Video: Cairo Sewer Covers Exhibition kicks off

CAIRO - 4 April 2019: An art exhibition in the heart of the Egyptian capital reveals the urban memory and social developments the city has witnessed over almost 100 years through its sewage covers.

Assistant professor at the American University in Cairo Salma Nassar studied the sewage/drainage covers she has photographed in some of the city's main neighborhoods such as Downtown Cairo, Heliopolis, Maadi and Zamalek.

The researcher presented a new vision of the blatant social division in Cairo represented in the privilege of obtaining the "sanitation service" first.

Nassar clarified that she chose the mentioned study areas because they are architecturally homogenous.

“The history of humanity reflects on the history of sewage covers and this is also a very political thing,” stated Nassar. “Sewage covers explain who was granted the sanitation service first, where the higher class was proven to get the service first at that era,” continued Nassar.

The study, which began in 2016, took Nassar to a spiral of sinks all over Cairo. These sinks vary in shapes and sizes but the most important aspect for a researcher is what is written or drawn on the covers.

“Sewage covers usually reveal the date and the company that installed them," explained Nassar.

Nassar stated that the oldest sewage cover in the exhibition dates back to 1914 as evidenced by the engraved Khedive flag of Egypt.

The idea of implementing a sanitary system was first introduced in Cairo in 1904, but its implementation was not successful until 1909.

The sewage system was established and operated in 1914 when an English engineer, who previously carried out the sewage system in Mumbai, India, was brought in to implement the project in Egypt, according to Nassar.

The Cairo Sewer Exhibition includes 36 photographs of sanitary covers and one real life sized photograph.

معرض فني بالقاهرة يعرض اغطية البالوعات الأثرية

أخبار الآن | القاهرة - مصر - (رويترز) (معرض بالوعات القاهرة).. معرض فني في قلب العاصمة المصرية يكشف النقاب عن الذاكرة العمرانية أو التطورات الاجتماعية التي شهدتها المدينة خلال 100 سنة تقريبا عن طريق أغطية بالوعات الصرف الصحي بها.