Cairo's necropolis is dubbed one of the creepiest places in the world(Image: Mediadrumimages/David Tesinsky)

Inside creepy 'City of the Dead' where living people still reside among dead ancestors

Egypt's 'City of the Dead' in Cairo is a vast necropolis of old tombs and the final resting place for Egyptian royalty where people live amongst the graves - now it faces being bulldozed and modernised

by · The Mirror

A necropolis hailed one of the world's creepiest locations where the living still reside alongside the dead could be razed to the ground.

Dubbed 'The City of the Dead' and dating back 1,000 years, Cairo's Necropolis in Egypt is a vast burial site at the foot of the Mokattam Hills. But the eerie site is now facing being bulldozed after government developers unveiled a controversial modernisation plan. The necropolis counts notable cultural figures, rulers and members of Egypt's royalty among its dead inhabitants.

Actors such as Farid al-Atrash and his sister Asmahan, who appeared in Egyptian movies until the 1960s, are buried in the city along with royalty like Shajar al-Durr, a former ruler of Egypt, and a family member of the prophet Muhammad. But what really stands the city of tombs out from others is that is remains inhabited by Cairo citizens - some of whom live directly alongside the graves of their ancestors.

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The site dates back almost 1,000 years and boasts an array of historic mausoleums and cemeteries( Image: Mediadrumimages/David Tesinsky)

Residents have fashioned makeshift homes in the necropolis while some even choose to live without electricity or water inside tombs. Stunning images captured by photographer David Tesinsky reveal the lives of those living among the dead. "These pictures tell the story of people who are living along with the tombs and graves in these homes in exchange for being mostly their maintenance workers," he said.

"People that live there take care of the places in exchange for a place to live in. Although the 'cemetery city' is being slowly ruined day by day, and people are paranoid about their future," he added.

Actors such as Farid al-Atrash and his sister Asmahan, who appeared in Egyptian movies until the 1960 are laid to rest at the necropolis( Image: Mediadrumimages/David Tesinsky)

As part of the Government's plan to "modernise" the city, bulldozers are now razing centuries-old mausoleums to the ground, reducing the historic necropolis to rubble. Authorities say the demolition work is being carried out to make space for roads and bridges that would link central Cairo to a new administrative capital, currently under construction 22 miles from the current Egyptian capital.

The move has been met with resistance, provoking an outcry from conservationists and citizens lamenting the ruin of their cultural heritage, but the destruction of the necropolis has nevertheless continued.