Why Egypt is Building a New Capital City.
Egypt, a country that connects northeast Africa and the Middle East, dates back to the pharaohs'
reign.
The gigantic Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx, as well as Luxor's hieroglyph-lined
Karnak Temple and Valley of the Kings tombs, are among the millennia-old monuments that
border the rich Nile River Valley.
Ottoman structures such as Muhammad Ali Mosque and the Egyptian Museum, a treasure mine of
antiquities, may be found in Cairo, the capital.
The New Administrative Capital is a large-scale project in Egypt to build a new capital city
that has been in the works since 2015.
On March 13, 2015, it was unveiled by Egypt's then-housing minister, Mostafa Madbouly, at
the Egypt Economic Development Conference.
The capital city is one of the economic development plans and projects, and it is part of a bigger
initiative called Egypt Vision 2030.
The name of Egypt's next capital has yet to be decided.
On the website of the new capital, a competition to choose a new name and logo for the city
was started.
A jury of experts was constituted to assess the proposals submitted for inclusion in the
list and to choose the best among them.
The Egyptian government has yet to release any official results.
Wedian City was the planned name for the city in the early stages of planning.
Kamel al-Wazir, Egypt's transportation minister, suggested the city's name might be Egypt in
October 2021.
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Location of the New Capital city.
The proposed city will lie 45 kilometers (28 miles) east of Cairo, just beyond the Second
Greater Cairo Ring Road, and midway between Cairo and the maritime city of Suez.
The city will, according to the plans, become Egypt's new administrative and financial capital,
housing the country's principal government offices and ministries, as well as foreign
embassies.
It would have a population of 6.5 million people on a total area of 700 square kilometers
(270 square miles), though that number might climb to seven million.
Plans for the City.
There will be 21 residential areas and 25 "designated districts" in the city.
Its downtown will have skyscrapers such as the Oblisco Capitale, which will be created
in the shape of a Pharaonic obelisk and will rise to 1,000 meters (3,300 feet), making
it the world's highest building; and the Iconic Tower, which will be the tallest in Africa.
A central park, artificial lakes, approximately 2,000 educational institutions, a technology
and innovation park, 663 hospitals and clinics, 1,250 mosques and churches, a 90,000-seat
stadium, 40,000 hotel rooms, a major theme park four times the size of Disneyland, 90
square kilometers of solar energy farms, an electric railway link with Cairo, and a new
international airport at the site of the Egyptian Air Force's existing Wadi al Jandali Airport
are all planned for the city.
Reasons why Egypt is Building a new capital city.
Overcrowded Nature of Cairo.
The existing capital is in a state of disarray.
The city's roads are clogged by ministries and embassies surrounding Cairo's centerpiece
Tahrir Square.
Many streets are closed to guarantee the safety of these structures and their occupants, making
it difficult to go from point A to point B in the city.
Furthermore, the 22-million-strong population of the already overburdened capital is set
to treble by 2050.
As a result, it's simple to see why the New Administrative Capital, which will eventually
house embassies, government agencies, the parliament, 30 ministries, a spiraling presidential
compound, and 6.5 million people, is a requirement.
It appears that it will not only relocate governmental buildings but also provide much-needed
housing in Cairo.
Build a new future for Cairo.
The project aims to clean up Cairo's problems and pave the way for a brighter future.
In June 2019, most government buildings, as well as those occupied by Egyptian President
Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, will be relocated.
Businesses will be drawn to a central business zone with 20 Chinese-built buildings, and
foreign embassies will be urged to relocate.
But, once the new capital is established, what will happen to the old city?
The president wants to make a statement.
In June 2014, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was elected, and he advised the Egyptian
people to prepare for the "hard work period" in their country's recent history, in order
to assist the economy recover from the repercussions of the 2011 revolution.
The revolution took place in ancient Cairo, centered on Tahrir Square, which is now home
to many of Cairo's administrative buildings.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who served from 1981 to 2011, attempted to develop a
new capital during his time in office, however the initiative failed.
If Sisi succeeds in overcoming Egypt's previous setbacks and political tensions, as well as
physically moving the government away from the ghosts of the revolution, it will demonstrate
that he can overcome Egypt's previous setbacks and political tensions and move the country
and, hopefully, its economy forward.
The Suez canal is getting wider Another key element is the city's location:
it will be situated halfway between Cairo and the Suez Canal, which offers lucrative
commercial routes.
The Egyptian government is extending the canal as part of a new expansion project that will
allow boats to sail in both directions at the same time (it already goes both ways,
but for most of its length it is only broad enough to go one way at a time), potentially
doubling trade earnings.
This is the proposed location, which is only a short distance from both New Cairo and El
Shorouk city.
This will put the city much closer to the canal, utilizing what is currently a desert
stretch.
The Egyptian governemnt may not have to pay for it.
The government has enlisted the help of a Dubai-based real estate investment fund led
by Emirati Mohamed Alabbar, the man behind the Burj Khalifa, to raise finance and construct
the project.
Around $12 billion had been offered by Gulf-based investors by the end of last week's conference,
accounting for nearly a quarter of the total.
Sisi has already cut food and energy subsidies and boosted fuel prices to improve the country's
struggling economy, prompting some to criticize the launch of a massive new metropolis project
when Egypt's poorest go hungry.
It’s been done before.
However, it was not extremely successful.
In 1999, sections of Malaysia's central government were relocated from Kuala Lumpur to the newly
constructed Putrahaya, while in 2005, the Burmese government relocated from Yangon to
the brand new city of Naypyidaw (though that city is reportedly still half empty).
Egypt, on the other hand, has developed over 20 "new towns" in the last 50 years, the most
of which are still thinly populated.
President Sisi appears to have a big job on his hands.
The construction of Egypt's New Administrative City will go a long way toward alleviating
Cairo's traffic congestion and reshaping the city's destiny.
Thank you for joining us on this journey through Egypt to learn why Egypt is constructing a
new capital city.
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