Cairo is to be abandoned as the capital as Egypt’s leaders announce that a new capital is to be created atop desert sands.
The ancient city, the largest in the Middle East, is one of the world’s most heavily populated with 16 million inhabitants in the greater area. The mega-city also suffers high congestion and pollution.
The current government said it is planning a new administrative city to the east of Cairo covering more than 270 square miles at a cost of $54 billion (£37bn).
The plan was unveiled at a conference which drew 1,000 investors to the Sharm el Sheikh resort. It is not the first time that Egyptian leaders have planned to build a new capital in order to leave some of the old problems behind.
But it is one of a number of large projects to which the country hopes to attract much-needed foreign investment to help revive the battered economy. Job creation for its 90 million people is another priority.
The new city, dubbed Capital Cairo, would be planted between Cairo and Suez and could take some five to seven years to build. In addition to a spanking new airport, larger than Heathrow, the city will have government buildings, diplomatic missions, residential units and shops.
Other countries, mostly developing nations, have built new cities for government business. Nigeria transferred from Lagos to Abuja in 1991, while Burma dropped Rangoon in 2005 for Naypyidaw some 320km away. In 1959 Pakistan chose Islamabad over Karachi, but building works took decades.
Brazil commissioned a purpose-built city, Brasilia, to replace Rio de Janeiro as capital in the 1950s. Its famous civic buildings were inaugurated in 1960.
