The New Administrative Capital is a city planned on the drawing board and erected on the desert sand. Set to create living space for around 6.5 million people, Egypt’s new desert development hopes to alleviate Cairo’s infrastructural pressures. As the country’s military leadership strategically plans the transfer of its power centers to a remote, exclusive location, the new city remains sparsely populated; a growing cause for concern among critics of the megaproject.

Despite extreme prohibitions on press freedom and rejected applications for a permit, I made three trips on my own to the emerging capital. Using my appearance as a young, lost tourist, or sometimes disguised as an interested financiér, I managed to get access to various locations that have been hidden to the public eye. The resulting work provides insights into the controversial New Administrative Capital, shedding light on the dissonances of the, as yet, unnamed city. Beyond its horizons, fata morgana questions the timeless practice of constructing monumental structures and why its consequences so often go askew for its rulers and societies alike.