manuel alvarez diestro captures housing estates transforming egypt’s desert

manuel alvarez diestro captures housing estates transforming egypt’s deserts
(above) gated communities in the desert outside of cairo

as the egyptian population keeps growing, more housing is required to satisfy the needs of all social classes — from lower-income families occupying basic right angled construction, to the very wealthy living within ravishing gated communities. however, with the demand of these building needs, the cities are becoming extremely populated, thus the only alternative for developers is to expand outwards into the desert, where there is plenty of terrain.

having lived in egypt for some time, manuel alvarez diestro witnessed the disastrous consequences of human interventions in the desert, but also the subjective beauty in the transformed landscape. her series ‘new cairo’ captures the conquest of the desert outside of egypt’s main cities which are slowly being overtaken with new housing complexes. diestro’s images express the mood of isolation being interrupted — where the land mirrors the empty and impersonal, unfinished constructions that resemble ghost towns have been erected.

new housing blocks in aswan

housing towers in cairo

summer houses in hurghada

two housing towers in cairo

tower block outside Cairo

construction in ras sudr

houses in cairo’s desert

residential blocks not far from alexandria

housing towers in cairo

gated commnunities in cair’s desert

towers outside cairo

the deserts of egypt being overrun by housing developments…

the growth of cities within the desert landscape

the resulting developments resemble ghostowns

the photographer captures the boundary in which the land mirrors the empty and the unfinished constructions

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