After six years of preparation, Egypt began to "move its capital"

Original title: after six years of preparation, Egypt began to "move its capital"
Abbas, Deputy Minister of housing of Egypt, said that about 50000 government staff will first move to the new administrative capital. On average, there are about 200 to 300 staff in various departments.
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Beijing News reporter Luan Ruoxi, editor Zhang Lei, proofreader Yang Xuli

Egyptian government departments are about to move into a desert.
Since 2015, the Egyptian government has been planning to build a new administrative capital in the desert east of Cairo to ease the congestion caused by high population density in Cairo.
Reuters pointed out that the new administrative capital covers an area of about 700 square kilometers, is expected to transfer about 6.5 million people, government agencies and foreign embassies, and will create 1.75 million jobs.

▲ on April 9, 2021, overlooking the new administrative capital of Egypt under construction. Figure / IC Photo
Now, the work of "moving the capital" is about to officially begin.
For more than 1000 years, Cairo, located near the Nile, has been the center of power in Egypt. "Since the Muslim conquest of Egypt in the 7th century, this is the first time that Egypt has transferred the center of power outside Cairo," commented the associated press.
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The "capital relocation" was launched, and Egyptian government departments took the lead
On November 3 local time, the Egyptian presidential palace issued a statement, officially opening the trip of "moving the capital".
The statement said that according to the instructions of Egyptian President Sisi, the Egyptian government will move to the new administrative capital from December 1. Presidential palace spokesman Bassam radi added that after the government building and other infrastructure are ready, the government will first move to the new administrative capital and conduct a six-month trial operation.
Abbas, Deputy Minister of housing of Egypt, said that about 50000 government staff will first move to the new administrative capital. On average, there are about 200 to 300 staff in various departments.

▲ the "octagonal building", the new administrative capital of Egypt, is used by the Ministry of national defense. It consists of ten buildings, of which eight buildings in the outer layer constitute eight corners. Provided by Changguang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd. (taken by Jilin No. 1 satellite)
The official launch of "moving the capital" has received a lot of praise. Egypt's seventh day weekly commented that the "relocation of the capital" reflects the importance and effectiveness of actions taken by government agencies. "The new administrative capital symbolizes the New Republic." Egyptian media also said that the new administrative capital will become Egypt's "national Shrine", which is the embodiment of dreams, aspirations, achievements and creativity.
However, some observers believe that "moving the capital" still faces many difficulties to be overcome by the government. Al monitor in the Middle East pointed out that the construction of 50 embassies will be completed in mid-2022, but not all embassies have the intention to move, and some countries are not willing to move out of Cairo at a high cost.
In addition, some Cairo residents may not want to live in the new administrative capital. At that time, some people have to work between the two places every day, so they doubt the feasibility of relocation.
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Hold a competition and Egypt solicits names for the new capital
On October 25 local time, according to the Russian satellite news agency, the Egyptian government announced on its website that a new administrative capital competition would be held.

▲ satellite image of R3 residential complex taken by jilin-1 satellite on November 3, 2021. Provided by Changguang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd
According to the website information, in the process of preparing for the construction of a new administrative capital, the Egyptian government invited all Egyptian people, social groups and enterprises to put forward ideas and suggestions, select the name of the city, draft publicity slogans and design a unique visual image, so as to reflect Egypt's vision for building a smart city and encourage young people to actively participate in the construction and development.
After the study of the expert group, the winner who proposes the best name of the new capital will receive a prize of 50000 Egyptian pounds (about 20000 yuan). In addition, the new capital's best advertising campaign design award is 100000 Egyptian pounds (about 40000 yuan).
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China Egypt cooperation, Chinese enterprises undertake the construction of the central business district
Egypt is an important one supporting the "one belt, one road". The Chinese government has taken part in the process of building a new administrative capital.
On January 21, 2016, under the joint witness of the heads of state of China and Egypt, CSCEC signed a contract with the Ministry of housing of Egypt to undertake the central business district (CBD) project of Egypt's new administrative capital, which was the largest project contract signed by Chinese enterprises in Egypt at that time.

