Top 10 Cairo districts to establish your corporate headquarters

People tend to build their companies’ premises and administrative offices in elegant neighborhoods in Cairo and Giza governorates, such as Zamalek and the nearby avenues surrounding Abdel Moniem Riyad Sq., El-Battal Ahmed Abdel Aziz St., Mossadak St., the Egyptian Shooting Club in Dokki, Nasr City, El Haram, Faysal, Old Cairo, Downtown and New Cairo. In spite of the traffic jam in some of these areas, they are always bustling with activities, located within a stone’s throw of the residence of employees and daily workers and close to your customers and visitors. However, rental rates are noticeably high and vary from one place to another, occupying a place in one of these areas still gives you a competitive advantage over all rivals.

Here are the top 10 areas for establishing your company, accompanied by all the necessary information you need to know about them:-

Nasr City

• It is a relatively new district in Cairo, an extension of Heliopolis or “Masr El Gedida” district.
• One of the largest  Cairo districts, it is located in eastern Cairo in the midst of Masr El Gedida, Al Mokattam and New Cairo districts. It is characterized by its relative modernity. Some of its areas are well-planned. Nasr City is also distinguished by its commercial activity and closeness to central Cairo and newly-built cities.
• Disadvantages include: traffic congestion in certain places at peak times and difficulty in finding parking lots.
• The city hosts many trade malls and important places, such as: City Stars Mall, Abbas El Akkad St., Al-Azhar University, Hadiqet El Tefl and the International Park.
• It is easily accessible by public transportation through many roads. Access roads include: El Nasr Rd., the Martyr Corridor and the Ring Rd. It is also accessible by the subway (via the Stadium Metro Station and the Cairo Fair Zone Metro Station).
• Sale price* for each square meter ranges from EGP 4,000 to EGP 12,000 (for administrative and commercial plots).

New Cairo

• It is one of the largest and most elegant cities in Cairo.
• Located in eastern Cairo, it hosts several residential districts, the largest of which are the Fifth Settlement, the 1st Settlement and the 3rd Settlement.
• It is mistakenly known referred to as the “El Tagamoa” or “El Tagamoa El Khamis”, which is a district in New Cairo. However, it is usually known by this common name.
• It is characterized by its perfect zoning and planning compared to other districts in Cairo. It has a quiet atmosphere, wider streets and lower population rates. It also hosts many private schools and universities.
• Disadvantages include: unpaved roads in new unpopulated areas. Lack of water has also posed a frequent problem in some places; but, it is being fixed.
• Also, on the minus side is the rapidly growing real estate prices in the district, which is generally due to the rising demand for housing and investments.
• It has some elegant high-class areas. Its landmark places include: the Police Academy, Cairo Festival City, Downtown Mall and the American University in Cairo (AUC). You can get into the city by a private car thanks to its proximity to principal highways, such as the Ring Rd., Suez Rd., and Ain El Sokhna Rd. However, the district still has limited public transportation, except for the Southern Teseen St., which is the district’s main commercial hub.
• Prices* of administrative and commercial areas have been increasing ranging from EGP 15,000 to EGP 30,000 per square meter, based on the site; nevertheless, it used to stand at EGP 6,000 before liberating the Egyptian currency. Prices of construction materials have also hiked in parallel with the growing housing demand in the district. Whereas, the price of each administrative square meter in New Cairo ranges from EGP 30,000 to EGP 40,000.

