Egyptians Enjoy Banquet at World's Longest Iftar Table

Date: 02 June 2019 - 21:43

News ID: ۶۶۶۴۲

CAIRO (Xinhua) – Amid joyful atmosphere in Egypt's New Administrative Capital, thousands of Egyptians enjoyed their Iftar, the meal eaten by Muslims to break their fast after sunset during Ramadan, beating a Guinness record with the longest Iftar table.
The move aims at promoting the new capital which is under construction on an area of 714 square km.
In 2015, Egypt started the construction of the New Administrative Capital 45 km east of Cairo, as part of the government's plan to reduce pressure on the existing overpopulated capital, expand urban areas and develop the nation's infrastructure.
The New Administrative Capital will be home to a government housing district, 29 ministries and other state institutions including the cabinet and parliament buildings and 20 residential neighborhoods that can accommodate 6.5 million people.
For Muslims, Ramadan is a celebratory religious occasion and serves to consolidate social unity and solidarity, during which they abstain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from dawn to dusk.
Some 7,000 people sat around a table which is longer than 3,000 meters.
"This is a creative way to promote the new capital," Grant Wadie, an engineer, told Xinhua after the Iftar.
The middle-aged man, who was invited to the banquet by the state-run company in charge of developing the new city, said the new capital will help reduce congestion in overpopulated Cairo.
"Moving government institutions to the new capital will enable Cairo to have more lands that can be used for building new public gardens and hotels," Wadie noted.
The man hailed the fast pace at which the premises of the new city are being constructed.
"Under President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt has witnessed many achievements such as the construction of the new capital and the world's largest antiquities museum," he said.
For his part, Ibrahim Ghuneim, a construction engineer, said Egypt should use all occasions to promote its mega projects including the new capital.
According to him, building a new capital is necessary for Egypt as the current capital city is one of the most crowded ones in the world.
"This will also help create thousands of jobs," he pointed out.