A final shot of a poet’s landscape, the view of boats emerging on the Nile. These floating homes, dating back more than a century and which were an integral part of the city’s memory, are now saying goodbye. This is after the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources decided to announce the withdrawal of the remaining 32 vehicles in the Imbaba and Agouza areas, for violating legal procedures and modifying their activities. Work has already begun to remove fifteen of them. ” The main reason for withdrawing the barges is to restructure the urban side of the Nile in general, especially in the areas of Cairo and Giza, as they represent a tourism wealth, within the framework of the state plan. To restore the Nile Corniche the urban, civilized appearance that it was before Engineer Ayman Anwar, head of the Central Department for the Protection of the Nile in Cairo, commented during a telephone conversation with the program. last wordbroadcast on the channel we. So officials gave residents until July 4 to empty the boats. The situation sparked heated debate.
” For two years, we’ve been playing a game of cat and mouse with the officials. This decision is justified by the fact that we did not renew the authorization and did not pay the rent, although we refused to collect it since 2020. Now we are being warned to leave. Even worse, I am required to pay a fine of 420,000 pounds for not renewing our license for two years. This means that even if we sell the rubble of our barge, the price will not cover this compensation. Explains Manar Al-Hajrsi, an engineer who lives with her mother and family of 7 in a barge. ” We had to sell our apartment to Nasr City and the car, as well as pay my mother’s severance pay to buy this three-story barge surrounded by a 300-meter garden. Here we had the opportunity to meet the big family on holidays, Ramadan and various celebrations and also to welcome its members who live abroad. Manar’s mother continues.
Neama Mohsen, a theater teacher, has the same wave. She trusts too much nostalgia: “ I’ve lived in this boat for 29 years. Every corner of this place represents a memory of my life. It’s the place where I met my husband, where we had the best days of our romance and where I had my two sons. I came here when I was 20, time has passed and I am now 50. This barge is for me a box of memories ’” explains Neama, who currently lives with one of her friends.
The Ministry of Irrigation basically explains that there are security failures and water leaks due to lack of maintenance. However, Nyama claims that he spent up to 100,000 Egyptian pounds on maintenance work on his vehicle, and that’s not counting the effort to maintain his former spirit. Every corner of the place has been carefully selected from antique dealers. ” I’ve always been told that my compound feels like it takes us back to the special and magical world of black and white movies. “Naama says.” The splendor of the floating house has turned the heads of many journalists around the world and its beauty has caused a lot of ink to flow She adds, not without emotion.
Oamas, a symbol of a bygone era. (Photo: Hassan Ammar)
A difficult but necessary decision
Admittedly, the residents of the barges are unhappy at having to turn this page, and the fact remains that the decision to demolish them does not come as a surprise, according to an official at the Ministry of Irrigation who requested anonymity. For years, in fact, the problems of sandals were not solved. In an article published in Al-Ahram Weekly In January 2020, lawyer Mamdouh El Miniawy, who has worked for more than 40 years in the field of barge management, confirmed that to renew his annual license, he had to go through several administrative procedures. ” Permission from 8 government departments is required to obtain this license. It can last for months, while the license is only valid for a few months. You have to start the process over to renew it Miniawy says.
And that’s not all. According to a report published by the Cairo Center for Economic Development, the Minister of Housing indicated that construction occupies 70% of the area of Greater Cairo, leaving little space for green and open spaces. This requires the implementation of new building standards. The density is 500 people per . acre In Cairo and up to 100 people per acre in Giza. Therefore, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly regrets that the issue of non-regulatory housing was not taken seriously earlier because it could have saved a lot of money for the state. An opinion shared by urban planner and architecture professor Soheir Hawass, herself a former owner of a boat on Jabaliya Street. She wrote on her Facebook account that this decision had to be made for years, despite the beautiful days she had at her family home. ” I have fond memories of this house where my brother was born. I ran among the mango trees that graced the entrance to our boat. I made deep friendships with athletes who rowed. We bought fish from the fishermen who roamed both banks of the river ‘, she says on her account. And to add: Nevertheless, I am optimistic, because perhaps now is the time to put an end to all the violations and violations that exist on the Nile, especially the buildings built with heights that exceeded all laws and blocking the Nile, preventing all citizens from accessing this openness and violations. Scenic view. If this is the goal, then you must hurry to remove every concrete wall built on the banks of the Nile “.
of nostalgia
Now is the time for nostalgia. To memories of the times when boats retained the spirit of a bygone era, when mystery and entertainment were combined along the Nile, where they were places of pleasure favored by the aristocracy and ruling classes in Egypt since the end of the nineteenth centurye century. These rich dwellings on the water were also called golden (feminine adjective derived from dahab, meaning gold in Arabic), referring to its precious gold decorations. They served as a refuge for them to enjoy quietly away from the mainland and away from prying eyes. Some feature colonial architecture, while others feature Art Deco interiors. Although the government encouraged the construction of floating houses on the river at the beginning of the century, after 60 years, the trend is no longer in fashion. From 500 in the 1940s, the number of floats (Boats) halved in the 1960s. At that time, the Cairo Municipality banned its construction, considering it polluting, and since the sixties of the last century, float Out of service it can no longer be replaced.
but the floats It will forever remain a place in the history and imagination of the lives of the people of Cairo. The hero of the Naguib Mahfouz trilogy was spending his famous hot evenings on a boat. It is also where the story of his famous novel takes place Drifting on the Nile (adapted for cinema by Hussein Kamal in 1971) Reflects the political and social life of the 1960s.
In short, the floats, with their sometimes eccentric residents who shaped the history of Egypt, were witnesses to its artistic, political, and cultural history. The boats are no longer there, but their memory is eternal.
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