Mohandessin

• Established in 1950, this is one of the most elegant districts in Giza. It used to be a zone hosting a number of villas before residential buildings appeared in it, turning the villa district into a commercial hub for local and international companies.
• Mohandessin is one of the most prominent areas which are famous for their commercial stores, restaurants and cafes. Its name has been tied to almost every commercial activity, as it hosts over 200 stores, open daily for 18 hours. It also has many cinemas.
• Day and evening life activities vary in the district where companies, employees and workers are active during daytime. By the start of evening, the district becomes a marketing and entertaining spot. There are over 200 cafes in Mohandessin where you can also find many popular clothing brands at its stores.
• Mohandessin is famous for its elegance and commercial activity. There are many sports clubs in the district and it is close to central Cairo. However, traffic congestion and difficulty in finding parking lots are among the district’s negative sides.
• Top landmarks in Mohandessin include: Gameat Al Dewal Al Arabeya St., El-Battal Ahmed Abdel Aziz St., Zamalek Football Club and the Egyptian Shooting Club. Thanks to its strategic location, the district is easily accessible through various roads and bridges, such 6th October Bridge, 26th of July Corridor and 15th May Bridge.
• Prices of administrative spaces range from EGP 6,500 and EGP 20,000 in various parts of the district.

Zamalek

• Situated in a Nile island known as the Island of Zamalek “Al Gezira”, the district is one of the classiest areas in western Cairo. The word “Zamalek” is of a Turkish origin; it means “wooden huts” or “Hovels”. The district was just a mud island in the middle of the river, used by fishermen as a point of departure.
• From the early 1900s, Zamalek has gained its popularity as one of the classiest and quietest districts in Cairo, a residential area for well-to-do families. It is one of the districts with the highest real estate prices and living standards. Security forces are deployed to the district in large numbers to protect the premises of the multiple embassies it hosts.
• As any vital neighborhood, the district becomes overcrowded at peak times and parking spots could be hard to find.
• The district’s top landmarks include: Cairo Tower, Gezira Sporting Club, Ahly Football Club, Cairo Opera House and El Sawy Cultural Wheel.
• Due to its strategic location between Cairo and Giza governorates, the district is easily accessible through many bridges, prominent and the most famous of which are: 6th October Bridge, 15th May Bridge and Zamalek Bridge.
• Real estate sale prices* exceeded EGP 25,000 per square meter for the areas overlooking the Nile and those surrounding the Gezira Youth Center.

6th of October

• A residential and industrial city which was named after the victory of the October 6th, 1973. It is located in Giza governorate about 38 km away from the center of Cairo. It is distinguished by its low population density, and its low temperatures comparing to Cairo.
• One of the disadvantages of the city is its distance from the center of Cairo, and the heavy traffic across its main entrance road (26 July axis).
• Its prominent landmarks include: Arab Mall, Akhbar Alyoum Academy, Zuwail Academy for Science and Technology, Media Production City, and Dream Park. The city can be accessed via 26 July axis or the Ring Road.
• The demand on administrative real estates and commercial stores increased by 2%, on lease or ownership contracts. The average price* per square meter starts from EGP 5,000 for apartments and EGP 11,500 for villas.

Dokki

• Dokki is a vital residential and commercial district in Giza city. Several main roads linking between Cairo and Giza cross this neighborhood. It was named after the Dokki family, who lived in this neighborhood for many years ago.
• Dokki is located between six main streets, such as: Gameat El Dowal St., Sudan St., El Battal Ahmed Abdel Aziz St., Agriculture Museum St., Nile St and Abdel Salam Aref St.
• The neighborhood is characterized by its classy community and commercial activity. It has many shops, banks and schools. It also hosts about 102 schools of different types of schools (governmental, private, experimental and languages), in addition to several embassies and diplomatic missions.
• One of the disadvantages of Dokki district, is the extreme crowdedness, especially during rush hours, and the in-availability of parking spaces.
• Among the most important landmarks of Dokki area, is Old Bein El Sarayat area, Mohy El-Din Abou El Ezz St., the National Research Center, and the mosque of Asad ibn al-Furat. Dokki district can be easily reached via the 6th of October Bridge and Tahrir Street.
• The price* per square meter ranges between EGP 2,500 to EGP 25,500.

