The Sahara is home to the world’s largest desert city.
For centuries this place has thrived alongside the world’s largest river.
This city of a thousand minarets is the capital of the Arab world, a megalopolis with a population
of 20 million people.
This is Cairo, Egypt, the Megacity of the Middle East.
Born on the east bank of the Nile 5,000 years ago, Cairo dates back to the time of the first
Egyptian pharaohs and iconic pyramids of the ancient city of Memphis.
Much later, in 641, the Arab general Amr ibn al-’As founded the town of Al-Fustat, the
seed from which contemporary Cairo has grown.
In 970, a walled city was established to protect its inhabitants from conquering armies.
Over the next 400 years it would grow to become the largest city in all of Africa, Europe,
and Asia Minor.
With almost half a million people, it was a key link in the lucrative spice trade, allowing
it to thrive culturally and intellectually.
Some of the earliest institutions of higher learning were established here at this time.
The middle of the 14th century saw Cairo reach the pinnacle of its importance.
Soonafter, decline set in as plagues like the black death began killing large portions
of its population.
Then, its spice trade monopoly was broken when Vasco da Gama sailed from Portugal to
India, establishing an alternative sea route, undermining Cairo’s economic importance.
And, while under Turkish control, Cairo was relegated to just another provincial capital
within the massive Ottoman Empire.
Fast-forward to the 1830's, when the urban growth that defines modern Cairo began.
Influenced by the renovation of Paris, a European-style city was built to the west of the medieval
core.
Cairo entered its most rapid period of expansion in the 1950's, triggered by Col. Nasser’s
revolution that ended 2,000 years of imperial rule in Egypt.
That’s when the city began sprawling northward into the fertile nile river delta, consuming
valuable farmland.
This growth was fueled by improvements in transportation and industrialization.
Things like flood control allowed the riverfront to be developed, and bridges allowed people
to settle on the area's islands and west bank.
Just like we've seen with the other cities in this series, Cairo's development eventually
reached a point of critical mass--where it suddenly became an attractive enough destination
that people began arriving faster and faster, and in larger and larger numbers.
But unfortunately for Cairo, it was unprepared for this influx and couldn’t grow fast enough
to support them.
Many of these newcomers had to make desperate choices about where to live.
Today, half a million people live in the City of the Dead, among row after row of tombs.
More of Cairo’s poor live in a place called Garbage City.
Here 70,000 Cairenes sort and recycle the 15,000 tons of trash that’s created every
day in the rest of the city.
They actually provide a vital service and were even recognized as one of the most efficient
sanitation operations in the world.
An urban artist named eL Seed recently undertook a beautification project there and shared
what he learned in a Ted talk.
“The Zaraeeb community was the ideal context to raise the topic of perception.
We need to question our level of misconception and judgment we can have as a society upon
communities based on their differences…The people of Cairo call them ‘the Zabaleen,’
which means ‘the people of the garbage.’
But ironically, the people of Manshiyat Naser call the people of Cairo the Zabaleen.
They say they are the ones who produce the garbage, not them.”
Even if you’ve got a home in Cairo, it’s often built on shaky ground.
Developers frequently ignore, or bribe their way past, rules that limit buildings to six-stories
because of the oversaturated nile river delta land that serves as city’s foundation.
This had tragic consequences in 1992 when an earthquake struck that collapsed numerous
residential towers killed more than 600 people.
Looking around Cairo from above also reveals that nearly all the rooftops are occupied
by squatters who’ve made ramshackle homes on the only open space they could find.
One of the ways the government dealt with overcrowding was to build a large subway system
modelled after the Paris metro.
It now has over 1 billion riders a year and has somewhat eased the brutal traffic congestion,
but it brought the unintended consequence of encouraging even more people to move to
the city.
In response, the Egyptian government has tried to relocate people to gleaming new cities
they are continually building on the outskirts of Cairo.
But with bad transportation options to and from there, these cities become too expensive
to move to, and fall flat every time.
Twenty two of these “new towns” already exist.
Designed for millions and millions of residents, they collectively hold a little over 1 million.
It seems the excitement and connectivity of urban Cairo will always be more attractive
than a life lived in overpriced suburbs further out in the desert.
But wealthy developers haven’t gotten the message: they’re driven by profit and prestige
rather than doing what’s best for Cairo.
And Egyptian housing minister Mostafa Madbouli seems to be listening to them.
He recently unveiled a $40 billion mega plan to build an entirely new capital.
He argues the project is needed to ease congestion and overcrowding in Cairo.
It attempts to follow in the footsteps of purpose-built capitals like Islamabad, Brasilia,
and Canberra.
At 700 sq km, it will be as big as Singapore and will aim to house at least five million
residents.
The project was originally led by the Emirati businessman behind the Burj Khalifa, although
disagreements forced the Egyptians to turn to Chinese companies instead.
This ambitious, risky project has many Egyptians wondering if it’s the right way forward.
[Cairo resident] “What new capital are they talking about?
They should pay attention to the poor and needy instead.
Millions of Egyptians are unemployed, and the government wants to spend billions of
dollars on a new capital.”
[Cairo resident] “The new capital city is a late decision.
Here in Egypt, I don’t know.
But those in charge only start thinking after the problem has already happened.”
Perhaps one of the reasons President el-Sisi is initiating the project has to do with the
turmoil Cairo has just lived through.
In 2011, the world was captivated by the Egyptian revolution when millions took to the street
demanding change.
First, the 29 year rule of Hosni Mubarak ended.
Then, the misguided and brief presidency of Muhammad Morsi was toppled by a coup led by
the current President, el-Sisi.
With a firm grip on power, it makes sense for el-Sisi to want to build himself a new
capital, safely removed from the masses in Cairo—a city that is now home to nearly
1 in 4 Egyptians and is one of the fastest growing places in the world.
In the next 30 years, its population is on pace to hit 40 million.
One of the factors that will bring so many more people, is climate change.
While Cairo is removed from the coast, the Egyptian city of Alexandria isn’t—and
it’s already feeling the effects of rising seas.
NPR’s Jane Arraf recently travelled there to tell the story.
“Egypt is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change.
Eventually entire neighborhoods could be underwater.
The nile delta is crucial to Egypt.
More than half of its crops are grown in that triangle where it spreads out and drains into
the sea.
In farmland along the Nile diesel pumps spring up water from the river for irrigation.
Increasingly, seawater is creeping in.”
A coastline that is continually creeping inland will force more and more people to move to
Cairo.
This will amplify the pressure Cairo’s leaders already feel.
But solutions exist to manage its growth, as long as smart ideas prevail and Egypt’s
precious resources, be they water or money, are used in the most efficient way.
In a documentary that’s several decades ago, visionary environmental consultant Mounir
Neamatalla, made the case that — despite its size — Cairo can thrive.
“Megacities are an opportunity, they’re not a burden.
We have to look at megacities as a place where human beings are going to efficiently contribute
something to mankind.
The world now is not separated by national boundaries, and cannot be separated by national
boundaries—thank goodness.
And that is very much because of megacities.
Megacities are playing a very, very, very important role in promoting peaceful coexistence,
and in making sure that the very important issues that concern our planet, such as environment,
are indeed exchanged, attended to, and acted upon.”
Thanks for watching.
If you enjoyed this latest video in our Megacities series, give it a like and a share so others
can discover it to.
For TDC, I’m Bryce Plank.