CAIRO - Securing a resting-place for a deceased person is as important in local culture as finding family lodgings for this relatively short time on Earth. The influence of ancient Egyptian civilisation, where much emphasis was put on tomb architecture, might be one of the reasons why cemeteries are still in high demand. Newspaper ads of companies that cater for those seeking peace for their souls speak of ‘distinguished designs', ‘spacious areas' and ‘beautiful cemeteries'. The prices are rather high, taking into consideration that limited burial areas are available in each governorate, due to a growing population. Although plots of land for burial purposes are sold at nominal price in addition to a minimal administrative fee, cemeteries have a flourishing private market. The price today, as real estate brokers say, starts at LE40,000 for a plot of 40 square metres and goes up depending on location and building material quality. According to regulating laws, cemeteries are not sold under an ownership system but come under usufruct rights. Therefore, purchasers have no legal rights to sell or concede these graves. But in real life people know how to twist the law. “The law is actually inactive”, said Hesham el-Hefnawi, a real estate expert. “Beneficiaries who get graves from governorates sell them to other individuals by proxy or by means of a contract usually authenticated in a court by virtue of ‘signature verification' lawsuits”, el-Hefnawi told Al Masry Al-Youm independent daily. He added that most unsold graves are found in 6th October, where vacant land allocated to the purpose is sold at LE3,000 per metre. Although an average plot of 40 square metres in 6th October presently ranges from LE40,00 to 55,000, a double-sized plot could go for as much as LE300,000 if it was classified as having super lux finishing, he claimed. Specialised companies offer potential clients different designs that include ornaments and shades for mourners, not to mention the use of marble or what is known as ‘Pharaonic stones' for façade lining. Some luxury graves boast a huge fully furnished reception to accommodate mourners. Old cemeteries like el-Tunsi and Bassatin house a number of posh graves with chandeliers and expensive antiques pertaining to members of the show business, pashas and aristocrats from the era before the l952 revolution. The Ministry of Housing has created the first executive organisation to establish and regulate graveyards in Greater Cairo (Cairo, Giza and Qaliubia) in order to facilitate the purchase process and bring prices down. The project is called ‘Valley of Comfort' and will kick off within two months, covering a total of l0,000 feddans (acres), half of which will be near the Giza - Fayoum road and the other on the Cairo-Ain-Sohkna road. The first stage, however, according to Ministry sources, involves only 400 feddans. The project will be responsible for the planning, building and selling of cemeteries in three governorates, which will in turn sell them to citizens at nominal price. Yet real estate experts like Karam Saeed did not believe that the project would lower the prices, at least not at the moment, since governmental projects took much time before and during their implementation.
