In recent weeks, protests have taken place on Egypt’s Warraq Island, leading to multiple arrests. The protests erupted following moves to evict locals once more. The recent evictions have revived controversy over gentrification – increased by the government’s announcement that Warraq Island would be developed into a luxury district known as Horus Island. “The pictures are not of Manhattan! Can you believe they are actually the designs for Egypt’s Horus City,” published Egypt’s State Information Service, highlighting the government’s plans for seven-star hotels and commercial districts in Warraq Island, located in ِEgypt’s Giza Governorate, a few kilometers from Egypt’s opulent Zamalek island. WHAT IS HORUS CITY? One of the country’s ambitious megaprojects, Horus City is named after the ancient Egyptian symbol “the Eye of Horus” because of the island’s similar shape when viewed from above. Spanning 6.36 square kilometers, the project aims to transform the island of Warraq into a luxury district for commercial and residential purposes. The development cost is projected to reach EGP 17.5 billion (USD 914.3 million). According to government studies, it is estimated that annual revenues of EGP 20.4 billion (USD 1.06 billion) will be reached…
