Farewell to Cairo's famous houseboats on the Nile
The Egyptian government has announced that it will remove all the houseboats floating in Cairo, on the banks of the Nile.
It's the end of a Cairo cultural and architectural legacy. The only things that will remain are memories and, of course, the pictures.
These houseboats are known in Egypt as 'awamat', which the BBC explains is Arabic for 'floating'. They had their golden age at the beginning of the 19th century.
The Egyptian government wants to change the Nile's appearance and doesn't believe these beautiful structures have any touristic or commercial value.
France24 wrote on June 30 that residents of the last 30 or so houseboats that remain moored in the Nile have been offered no alternative or compensation, unlike those who previously left.
Houseboat residents claim that the government is only sparing a few bars and restaurants, The New York Times writes. This would be in line with the recent government policy to modernize (and monetize) the historical city.
For several decades, successive Egyptian rulers have tried to put pressure on the houseboat residents. However, the riverside denizens had always found a way to negotiate their stay with local authorities.
According to The New York Times, local residents claim that since the mid-2010s the government has raised the fees and changed the regulations several times until they finally stopped issuing or renewing houseboat licenses.
Cairo is an ancient city that has changed a lot since the time of the pharaohs. However, time doesn't make the demise of the houseboats any less painful or significant.
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