Al Warraq () is a municipal district of the

Giza Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah'' arz, الجيزة ' ) is the second-largest city in Egypt after Cairo and fourth-largest city in Africa after Kinshasa, Lagos and Cairo. It is the capital of Giza Governorate with a total population of 9. ...

city in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

, consisting of both mainland and Warraq Island in the

River Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest rive ...

. The district is located on the site of an ancient city Kerkasoros (, ), which hosted the observatory

Eudoxus of Cnidus Eudoxus of Cnidus (; grc, Εὔδοξος ὁ Κνίδιος, ''Eúdoxos ho Knídios''; ) was an ancient Greek astronomer, mathematician, scholar, and student of Archytas and Plato. All of his original works are lost, though some fragments a ...

worked at.

Geography

Warraq Island is an island of area , located in the

Cairo Governorate Cairo Governorate is one of the 27 governorates of Egypt. It is formed of the city of Cairo, both the national capital of Egypt and the governorate's, in addition to five satellite cities: the New Administrative Capital - set to become ...

. About 3% of the area is government owned.

Population

In 2017, the population of Warraq Island was about to .

2017 Warraq Island protests

According to Yahia el-Mahgraby, who was head of the local council of Warraq Island for 17 years, conflict between Warraq islanders and Egyptian national authorities date back to 1998 during the Atef Ebeid prime ministership, when Ebeid issued a decree declaring Warraq and other Nile islands as

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

s, and in 2001 issued decree 542 declaring Warraq and another island, Dahab, to be expropriated for public use. Ebeid's cabinet claimed that Warraq and Dahab did not exist prior to the construction of the

Aswan Dam The Aswan Dam, or more specifically since the 1960s, the Aswan High Dam, is one of the world's largest embankment dams, which was built across the Nile in Aswan, Egypt, between 1960 and 1970. Its significance largely eclipsed the previous Aswan L ...

. The islanders protested against the 2001 decree and took legal action against the government, winning their case in 2002. In May 2017, Egyptian president

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi; (born 19 November 1954) is an Egyptian politician and retired military officer who has served as the sixth and current president of Egypt since 2014. Before retiring as a general in the Egyptian mi ...

announced a campaign for the state to recover state-owned land that was illegally occupied. In July, a rumour circulated that residents' houses on Warraq Island would be demolished and replaced by investment projects. Member of Parliament (MP) for Warraq Island Ahmed Youssef stated that 700 "enroachments" and 160 squatted homes were to be removed. Another Warraq Island MP, Mahmoud el-Saeedy, stated that insufficient communication between residents and security forces occurred. On 16 July 2017, security forces and construction equipment appeared on Warraq Island. Security forces and residents fought, with the death of a 23-year old, 24 injuries and 9 arrests. Warraq Island resident Mohamed Arafa stated that during the conflict on 16 July, "furnished houses were demolished and some residents were kicked out of their homes. During the 16 July demolition, resident Heba Nagaa Otmorsi's house was demolished without warning while she was at work on the mainland. The demolition crews and security forces arrived early in the morning when "most families" were asleep. As a result of the protests by the islanders, only 9 buildings were demolished. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' reported on a 2010 plan to transform Warraq Island into "'Horus Island', complete with glossy towers, wide boulevards and a marina" and a 2013 proposal that included "a glass skyscraper, a glistening glass pyramid, and manicured riverside walkways" for restructuring the island. The plans retained in 2017 included the construction of a bridge, which ''The Guardian'' suggested was the first step in a similar plan for a major transformation of the whole island. Warraq Island residents continued to protest during the week following the demolition.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite news , last1=Magdi , first1=Nourhan , title=What happened on Warraq Island? , date= 2017-07-19 , newspaper=

Egypt Today ''Egypt Today'' is an Egyptian English-language monthly news magazine owned by Egyptian Media Group. History and profile ''Egypt Today'' was first published in 1979. It covers Egyptian current affairs and some international news. The magazine is ...

, url=https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/12694/What-happened-on-Warraq-Island , access-date= 2019-09-27 , archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20190927232029/http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/12694/What-happened-on-Warraq-Island , archive-date= 2019-09-27 , url-status=live {{cite news , last1= Michaelson , first1= Ruth , title= Island v megacity: the Cairo islanders fighting violent state evictions , date= 2017-07-21 , newspaper=

, url= https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jul/21/island-v-megacity-cairo-islanders-violent-state-evictions-warraq , access-date=2019-09-27 , archive-url= http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20190927232023/http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jul/21/island-v-megacity-cairo-islanders-violent-state-evictions-warraq , archive-date= 2019-09-27 , url-status=live {{cite web , last1 =Zeinobia , title =Warraq Island : There is some island curse in Egypt nowadays , website= egyptianchronicles , date =2017-07-25 , url = https://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/2017/07/warraq-island-there-is-some-island.html , access-date = 2019-09-27 Islands of the Nile River islands of Egypt Populated places in Giza Governorate

Geography

Population

2017 Warraq Island protests

See also

References