CAIRO: Hisham, 49, is happily married with two children. Working, he and his wife secure a decent income in addition to some extra cash from renting a flat owned by Hisham.
But following his father’s death in 1993, Hisham found himself forced to cope with a new dent in the budget: the family graveyard, one of hundreds in Old Cairo that has become congested with grandfathers’ and other relatives’ remains. The remains have accumulated over the years, so much so that some had to be pushed aside to make room for his father’s corpse.
Hisham, therefore, urgently had to buy a new graveyard. Or else he wouldn’t be able to secure a burial space for himself and his children amid traditions where collective cemeteries do not exist.
“We’re an extended family, says Hisham. “Since time immemorial we’ve collectively owned this graveyard. I am buying a new one elsewhere because our old one, besides running out of space, is also collapsing, added Hisham.
He noted: “It could take us years to save up enough money to restore it. How can you be sure no one will die during negotiations involving a big family?
The only option left for Hisham was to turn to the 6th of October City’s cemetery or the 15th of May City’s located some 25 km away from Maadi. The latter has come in handy, for the new graves there are less expensive despite the high demand.
At the 15th of May City you are spoilt for choice: you take an extensive tour around the spacious cemetery to choose the spot that will be your eternal abode.
Do you want a grave located on the pavement so that your visitors, after a long lifetime, can easily access your burial place? Or do you prefer it to be remote so that your soul can rest in peace away from the moaning and weeping of mourners?
You’re also free to choose a 20 m grave or a larger 40 m one, all depending on your budget. The designs, flat and ordinary or posh and ornamented, are things that count too.
Ironically when some are accumulating property like villas, apartments and chalets, they don’t even think of buying their own graves, taking for granted that the family yard is set to shelter everyone when the hour comes.
But when these old graves no longer match the sublimity people attach to death, many are making deals for new burial grounds that might in the process divert them temporarily from the temptations of the mundane world.
However, the actual visit to the 15th of May City’s cemetery is a different experience. Thousands of desert acres are swept over by scores and scores of new Old-Cairo styled graveyards. There are also separate areas for Coptic cemeteries that are marked by two-storey, cross-topped burial places.
Strangely enough the fresh air and the clear sky of these desert surroundings are exceptionally inviting.
“I’ve come here to look for a convenient grave, said Suheir who took a walk along with her son in the different cemeteries that were being shown to her by one grave builder.
“I’ve decided to buy the 40 m spot, but I really feel refreshed here. There are no crowds, no pollution, no noise. I’d like to stay for some more time. After all, one day we’ll end up here, noted Suheir as she wistfully remembered her parents.
In the past, on the Maadi-Helwan highway where the 15th of May City is located you could run into some grave sellers.
“We have to wait at the entrance to the mammoth cemetery, as not so many people know about it, said Salem, whose family has been in the business for generations.
He added: “We started by designing graves in Old Cairo, but when we became residents of this new city we began to buy land in this area that has been officially allocated a huge cemetery. We sell the plot of land along with the designed grave, informed Salem.
According to grave builders, the prices of graveyards range from between LE 15,000 and LE 20,000 to LE 35,000 and LE 40,000, all depending on location, space and design.
Some 50 percent of the new yards have been purchased. You can read the names of ministers, big businessmen and celebrities. Familiar family names on some doors can’t be missed. The cost of some posh yards touches LE 200, 000.
Salem says: “The members of some extended families could easily reach 300. Sometimes you have five deaths one after the other in which case the grave can’t be opened to house another deceased.
“In such situations families are bound to use strangers’ graves which might not always be available. This is why each group belonging to the same family has decided to own a separate graveyard, added Salem.
Many graves located within Old Cairo’s reputed cemeteries have not stood the test of time. Others near Bab Al Nasr have been removed to make space for the restoration works at Fatimid Cairo.
Many families who originally hail from rural areas are now keen on having their own graves in the capital.
The dead end for those people is the new graves. But one has to accept the fact that to own one you have to have a few thousand Egyptian Pounds at your disposal.
Those who can’t afford it have to fill in an application form at the Muhafza (the governorate’s administrative body) and wait for a few years to get a plot free.
“But today the majority prefer to pay and get it instantly, remarked Salem. “There is no guarantee that any plots will be available for donation. The prices are rising year on year.
But what sort of people are your clients, Salem?
“Some are content to have the 20 m grave that will serve the purpose, answered the grave builder. “Others prefer bigger so that they can visit on a regular basis and stay for a longer time on feasts and anniversaries.
“Some really care about the appearance while others who fathom the humbleness underlying mortality never argue about shapes. Some big families whose graves were taken at Bab Al Nasr refused to be compensated with others that were set up for them at the 15th of May. They thought they were not up to standard.
But is there any chance the cemetery could turn into another home for guards and grave diggers?
“I don’t think so. First the areas here are not as big as those in Old Cairo where some yards stretch over an area of 400 acres. Second no services like water or electricity will be connected. Third every 100 graveyards will be appointed one guard.
From the top of a hill one can get a view of a population of graveyards with pinkish and white stones. Salem was keen to make a deal. “Believe me, buy one now, and don’t blame me if I offer you a different price after a few months. Go ahead, don’t think twice, he urged.
“I might return soon, Salem. You’re right. It’s the way of all money and the way of all flesh.
