The tallest building in Africa by Zaha Hadid Architects will be built in Egypt

Cairo - In Egypt, the tallest building on the African continent will rise with Chinese assistance. The skyscraper dubbed the Nile Tower is expected to reach a height of 345 meters. This will push Carlton Centre (223 meters) in South Africa to second place, as reported by the newspaper Le Figaro in its online edition. The building will be constructed about 50 kilometers from Cairo, in a location where a new Egyptian capital is being developed over the last three years, modeled after the Brazilian metropolis of Brasília.

The intended purposes of the ambitious structure have not yet been entirely decided. According to the current investment plans, luxury apartments will be built on the upper floors, while the lower levels will be partially accessible to visitors. There are plans for a hotel with 230 rooms featuring a spa area, a nightclub, a casino, and a shopping center. The cost of construction is expected to be three billion dollars (66 billion CZK).

Beijing is very active in Egypt as well as in all of Africa. The Chinese developer, owned by the Chinese state, promises to build an additional 12 office complexes, five residential buildings, and two more hotels in the vicinity of the new capital.

About 50 kilometers south of Cairo, a new administrative center of the country has been under construction for four years, which, when completed, will accommodate over six million people. Although it is rising in the desert between the Nile River and the Suez Canal, it will feature green spaces larger than New York's Central Park. The government plans to relocate 34 ministries and the presidential complex here next June.

The place has yet to be named, but Egyptian officials describe it only in superlatives - in addition to the tallest building in Africa, it will also have the tallest minaret and church tower. The new cathedral, designed to accommodate 8000 people upon full completion, was opened for Copts in January. Among other "largest" features are a giant shopping mall, a science and technology park, and a cultural complex with an opera house, theaters, and cinemas.