Historic houseboats fall victim to Egypt’s addiction to cement

houseboats anchored along the Nile have been fixtures of Cairo since the 1800s. Bigwigs once stashed mistresses on board. Diplomats and artists drank on their decks. They feature in film and the writings of Naguib Mahfouz, who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1988. No matter. Last month the government ordered their removal, saying the boats were unsafe and lacked permits—no surprise, since it stopped renewing the permits two years ago. It has recently begun towing them away. Officials are coy about their plans for the riverbank. If the past is any guide, the boats will be replaced by restaurants and cafés, their lush gardens buried under concrete.