Qanater Prison Complex

Background

Qanater Prison (Sijn al-Qanāṭir) is a major prison complex located in the Qalyubia Governorate of Egypt, approximately 22 kilometres (14 mi) north of Cairo. Historically, it has served as the primary facility for female detainees in Egypt, housing both criminal and political prisoners. The complex also includes a men's prison, which functions largely as a detention center for foreign nationals and asylum seekers facing deportation. The prison is culturally significant in the Arab world as the setting for seminal works of Adab al-Sujūn (Prison Literature), particularly memoirs written by prominent feminists and intellectuals detained during the presidencies of Gamal Abdel Nasser and]. Since 2023, reports indicate that the Egyptian authorities have begun transferring female inmates from Qanater to the newly constructed 10th of Ramadan Rehabilitation Center.

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