Showcasing the grandeur of the new Egypt. According to Egyptian President Sisi, this is what the new capital should radiate. Work started in 2015. Since then, a huge city has been built in the desert.
The megacity will rise about fifty kilometers east of the current capital Cairo. The new capital, which does not yet have a name, will house around six million residents in the future. The costs: the equivalent of around 53 billion euros.
In the meantime 100,000 homes have been completed and the first families have moved in. Also most are government institutions moved. The parliament, embassies and ministries can already be found in the new city. A new business center with enormous skyscrapers is currently being built.
Largest mosque in Africa
Because huge, that’s what most buildings are. Two years ago, the largest mosque in Africa was opened, with room for 100,000 worshipers. You can also see the largest cathedral in the Middle East and the tallest tower in Africa: the Iconic Tower in the business heart of the city.
These images give you an idea of what the city looks like:
The presidential palace is also gigantic, as is the Ministry of Defense. It would be four times the size of the Pentagon. Middle East correspondent Olaf Koens visited the city in 2019. “You immediately saw that it was not a pipe dream. I thought: who on earth wants to live here?”
Thousands of cameras
According to Koens, ‘the soul is missing’ in the city, referring to the lack of life and activity. The city is currently mainly inhabited by officials loyal to the regime. They can live there cheaply because of their work. The houses are too expensive for the ordinary Egyptian. “It is the wet dream of a police state,” says Koens. “Design a city from scratch and have total control over it.” Thousands of cameras must contribute to this.
Arabist Anita Keizers has lived in Egypt for years and knows the country well. Last year she drove through the new city. “Many new roads are being built. People also joke about that. That Egyptians see from one day to the next that a new bridge or road has been built. But at the same time people wonder why the old roads are not being repaired.”
People are forced to leave their homes for the construction. Cemeteries are also cleared while people in Islam have eternal rest. “There is some protest against that,” says Keizers.
City is growing fast
According to the Egyptian authorities, all these new roads and buildings are necessary because the current capital Cairo is silting up. The city with 21 million inhabitants is bursting at the seams. That’s only going to get worse because Cairo one of the fastest growing cities in the world is.
In addition, the project gives a boost to the economy at a time when ordinary Egyptians are suffering the high prices. Construction companies are doing good business. “Some construction companies are owned by generals,” says Koens. “They mainly benefit from this. And President Sisi wants to create something new and take the honor and glory. Egypt is no stranger to megaprojects. On state television you see many images of roads or cities being built. It is mainly propaganda. ”
Tahrirplein
In a Al Jazeera op-ed researcher Mustafa Menshawy agrees that the army and the president benefit from the new city. For example, the company responsible for construction is majority owned by the military. The built houses could in the future be sold for a lot of money to wealthy Egyptians.
Moreover, with the new capital, the president is not bothered by uprisings in Tahrir Square. That is where the downfall of ousted President Mubarak began in 2011. Critics also point out the huge loans and mounting debt.
The question is whether it will help to make Cairo ‘livable’ again if ordinary Egyptians cannot move. “The government is building a new capital to be able to say that we are a modern state,” said Cairo University Urban Planning professor Sameh El Alayli. Wall Street Journal. “But in reality it is a project to show off skyscrapers, instead of addressing the real problems of the country.”
2024-01-21 07:24:14
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