n. a hole in the ground for burying a dead body

antiquities – n. very old structures or objects

monument – n. a building or place that is important because of when it was built or because of something in history that happened there

conquest – n. the action of gaining control and occupying a place

gem¹⁰ – n. something that is admired for its beauty or excellence¹⁴

heritage – n. the traditions or beliefs that are part of the history of a group or nation — usually singular

1 cemeteries   

n.（非教堂的）墓地，公墓( cemetery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It's morbid to dwell on cemeteries and such like. 不厌其烦地谈论墓地以及诸如此类的事是一种病态。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In other districts the proximity of cemeteries seemed to aggravate the disease. 在其它地区里，邻近墓地的地方，时疫大概都要严重些。 来自辞典例句

2 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 flyover   

n.立交桥，天桥

参考例句：

• It took workers more than one year to build this flyover.建造这座立交桥破费工人一年多时间。
• All that came to his bakery should go over a flyover first.所有来他店的人都必须先经过一座立交桥。

5 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

6 antiquities   

n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯

参考例句：

• There is rest and healing in the contemplation of antiquities. 欣赏古物有休息和疗养之功。 来自辞典例句
• Bertha developed a fine enthusiasm for the antiquities of London. 伯沙对伦敦的古迹产生了很大的热情。 来自辞典例句

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

9 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

10 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

11 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

12 guardians   

监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者

参考例句：

• Farmers should be guardians of the countryside. 农民应是乡村的保卫者。
• The police are guardians of law and order. 警察是法律和秩序的护卫者。

13 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

14 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。