{"id":14286,"date":"2025-10-24T14:41:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T12:41:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/?p=14286"},"modified":"2025-10-24T14:41:47","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T12:41:47","slug":"nazlet-el-semman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/nazlet-el-semman\/","title":{"rendered":"At the Foot of the Pyramids, Residents Say Development Is Passing Over Their Heads"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than three years ago, the home of Sarah Mohamed\u2019s family\u2014located 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\u2014was 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\u2019s 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 \u201cthe papers are at the Government Printing Press.\u201d She wonders why the procedures have been delayed for so long.<\/p>\n

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\u2014but years have now passed without any payments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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\u2019re tenants paying 4,000 pounds ($83.33) in rent. Where are we supposed to get that money?\u201d she told Zawia3.<\/p>\n

Sarah expresses frustration over the authorities\u2019 neglect of residents\u2019 complaints, saying she filed a new complaint to the Cabinet two months ago, but \u201cthe employee hung up on me.\u201d She adds, \u201cWe have a right, and we\u2019re not troublemakers. We just want the compensation for our homes that were demolished four years ago. The first phase got paid; we\u2019re still waiting. We only want what we were promised.\u201d<\/p>\n

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<\/em> pension that does not exceed 900 pounds ($18.75). To her, Nazlet al-Samaan was more than a place to live\u2014it held the memories of her fifty years of life and generations of family history. \u201cThe area is beautiful, with elegant houses, villas, shops, restaurants, and even hotels. We lived in the middle of a vibrant, touristic life,\u201d Sarah recalls.<\/p>\n

For the family of Bassem Makawy, their old home in the \u201cSan al-Agouz\u201d 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\u2019s 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\u2014making the total compensation far below the property\u2019s real value, he told Zawia3.<\/p>\n

Bassem recalls that the property originally belonged to his father\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2014it was not built on seized land.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

He tells Zawia3: \u201cThose 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\u2014even 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2014despite 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\u2019 right to remain and to benefit from developing their neighborhood in a way that reflects its historical value and unique location.<\/p>\n

Nazlet al-Samaan sits at the edge of the Giza Pyramids and marks the endpoint of the proposed Khufu Axis<\/em>,<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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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 \u201cimminent risk,\u201d marked in light blue, totaling 1,715 square meters. In addition, ten plots covering 38,325 square meters\u2014marked in orange\u2014will 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 \u201curban integration\u201d in red, while areas shaded in green indicate buildings that have already been demolished in Nazlet al-Samaan\u2014215 plots totaling 72,900 square meters.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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A map circulating on social media shows the proposed redevelopment project for the Nazlet al-Samaan area and the Giza Plateau.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Residents in Egypt\u2019s Al-Omraneyya Face Evictions Without Notice or Alternatives<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n