New Administrative Capital
العاصمة الإدارية الجديدة | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 30°01′39″N 31°45′54″E / 30.02750°N 31.76500°ECoordinates: 30°01′39″N 31°45′54″E / 30.02750°N 31.76500°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Governorate | Cairo |
Area (as planned) | |
• City centre | 5.6 km2 (2.2 sq mi) |
• Urban | 714 km2 (276 sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+2 (EST) |
Major airports | Capital International Airport |
Abbreviation | NAC |
Website | acud |
The New Administrative Capital (NAC)[1][2] (Arabic: العاصمة الإدارية الجديدة, romanized: al-ʿĀṣima al-ʾIdārīya al-Gadīda) is a large-scale project of a new capital city in Egypt that has been under construction since 2015.[3] It was announced by the then Egyptian housing minister Mostafa Madbouly at the Egypt Economic Development Conference on 13 March 2015.[4] The capital city is considered one of the programs and projects for economic development, and is part of a larger initiative called Egypt Vision 2030.[5]
The new capital of Egypt has yet to be given a name. A competition was launched on the new capital's website to choose a new name and logo for the city. A jury of specialists was formed to evaluate the proposals submitted to list and determine the best among all the proposals.[6][7] No official results have yet been announced by the Egyptian Government. In October 2021, transportation minister Kamel al-Wazir indicated the city might be named Egypt.[8]
The new city is to be located 45 kilometres (28 miles) east of Cairo and just outside the Second Greater Cairo Ring Road, in a largely undeveloped area halfway to the seaport city of Suez. According to the plans, the city will become the new administrative and financial capital of Egypt, housing the main government departments and ministries and foreign embassies. On 700 square kilometres (270 sq mi) total area, it would have a population of 6.5 million people, though it is estimated that the figure could rise to seven million.[9][10]
Officially, a major reason for the undertaking of the project was to relieve congestion in Cairo, which is already one of the world's most crowded cities, with the population of Greater Cairo expected to double in the next few decades.[11][12] Cairo, for comparison, has a population of nearly 20 million.
Plans
The city is planned to consist of 21 residential districts and 25 "dedicated districts". Its downtown is to have skyscrapers, including the Oblisco Capitale that is designed in the form of a Pharaonic obelisk and will stand at a height of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), becoming the tallest in the world; and the Iconic Tower, which is the tallest in Africa. The city will also have a central park, artificial lakes, about 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.[10][11][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][3][20]
It will be built as a smart city. It is planned that the transfer of parliament, presidential palaces, government ministries and foreign embassies will be completed between 2020 and 2022, at a cost of USD 45 billion. A full cost and timescale for the overall project has not been disclosed.[19] The first government officials were moved into their new offices in 2019.[21]
Feedback on former experiences of capital relocation was looked at, for instance by meeting with representatives from Nur-Sultan (then Astana), which replaced Almaty as the capital city of Kazakhstan in 1997.[22]
Cathedrals and mosques
In January 2019, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi inaugurated a large-scale cathedral and a mosque.[23]
The Nativity of Christ Cathedral
The Nativity of Christ is a mega-cathedral, the largest of its kind in Egypt and the Middle East.[23] The cathedral serves the city's Coptic Orthodox community.
