As Egypt Builds New Capital, What Becomes of Cairo?

 

Cairo, Egypt’s capital, is one of the largest cities in Africa and one of the best known in the world.

For more than 1,000 years, it has stood on the banks of the Nile River, the longest in the world. The Pyramids of Giza sit close to the city’s southwestern edge.

Among the city’s tall structures are over 400 historic¹ buildings from the times of the Roman, Arab and Ottoman empires.

The city’s center was named a UNESCO World Heritage² site in 1979. The city's Tahrir Square later became known as the birthplace of the Arab Spring movement.

Across Cairo, there are large signs telling its 20 million people of new homes being built in the desert 45 kilometers away.

Often, the signs are in Cairo’s overcrowded neighborhoods, with poorly built homes and dirt roads filled with untreated human waste. The signs are ways to suggest that government employees, foreign embassies³ and rich people will soon leave Cairo for a new capital city in the desert.

The New Administrative⁴ Capital, which still does not have an official name, is the idea of former army general President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi. It is the biggest of several huge projects. Others include new roads, housing projects and the expansion of the Suez Canal.

Egyptian officials often compare the projects built under al-Sissi to monuments like the Giza Pyramids.

Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly said, “History will do justice to this generation of Egyptians and our grandsons will remember its achievement.”

But critics call the new capital a vanity⁵ project for al-Sissi. They say the money could have been used to help the economy and to rebuild Cairo.

Hassan Nafaa teaches political science at Cairo University. He said, “Maybe al-Sissi wants to go down in history as the leader who built the new capital, but if Egyptians don’t see an improvement in their living conditions and services, he will be remembered as the president who destroyed what is left of the middle class.”

The government argues that Cairo is too crowded and will grow to 40 million people by 2050. The new city is being built on 69,000 hectares, about two times the size of Cairo, at a cost of $45 billion.

The project began in 2016. The first of the expected 6.5 million residents are to move there next year. The city will hold the offices of the president, the Cabinet, parliament and the ministries⁶.

City planners promise to build public parks, an airport, an opera house, sports structures and 20 skyscrapers⁷, including Africa’s highest, at 345 meters.

Madbouly denied that the new capital will only bring wealthy people. However, the smallest apartment, about 120 square meters, in the new city, is expected to cost about $73,000. That price is out of reach for a mid-level government official who makes about $4,800 a year.

No one knows how the new capital will affect Cairo. Many government buildings in the city are large homes taken by the socialist⁸ governments in the 1950s and 60s.

Some fear that the empty buildings will fall into disrepair or be torn down.

Sameh Abdallah Alayli is an urban planning expert. He said the building of the new capital should be halted.

He wrote in the Al-Shorouk newspaper, “Historical Cairo must remain the political capital of Egypt.”

I’m Mario Ritter Jr.

Words in This Story

heritage –n. the traditions, achievements, beliefs that are part of the history of a group or nation

achievement –n. something that has been done or a goal reached through great effort

vanity –n. something that shows a person has too much pride

residents –n. someone who lives in a particular place

skyscrapers –n. a very tall building

1 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

2 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。

3 embassies   

n.大使馆( embassy的名词复数 )；大使馆全体成员

参考例句：

• The representatives of other countries have their embassies there. 许多国家都在此设有大使馆。 来自英语晨读30分（高二）
• Demonstrators protested outside the country's embassies all over Europe. 该国驻欧洲各国的大使馆外都有群众进行示威抗议。 来自辞典例句

4 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

5 vanity   

n.虚荣心，浮华，无价值的东西；adj.虚荣心的

参考例句：

• A man's vanity is actually in proportion to his ignorance.一个人的虚荣心实际上是和他的愚蠢程度成正比。
• Vanity and virtue do not go together.虚荣与美德不是共生物。

6 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

7 skyscrapers   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• A lot of skyscrapers in Manhattan are rising up to the skies. 曼哈顿有许多摩天大楼耸入云霄。
• On all sides, skyscrapers rose like jagged teeth. 四周耸起的摩天大楼参差不齐。

8 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。