The New Administrative Capital (NAC) ( ar, العاصمة الإدارية الجديدة, al-ʿĀṣima al-ʾIdārīya al-Gadīda) is a
new urban community in
Cairo Governorate
Cairo Governorate is one of the 27 governorates of Egypt. It is formed of the city of Cairo, both the national capital of Egypt and the governorate's, in addition to five satellite cities: the New Administrative Capital - set to become the s ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
and a
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioiso ...
of
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...
City. It is planned to be Egypt's new
capital
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...
and has been under construction since 2015.
It was announced by the then
Egyptian housing minister
Mostafa Madbouly
Mostafa Kamal Madbouly ( ar, مصطفى كمال مدبولي; born 28 April 1966) is the Prime Minister of Egypt, serving since 2018. He was appointed by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to succeed Sherif Ismail following his government's resigna ...
at the
Egypt Economic Development Conference on 13 March 2015. 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
Egypt Vision 2030 () is an ambitious national agenda launched in February 2016 by the Egyptian Government and unveiled by the Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi. the vision consists of eight main national goals to be met by 2030 that are in ...
.
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. 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.
The new city is to be located 45 kilometres (28 miles) east of
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...
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 total area, it would have a population of 6.5 million people, though it is estimated that the figure could rise to seven million.
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
The Greater Cairo Region (GCR; ar, القاهرة الكبرى, Al-Qāhira al-Kubrā) is th an economic region with no administrative body comprising the three governorates of Cairo, Giza and Qalyubia. Within it lies the largest metopolitan are ...
expected to double in the next few decades.
Cairo, for comparison, has a metro population of nearly 20 million.
Plans
The city is planned to consist of a government administrative district, a diplomatic quarter, a cultural district, a
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
(CBD) and 21 residential districts. Out of a total of 170,000
feddans
A feddan ( ar, فدّان, faddān) is a unit of area used in Egypt, Sudan, Syria, and the Oman. In Classical Arabic, the word means 'a yoke of oxen', implying the area of ground that could be tilled by oxen in a certain time. In Egypt, the fedda ...
/ acres (714 sq km/ 270 sq mi), phase one covers 40,000 feddans - less than a quarter of the allocated land, and is due to be partially operational from 2022, six years after construction first started. 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
Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envisio ...
, 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.
It will be built as a smart city. It is planned that the transfer of parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
, 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. The first government officials were moved into their new offices in 2019.
Feedback on former experiences of capital relocation was looked at, for instance by meeting with representatives from Astana, which replaced Almaty
Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to 1936 as an autonomous republic as part of ...
as the capital city of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
in 1997.
Finance and construction
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.
The proposed builder of the city was Capital City Partners, a private real estate investment firm led by Emirati businessman Mohamed Alabbar
Mohamed Alabbar ( ar, محمد علي العبار), (born November 8, 1956) is an Emirati businessman who is best known as the founder of Emaar Properties, the developer of assets such as the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall, as well as the cha ...
.
But in September 2015, Egypt cancelled the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with Alabbar during the March economic summit, since they did not make any progress with the proposed plans.
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. However, CSCEC signed agreements with Egyptian authorities in 2017 to only develop the CBD.
This left the Egyptian government to finance and manage most of the construction, setting up th
Administrative Capital Urban Development Company
(ACUD) on 21 April 2016, an Egyptian joint stock company
A joint-stock company is a business entity in which shares of the company's stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their shares (certificates of ownership). Shareholders a ...
whose major shareholders are the Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...
(National Service Projects Authority and the Armed Forces Projects Authority) holding 51% by in-kind contribution of the land, and the Ministry of Housing
A housing authority or ministry of housing is generally a governmental body that governs aspects of housing or (called in general "shelter" or "living spaces"), often providing low rent or free apartments to qualified residents. The existence of ...
's New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA), holding 49% of the shares via capital injection of EGP 20bn (USD 2.2bn in 2016) and an authorised capital of EGP 204bn (USD 22bn).
ACUD manages the planning, subdivision, infrastructure construction and sale of land parcels in conjenction with the New Administrative Capital Development Authority affiliated to NUCA, as the latter does with its other new towns.
State-owned construction company Arab Contractors
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, No ...
was called for constructing the water supply and sewage lines to the new capital. The company stated that the studies needed were done in August 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.
Notable buildings
Cathedrals and mosques
In January 2019, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi; (born 19 November 1954) is an Egyptian politician and retired military officer who has served as the sixth and current president of Egypt since 2014. Before retiring as a general in the Egyptian mil ...
inaugurated a large-scale cathedral and a mosque.
