Fouda Tower

Fouda Tower (Arabic: برج فودة), also known as Zamalek Tower, is an unfinished skyscraper located in the Zamalek district of Cairo, Egypt.^[1] Standing at 166 m (545 ft) tall, it is currently the tallest building in Cairo and the second-tallest structure in the city, surpassed only by the 187 m (614 ft) Cairo Tower. Originally planned as a 450-room luxury hotel, construction of the tower began in 1972. However, the construction of the building was halted in the 1980s primarily due to an unending series of bureaucratic obstacles, permit battles, building code violations, and lawsuits that followed the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981. The project was never completed and remained abandoned for decades due to the lack of a private garage.^[2] In February 2025, the Morshedy Group acquired it from a state-owned bank for EGP 2.5 billion. The developers announced plans to convert the 50-story skyscraper into a high-end mixed-use residential and hotel complex.^[3]

The tower was envisioned in the early 1970s by Egyptian developer Khaled Fouda, aiming to establish a 450‑room luxury hotel as part of a broader "New Manhattan" project on Zamalek, symbolizing modern Cairo and national ambition. The construction of the skyscraper began in 1972 with official permits. However, the design notably lacked provisions for an internal parking garage.^[4] Before work was halted, the skyscraper had been topped out at its full height of 166 m (545 ft), making it the tallest building in Egypt at the time.

Following the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981, the project faced a loss of political momentum and construction was halted in late 1980s due to identified building code violations and the unresolved issue of the missing parking facility. Municipal authorities cited the lack of private parking as a critical failure, given the high traffic density of the Zamalek area. Over subsequent decades, several compromise solutions were proposed—including the construction of an underground garage beneath the El Gezira Sporting Club, the conversion of nearby villas into parking space, or the integration of a police station—but all were rejected by the authorities.^[5][6]

The unfinished structure became known among residents as Cairo’s first skyscraper and a haunting landmark on the city’s skyline. It has appeared in documentaries and journalistic accounts as a symbol of stalled modernist aspirations.^[7]

In February 2025, the Morshedy Group acquired the tower from a state-owned bank in a deal valued at EGP 2.5 billion.^[8] The developer announced plans to redevelop the structure into a high-end mixed-use residential and hospitality complex, with parking on an adjoining 4,000 m² plot. While detailed plans remain under development, the acquisition was widely reported as a potential revival of the long-abandoned landmark.^[9]

• List of tallest buildings and structures in Egypt
• List of tallest buildings in Africa

• Hope, Bradley (20 May 2012). "A towering reminder of Egypt's corrupt decades". The National. Archived from the original on 2025-01-13.

• Egypt: Zamalek Tower abandoned, sold for 750 million – Asharq NOW (video)