With the urban sprawl pushing people out from the center and into the suburbs of Cairo, New Cairo has emerged as an attractive alternative to the crowded districts of Heliopolis and Nasr City — from which it is only a 15-minute drive down the Suez Highway. The area has seen a mad rush of development over the past five years or so, particularly Tagamuah El-Khames (Fifth Settlement), after the exceptional success of veteran compounds like Kattameya Heights, Arabella, Rehab and Mirage.

Lying in the eastern area of Cairo and strategically connected to the Ring Road, it is only 30 minutes away from Maadi and an hour from Mohandiseen and Downtown. The area, spanning 70,000 feddans, boasts cleaner air and vast expanses of greenery. Development mogul Talaat Mostafa has made his mark in New Cairo, introducing a totally new lifestyle trend with Rehab city. Smaller than a district but much larger than any other gated community, Rehab gives the feeling of a North Coast summer resort with its immaculate five-floor buildings, villa sections and impressively manicured lawns.

Recognizing that up-and-running facilities are the key to luring city aficionados to the suburbs, Rehab has exceptional amenities like schools, its own fire station, the 24-hour Tabarak children’s hospital as well as branches of the biggest fast food chains. Residents can make use of an efficient commuter bus service connecting Rehab to strategic Cairo areas in addition to public transport buses.

Work has already begun on the project that will completely change the face of New Cairo: Madinaty. This city-within-a-city is branded by the Mostafa Group as “An International City on Egyptian Soil.” It spans 8,000 feddans and will be home to hotel chains, a conference center, golf courses, a football stadium, malls, hospitals, and schools — all in addition to beautifully designed modern residential facilities.

Family atmosphere and landscaping that promotes greenery over concrete are defining characteristics of New Cairo. An active lifestyle is an inevitable result, with more and more people taking up sports (even if nothing more strenuous than golf), going for walks, runs or bicycle rides in the confinement of their compounds. Parents encourage children to play on the streets of these compounds, which boast heightened security and exclusivity.

The general atmosphere is upper-crust chic, with Mercedes and BMWs lined up in front of gorgeous villas with private pools. The compounds themselves are often overly packed with only very limited spacing between villas. The upside is that there is a general sense of community. Friends and families in particular often choose to move into villas close to one another for this reason, and those who don’t have to go to work in the city rarely venture out of their perfect dream homes more than once a week.

Among the nicer gated communities are Lake View, Golden Heights and Moon Valley, the latter boasting vast areas of greenery with lake views and small, two-story houses. Designed by renowned architect Shihab Mazhar, Lake View, as its name suggests, has magnificent views of man-made lakes nestled between beautifully landscaped gardens. Arabella is packed with villas that are very close to one another, while still enjoying a fair amount of greenery. Setting Arabella apart is its popular townhouse, where many of the ‘in’ people hold their events and weddings.

One of the reasons New Cairo has seen such a surge in development is the establishment of numerous international schools opening up in both New Cairo and in nearby Shorouq. School options are unlimited, and all the campuses are decked out with modern facilities such as pools, courts and well-equipped labs. Choueifat, Modern English School, Modern Education School, Modern Language School, the British School in Rehab, AIS and the Kairo Deutsch School are all options to choose from. Between Shorouq and New Cairo, there are a number of private universities including the German, French and British Universities. AUC’s new campus is set to open there shortly.

Moving to the suburbs invariably comes at a price — sacrificing nightlife and leaving behind the cultural scene. So other than a small clubhouse, a supermarket and access to communal swimming pools, there’s very little to do in a compound other than visit your friends or stay in and watch TV. If you need to get out and about in the middle of the week, Rehab, which is more of a self-sustained city than anything else, has a bustling food court, mall and a sports club.

Future Mall in Tagammuah offers an alternative family entertainment solution, filled with fast food and casual dining options and a spanking new Good News cinema, making it increasingly less necessary for residents to trudge back to the crowded capital. Beano’s and Cilantro are perfect for meetings with friends, while Mo’men, Cook Door, Pizza Hut and KFC are great for grabbing a quick meal. The area also provides the cheaper traditional fast-food classics: El Shabrawi for fuul and tameya, El Malky for milk puddings as well as fetir joints.

Finer dining options can be found at Kattameya Heights and the JW Marriott where you can go Italian at Cucina. Far from the pollution of Cairo’s crowded streets, Match Point is strategically located on JW’s golf courses, offering a serene night view of lights reflecting on the lake. JW is also known for its quality steakhouse and sushi bar.

For essentials, hit the Ring Road and make the 15-minute drive to Carrefour where you can stock up on almost everything under the sun. A drive into the capital can’t be avoided if you’re going to look for designer fashions. Still missing are health and beauty centers — although going to the JW Marriott is always an option.

Prices vary widely but can start at LE 2,200 per square meter outside the posh compounds. Rental prices also vary widely, averaging at LE 6,000 for a 200 square meter apartment (according to our simsar, most properties are sold semi-finished and are rented unfurnished). A flat in Rehab will cost about LE 3,000 to LE 3,500 per meter. Villas in Lake View and Arabella carry a price tag of LE 2 million to LE 3.5 million. In Tagammuah, Moon Valley II offers mainly twin houses, with a 277 to 375 square meter property costing about LE 1.45 million to LE 1.49 million.

The thing to keep in mind when you’re shopping around is that while compounds are filled with elegant villas, often occupied by Cairo’s elite and many foreigners, New Cairo residents run the gamut from middle and upper middle-classes to lower-class, being home to government subsidized complexes where you can see huge, packed buildings, especially in Tagammuah. et