More than three years ago, the home of Sarah Mohamed’s family—located in the Nazlet al-Samaan area near the Giza Pyramids, bearing number (114 D) and consisting of five apartments built on a 400-square-meter plot—was demolished along with its adjacent stable. The family has not received any financial compensation or alternative housing to date. According to Sarah, who spoke to Zawia3, residents affected by demolitions in the project’s second phase have yet to receive their entitlements. She says they contacted the Governorate, the Cabinet, and the Survey Authority in Dokki, but the only reply they received was that “the papers are at the Government Printing Press.” She wonders why the procedures have been delayed for so long.
The fifty-year-old woman explains that compensation for those affected in the first demolition phase was paid at a rate of 15,000 Egyptian pounds ($312.50) per square meter, while residents of the second phase were informed they would receive 22,000 pounds ($458.33) due to their proximity to the pyramids. Yet this has not been implemented. She says the deputy governor, accompanied by a general, promised that the compensation would be paid within six months at most—but years have now passed without any payments.
“The demolitions focused on the homes of low-income families in Nazlet al-Samaan. We asked the governorate to provide us with alternative housing, but they replied there were no apartments available. Some families got units in the Hadaba area while others were denied them. We once owned a house we inherited from our father; now we’re tenants paying 4,000 pounds ($83.33) in rent. Where are we supposed to get that money?” she told Zawia3.
Sarah expresses frustration over the authorities’ neglect of residents’ complaints, saying she filed a new complaint to the Cabinet two months ago, but “the employee hung up on me.” She adds, “We have a right, and we’re not troublemakers. We just want the compensation for our homes that were demolished four years ago. The first phase got paid; we’re still waiting. We only want what we were promised.”
Today, she lives with her siblings in a small rented apartment. Her widowed sister has been forced by circumstances to work as a domestic helper, while her mentally ill brother survives on a Takaful and Karama pension that does not exceed 900 pounds ($18.75). To her, Nazlet al-Samaan was more than a place to live—it held the memories of her fifty years of life and generations of family history. “The area is beautiful, with elegant houses, villas, shops, restaurants, and even hotels. We lived in the middle of a vibrant, touristic life,” Sarah recalls.
For the family of Bassem Makawy, their old home in the “San al-Agouz” district overlooking the pyramids was part of the first phase of demolitions over three years ago. Yet they only received their financial compensation about five months ago, at a rate not exceeding 8,000 pounds ($166.67) per square meter. Although the property’s total area was about 1,000 square meters and included three sub-houses, half its size was excluded from the official records, and the family was compensated for only about 550 square meters—making the total compensation far below the property’s real value, he told Zawia3.
Bassem recalls that the property originally belonged to his father’s grandmother, who left it to her three children, one of whom was his grandfather. The grandfather had six children, each with a large family of their own. As a result, the number of heirs entitled to the property is very large, meaning each person’s share is insufficient even to buy a small apartment. He points out that the home has an official ownership deed dating back to the reign of King Farouk—it was not built on seized land.
He explains that the first phase of demolitions in the area began about three and a half years ago and was divided into two phases for compensation payouts. However, some residents have still not received their dues, despite more than three years passing since their homes were razed. He stresses that the state has not provided fair compensation or adequate alternative housing for property owners.
He tells Zawia3: “Those who actually lived in the demolished houses from the first phase got apartments under a usufruct system, not ownership. These are located near the new Pyramid gates in a housing project similar to Al-Asmarat in Mokattam. Only three of my relatives who lived in the house received such apartments, while the rest of the heirs got nothing—even though ownership belongs to all of us. My family spent more than three years after the demolition without receiving a single pound, which caused severe hardship and displaced many family members. Strangely, the demolished homes still lie in ruins; no actual development has taken place on the cleared land until now.”
Makawy reveals the fear and anxiety spreading among residents after new demolition maps were circulated for Nazlet al-Samaan as part of the third phase—despite previous official assurances that no new demolitions would occur and that only existing houses would be renovated. He explains that residents complied with those directives and spent large sums renovating their homes and building small hotels and tourism projects, only to be surprised by renewed talk of another demolition wave covering large parts of the area. He stresses that continued demolitions threaten the stability of thousands of families and waste the money and effort they have invested over the years. He calls for solutions that guarantee residents’ right to remain and to benefit from developing their neighborhood in a way that reflects its historical value and unique location.
