Bassatine Cemetery

The 1200 year old Bassatine Cemetery is the most ancient Jewish cemetery in the world which is still in use, following only the Mount of Olives. According to tradition dear to the Jewish community of Egypt, this means that at the time of the Messiah and resurrection, the Jews of Bassatine will be next to rise after their brethren laid down in Jerusalem. The cemetery itself is huge covering 70 hectares of space, and descending at least three layers deep. It is divided into three main sections for the Karaites, Sephardis and Ashkenazis, with special sections for great spiritual leaders such as the Kabbalist Rav Haim Capusi. A visit to the cemetery provides an insight into the huge span of time during which diverse Jewish communities made Egypt their home. The story of restoration – which is still ongoing – is also fascinating. It has been a joint project between the local Jewish heritage NGO and the British Haredi community who have rescued the cemetery from a state of total disrepair – parts of it were previously used to shelter animals, and as a rubbish dump. Together they have returned a sense of sacredness to these grounds, and a visit to the cemetery honours the lives and deaths of the countless Egyptian Jews interred here.