City of the Dead, Islamic cemetery in El Khalifa, Cairo, Egypt

The City of the Dead, or al-Qarafa, is a band of Islamic-era necropolises stretching roughly 4 miles (6.4 km) north and south of the Cairo Citadel, below the Mokattam Hills and outside the historic walls. It holds graves of ordinary Cairenes alongside mausoleums of rulers and elites, among them the tomb of Imam al-Shafi'i. Low flat-roofed stone and concrete structures, small domes and a ribbed dome rise above the rooftops.

The area emerged during the early Islamic period and became a burial ground for important figures and families across Egyptian history. Its development reflects the architectural and social changes that Cairo experienced over many centuries.

This place functions as both a burial ground and a living community, where families maintain bonds with their ancestors through everyday activities. People use the spaces between tombs for daily life, creating an active neighborhood within the sacred grounds.

The location is several kilometers from central Cairo and can be explored on foot or with local guides who help with navigation. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes and allow enough time to walk through the many pathways and lanes.

The name Qarafa comes from the Banu Qarafa, a Yemeni clan of the Banu Ma'afir tribe that once held land in Fustat; a 13th-century Arabic Christian source instead traces it to the Greek grapheus, "copyist". The term is used only for Cairo's urban cemeteries, not for rural ones.