Nazlet al-Samaan sits at the edge of the Giza Pyramids and marks the endpoint of the proposed Khufu Axis, one of 22 projects listed under the Greater Cairo Urban Development Strategic Vision. In recent days, residents have circulated a map linked to the proposed redevelopment of Nazlet al-Samaan and the Giza Plateau. The plan aims to transform the area into an international cultural and tourist destination. The map shows the strategic layout of the area, highlighting zones in different colors to indicate development phases, ownership status, or proposed land uses.
According to the circulated map, the new demolitions will cover 4,819 square meters in Nazlet al-Samaan, including 54 land plots with buildings deemed at “imminent risk,” marked in light blue, totaling 1,715 square meters. In addition, ten plots covering 38,325 square meters—marked in orange—will be demolished due to structural deterioration. Another 221 plots of buildings lie within the first zone of the ascending road to the Khufu Pyramid, 50 meters wide, covering 24,415 square meters (shown in brown). The second zone of the same road includes 116 plots to be removed over an area of 5,126 square meters, shown in blue. The map also highlights demolitions planned for “urban integration” in red, while areas shaded in green indicate buildings that have already been demolished in Nazlet al-Samaan—215 plots totaling 72,900 square meters.
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Residents’ Fears of Demolition
Like many residents of Nazlet al-Samaan, Ahmed Farouk was shocked to see the newly circulated demolition map—which places his home within the targeted zone. The discovery has left him and his family in deep anxiety and frustration, especially since his family has lived in the area for centuries, passing down their homes from one generation to the next. He believes that the compensation the state offers to Nazlet al-Samaan residents is neither fair nor reflective of the area’s real value.
He tells Zawia3 that residents whose houses were demolished in Nazlet al-Samaan received either meager financial compensation or apartments under a public-benefit system, even though those homes were their private property with official ownership documents. “Some families waited four full years after their houses were demolished and they were forced to evacuate before receiving any compensation,” he says.
Farouk points out that current housing prices have risen dramatically. The price of an unfinished apartment now ranges between 500,000 and 750,000 pounds ($10,416–$15,625), while homes in Nazlet al-Samaan—each with an area of at least 300 square meters—were valued by authorities at only 14,000 pounds ($291.67) per square meter, without any compensation for the buildings themselves or the cost of construction.
He stresses that the demolitions were carried out by force, without giving residents enough time to find alternatives or reach fair settlements, describing what is happening as forced displacement of families from an area that forms part of Giza’s historical and social memory.
On October 1, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly held a meeting to review progress on the project to revive Nazlet al-Samaan as an integrated tourist destination. The meeting included the Ministers of Tourism and Housing, the Governor of Giza, and several officials and consultants. During the meeting, Madbouly announced that the project aims to integrate Nazlet al-Samaan with the Greater Pyramid area to create a world-class tourist destination coinciding with the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum. He emphasized the importance of community participation by local residents so that everyone benefits from the development plan.
During the same meeting, Engineer Mohamed El-Khatib, the project’s chief consultant, presented the outlines of the planning vision, which aims to transform Nazlet al-Samaan by 2030 into a vibrant tourist hub that builds on its cultural heritage and provides job opportunities for its residents through small hotel and commercial projects. He explained that the plan includes developing infrastructure, improving the urban landscape, and creating pedestrian pathways and public spaces—while preserving the area’s traditional character and setting regulations for building styles, façades, and heights.
During the last decade of former President Hosni Mubarak’s rule, several plans were proposed to redevelop the Pyramids area and Nazlet al-Samaan, under the supervision of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the Ministry of Culture, and the Cairo 2050 project of the Ministry of Housing. However, none of these plans were ever implemented. They all focused primarily on promoting tourism, as spatial policies were guided by the logic of tourist attraction rather than protecting the heritage of the local community.
In 2002, Zahi Hawass built an 18-kilometer wall to isolate the Giza Plateau in preparation for removing informal housing and commercial activities. Then in 2009, during Ahmed Nazif’s premiership, Mostafa Madbouly—who at the time headed the General Organization for Physical Planning—announced government plans to demolish all informal housing in Nazlet al-Samaan and the surrounding areas and to relocate residents elsewhere.
