CAIROLandmark
Cairo's Garbage City
30.0459, 31.2855
On the slopes below the Mokattam hills, the district of Manshiyat Naser, widely known as Garbage City, is home to the Zabaleen, a mostly Coptic Christian community who for generations have collected, sorted and recycled a huge share of Cairo's waste by hand. Streets are stacked with baled plastic and sacks of refuse, and the air carries the work, but the neighbourhood recycles at rates that put many modern cities to shame.
Rising dramatically behind it is the reason many visitors come: the Cave Church of St. Simon, a vast amphitheatre carved into the cliff face, the largest church in the Middle East, seating thousands. It is a startling, humbling place, a portrait of dignity and faith amid hardship that sits far outside the polished tourist trail.
Know before you go
This is a working residential neighbourhood, not an attraction, so visit respectfully with a local guide, dress modestly, and always ask before photographing people.