For years, the Zabbaleen would live in makeshift villages where they would move around trying to avoid the local authorities, but in the early 1980s, they settled on the Mokattam rocks just at the eastern edge of the city.
Selama bertahun-tahun, orang-orang Zabbaleen tinggal di desa-desa sementara di mana mereka berpindah-pindah untuk menghindari otoritas lokal, tapi pada awal 1980-an, mereka tinggal di bebatuan Mokattam di pinggir timur kota.