It is expected that approximately 53,392 residents of Nazlet al-Samaan will be affected by the evacuation and resettlement process, to be carried out over five phases spanning six years, at a total cost of 1.5 billion pounds ($31.25 million) allocated for evacuation, compensation, and resettlement operations. The plan will require the provision of 12,973 housing units and 242 units for commercial use. The first residents to be displaced were from the San al-Agouz area, north of Nazlet al-Samaan, which is home to about 7,760 people. The neighborhood is a low-income area with many dilapidated buildings and was classified by the Informal Settlements Development Fund as a Level 2 unsafe zone, built on land owned by the state.
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Before the Courts
The demolitions in Nazlet al-Samaan that affected dozens of residents have now reached the courts. Lawyers from the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR), in cooperation with the “Defenders” Center and attorney Khaled Ali, filed two lawsuits demanding a halt to the demolition and temporary seizure orders issued against the residents’ properties. The suits also call for disclosure of the legal basis for those decisions and whether they fall under the Law on Expropriation for Public Benefit, in addition to requiring government bodies to hold a community dialogue with residents about the redevelopment plans. The lawsuits name the Prime Minister, the Ministers of Tourism and Housing, the Governor of Giza, and several other officials as respondents.
In April 2023, the Administrative Court issued a preliminary ruling referring the two Nazlet al-Samaan demolition cases to a three-member committee of experts from the Ministry of Justice, setting a security deposit of 50,000 pounds ($1,041) for each case—100,000 pounds ($2,083) in total—which was paid before the January 1, 2023 hearing. The court also reserved judgment in the two lawsuits filed by property owners and occupants of Nazlet al-Samaan, registered under Nos. 3176/76 and 19981/76, which seek to suspend the decisions ordering the evacuation and demolition of more than 390 privately owned buildings.
According to the ECESR, these demolitions were carried out without any accompanying expropriation decrees or defined alternatives. Only one of the affected owners received a housing unit under a usufruct system, despite holding ownership of the demolished property. Under the Giza Governorate’s plan, 4,800 families are to be relocated from Nazlet al-Samaan.
Attorney Khaled El-Gammal of the ECESR confirms that the demolitions carried out so far have affected only a small section of the area known as “San al-Agouz,” where several kiosks and modest homes were removed, impacting only a handful of families. He explains that since the start of these measures in 2021, the center has filed two lawsuits before the Administrative Court to challenge the expropriation decisions, arguing that the lands have been privately owned by residents for more than two centuries and do not fall within the archaeological zone. The Ministry of Antiquities, he notes, had previously conducted excavations there and found no antiquities.
He tells Zawia3: “The court referred the two cases to Justice Ministry experts to inspect the properties and assess their condition. The inspection showed that the houses were built of reinforced concrete, not unsafe or informal structures. Nazlet al-Samaan contains more than 9,000 hotel rooms that host low-budget tourists, making it an essential contributor to domestic tourism. The two expert reports, however, offered no clear conclusions—they merely listed the properties without providing a legal assessment of the demolition decisions’ validity.”
El-Gammal stresses that the expropriation decision violated the law at every procedural stage: it was issued without setting compensation values, without preparing or publishing lists of affected residents, and without notifying them as required. Compensation funds were not deposited in bank accounts as the law stipulates. The defense therefore requested that the court return the case to the Ministry of Justice experts for a clearer and more detailed report, a request the court granted due to the ambiguity of the previous one.
He adds: “The state has not carried out any new demolitions since 2021 because of the pending lawsuits, which has somewhat reassured residents. Last year, the Cabinet announced a redevelopment plan for the area modeled on Historic Cairo, focusing on renovating and beautifying buildings, turning shops into bazaars and tourist facilities, and allowing residents to convert their homes into guest rooms. The plan received broad approval among locals.”
El-Gammal notes that only the residents of San al-Agouz received compensation or alternative housing, and their number is very small compared to the total population of Nazlet al-Samaan, which exceeds 200,000 people. Some of them were moved to usufruct apartments in Hadayeq October, where they now pay 250 pounds ($5.20) in monthly rent—after having been homeowners. This arrangement gives the state the right to reclaim the units at any time.
