Egypt’s bold new desert city project near the Pyramids

Egypt has unveiled its latest megaproject: a luxury city called Jirian, set to rise from the desert west of Cairo along a man-made canal fed by the Nile. 

The project was officially launched on Saturday as part of the country’s broader “New Delta” initiative, which aims to convert one million hectares of desert into productive agricultural land.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, speaking at the signing ceremony for Jirian, described the development as a “sustainable and eco-friendly project” that “brings life to previously barren desert lands.” 

Launched in 2021, the New Delta program is designed to boost production of key crops like wheat and corn, while reducing Egypt’s reliance on food imports.

At the heart of Jirian will be a wide artificial canal — both a scenic feature and an irrigation lifeline — that will flow through the city. Located near the famed Giza Pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum (scheduled to open in July), and Sphinx International Airport, Jirian will become a new desert metropolis.

Developed through a public-private partnership between the Egyptian government and three major real estate firms — Palm Hills, Mountain View, and Nations of Sky — the city is projected to house 2.5 to 3 million families and generate around 250,000 jobs. 

Plans include luxury residences, skyscrapers, international hospitals and universities, an “eco-hotel,” commercial zones, and a media and cultural district.

The project broke ground five months ago and is expected to be completed in five years.

However, Jirian is not without controversy. Egypt, which depends on the Nile for 97% of its freshwater, faces mounting regional concerns over water scarcity — particularly due to Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Cairo fears that the dam will reduce the Nile’s flow, jeopardizing both agriculture and urban expansion.

The development of Jirian comes on the heels of other high-cost infrastructure ventures, including the new administrative capital east of Cairo. 

While officials view these projects as essential to Egypt’s long-term economic transformation, critics warn they are contributing to ballooning foreign debt, which reached €136.8 billion by the end of 2024.