Alessandro Petty writes for Domus Magazine (subscription needed) about Cairo’s growing cemetery population, only he is talking about living people:
“Contrary to modern urban-planning principles, the dictates of Islam, public 
hygiene rules and social conventions, people continue to live in Cairo’s cemeteries. This is a practice rooted in the funeral ceremonies of the Pharaohs and the religious beliefs of the Copts. The cemetery is a place of contemplation for the Sufis, a place of exile for impoverished nobles, a caravansary for pilgrims on route to Mecca and first homes for families newly arrived in the city from the countryside. “
