Manshiyat Nasser, commonly referred to as “Garbage City,” is a community of 60,000 inhabitants on the outskirts of Cairo. Most of the residents are Coptic Christians, a minority in Muslim-majority country. Eighty-five percent of Cairo’s trash is sorted and recycled here. High above the hectic streets below, villagers have been raising pigeons for hundreds of years. The ancient hobby of pigeon breeding is practiced and passed on from generation to generation. Pigeon fanciers construct multi-story wooden coops atop the roofs of the buildings. The birds, prized for their beauty and loyalty, are kept for competition between neighbors, and sometimes for food.
Hussain sits on a pile of trash to be recycled in front of his home, in Manshiyat Nasser, Egypt, on August 20, 2023. The residents are referred to as Zabbaleen, which translates to “Garbage People.”