Laval University From the SelectedWorks of Fathi Habashi October, 2019 Egypt - - Prosperity, Inflation, Confusion Fathi Habashi Available at: https://works.bepress.com/fathi_habashi/517/ Egypt - - Prosperity, Inflation, Confusion Introduction Although there is prosperity everywhere, inflation is remarkable, and confusion is prevailing. Too many cars in the streets of Cairo, traffic is out of order, parking is a problem, and too much dirt. In spite of this, new towns were created on the Mediterranean coast, on the Gulf of Suez, on Red Sea, and in Sinai. Many tourists are visiting the oases in the Western Desert. Industry increased greatly, and the Suez Canal was doubled to make it a two-way route. Many vital bridges were built. The Underground created by President Sadat has expanded greatly. Zewail City has been created in 6th October City. Many universities, many highways, and underground pathways were added in Cairo to solve the circulation problem. Egyptians living in cities are growing faster than the infrastructure to support them. Compared with other countries in the region, Egypt is doing very well when considering the destruction taking place in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Libya. Traffic in Cairo is out of order Parking of cars in Cairo streets Mediterranean coast To decrease the load on Alexandria during the summer months, many vacation villages have been constructed along the Mediterranean coast [Al Sahel Al Shamaly] e specially in Marsa Matruh where the beach is mainly white sand and the sea is calm. All the Mediterranean coast is occupied by hotels and villas for spending a vacation except the area between Alexandria and El Alamein where the Russian are building in Dab’a nuclear reactors to generate electricity and there is a Research Institute at Borg Al Arab. Marsa Matruh Hotel at Marsa Matruh Hotel at Marsa Matruh Apartments for sale at Mursa Matruh Borg Al Arab Borg Al Arab Dab’a nuclear reactors. The nuclear program stopped in Egypt in 1986 after the Chernobyl disaster but nuclear energy remains an option because it has positive impact on national income in terms of employment, oil and gas consumption, and the environment. Four nuclear plants will be built by the Russians at Dab’a. Research Institute at Borg Al Arab. The City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications is directed to the development and renovation of industry. A decision to develop a science park in the Alexandria region was reached in 1993 in order to acquire and improve scientific technologies in different areas of human life. The City is located at Borg El Arab. This region also inhabits many of the Egyptian industry. The science park comprises 12 research centers to be developed at different intervals. The first stage was inaugurated in 2000 and included Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, Informatics Research Institute, Advanced Technology and New Materials Research Institute, and Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute. Gulf of Suez and Sinai Many new resorts were created along the Gulf of Suez, for example, at Ain Al Soukhna [Hot Springs]. The most popular tourist destination beside the Saint Catherine Monastery are the beach resorts of Sharm Al-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba, and Taba. Sharm Al-Sheikh became an international resort with an international airport and many hotels. Gulf of Suez and Sinai Ain Al Soukhna Ain Al Soukhna Sharm El Sheikh International Airport Sharm El Sheikh Dive Sites Sharm El Sheikh Red Sea coast Many new resorts were created along the Red Sea coast, for example, Al Gouna, Hurghada, and Marsa Alam. Film Festival is held every two years in Al Gouna. Red Sea Coast Al Gouna Film Festival is held at Al Gouna Film Festival is held at Al Gouna Continental Hotel Hurgada Hurghada street Marsa Alam International Airport Marsa Alam Suez Canal Shohada Bridge The Suez Canal Bridge, also known as the Shohada Bridge or Egyptian–Japanese Friendship Bridge, is a road bridge crossing the Suez Canal at Qantara as part of a larger project to develop the Sinai Peninsula was opened in October 2001. “Qantara” means “The Bridge” in Arabic. The bridge, which has a 70-m clearance over the canal and is 3.9 km long, consists of a two 1.8-km long spans. The height of the two main pylons supporting the main span is 154 m each. Location of Qantara Bridge north of Ismailia Qantara Bridge Details of Qantara Bridge Stamps issued on the occasion of inaugurating the bridge New Suez Canal A project for creating a parallel canal to the existing Suez Canal was launched in 2014. The distance between the two canals is 750 metres. The new canal will increase the Suez Canal capacity by allowing ships to sail into both directions. This will decrease the waiting hours for most ships and is expected