Virgin Mary and St. Simon the Tanner Cathedral in the Saint Samaan The Tanner Monastery is on the east bank of the Nile behind the Zabbaleen village. The Zabbaleen village where the garbage collectors of Cairo live. In 1969 the governor of Cairo decided to move all of the garbage collectors to the Mokattam. In 1987 there were approximately 15,000 people living in the Zabbaleen village.