Regarding the newly circulated demolition map, El-Gammal explains that it covers roughly one-third of Nazlet al-Samaan, intended for building a new road and expanding the entrance to the Sphinx area. Yet, he notes, the new pyramids entrance from Hadayeq al-Ahram and the Grand Egyptian Museum has already been developed, making further demolitions unnecessary. The targeted area, he says, includes many hotels and tourist lodgings, meaning the demolitions would deprive residents of their livelihoods and undermine their economic stability, especially since the proposed compensations do not reflect the true market value of the properties. He confirms that the case remains under judicial review and that no new official demolition decree has been issued. He calls for adherence to the legal expropriation procedures—informing property owners, defining fair compensation, and ensuring transparency—before taking any action.
El-Gammal believes the government’s redevelopment plans for the pyramids area raise legitimate concerns among residents, particularly because the area already includes numerous hotels and tourist facilities. “There is no need to demolish the homes of around 200,000 people to build new projects,” he says, adding that genuine development should involve residents and keep them in place—transforming Nazlet al-Samaan into a tourist area similar to Khan el-Khalili without displacing its inhabitants or destroying its social fabric. If the state’s goal is to develop the area to serve the economy and tourism, he insists, it must balance public interest with citizens’ rights, offer fair compensation, and deal with residents transparently.
In the same context, human rights lawyer Malek Adly, director of the ECESR, confirms to Zawia3 that the Nazlet al-Samaan case filed by the center before the Administrative Court is still pending and was referred to Justice Ministry experts several months ago. The experts worked for about a year, but their report to the court was incomplete, failing to fulfill the technical procedures requested by the judges. As a result, the court sent the case back to the experts for a new, clearer, and more detailed report on the properties and legal measures taken.
Adly reveals that the decree underlying the demolitions in Nazlet al-Samaan was never published in the Official Gazette or any formal channel. The center had to request a copy through the court. He adds that the 2021 demolitions covered parts of the area and were carried out abruptly, without prior notice or clear compensation offers—triggering strong protests from residents, who gathered to block some demolition attempts until reaching temporary understandings with authorities.
He tells Zawia3: “The government offered some affected families alternative apartments in Hadayeq October under a usufruct system, with a monthly rent of 250 pounds ($5.20). Many residents rejected this offer because they were property owners who, under this system, would become tenants and risk losing their homes at any time.”
The ECESR director explains that the legal dispute involves two categories of residents: those with official ownership deeds or documented titles—who oppose the demolitions as an infringement on private property—and those classified as informal occupants in unsafe or structurally unsound areas such as San al-Agouz, which the state had already planned to evacuate. He notes that losses in some parts of Nazlet al-Samaan were significant, as the area includes small hotels, villas, and guesthouses serving tourists.
Adly concludes that the core problem lies in the absence of transparency and due legal process. Urban development, he says, should respect residents’ rights and follow the law—not proceed through surprise decrees, unpublished decisions, or unfair compensations.
The Economic and Historical Value of the Area
From another perspective, Dr. Abbas El-Zaafarany, former dean of the Faculty of Regional and Urban Planning at Cairo University and professor of Environmental Sustainability in Architecture and Urban Planning, believes that the issue of developing the Pyramids area cannot be reduced to a single answer or absolute vision; it must be approached from multiple angles. Allowing the area to grow haphazardly over the years, he says, was a historical mistake that should never have happened. Old photographs from the 1930s show that the area was originally agricultural fields flooded by the Nile, where boats sailed beneath the Giza Plateau in a breathtaking scene. But after Al-Haram Street was constructed through those fields, old villages like Nazlet al-Samaan gradually expanded into unplanned settlements. Over time, their link to the Pyramids strengthened, as residents came to depend on tourism as their main source of livelihood.
El-Zaafarany argues that the current reality requires acknowledging the residents’ acquired rights after decades of residence—what could be described as customary possession or de facto ownership. Yet, if relocation becomes absolutely necessary, he insists residents must receive fair and dignified compensation, since their economic activity is deeply tied to the Pyramids area. In his view, the best solution is to develop the neighborhood while keeping its people in place.
He tells Zawia3: “These areas have enormous economic potential if managed properly. Some residents rent rooms and apartments to tourists at modest rates, but the state could generate far greater returns by developing the area and building hotels overlooking the Pyramids—where a single night could cost around $1,000—which would positively impact the national economy. In such a scenario, compensating the residents is not an act of generosity but a right, and the compensation must be fair—indeed, more than fair.”