▲ the new foreign ministry building was photographed in the new administrative capital of Egypt on November 3. Issued by Xinhua News Agency (photographed by Ahmed Goma)
According to Xinhua news agency, the project is located in the core area of phase I of the new administrative capital, covering a total area of about 505000 square meters, including one building, 12 high-rise commercial office buildings, 5 high-rise apartment buildings and 2 high-end hotels, with a total of 20 high-rise building units and supporting municipal projects, with a total construction area of about 1.7 million square meters.
Mustafa madbury, then Egyptian Minister of housing, said that after the completion of the project, Egypt will truly have a world-class high-grade Central Business District, sit on the tallest building in Africa, drive the development of Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Belt and Red Sea economic belt, and promote the realization of Egypt's national recovery plan.
On June 17, 2021 local time, "the tallest building in Africa" - the landmark tower of Egypt's new administrative capital CBD project was capped. The sign tower of CBD project has 2 floors underground and 78 floors above the ground, with a structural height of 373.2m and 385 at the highest point of the tower crown. 8m, both exceeding the height of the existing tallest buildings in Egypt and Africa, becoming the landmark of Egypt's new administrative capital.
Subsequently, residential projects were completed one after another. On August 17 local time, CSCEC Egypt branch held the capping ceremony of the main structure of D01 super high-rise residential building at the site of the new administrative capital CBD project in Egypt, marking the successful capping of the first residential building of the CBD project.
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"Fourth generation city", Egypt hopes to improve people's quality of life
In fact, the construction of the new administrative capital is only a part of Egypt's new urban construction.
According to Egypt's pyramid newspaper, the Egyptian government is building "fourth generation cities", mainly comprehensive cities with high accessibility of life services and advanced infrastructure. The largest "fourth generation city" is the new administrative capital of Egypt. The concept of "fourth generation city" is consistent with Egypt's "vision 2030" and sustainable development strategy.
The main purpose of building a "fourth generation city" is to cope with the population surge and improve people's quality of life. With a population of more than 100 million, Egypt is the 14th country in the world with a population of more than 100 million. The New York Times pointed out that the population surge will exacerbate poverty and unemployment and lead to the scarcity of basic resources. Ceci even described population expansion as a "national security threat".
Therefore, urban planning experts said that building a "fourth generation city" will help to improve the quality of life, increase the livable area and absorb the surge of population.

▲ on July 5, 2021, the intelligent lamp post of Egypt's new administrative capital under construction. Figure / IC Photo
The pyramid pointed out that the Egyptian Ministry of housing and the new urban community administration (NUCA) of the Egyptian government plan to build 20 "fourth generation cities", which are expected to accommodate 30 million people and provide millions of employment opportunities. At present, 14 cities are under construction.
The construction scale will be further expanded. According to Egypt today, a spokesman for the Egyptian cabinet said that the smart cities under construction provided good investment opportunities, adding that 50 new cities would be built by 2050.
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"New look" of Egypt's new capital
"Egypt's new administrative capital will represent the birth of a new republic." this is the vision put forward by Egyptian President Sisi.
It has been six years since the Egyptian government began planning and construction in 2015. The personnel of Egyptian government departments are about to carry out a six-month trial operation in the new administrative capital.
Agence France Presse pointed out that the luxurious presidential palace, new parliament (building), magnificent opera house and spacious park are all part of Egypt's new administrative capital.
In addition to infrastructure, religious sites have been built in the new administrative capital. In 2019, a large mosque with a capacity of 3000 worshippers and the largest church built for Copts (most of whom believe in Christianity) in the Middle East will be built in the new administrative capital.
One of the most remarkable features of Egypt's new administrative capital is "intelligence". Arab weekly pointed out that the residents' lives will be covered by advanced intelligent technology. For example, they will use smart cards and apps to open doors and enjoy local services.
The construction contractor of Egypt's new administrative capital told AFP that the new smart city will have the most advanced hospitals and schools and will "provide a better life" for the Egyptian people.
Duty editor Wu Yanzu