Egypt releases development plan of Warraq Island to become 'Horus City'

CAIRO – 31 July 2022: The State Information Service (SIS) released the plan set to develop Giza's Al Warraq Island, spanning over 6,360 square kilometers, at a budget of LE17.5 billion.

The estimated annual income is LE 20.4 billion for 25 years, as the island, whose name will be changed to Horus City, will be divided into eight residential areas, and will also include commercial areas viewing the Nile River. That is in addition to two harbors and a central park.

On July 16, 2017, police stormed the island to remove encroachments on state-owned lands so clashes ensued with squatters. The clashes left at least 33 policemen wounded, the Ministry of Interior had said in a statement.

When security forces attempted to demolish illegal buildings, some of the squatters demonstrated in various areas and disrupted the operation by firing birdshots and throwing stones, the statement noted.

In a similar context, another area viewing the Nile River in Cairo and that was turned from a slum area into a tourist destination in Ain Al Sira. Ain Al Sira is located in Old Cairo neighborhood housing Amr Ibn Al As Mosque, the oldest in Egypt and Africa. That is in addition to a number of ancient churches like the Hanging Church, Mar Gerges, Abou Seifein, and the Virgin. The neighborhood is also home to a Jewish temple, Cairo Aqueduct (Sour Magra El Oyoun), and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.

The place also has a lake called Ein Al Yahat, whose shores can be invested in certain activities like restaurants designed to match the location. Ain Al Sira used to house leather tanneries, which were relocated to Robeiky Textile Complex.

The Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban communities announced in June that the construction of flat-buildings at Old Cairo's Ain Al Sira neighborhood, formerly known as the tanneries area, is completed.

The exterior of the buildings is finished by 95 percent. Yet, the finishing works of the interior have begun in tandem.

The neighborhood consists of 79 buildings having an Islamic architecture, and housing a total of 1,924 apartments. The surface area per unit is 150 square meters.

The total area of the neighborhood is 95 feddans (one feddan equals 4,500 square meters), and it will also be home to handicraft shops. That is given allocating 12.4 feddans to the establishment of a shopping/entertainment area.

Deputy Cairo Governor Ahmed Fouad stated in 2019 that 241 buildings in Ain Al Sira had been demolished and that 69 families had been relocated to the 6th of October City as there is a plan to turn the area into a tourist attraction.

The deputy governor added that 56 tombs had been bulldozed and owners were given alternatives in 15th of May City.