Egypt wants to build a city in the desert, fed by an artificial canal from the Nile

Named Jirian, this new town is part of the vast "New Delta" program, launched in 2021, which aims to transform around one million hectares of desert into agricultural land.

"This sustainable and ecological project enhances previously worthless desert land," Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly said on Sunday during the signing ceremony for the "first real estate project in the New Delta."

The goal of the "New Delta" is to increase the production of strategic crops such as wheat and corn and reduce the country's dependence on food imports. The plan ultimately calls for the creation of five new cities in the desert.

The projects linked to the artificial canal are part of a regional context of strain on water resources.

Dependent on the Nile for 97% of its water needs, Egypt fears that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), launched by Ethiopia in 2021, will ultimately affect the flow of Africa's longest river and the fertility of its valley.

Jirian, supported by a public-private partnership between the Egyptian government and three real estate giants - Palm Hills, Mountain View and Nations of Sky - is expected to accommodate "between 2,5 and 3 million families."

The project is also expected to "create 250.000 jobs," according to government forecasts.

The new city will include luxury residences, skyscrapers, universities, international hospitals, an "eco-friendly hotel," commercial areas, and a "cultural and media district."

Both a landscape feature and a source of irrigation, the artificial canal will cross the city, which will be located in the immediate vicinity of the Pyramids of Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is scheduled to open in July, and the Sphinx International Airport.

The work began five months ago and is expected to last five years.

The project is part of a series of megaprojects initiated by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, including the city dubbed the "new administrative capital" east of Cairo.

While these projects are considered essential for economic growth, they have nevertheless contributed to a sharp rise in Egypt's external debt, which stood at €136,8 billion at the end of 2024.