The Egyptian government has unveiled a plan to create a new city in a desert area west of Cairo.
Reuters reports the 1,680-acre city is to be named Jirian, meaning “flow” in Arabic, and will be built along a new canal connected to the Nile River. The canal will serve as an irrigation source for surrounding farmland – the project is part of Egypt’s agricultural initiative that is designed to reclaim 2.5 million acres west of the original Nile Delta.
Jirian is being planned to feature luxury residences, 80-story skyscrapers, international universities and hospitals, an eco-friendly hotel, commercial zones, and cultural and media districts. It will be located near the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx International Airport.
Although the government did not provide a budget for this endeavor, its completion is slated for 2030. Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli declared the project to be “an urban and development revolution” that will create 250,000 jobs.
“We are talking about full-spectrum development,” Madbouli said in a Sunday press conference, adding Jirian will become part of a wider urban zone that will include industry, logistics hubs and homes for “between 2.5 and 3 million families.”
