Manshiyat Nasser

NileGuide Expert tip:

Manshiyat Nasser is known as Garbage City for a reason, so make sure to dress appropriately - clothes you don't mind getting dirty, and ideally covered shoes.

Description:

• Manshiyat Nasser is an informal settlement at the base of Cairo's Moqatam hills, not far from the Citadel. Also known as Garbage City, Manshiyat Nasser is home to the Zabaleen, Chistian farmers from Middle Egypt who began moving to Cairo from around the 30's.
  
  The Zabaleen are Cairo's rubbish collectors, collecting thousands of tons of trash every day. They transport the rubbish back to the settlement, usually by donkey cart, where it is all sorted by hand to be recycled or re-used in some way. Much of the material used to be sold at the nearby Friday Market, though now the market is moving this may have to change.
  
  It is possible to visit Manshiyat Nasser - all taxi drivers know where it is, though a few may refuse to drive there. Once in the settlement, it's easy enough to wander around, and most people are extremely friendly. It's not a site for the faint-hearted, though, since there is rubbish absolutely everywhere, sorted and stacked by type of material.
  
  You will get the most from the visit if you can find someone to show you around, and explain how the process works. Hanna Fathy from the Solar CITIES project speaks excellent English and is happy to act as a guide, though some tour companies will also offer trips into Manshiyat Nasser now.
  
  As well as learning about the garbage collection and recycling process, there are a few NGO's that can be visited in Manshiyat Nasser, such as the APE (Association for the Protection of the Environment, which runs a recycling centre where women make and sell crafts) and Roh al-Shebab recycling school. You can also visit the rock cut churches, including the Monastery of St Simon the Tanner.
  
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