( CNN ) Forget the pyramids , Tahrir Square and the Nile . Egypt is ready to ditch Cairo and build a shiny new capital if the government has its way . Fed up with pollution , traffic gridlock , a packed population with soaring rents and creaking infrastructure , Egypt is teaming up with a developer in the United Arab Emirates to build a city in what could be one of the world 's most ambitious infrastructure programs . The yet-to-be-named city will spread out over 150 square miles , or roughly the size of Denver , and could eventually be home to 7 million people , the developers and government announced Friday . The current capital of Cairo , while full of history and vibrant charm , is home to more than 18 million people , and living in and getting around the city can be maddening and frustrating . The government says the idea is to reduce congestion in Cairo , which is projected to double in population in the coming decades . An exact location was not announced , but the city is expected to be built east of Cairo . It will be closer to the Red Sea -- between two major highways -- the Suez and the Ain Sokhna roads . The ambitions are big . In addition to the new embassies and government buildings , it plans to have an international airport bigger than Heathrow , solar energy farms , 40,000 hotel rooms , nearly 2,000 schools and 18 hospitals -- all linked together by over 6,000 miles of new roads . But if the dream is big , the bill will be bigger . The total cost is estimated at U.S. $ 45 billion , Minister of Housing Mostafa Madbouly announced at an economic development conference in Sharm el-Sheikh . The unveiling of the new capital was paired with a glitzy website with renderings showing a lush and technological urban scape of glass towers and pools . The plan is backed by a group that describes itself as `` a private real estate investment fund by global investors focused on investment and development partnerships '' led by Emirati developer Mohamed Alabbar . Alabbar made his name as the founder of Dubai 's Emaar Properties , primarily known for developing the world 's tallest building , the Burj Khalifa . Egypt is not the first country to plan on moving its capital from established big cities to rural greener pastures . Myanmar has only recently completed its move from crumbling Yangon to the new city of Naypyidaw . Nigeria moved to Abuja in the 1990 's , and Brazil carved its capital Brasilia out of the wilderness over 50 years ago . And then there was another crazy idea of building a capital on a square of swampland that seemed mainly to be a boondoggle for wealthy land speculators at the time . That city ? Washington , D.C .
The yet - to - be - named town will be roughly the size of town . Developers say it could eventually be home to 10 million people .