to increase the capacity of the Suez Canal from 49 to 97 ships a day. The project will transfer the canal cities into an important trading and ship services center. The revenues will increase from $5 billion to $12.5 bil- lion annually and will be used to transform the cities along the Canal into trading centers. The project dates back to 1970s when the former Minister of Housing proposed the project but did not start due to many problems. New addition of Suez Canal Tunnels under the Canal Six new tunnels for cars and trains will be dug to connect the Sinai Peninsula to the Egyptian homeland: three will be dug in Port Said and four in Ismaïlia to end the isolation of the Sinai Peninsula. As of 2015, there was only a single tunnel under the Canal, the Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel that connects Suez with the Sinai. A tunnel under the Suez Canal Tunnel under construction One of the tunnels under the Canal Zewail City When Ahmed Zewail (1946-2016) obtained the Nobel Prize in Chemsitry in 1999 he donated much money, which was matched by the Government, to build a science city for reseach in science and technology. The cornerstone was laid in 2000 in the Sheikh Zayed District of 6th of October City, Giza and was inaugurated in 2011. The main intention of the city is to cover all scientific fields required for development of the Egyptian society. The current institutes are: - Institutes for Medical Sciences - Institute for Nanoscience and Informatics - Institute for Imaging and Visualization - Institute for Basic Sciences - Institute for Energy, Environment, and Space - Institute for Economics and Global Affairs - Institute for Virtual Education Main entrance to Zewail City in Giza The city includes also Zewail City’s University of Science and Technology fully operational at the Sheikh Zayed campus. Further plans include the possibility of opening another campus for the city in the New Suez Canal region. Egyptian universities Till 1930s there was only one state-funded university in Egypt called Fouad Al Awwal University which later changed the name to Cairo University. It was followed by Farouk University which later became Alexandria University. In 1950, Ain Shams University was created followed by many universities which total 26. The private universities started in 1914 by the American University in Cairo but followed by about 40 other universities which started in 1992. Bridges Recently many bridges were built, for example, in Rode Elfarag, in Aswan, and on the Suez Canal. The Aswan Bridge connects the Nile Valley and Aswan Governorate to the mega projects in Toshka and the New Valley. The bridge has a main navigation span of 250 m, the largest span across the River Nile. Aswan Bridge completed in 2002 Aswan Bridge details Stamp commemorating the opening of Aswan Bridge Rode Elfarag Bridge The High Dam The High Dam operated in 1970s saved Egypt from the hazards of low floods that brought on draught, and high floods that threatened lives and homes. It also helped Egypt generate generous amounts of electric power. The Dam, however, has deprived Egypt of the rich silt of natural nutrients and minerals carried by the annual flood waters as they make their way down from Africa. Nothing has been done in these many years to address the issue of the lost silt. Silt deposits are slowly building up in the dam’s reservoir. Aswan High Dam Toshka Toshka is about 240 km south west of the Aswan High Dam. The High Dam created Lake Nasser, with a maximum water level of 183 m above sea level. In 1978 Egypt began building a canal from Lake Nasser through Wadi Toshka to allow water levels higher than 178 m to be drained off into a plateau. In the late 1990s, water began flowing through the canal into the Western Desert. This canal is 70 km concrete lined and polyethylene, to reduce seepage losses. It is a 5-km long, man-made canal connecting Toshka Bay with the Toshka Depression. The project aims at cultivating approximately one million feddans. The Government is preparing to build a road network and at least one airport. The pumping station was inaugurated in March 2005. The valley has been projected to become home to more than three million residents and to increase Egypt’s arable land area by 10%. The desert reclamation efforts converted about 20,000 feddans into arable land during the 1990s. Half of the land will be given to college graduates, one acre each, funded by the Long Live Egypt Fund. The project was sponsored by President Mubarek and when he was removed from office in 2011 and the Moslem Brotherhood came to power the project was shelved because they were against mega projects and had a religious agenda. In the subsequent revolution of 2014, the project was in a state of stand still till the new President Abdel Fattah Al Sissy activated the project in 2019.