The former dean of the Faculty of Regional and Urban Planning stresses that comprehensive demolition is not the ideal solution. He explains that areas directly adjacent to the Giza Plateau should be cleared only for security reasons and to facilitate tourist access to the archaeological site. He adds that the zone near the Mena House Hotel is likely to contain the Valley Temple of Khufu, which has not yet been discovered, necessitating archaeological excavations that could require removal in that specific area.
He further points out that some buildings in Nazlet al-Samaan obstruct key visual corridors, particularly between the Mena House Hotel and the Mansouriya Canal at the end of Tersa Street—the only axis offering a full view of the Pyramids from start to end. Removing these obstructive structures, he says, would reopen the Pyramids’ visual panorama and create opportunities for new tourism and economic projects that would benefit both residents and the state.
El-Zaafarany explains that sound urban-planning logic requires diversified solutions rather than a one-size-fits-all approach: some areas may indeed need demolition for security or archaeological reasons—with full compensation for owners—while others can be economically developed through partnerships with residents as direct beneficiaries. Some areas, he adds, can remain as they are, as long as they pose no harm or obstruction.
He adds that since 2015, the area has undergone extensive studies to determine priorities for demolition and redevelopment. Part of the plan was implemented in 2021, when several zones adjacent to the Giza Plateau were removed, including areas believed to contain the Valley Temple—though it has yet to be found.
El-Zaafarany concludes his remarks by affirming that legal disputes between residents and the government are normal when major projects are undertaken. The public interest, he says, must take precedence over individual interests—but only if affected residents are compensated generously enough to ensure that their living conditions improve, not deteriorate, after redevelopment. He cites the example of expansion projects in Mecca, where compensation packages are so substantial that residents willingly offer their properties for removal. Determining fair compensation, he stresses, is the key to avoiding legal conflicts and ensuring public satisfaction with redevelopment efforts.
Commenting on the case, Yehia Shawkat, researcher in housing and urban policy and director of the Built Environment Observatory, explains that Nazlet al-Samaan is a historic neighborhood established in the nineteenth century by workers brought from Upper Egypt by archaeologists of the time, chosen for their honesty and reputation in excavation work. As the number of visitors grew, the residents of Nazlet al-Samaan expanded their activities to serve tourists—providing transport, shade, drinks, and other services—creating a deep historical bond between the community and the Pyramids area. For this reason, Shawkat says, any redevelopment project must consider residents’ needs and their vision for the future.
The director of the Built Environment Observatory points out that the Giza Pyramids map is rich in archaeological diversity, including pyramids, temples, the workers’ city, and vast burial fields—sites impossible to visit in a single day. Therefore, he argues, a balance must be struck between removing some houses for archaeological excavation and preserving existing structures.
He tells Zawia3: “There are modern archaeological survey techniques that can be used without large-scale demolitions, or through limited, carefully studied removals. Moreover, the opening of the new entrance to the site from the Fayoum Road has reduced reliance on the Nazlet al-Samaan entrance, easing traffic and helping preserve the neighborhood’s character.”
Shawkat stresses that the current Expropriation Law does not grant residents the right to challenge development decisions or to contest their classification as projects of public benefit. This could lead to the displacement of some families and the exclusion of locals from redevelopment benefits—while others, including new investors, reap the rewards. The better alternative, he says, is an inclusive, integrated project that delivers shared benefits for residents, strengthens their economic position, and preserves the area’s archaeological and historical value.
Amid the conflicting visions between residents and authorities over the redevelopment of Nazlet al-Samaan, one fact remains clear: the area stands as a historical, social, and touristic cornerstone inseparable from the identity of the Pyramids themselves. Yet no development plan will achieve sustainability unless it respects the rights of those who have lived there for generations and helped shape its cultural and economic landscape.
As the government continues to speak of transforming Nazlet al-Samaan into a world-class tourist destination befitting its unique location, many affected families are still waiting—for fair compensation, or for alternative housing that would finally end their suffering after more than three years.
Until the court case is resolved, residents’ hopes remain suspended—hopes that redevelopment will become genuine partnership rather than exclusion, and that development and justice can coexist in a place that is not merely an archaeological site, but a living home to thousands of stories and memories at the foot of the Pyramids.