Al-Fattah Al-Aleem Mosque
Al-Fattah Al-Aleem is a mega-mosque, the largest of its kind in Egypt.[24]
Skyscrapers
Iconic Tower
The Iconic Tower is a skyscraper under construction, set to be Egypt and Africa's largest skyscraper.[25]
Oblisco Capitale
The Oblisco Capitale is a planned and approved skyscraper set to be inaugurated in 2030, it is designed by the Egyptian architectural design firm IDIA in the form of a Pharaonic obelisk, and, once finished, it will be the tallest building in the world at a height of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), surpassing the world's tallest tower, Burj Khalifa. As well as the currently stalled Jeddah Tower which will also surpass the Burj Khalifa.[26]
Capital Park
The Capital Park (also known as Green River) is an urban park set extend along the entirety of the new capital representing the Nile river, it is expected to be 35 kilometres (22 mi) long, aiming to be double the size of New York's Central Park. The initial phase of the park will be of about the first 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) and is under construction.[27][28]
The Octagon
The Octagon (State's Strategic Leadership Centre) is Egypt's new Ministry of Defense headquarters, the complex is considered the largest of its kind in the Middle East and one of the largest in the world, much like The Pentagon in the United States of America.[29][30]
Capital International Airport
The Capital International Airport is the airport for Egypt's new capital, intended to relieve pressure on Cairo International Airport, serving Cairo and the Sphinx International Airport, near the Giza Pyramids, serving Giza.[31][32]
New Administrative Capital Stadium
The New Administrative Capital Stadium (Sports City Stadium) is a sports stadium under construction since 2019. With an expected capacity of over 93,000 people, it will be the largest stadium in Egypt and the second largest in Africa, and is expected to replace the Cairo International Stadium as the new national stadium. It will be part of a larger olympic sports complex.[33][34]
Skyscrapers and towers under construction
Completed | Topped out | Under construction | On hold | Presumably |
MU10
Rank | Name | Usage | Max height | Roof height | Floors | Started | Construction status | Total area | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Iconic Tower[42][43] | Hotel, office and residential | 385.8 m (1,266 ft) | 373.2 m (1,224 ft)[44] | 80 | 2019 | Topped out | 260,000 m2 (2,798,617 sq ft)[44] | Africa's tallest building |
2 | D01[45] | Administrative and residential | 196 m (643 ft) | 49 | 2018 | 116,621 m2 (1,255,298 sq ft) | Africa's tallest residential building[45] | ||
3 | C01 | Office and administrative | 190 m (623 ft) | ? | 39 | ||||
4 | C04 | 170 m (558 ft) | 34 | ||||||
5 | C07[46] | 160 m (525 ft) | 31 | ||||||
6 | C08[46] | 31 | |||||||
7 | C11 | 155 m (509 ft) | 27 | ||||||
8 | C12 | 27 | |||||||
9 | D02 | Administrative and residential | 150 m (492 ft) | 44 | Under construction | ||||
10 | D03 | 44 | |||||||
12 | D04 | 135 m (443 ft) | 40 | ||||||
13 | D05 | 120 m (394 ft) | 38 | ||||||
14 | C05 | Office and administrative | 95 m (312 ft) | ? | 18 | Topped out | |||
15 | C06 | 18 | |||||||
16 | C02 | 85 m (279 ft) | 16 | ||||||
17 | C03 | 16 | |||||||
18 | C09 | Hotel and office towers | 55 m (180 ft) | 9 | Luxury five star hotel | ||||
19 | C10 | 9 |
MU07
Name | Usage | Max height | Roof height | Floors | Started | Construction status | Developer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Diamond Tower [47] | Mixed-use | 200 m (656 ft) | ? | 50 | 2021 | Under construction | Amazon Holding developments |
Infinity Tower[48][49] | 45 | Infinity for Urban Development | |||||
East Tower[50][51][52] | 180 m (591 ft) | 45 | 2022 | Approved | UC Developements | ||
Taj Tower | Office & commercial | 170 m (558 ft) | 43 | Taj Misr Developments | |||
6ixty Tower[53] | Mixed-use | 160 m (525 ft) | 40 | 2021 | AlBorouj Masr | ||
Quan Tower[54][55] | Mixed-use | 100 m (328 ft) | 25 | 2022 | Contact Developments | ||
Central Iconic Hotel[56][57] | Leisure and hospitality | ~100 m (328 ft) | 18 | Modon Developments |
MU19
Name | Usage | Max height | Roof height | Floors | Started | Construction status | Developer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nile Business City Tower | Mixed-use | 233 m (764 ft) | 56 | 2022 | Approved | Nile Developments | |
31North Tower[58][59] | 131 m (430 ft) | ? | 36 | 2021 | Under construction | ||
OIA Towers[60][61] | 111 m (364 ft) | 30 | EDGE Holdings | ||||
