Satellite image showing construction of Egypt’s new capital

A new city is taking shape in the vast deserts of North Africa, with the continent’s tallest tower and the Middle East’s largest cathedral.

30 miles east of Cairo, EgyptThe plan, launched by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and tentatively named the New Administrative Capital (NAC), will house a significant portion of Egypt’s population, which currently exceeds 105 million and is growing. It is intended to.

Exclusive images provided by newsweek Photos by Maxar Technologies show the construction of the New Government Quarter, a project aimed at moving Cairo’s administrative and economic center to a more modern and sustainable environment.

The city’s cultural and architectural highlights already include Africa’s tallest 70-story tower, as well as religious sites including the Middle East’s largest cathedral and a magnificent mosque.

The development plans also include Green River Park, envisioned as a vast urban oasis twice the size of New York’s Central Park, and the Octagon, which will become the new and expansive headquarters of Egypt’s Ministry of Defense. There is. Capital International Airport is designed to relieve congestion at Cairo’s airport and serve as a new regional hub.

Egypt’s International Olympic City is still in the planning stages, but aims to host major international sporting events with facilities such as the New Administrative Capital Stadium, which will be Egypt’s largest stadium.

NAC has not yet been given an official name. A contest to choose a new name and logo for the city has been launched on the new capital’s website. Official results have not yet been announced.

Some government functions have already begun to migrate from Cairo to the NAC. Khaled Abbas, Chairman of the Administrative Capital for Urban Development (ACUD), said: CNN As of last month, 48,000 civil servants were already working in the NAC, most of them commuting from Greater Cairo on the new electric railway. Officials hope to eventually centralize Cairo’s government and business districts in the area, which will be run by a system of AI-powered technologies that will optimize public works, garbage collection and traffic flow. .

According to Abbas, NAC is gradually coming back to life, with more than 1,500 families already relocating. He expects that number to rise to 10,000 by the end of this year. The city is expected to be home to 5 million people and will take some of the burden off the congested and polluted capital of Cairo, which is home to 22 million people.

Still, there are concerns that the NAC is not fulfilling its promise of being a livable option for a wide range of Egyptians, with some Cairo residents telling Reuters that they “cannot afford to live in the new city.” There is. Egypt is famous for developing new cities in the desert, promising to relieve its overcrowded capital. New Cairo is her satellite city founded in 2000 and built to house as many as 5 million people. As of 2017fewer than 300,000 people lived within its range.

The four stages of development are estimated to cost up to $60 billion, with much of the cost being borne by the Egyptian military, but some critics question whether the NAC is an appropriate use of funds. I’m watching. Egypt is facing its worst financial crisis in decades, and its economy is supported primarily by international loans.

But with the first phase nearly complete and construction on the second phase set to begin this year, NAC is already ahead of many other megaprojects in the world. Similar development is underway in Indonesia, completely new capital Despite a grand ribbon-cutting planned for this summer, not a single building has yet entered the competition for the project to replace the crowded and sinking city of Jakarta.

Do you have a story to cover? Have questions about this city or other sustainable cities under construction? Contact us at [email protected]