A living dog is better than a dead lion. That is probably what el-Darb el-Ahmar residents were thinking when they laid hands on their new houses, which are in the cemeteries of long-gone pashas and princes. El-Darb el-Ahmar residents are renting these homes for as little as LE5 per month. Their landlord is the Ministry of Endowments, which seized ownership of those places after the death of their original owners. "Kaydahom's place" is the new name of Ali Pasha Shalaby's villa in Darb el-Azzazeen. Kaydahom has spent the 60 years of her life in the villa, where she married a mechanic and gave birth to two children. Her son became an engineer and her daughter is still studying.
Kaydahom takes pride in the fact that art students come to paint pictures of her home, with its arabesque patterns and monumental relics surrounding it. "This is a Pasha's villa, but we've rented it from the Ministry of Endowments. I wish the villa was under the jurisdiction of the Council for Antiquities because it restores houses, while that of Endowments makes us pay the cost of demolition," Kaydahom said. "All the residents of Darb el-Azzazen have the same problem. The lucky residents of Darb Shalaan, however, are under the jurisdiction of the Council for Antiquities." Housna as well has benefited from the old cemeteries of pashas. Ebrahim Khalifa Gendyan's cemetery, which dates back to 1592, has provided home to her family. Housna was born and raised in the cemetery. "I don't know how long I've been here. Because I opened up my eyes to find myself here in the cemetery. Even after I got married, I remained here with my siblings," she said. The yards of those ancient villas have become places for children to play. Mahmoud and other young people have installed billiards and ping-pong tables in the yard. They rent them out for LE.50 a turn. The use of monuments for housing was also implemented by the Aga Khan Institute, within the framework of an agreement with the Supreme Council for Antiquities. The monuments are restored and then used for different purposes, after the institute decided that restoration alone would be useless because dwellers tend to damage relics after they are restored. The institute has started by raising residents' awareness. For example, the Omm el-Sultan Shaaban School, and many other buildings have been transformed into employment, training, health and cultural centers. Translated form the Arabic Edition.
