Naguib Mahfouz - Death and Funeral

Death and Funeral

Prior to his death, Mahfouz was the oldest living Nobel Literature laureate and the third oldest of all time, trailing only Bertrand Russell and Halldor Laxness. At the time of his death, he was the only Arabic-language writer to have won the Nobel Prize. In July 2006, Mahfouz sustained an injury to his head as a result of a fall. He remained ill until his death on 30 August 2006 in a Cairo hospital. In his old age, he became nearly blind, and though he continued to write, he had difficulties in holding a pen or a pencil. Prior to his death, he suffered from a bleeding ulcer, kidney problems, and cardiac failure. He was accorded a state funeral with full military honors on 31 August 2006. His funeral took place in the Al-Rashdan Mosque in Nasr City in Cairo.