which is transforming the street hunters into
indoor pets.
See also Folklore.
Nuha N. N. Khoury
Further reading: Cats of Cairo, Photographs by Lor-
raine Chittock, Introduction by Annemarie Schimmel
(New York: Abbeville Press, 2001); Bayard Taylor, Lands
of the Saracen (New York: Putnam, 1855).
cemetery
A cemetery is a plot of land dedicated to the
burial of the dead. It is usually set apart from
residential and commercial areas and contains
distinctive monuments, religious buildings, and
gravestones that memorialize those who are bur-
ied in it. Beyond serving the practical end of
providing a place for the disposal of the bodies
of the deceased, cemeteries often are regarded as
sacred ground in connection with the aFterliFe
beliefs of a community. This is especially evident
for the Abrahamic religions, which believe in the
resurrection of the body for a final judgment.
For followers of Judaism, Christianity, and islam,
therefore, cemeteries are regarded as places of rest
for the dead until that time.
Cemeteries form part of the communal land-
scape wherever Muslims reside. In rural areas,
they are located in fields or elevated areas adjacent
to villages. Urban cemeteries are usually placed
outside the city limits. Cemeteries in medievalCairo’s City of the Dead (al-Qarafa) (Juan E. Campo)
K 132 cemetery