About Geziret Al Dahab
Geziret el Dahab is a car-free island in the middle of the running Nile of Egypt with a magnificent overview to the blue water surface. It was first inhabited with the realization of the Aswan Low-Dam in 1902, natural vegetation still significantly remains for more than one century. Till 1950s Geziert El-Dahab was still an agricultural land owned by the king.
After the 1952 revolution, the land started to be divided on the people and changed to private owned lands. Farmers started planting their lands with vegetables and started selling crops, and fishing became their main profession. Geziret ElDahab is divided into four zones; the northern part is called El-Izbah El-Bahariyya (the Northern Estate), the area under the bridge which is mostly used as a dump, the middle part of the island which is called ElAzaliyya (the root of the word means area for prayers after they finish their rituals. Attached to this rest area of the church, there is a playground for kids where they can play with a private entrance for ferries. Economic Base of the area By being one of the less urbanized island in the Nile, the dominated economic activity is agriculture.
The basic economic base depends on crops, livestock and fishing. The island is distributing mostly meet and milk productions to the surrounding districts. Some men work as workers / labors with daily wages outside the island. Women in such communities are the backbone of the societal structure. Besides their important roles in the household as housewives which is highly denominating in these areas, economically they are active in a different way than the men. Many of them initiate small isolation), and the southernmost part which is called El-Izbah El-Ibliyyah (the Southern Estate).
Location
To the Northwest of Dahab lies Qursayah Island, which is also mostly rural, except for an area in the South that is used by the touristic Pharaonic Village which faces Qursayah on the west mainland. The Ring Road flies over Dahab but there are no exits on the island. The island is isolated and only accessible by boat or ferry, two of which can carry vehicles. There are three metro stations within walking distance to the island. Within the island, the main transportation method for men and boys are donkeys and bikes. The women and girls usually travel on foot. Vehicles only enter to carry goods or take out waste. A main axis runs from the north to the south of the island with many small streets branching out on either side.
People
The social and physical surveys that EZBET is conducting are still to get an accurate number of the population who are residents in Geziret El-Dahab. The community is quite cohesive leading a very Icelandic community life, where elderly get the last saying in any conflict that takes place. There are of course people of different social classes living on the island, where the newer residents of the southern area are poorer than most of the other island inhabitants.
Urban Features
There are two large mosques on the island, one in El-Izbah ElBahariyya and another near the ferry port in El-Azaliyya. There is a large church in El-Izbah El-Bahariyya with an attached rest area, which is open to all visitors, on the west bank of the island. There is a large privately-owned palace on the east shore of El-Izbah El-Bahariyya, which is currently facing a threat of demolishment by the government.
While the island is not connected with the city with any bridges, this make the island isolated from the outside noise in the city. The rural features as well as being isolated island give the island a very significant character. The island together with the other part of the other side of the Nile are classified as an informal settlement in Greater Cairo Region in terms of the urbanization process that is happening in the area in the last century and not in terms of illegality.
Most of the land is privately owned by the inhabitant and small business men. Religious buildings are represented by three mosques and a church with its rest About Geziret El-Dahab Geziret el Dahab is a car-free island in the middle of the running Nile of Egypt with a magnificent overview to the blue water surface. It was first inhabited with the realization of the Aswan Low-Dam in 1902, natural vegetation still significantly remains for more than one century. Till 1950s Geziert El-Dahab was still an agricultural land owned by the king. After the 1952 revolution, the land started to be divided on the people and changed to private owned lands. Farmers started planting their lands with vegetables and started selling crops, and fishing became their main profession.
Geziret ElDahab is divided into four zones; the northern part is called El-Izbah El-Bahariyya (the Northern Estate), the area under the bridge which is mostly used as a dump, the middle part of the island which is called ElAzaliyya (the root of the word means area for prayers after they finish their rituals. Attached to this rest area of the church, there is a playground for kids where they can play with a private entrance for ferries.
Economic Base of the Area
By being one of the less urbanised island in the Nile, the dominated economic activity is agriculture. The basic economic base depends on crops, livestock and fishing. The island is distributing mostly meet and milk productions to the surrounding districts. Some men work as workers / labours with daily wages outside the island. Women in such communities are the backbone of the societal structure. Besides their important roles in the household as housewives which is highly denominating in these areas, economically they are active in a different way than the men. Many of them initiate small isolation), and the southernmost part which is called El-Izbah El-Ibliyyah (the Southern Estate).
Location To the Northwest of Dahab lies Qursayah Island, which is also mostly rural, except for an area in the South that is used by the touristic Pharaonic Village which faces Qursayah on the west mainland. The Ring Road flies over Dahab but there are no exits on the island. The island is isolated and only accessible by boat or ferry, two of which can carry vehicles. There are three metro stations within walking distance to the island. Within the island, the main transportation method for men and boys are donkeys and bikes. The women and girls usually travel on foot. Vehicles only enter to carry goods or take out waste. A main axis runs from the north to the south of the island with many small streets enterprises in form of small shops, bakery, Kheata, as well as other homebased businesses.
Economic Base of the Area
One of Geziret El-Dahab´s challenges is that the community is cut off from basic infrastructure, and many residents (especially school children) have to wait several times a day for the ferries, were they are exposed to the sun and the weather. 25 out of 29 surveyed women accompany their kids, crossing the ferry in the early morning in order to deliver them to school on the other side of the island.
Problems ranking according to the surveys the team conducted:
- Education
- Health
- Drainage Systems
- Recreational Spaces
- Solid Waste Managements