Egypt is trying to make Cairo look like Dubai. It's taken 10 years and cost $58 billion.

James PasleyJan 14, 2024, 05:24 IST

A man looks at graves demolished to make way for a new highway in Cairo, in 2020.Nariman El-Mofty/AP

Since 2015, Egypt's government has been working to create a new, modern Egypt.
They are building a $59 billion city in the desert and have already built 4,350 miles of new roads and 900 tunnels and bridges.

Cairo is in flux.

Egypt's president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is trying to turn Cairo into a modern city, like Dubai.

He's also building a whole new city in the middle of the desert near Cairo to house his government as well as 6 million residents. It will be called the New Administrative Capital.

But all of this development comes at a cost. Thousands of tombs and graves as well as hundreds of acres of public green space have been razed in Cairo to make way for the new highways and bridges.

Here's what's going on and why.

Cairo is known for its heat, crowds, traffic, and history.

Cairo in 2018.Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty

Like many big cities, Cairo is often in a state of change.

Cairo, seen from the citadel, 1858.Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

But in 2014, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a former general, took over. He decided Egypt would go in a new direction.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in 2014.Maya Alleruzzo/AP

He had big plans to ease Cairo's overpopulation and move the country into the 21st century. His answer was to build an entirely new city.

A traffic jam in Cairo in 2021.Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty

El-Sisi planned to move the government and 6 million residents 28 miles out of Cairo into a new city, which would be called the "New Administrative Capital."

An overpass crossing the Nile river from the northern edge of Cairo in 2021.Amir Makar/AFP/Getty

El-Sisi's vision was for an Egypt that resembled Dubai — modern and sleek, with high rises appearing out of the desert.

A view of Egypt’s New Administrative Capital from 2021.Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty

In 2015, work began on his New Administrative Capital, and Cairo's makeover took off in 2017.

Demolished tombs and other structures in the historic Ein al-Sera cemetery in east-central Cairo.Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images

To ease Cairo's congestion, the government has been building roads, tunnels, and bridges to link the city to the New Administrative Capital.

An aerial view of east Cairo.Amir Makar/AFP/Getty Images

And all of this development has come at a cost for Cairo. In particular, large chunks of Egypt's City of the Dead have been razed to make room for new highways.

A man looks at graves demolished to make way for a new highway in Cairo, in 2020.Nariman El-Mofty/AP

The City of the Dead is a 7-kilometer section of east Cairo where thousands of tombs and cemeteries have been used as burial places since the seventh century.

A view of the City of the Dead.DeAgostini/Getty Images

Highways have been built going over some of the graveyards as well as right through them.

A man walks under a new highway under construction through the City of the Dead.Nariman El-Mofty/AP

As of May 2023, thousands of graves across the city have been destroyed.

A view of the demolition of graveyards in Cairo.Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images

Some tombstones have been removed and then left abandoned on the street.

A view of lined up tomb stones in Cairo.Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images

The Egyptian government has said it won't destroy any monuments designated as historic sites.

A view of demolition of structures in Cairo.Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images

It's not just the dead that are affected either. Thousands of people who live in the City of the Dead have been, or will be, forced to relocate.

Locals who live in the City of Dead in the street at the Al Qarafa Cemetery in Cairo.Carsten Koall/Getty Images

Thousands of residential apartments have already been built in the New Administrative Capital.

A view of residential buildings under construction at Egypt's New Administrative Capital.Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images

Many of Cairo's public green spaces have also been destroyed for the new highways.

A gardener tends to plants in an urban garden Heliopolis, Egypt.David Degner/Getty Reportage

Recently, the government promised that new gardens would be planted where the City of the Dead was razed.

A view of the demolition of graveyards in Cairo.Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images

Last year, people living on houseboats on the river Nile — a tradition dating back at least until the 19th century — also lost their homes in Cairo's push towards modernity.

A demolished houseboat is being moved from its place on the Nile River in Cairo.Roger Anis/Getty Images

Last year, people living on houseboats on the river Nile — a tradition dating back at least until the 19th century — also lost their homes in Cairo's push towards modernity.

While the government claims these costs and the changes to Cairo will ultimately be worth it, many disagree.

A man sits on the rubble of demolished structures in Sayyida Aisha cemetery in Egypt's capital Cairo.Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images

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Egypt is trying to make Cairo look like Dubai. It's taken 10 years and cost $58 billion.

Cairo is known for its heat, crowds, traffic, and history.

Like many big cities, Cairo is often in a state of change.

But in 2014, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a former general, took over. He decided Egypt would go in a new direction.

He had big plans to ease Cairo's overpopulation and move the country into the 21st century. His answer was to build an entirely new city.

El-Sisi planned to move the government and 6 million residents 28 miles out of Cairo into a new city, which would be called the "New Administrative Capital."

El-Sisi's vision was for an Egypt that resembled Dubai — modern and sleek, with high rises appearing out of the desert.

In 2015, work began on his New Administrative Capital, and Cairo's makeover took off in 2017.

To ease Cairo's congestion, the government has been building roads, tunnels, and bridges to link the city to the New Administrative Capital.

And all of this development has come at a cost for Cairo. In particular, large chunks of Egypt's City of the Dead have been razed to make room for new highways.

The City of the Dead is a 7-kilometer section of east Cairo where thousands of tombs and cemeteries have been used as burial places since the seventh century.

Highways have been built going over some of the graveyards as well as right through them.

As of May 2023, thousands of graves across the city have been destroyed.

Some tombstones have been removed and then left abandoned on the street.

The Egyptian government has said it won't destroy any monuments designated as historic sites.

It's not just the dead that are affected either. Thousands of people who live in the City of the Dead have been, or will be, forced to relocate.

Thousands of residential apartments have already been built in the New Administrative Capital.

Many of Cairo's public green spaces have also been destroyed for the new highways.

Recently, the government promised that new gardens would be planted where the City of the Dead was razed.

Last year, people living on houseboats on the river Nile — a tradition dating back at least until the 19th century — also lost their homes in Cairo's push towards modernity.

While the government claims these costs and the changes to Cairo will ultimately be worth it, many disagree.