New Cairo القاهرة الجديدة | |
|---|---|
  New Cairo Location in Egypt | |
| Coordinates:30°02′N31°28′E / 30.03°N 31.47°E /30.03; 31.47 | |
| Country | Egypt |
| Governorate | Cairo |
| Metropolitan area | Greater Cairo |
| Government | |
| • Type | Development Agency |
| • Chairman | Amin Ghoneim |
| Area | |
• Total | 343 km2 (132 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 271 m (889 ft) |
| Population (2023)[1] | |
• Total | 319,488 |
| Demonym | New Cairene |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Area code | (+20) 2 |
| [1] | |
New Cairo is asatellite city within theCairo Governorate ofEgypt, and themetropolitan area ofGreater Cairo. Administratively, it is officially part of the Eastern Area of Cairo city,[2] but like all new settlements in Egypt, it is directly governed by theNew Urban Communities Authority (NUCA).[3] The city was established in 2000 as part of Egypt's strategic effort to alleviate the chronic congestion of Greater Cairo by decentralising population and economic activity.[4]
The city is made up of a mix of residential neighbourhoods, commercial centres, and institutional zones. It is home to several gated communities, private universities, malls, international schools, and corporate headquarters, positioning it as a hub for Cairo’s upper and elite classes. Its development reflects Egypt’s broader neoliberal urban planning strategies, aimed at attracting private investments and promoting modern and western lifestyles.[4]
According to the 2017 census, New Cairo's three qisms (police districts) had a combined population of 297,387 residents (also see population section below).[5][6] The city could eventually host a population of 5 million.[7] When compared to6th of October, also built with the hopes of alleviating the strain on Cairo, more homes are being rented out in New Cairo.[8]
New Cairo has attracted both praise and criticism. While it is seen as a model for modern urban expansion, it is also scrutinised for social exclusivity and limited accessibility for lower-income classes.[9]
The expansion of Cairo follows a long history of elite-led urban development in Egypt, beginning with 19-century modernisation projects under Mohammed Ali and Khedive Ismail, who sought to emulate European cities like Paris to help Egypt gain international recognition.[citation needed] The newly developed suburbs in the early 20th century, like Heliopolis andMaadi, were constructed for the elite and European citizens living in the city at the time.[citation needed] After the 1952 revolution, in which the pro-Western monarchy was overthrown fuelled by Egyptian nationalism, a new urban vision emerged to symbolise the passing of the colonial era. The new republic established Gamal Abdel Nasser as its president, who created public spaces to as the Nile corniche to reclaim Cairo from its colonial past.[10] Cairo’s landscape underwent great transformations as the government, undertook large-scale socialist housing projects to provide affordable housing to newly arrived immigrants. However, as the demographic grew rapidly as a result of industrialisation, the government struggled to control the growth and expansion of the city.[11]
As the population continued to grow throughout the late 50s, rising land prices pushed lower- and middle Egyptians to settle informally on the outskirt of Cairo, into the desert onto privately owned agricultural land without official authorisation due to their affordability. This trend accelerated, and by 1990 the informal settlements housed nearly two-thirds of Cairo’s population. Despite their significance, successive governments largely overlooked these districts.[12] The failure to provide adequate low-income housing was compounded by the economic liberalisation policies of theinfitah era, which led to the continuous devaluation of the Egyptian pound and a stark decline is its purchasing power. Families sought alternative housing in graveyards, rooftop shacks, garages, and shared apartments. Cairo’s environmental conditions degraded, and became marked by visual chaos, polluted streets, and risen noise levels.[13]
The deteriorating conditions in central Cairo once again prompted an interest in desert expansion for the upper class. The state actively facilitated this shift by privatising desert land with real estate developers, creating new financial and investment opportunities. The city’s function shifted from a site of social reproduction to a space shaped by entrepreneurialism, market-oriented production, and consumerist lifestyles.[13] Dozens of luxury compounds were constructed on Cairo’s outskirts, featuring golf courses, private universities, shopping malls, simulating an idealised urban lifestyle. The appeal of New Cairo was enhanced by the degradation of public space in the old city, from traffic and pollution to overcrowding.[9]
Urban planners characterised this transformation as a form of gentrification, as before the development of New Cairo, the area was home to three informal settlements housing poor families and the unhoused. These communities were later displaced, as the land was sold off to private investors.[14] Although New Cairo was envisioned as a city akin to Heliopolis, housing all social classes, the dominance of private interest turned the area into a symbol of exclusion, reinforcing Cairo’s socio-spatial inequalities.
New Cairo, like mostnew cities in Egypt, is not administratively a city underLocal Administration Law, rather a group of three qisms (police wards) attached to the Eastern Area of Cairo proper: Al-Qahira al-Gadida Awwal, Thani, and Thalith (New Cairo 1st, 2nd, and 3rd).[2] New Cairo is jointly administered by the Ministry of Housing'sNew Urban Communities Authority through a subsidiary agency (gehaz al-Qahira al-Gadida), andCairo Governorate.