Podia Tower[62][63][64] | 110 m (361 ft) | 29 | Approved | Menassat Developments | |||
Pyramids Business Towers[65] | 96 m (315 ft) | ? | 21 | Pyramids Developments | |||
iBusiness Park Towers[66][67] | 91 m (299 ft) | ? | 20 | ARQA Developments Group |
Future proposed towers
Name | Usage | Max height | Roof height | Floors | Started | Construction status | Total area | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oblisco Capitale Tower[68][69][70] | Hotel, office and residential | 1,000 m (3,281 ft) | +200 | N/A | Proposed concept | ? |
|
Transportation
The Cairo Light Rail Transit (abbreviated LRT) connects Cairo to the New Administrative Capital. The line starts at Adly Mansour Station at Al Salam City on Cairo Metro Line 3, and splits into two branches at Badr City. One runs northward, parallel to the Cairo Ring Road, to 10th of Ramadan City, while the other turns south towards the New Administrative Capital. Intermediate cities along the train's route include Obour, Shorouk, and Mostaqbal.[71]
In addition, a monorail line under construction will connect Giza to the new capital passing through Cairo.[72]
In January 2021, Egypt signed a contract with Siemens to construct a high speed rail line that extends from the northern Mediterranean city of El Alamein to Ain Sokhna city on the red sea passing through the new capital and Alexandria. The 450 km (280 mi) line is expected to be finished by 2023. Later phases of the 1,750 km (1,087 mi) high speed network will connect the new capital with cities as far as Aswan in the south of Egypt.[73]
The New Administrative Capital will be served by the new Capital International Airport. The airport includes a passenger terminal with a current capacity of 300 passengers per hour, eight parking spaces for aircraft, 45 service and administrative buildings, an air control tower and a 3,650 m (11,975 ft) runway suitable for receiving large aircraft, equipped with lighting and automatic landing systems. [74] The airport has an area of 16 square kilometres (6.2 sq mi) and is expected to partially ease the pressure on Cairo International Airport and Sphinx International Airport. [75] [76]
Finance
Much of the project and sale of property is done by the Egyptian military, particularly enabled since it is thought of earn and not only invest money from it.[77]
Construction
Speaking before the official announcement, Egypt's investment minister Ashraf Salman had already mentioned the possibility of a new capital being "developed, master-planned and executed by a private sector company", at no cost to the Egyptian treasury.[78] It was revealed that the city will be built by Capital City Partners, a private real estate investment firm led by Emirati businessman Mohamed Alabbar.[9]
When the project was officially announced in March 2015, it was revealed that the Egyptian military had already begun building a road from Cairo to the site of the future capital.[3]
In September 2015, Egypt cancelled the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the UAE's Mohamed Alabbar during the March economic summit, since they did not make any progress with the proposed plans.[79] In the same month Egypt signed a new MoU with China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) to "study building and financing" the administrative part of the new capital, which will include ministries, government agencies and the president's office.[80] CSCEC signed agreements with Egyptian authorities in early 2016 and in 2017 and 2018 to develop parts of the project.[81][82][83][84] Egyptian construction company Arab Contractors (in Arabic El-Mokawloon El-Arab) was called for constructing the water supply and sewage lines to the new capital.[85] The company stated that the studies needed were done in August[when?] and it is supposed that the project will take 3 months to supply the city with the main services needed in order to prepare it for the construction work.[citation needed] The Egyptian government will begin moving offices to the new capital in December 2021.[86]
Rationale and critique
Critics argue that the money spent could have been used for the underprivileged of Egypt and that the project will only strengthen the power of the military and reduce the geographic danger of revolt due to the new city's remoteness, in contrast to places like Tahrir Square.[77]
See also
- List of purpose-built national capitals
- List of universities in Egypt
- Egypt Vision 2030
- New Alamein
- New Galala
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