By Gazette staff Cairo, April 18, 2018 - Providing shade for passersby or lovers who like to hide from people's eyes, trees in Egypt are also a witness to history. Egypt has many ancient trees in different parts of Cairo and other cities. There are different types such as the mulberry, the sycamore and the lotus trees which have been there since the pharaonic era. Believing in the importance of trees, the Tree Lovers Association is dedicated to taking care of the trees and documenting them. Asmaa el-Halwagy, head of the Tree Lovers Association (established in 1973) said that there were about nine heritage gardens in Cairo, they include the Giza Zoo, the Orman Garden, the Asmak (Fish) Garden in Zamalek, the Azbakeya Garden and the Andalus Garden, which are more than 100 years old. "The Association documents everything in the gardens like the plants, trees, basements and buildings as they are all part of the history and need restoration like any historical monument," el-Halwagy told a local magazine. The Association also cares for the street trees. "Street trees are a national treasure. Every large mature tree produces enough oxygen for a family of four," el-Halwagy said. She added that each tree needs care for four to five years, until its roots dig deeper and it can depend on itself. "Some people neglect the historical street trees and say that they are dying, but they are wrong. Trees live for hundreds of years; one example is the camphor tree, which lives for 500 years," she explained. One of the popular trees in Egypt is the Sycamore tree, a large, evergreen tree which reaches a height of 20 metres when fully-grown. It is to be found everywhere in Upper Egypt and the Delta. Sycamore wood is frequently used in making water wheels, water wells and agricultural tools, because it has special characteristics if immersed in water. Egypt's Virgin Mary Sycamore is a very famous tree in Matariya, beneath which according to history, the Holy Family rested whilst travelling through Egypt. Seham el-Sayad, a member of the Tree Lovers Association said that the atmosphere in Egypt helped the trees survive through the years. "I feel sad when I see how the trees are being treated in the streets nowadays, and how they are neglected," she told the magazine. According to Mohamed Abu Seda, head of the National Organisation for Urban Harmony, the government is paying great attention to cultivating and caring for trees. "We have a national project whose aim is to protect our heritage gardens and bring them back to their golden age," said Abu Seda.