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According to the 2017 census New Cairo's three qisms had a combined population of 297,387 residents:[5][6] This is in stark contrast to the New Urban Communities Authority's (NUCA) undated population estimate of 1.5 million inhabitants and a target population of 4 million inhabitants.[15] However, the same source contradicts this claim where it states 70,000 homes as built,[15] leading to an impossibly high average of 21 people per home. The lower population figure translates into a more realistic 4 people per home.
| Qism | Code 2017 | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Qâhira al-Gadîda 1, al- | 014200 | 135,834 |
| Qâhira al-Gadîda 2, al- | 014300 | 90,668 |
| Qâhira al-Gadîda 3, al- | 014400 | 70,885 |
Al-Qahira al-Gadida Awwal had 135,834 residents across its four shiakhas (quarters):[5]
| Shiakha | Code 2017 | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Jâmi`a al-Amrîkiyya, and al-Rawḍa, al- | 014204 | 451 |
| Narjis, and al-Mustathmirîn al-janûbiyya, al- | 014202 | 15,175 |
| Tajammu` 5, al- | 014201 | 36,830 |
| Yâsamîn et al-Banafsij, and al-Mustathmirîn al-shamâliyya, al- | 014203 | 83,378 |
Al-Qahira al-Gadida Thani had 90,668 residents across its three shiakhas:[5][6]
| Shiakha | Code 2017 | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Akâdimiyyat al-Shurṭa, and al-Mîrâj | 014303 | 2,928 |
| Firdaws, and al-Kawthar, al- | 014302 | 24,010 |
| Riḥâb, and al-Mustathmirûn, al- | 014301 | 63,730 |
Al-Qahira al-Gadida Thalith had 70,885 residents across its five shiakhas:[5][6]
| Shiakha | Code 2017 | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Andalus, al- | 014405 | 330 |
| Anshiṭa, al- | 014403 | 1 |
| Iskân Mubarak li-l-Shabâb | 014402 | 46,421 |
| Manṭiqa al-Ṣinâ`iyya, al- | 014404 | 59 |
| Qaṭṭâmiyya, al- | 014401 | 24,074 |
New Cairo is built in theEastern Desert to the east of the CairoRing Road and the modern 1950s extension ofNasr City, on a plateau that ranges in elevation between 250 and 307 metres (820 and 1,007 ft) above sea level.[16] It was created to comprise three towns (The First, Third, andFifth settlements),[17] originally on an area of about 67,000 acres which had grown to 85,000 acres by 2016.[3] In 2024, it had expanded further to 99,814 acres.[18] The Petrified Forest Protected Area is of particular significance to geologists, located south of New Cairo. It is a protected site.[19]
There are dozens of factories in New Cairo.[20][21]General Electric are working with theAmerican University in New Cairo on energy initiatives.[22] El Sewedy Electric has its headquarters in theFifth Settlement of New Cairo.[23]
The city is connected to other cities by a vast network of bus lines, and construction has begun for amonorail line that connects the city with the Cairo suburb ofNasr City to the west, and theNew Administrative Capital to the east.[24] The city gets its drinking water from a water plant inObour City, nearby.[25]
A branch ofAl Ahly SC is currently under construction in the eastern part of the city.[26] There is also a championship golf course with tennis lies in the Kattameya section of the city.[27][28]
At the entrance of New Cairo isCairo Festival City, a 285 hectare (700 acres) real estate development which has parks, games, pools, gardens, walkways, business office space, a large mall and a dancing fountain.[29] In addition to that, there are many other malls in New Cairo including Point 90, Downtown Kattameya, Porto Cairo, Emerald Plaza and Park mall, in addition to numerous other, smaller malls.
Demand for real estate in New Cairo has been very high, with prices per metre for apartments averaging aroundE£10,000, and for villasE£19,000.[30] It has continued increasing, especially after the construction of theNew Administrative Capital to the east. The government has also moved many services and administrations to the city, the most notable of which were the Traffic Administration offices ofNasr City,Heliopolis and New Cairo (which was previously located inEl Shorouk) in 2020, as they were all moved into one three-floor building in the southern part of the city.
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The city is home to two professional football clubs:ENPPI SC, formed in 1985, plays at thePetrosport Stadium, andPyramids FC, who play at the30 June Stadium. Although the two teams are based in New Cairo, they neither represent the city nor carry its name. Two new semi professional teams,1st Settlement Youth andKatameya Petrosport Club, which carry the names of neighbourhoods of the city, have joined the Egyptian Fourth Division.
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{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Google. Retrieved on 25 May 2016. "Google Egypt LLC 47 Office Building Section 1 City Centre New Cairo Egypt"{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) New Egyptian cities | |
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| Qalyubia Governorate |
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