Emaar Properties has announced the signing of its Dh14.5 billion ($4 billion) Cairo Heights development – the group’s first large-scale project in Egypt.

Construction of the seven communities that will make up the new district will begin shortly and is expected to reshape the face and lifestyle of the Egyptian capital.
Cairo Heights, a residential, commercial and recreation community, is being developed by Emaar Misr, a subsidiary of the UAE-based Emaar Properties and Al Nasr Housing and Development Company, an affiliate of the Housing Tourism and Cinema Holding Company.
The 4 million sq m Cairo Heights will recreate the luxury and style that are features of Emaar’s world-class Dubai developments, says Mohamed Ali Alabbar, chairman of Emaar Properties.
Cairo Heights, which will stretch over the Mukattam suburb, is expected to become a magnet for the capital’s trendsetters. Its stylish mixture of medium and low-rise buildings boasting the most spectacular views of the city and the Nile will offer the most desirable addresses in Cairo.
The new district will be designed and built to harmonise with the contours of the Mukattam area. Construction will begin later this year and is scheduled to be completed in 2010.
Each of the Cairo Heights district's seven communities will offer a variety of residential buildings ranging from low-rise on the hillside to medium rise – three to 22 storeys – further down the slope. The borders of each village will be defined by interior loop roads, though they will be integrated into residential neighbourhoods with internal roads and pedestrian walkways linking the village centres.
The new district will include a vibrant central town centre, an owner's private clubhouse, hotels, restaurants, cafes, schools, swimming pools, healthcare facilities, retail centres and mosques.
The highest and most visible point of the site will be developed as a town centre to create a visual connection with Greater Cairo. It will add a new feature to the skyline that will draw visitors to the area.