The Nativity of Christ Cathedral
The Nativity of Christ is a mega-cathedral, the largest of its kind in Egypt and the Middle East. 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.
SkyscrapersCapital Park
The Capital Park (also known as Green River) is an urban park planned to extend along the entirety of the new capital, representing the Nile river
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest riv ...
. It is expected to be long, aiming to be double the size of New York's Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...
. The initial phase of the park will be of about the first and is under construction.
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
The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...
in the United States of America.
Capital International Airport
The Capital International Airport is the airport for Egypt's new capital, intended to relieve pressure on Cairo International Airport
Cairo International Airport (; ''Maṭār El Qāhira El Dawly'') is the principal international airport of Cairo and the largest and busiest airport in Egypt. It serves as the primary hub for Egyptair and Nile Air as well as several other ai ...
, serving Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...
, and the Sphinx International Airport, near the Giza Pyramids
The Giza pyramid complex ( ar, مجمع أهرامات الجيزة), also called the Giza necropolis, is the site on the Giza Plateau in Greater Cairo, Egypt that includes the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Me ...
, serving Giza
Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah'' arz, الجيزة ' ) is the second-largest city in Egypt after Cairo and fourth-largest city in Africa after Kinshasa, Lagos and Cairo. It is the capital of Giza Governorate with a total population of 9.2 ...
.
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.
Central business district
Skyscrapers and towers under construction
Iconic Tower
Over 30 skyscrapers are under construction, including the Iconic Tower, set to be Egypt and Africa's largest skyscraper.
MU10
MU07
MU19
Future proposed towers
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 fir
IDIA
in the form of a Pharaonic obelisk
An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...
, and once finished, it will be the tallest building in the world at a height of , surpassing the world's tallest tower, Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa (; ar, برج خليفة, , Khalifa Tower), known as the Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration in 2010, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is known for being the world’s tallest building. With a total height ...
, as well as the currently stalled Jeddah Tower which will also surpass the Burj Khalifa.
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
Cairo Metro Line 3 is a main line of the Cairo Metro mass transit system in Greater Cairo, Egypt.
Currently, the line connects Kit Kai in west-central Cairo with Al Salam bus stop at a station named Adly Mansour metro station. The line
crosses t ...
, 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.
In addition, a monorail line under construction will connect Giza
Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah'' arz, الجيزة ' ) is the second-largest city in Egypt after Cairo and fourth-largest city in Africa after Kinshasa, Lagos and Cairo. It is the capital of Giza Governorate with a total population of 9.2 ...
to the new capital passing through Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...
.
In January 2021, Egypt signed a contract with Siemens
Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad.
The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', ''E ...
to construct a high speed rail line that extends from the northern Mediterranean city of El Alamein
El Alamein ( ar, العلمين, translit=al-ʿAlamayn, lit=the two flags, ) is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Arab's Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. , it had ...
to Ain Sokhna
Al-'Ain al-Sokhna ( ar, العين السخنة, al-ʿAyn as-Sukhna , "the Hot Spring") is a town in the Suez Governorate, lying on the western shore of the Red Sea's Gulf of Suez. It is situated south of Suez and approximately east of Cairo ...
city on the red sea passing through the new capital and Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
. The line is expected to be finished by 2023. Later phases of the high speed network will connect the new capital with cities as far as Aswan in the south of Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
.
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 runway suitable for receiving large aircraft, equipped with lighting and automatic landing systems. The airport has an area of and is expected to partially ease the pressure on Cairo International Airport
Cairo International Airport (; ''Maṭār El Qāhira El Dawly'') is the principal international airport of Cairo and the largest and busiest airport in Egypt. It serves as the primary hub for Egyptair and Nile Air as well as several other ai ...
and Sphinx International Airport.
See also
* List of purpose-built national capitals
This is a list of capital cities that were specially designed, planned, and built to be a national or regional capital.
Built
Currently proposed or under construction
Former proposals and attempts
* Welthauptstadt Germania was the ...
* List of universities in Egypt
* Egypt Vision 2030
Egypt Vision 2030 () is an ambitious national agenda launched in February 2016 by the Egyptian Government and unveiled by the Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi. the vision consists of eight main national goals to be met by 2030 that are in ...
* New Alamein
* New Galala
References
{{Authority control
Economy of Egypt
Cities in Egypt
Proposed populated places
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
Populated places in Cairo Governorate
New towns in Egypt