Article author:
Associated Press
Ahmed Hatem And Sammy Maddy
Cairo (AP) — Abnormal in cities adjacent to three due to lush gardens on one side and water on the other It was on the side of the desert. For decades, Cairo houseboats have occupied major waterfront real estate, providing residents with front row seats on the Nile with water taxis, anglers, sports rowers, and occasionally duck families. I did.
But it's nearing the end. The number has dropped from tens to just a handful, with government promotion to remove rows of houses floating from the banks of the city's Nile. Houseboats are a Cairo tradition dating back to the 1800s, and government efforts to remove houseboats have been criticized in Egypt, where residents mourn the loss of their homes as well as their lifestyles. Critics say the move is part of a series of development decisions by the Abdel Fatta Elsisi government that endanger the city's heritage.
"The important thing is that they don't seem to really understand that they are worth, that is, they are worth intangibles. History is worth it. "The award-winning Arduff Suef said. According to officials, Egyptian novelists
, who bought and refurbished houseboats after returning from Britain to Egypt 10 years ago, removed or removed floats to develop the waterfront commercially. It is being renovated. They haven't published a detailed plan for what it involves. Due to the rapid increase in infrastructure projects by the Elsisi administration in recent years, there are concerns about heritage such as ancient cemeteries and historic gardens.
In late June, residents of at least 30 houseboats were ordered to evacuate within 20 days. Located along a river near the working class of Inbaba and KitKat, they sat opposite Zamalek's luxury residential island. Evacuation notices came after years of government pressure in the form of increasingly expensive mooring licenses.
Shortly thereafter, action took place and most homes were either demolished by their owners or relocated by the government in late June. Evacuation is in progress.
Soueif said his two sons had a wedding reception on a houseboat. There she planned to spend the rest of her life. This week, her family saw it emerge.
Soueif had to pay a mooring license of £ 72,000 (about $ 3,800) from £ 160 in 2013 to £ 72,000 in 2018.
Soueif's son, Omar Robert Hamilton, said in a post on social media where Soueif and other residents have stopped paying and have sued to fight the rise. However, the government has fined it and is now demanding that Soueif's family pay a fee of £ 900,000, or about $ 48,000.
Soueif is from a prominent family of Egyptian rebel activists, and her nephew Alaa Abdel-Fattah is probably the most prominent activist in the country, el- Imprisoned under Sissi. She said the uncertainty of government decision-making was amazing. She learned from a recent interview with officials on television that the military engineering department had decided to expel residents of the houseboat in 2020.
Authorities plan to include many military road projects and the construction of a new administrative capital on the outskirts of the country's huge Cairo desert. In Cairo, a city of historical overlap, new buildings and development are not easy. But Soueif says that sacrificing history is not the right way to do it.
She says, "If you try to turn Egypt into Dubai, you will actually devaluate it," Soueif mentioning the newness of one of the most modern capitals in the Middle East. Said. "You're just destroying your property that no one has."
88-year-old Icras Helmy, owner of a bright blue houseboat, lives elsewhere. He said he couldn't imagine. She was born on a houseboat. She tried to get a new license for her house, a houseboat for the past 25 years, but she couldn't renew and was told that the decision came from a very high place.
"You're going to take away all my life and build a cafe," she said. When she talks about it, she sheds tears.
As she walked with her cane, Helmy greeted two geese living on the riverbank next to her house.
After being featured in many media reports, Helmy's case has triggered several protests. She asked the government to let her live in a boat until her death. Her plea was extended to the president. In a rare television question from the media, an Al-Hadas reporter on the Pan-Arab satellite channel asked him specifically about the situation in Helmy.
Elsisi said he was grateful for Helmy's situation, but said that "we are regaining order in the country." He didn't elaborate.
It is unclear what will happen to some of the towed boats, where they will be moored, or if the owner will be able to pay the fee.
Egyptian architect Tarikualmuri, who specializes in heritage issues, said that wooden houseboats were most reminiscent of the houseboats on the Seine River in Paris in the mid-1800s and still exist today. Said. At that time, Egyptian ruler Isma'il Pasha sought to architecturally imitate everything he saw in France.
Al Muri stated that the Nile houseboat captured the Egyptian imagination and was featured in some of the country's classic films and books. Some have become cabaret and bar locations. But now the problem is mostly just homes.
Al-Murri said government officials should have considered other options before forcing demolition. He said the boat could be saved and moved to another waterfront to turn it into one of the city's attractions.
"I think the conversation can still happen," he said.
However, there are signs that there is no room for discussion on this issue.
Last month, a television interview with Suif and other residents about the fate of the floating house was conducted by Aiman Anwar, a senior government official who heads the Nile Conservation Central Bureau. He said boats working in the tourism industry are allowed to stay, but boats that are residential are not allowed.
"The houseboat is like a dilapidated car in 1978, and its license was revoked by the traffic authorities," he said.