Egypt plans to build a new, ultra-modern capital just east of Cairo

Egypt is planning a new capital, just east of Cairo — (Image credit: BBC/YouTube)

In about seven years, Egypt hopes to have a shiny new capital just east of its current one, Cairo, Housing Minister Mostafa Madbouly told foreign investors at a conference in Sharm el-Sheikh. The project, estimated to cost $45 billion, would create a modern, sustainable metropolis "about the size of Singapore, with an airport larger than Heathrow," says the BBC's Orla Guerin. That is, if it gets built, she adds: "Egyptian bureaucracy can be as enduring as the pyramids."

This isn't just a vanity project of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, though. Cairo's population, estimated at 18 million, is expected to double in the next 40 years, and the city is already overcrowded and a traffic nightmare. Also, the project would bring much-needed jobs to the area. The lead developer is Capital City Partners, based in Dubai. You can see some of the mockups in the BBC News video below. —Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.