Al Haram

• Al Haram neighborhood is also located in Giza governorate. It was named after the pyramids located inside this neighborhood. It is considered as one of the largest neighborhoods in the governorate.
• The neighborhood is characterized by a large number of schools, health services, and can easily reached, but it is flawed by the popular areas spread recently around  it, which affected the social level, caused severe congestion most of the time, and great pressure on the infrastructure.
• Al Haram is one of the famous vital areas in Giza Governorate, and can be easily reached through several ways, such as: Al Haram Street located at the end of the famous Salah Salem Street. It is also close to the ring road and Cairo-Fayoum road. Moreover, It can be reached by Metro.
• The price* per square meter ranges between EGP 3,000 to EGP 10,000 for companies and administrative offices.

Downtown

• Downtown area consists of several neighborhoods inside and around the Old Cairo which was founded by Khedive Ismail. Downtown area is located in the middle of Cairo and surrounded by famous neighborhoods, such as: Attaba, Abdeen, Qasr al-Aini and Bab al-Louk.
• The urban style of downtown area is characterized by European style, cultural and social sophistication of its residents, in addition to good planning of its streets, and the diversity of its commercial activity. Moreover, Talaat Harb Street is regarded as one of the most famous commercial streets in downtown, while Tahrir Square is a major landmark and a center for tourism companies in Egypt.
• Disadvantages of the downtown: high traffic, the spread of cafes in its streets, and the intensity of commercial activity.
• Downtown is one of the most prestigious areas in Cairo. The most famous landmarks located in Downtown are: the Egyptian Museum, Tahrir Square, Talaat Harb Square and the American University in Cairo.
• You can reach Downtown area via the 6th of October Bridge, Ramses Street, and many other roads, as well as Cairo Metro (Sadat Station).
• The price* per square meter ranges between EGP 5,000 to EGP 10,000 for companies and administrative offices.

Garden City

• Garden City is one of the most prestigious neighborhoods, and is located near the downtown area. Most of its buildings overlook the Nile Corniche.
• The streets of the prestigious neighborhood was designed in a circular shape. It is also one of the oldest prestigious neighborhoods that have maintained a high standard for its inhabitants. Adding to that, Garden City includes a large number of foreign embassies.
• The large number of embassies in Garden City is considered as one of its disadvantages, as it might be subjected to demonstrations, such as the US embassy, which always lead to tightening the security in the neighborhood and annoying its residents.
• Garden City is characterized by its landmarks, such as: the Parliament; the Palace of Dubara; and many churches and mosques, such as: St. Mary Garden City Church, the Evangelical Church, the Immaculate Virgin Church of the Roman Catholic, and Omar Makram Mosque. There are also a number of schools, such as: la Mere de Dieu. The neighborhood also has a number of libraries, embassies, banks and hotels.
• Garden City is located near Downtown, about 2.5 km from Tahrir Square. It can be reached through Downtown streets, and Kasr Al-Aini Street. It is also surrounded by three metro stations (Mohamed Naguib, Saad Zaghloul, and Elsayeda Zainab).
• The price* per square meter ranges between EGP 6,000 to EGP 10,000 for companies and administrative offices.

The New Administrative Capital

• The New Capital, Egypt’s most promising investment district, is located east of Cairo. Egyptian Housing Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced the establishment of the project at the conference “Supporting and Developing the Egyptian Economy” on March 13, 2015. It is set to be completed mid-2020.
• The city covers an area of 490 square kilometers, the first phase of construction covers 168 square kilometers and will take at least 5 years.
• The New Capital is located 45 kilometers east of Cairo in the area between the Greater Cairo and the Suez Canal region, near the regional road and Cairo-Suez road. It is planned to be the headquarters for the parliament, the presidency and key ministries, in addition to foreign embassies. When completed, the population of the Capital will reach 7 million.
• The price* per square meter starts from EGP 4,000 per meter for administrative and companies offices.

* Please note that all prices mentioned in this article are for the first quarter of 2019 and subject to change, and we in Aqarmap try to update them regularly in our prices guide of districts.  Choose between different spaces and styles in the best compounds in Cairo, you would find many payment plans that suit all.

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