The new capital of Egypt is being built in the middle of the desert. 35 kilometers from Cairo, the most important city in the Land of the Pharaohs and, with 20 million inhabitants, the most populous not only in the country but in the entire African continent,
This project began in March 2015. General Abdel Fattah Al Sisi proposed making this new city, which does not yet have a name, the “new administrative capital,” as it is called today, instead of working on improving the current capital. The main reason for this is to alleviate Cairo's overpopulation, which is expected to reach 40 million residents by 2050, and thus diversify the country's economic potential by creating new places to live, work and visit. In addition, Cairo suffers from serious transportation, housing and environmental problems, being the second largest city in the world with the most polluted air, according to the WHO.
The city is planned to cover an area of 714 square kilometers (more than Madrid and Barcelona combined), and the first phase of the city is currently being built, covering a quarter of the total area. The construction of this city is scheduled to be completed in 2023 and will feature eight high-quality residential districts, more than 200 kilometers of roads, international universities, a modern airport, diplomatic and government quarters and a huge presidential complex.
The city of art and culture
But the most striking thing is that there will be the tallest skyscraper in Africa, almost 350 meters high and 250 floors, and it will also have twenty towers. It will be a heavily arts and culture-focused city with several theaters, cinemas, bookstores, exhibitions and galleries. And it is expected to house the New Opera House (as it is called), which will be the largest in the Middle East with a capacity of 2,000 spectators.
On the other hand, it is planned that the new city will have more than 1,200 mosques and churches upon completion. Among them are the already inaugurated Nativity Cathedral, which is the largest in the Middle East with a capacity for 8,000 parishioners, and the al-Fattah al-Alim Mosque, which will accommodate 17,000 worshipers and will be one of the largest in the Middle East. World.
There will also be Al Masa Hotel, which is already operational and offers unique services. It is owned by the armed forces and offers space for delegations from up to 50 countries at the same time on an area of 42,000 square meters. It has fourteen presidential villas, sixty apartments, ninety private suites and 270 rooms.
As if that weren't enough, another landmark of the future city will be the so-called Green River, which will connect all of the city's districts over ten kilometers, expandable with trees and gardens. in an attempt to recreate the passage of the Nile through the middle of Cairo. That means the river would be twice the size of New York's Central Park.
A controversial project
Egypt's future capital aspires to be the country's first 2.0 city. The houses will be smart, the buildings will have fiber optics and there will be surveillance cameras around the city. But critics say it is an unrealistic project aimed at whitewashing the government after years of instability.
Al Sisi came to power in a coup in 2013 and won two elections, the last with more than 97% of the vote. There are many who support this decision, but others believe that the solution would be better if the resources were distributed in existing cities instead of building a new one.
There are also doubts about the economic viability of a project worth more than 45,000 million euros in a country whose debt reached 92.65% in 2018. The Egyptian economy has serious problems, although the Egyptian government points out that it can be an economic engine. To develop the project, the government created a public company in which the army has a 51% stake and the Ministry of Housing has a 49% stake. On the other hand, the role of Chinese money also seems to be crucial.