CAIRO: Al Azhar Park
Al Azhar Park is the only green oasis in central Cairo. The public park opened in 2005, since when I document people enjoying this serene place. It is almost a bit like a “Fata Morgana” – a mirage – as it is located in one of Cairo’s dustiest, busiest and poorest areas and the only green space available. The park is frequented by families, young people and many couple. The site had been a rubbish dump for over 500 years. Construction required excavation, grading and replacement with appropriate fill. A total of 1.5 million cubic metres of rubble and soil, a figure which represents over 80,000 truckloads, was moved. One study in 1984 found that the amount of green space per inhabitant in Cairo was roughly equivalent to the size of a footprint, one of the lowest proportions in the world.