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Cairo sewer covers reveal city’s history

Salma Nassar's photos of sewer covers shed a light on Cairo's urbanization and political symbols over the years.
CairoSewerCovers.jpg

“The sewer is the conscience of the city,” Victor Hugo famously wrote in “Les Miserables.” In Cairo, architect Salma Nassar used the photos of sewer covers to shed a light on the city’s sanitation, and strangely enough, political symbols.

The “Cairo Sewer Covers Exhibition,” which took place March 20-28 at the Cairopolitan art gallery, featured photos of various forms of sewer covers that date back to 1915. Some covers were green portraying three crescents with three stars, symbolizing the unity of Egypt, Sudan and Nubia in the ancient Egyptian flag. The flag's main color was green, indicating the fertility of the Nile Delta.

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