Infrastructure

Erdogan won't admit it, but Canal Istanbul dream is over

Canal Istanbul, the Turkish president's "crazy project," appears destined for the bin amid Turkey’s economic turmoil, but don't expect its shelving to be officially acknowledged.

Turkey

Dozens of Turkish airport workers jailed after protest

A labor protest demanding better conditions and a safer workplace at Istanbul’s controversial new airport, due to open in six weeks, lands 24 workers in jail pending formal charges. Officials say they are provocateurs seeking to sully one of Turkey’s grandest infrastructure projects.

Turkey

Egypt announces massive budget to develop Sinai

The Egyptian government announced a plan to develop the Sinai Peninsula, with the aim to eliminate terrorism that is widespread in this volatile area.

Egypt

Iran turns to economic zones to encourage balanced growth

Iranian lawmakers have approved a bill to establish a series of new special economic zones to counter the country's uneven development.

Iran

Ankara plans road network to connect Syria with southern Turkey

The Turkish government is working with local councils in Syria's Euphrates Shield area to build and improve a road network to connect the area's cities with southern Turkey.

Syria

Will public opposition stop proposed Egypt-Israel railway dead in its tracks?

Egyptian media outlets are making a fuss about a recent meeting between Israel's ambassador to Cairo, David Govrin, and the director of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, discussing a railway between Egypt and Israel.

Saudi Arabia

Can the private sector salvage Egypt’s dilapidated railway system?

While a train accident in Egypt’s Giza governorate has placed the railway system's efficiency in the spotlight, experts remain optimistic about the government’s modernization plan.

Egypt

Decks and the City: Artist proposes gardens over car parks in Beirut

This year's Beirut Design Week focuses on urban design, and the projects and showcases include street revival and creative new green spaces.

Lebanon

Syria's not waiting for peace to rebuild, and Iran wants to help

There's a lot of talk about reconstructing Syria, but at the moment, Iran seems to be the only country actively working toward that end.

Syria

Weary Istanbulites flock to seaside Izmir

Tired of traffic, extreme concretization and decelerated social interaction, white-collar, educated Turkish people are abandoning Istanbul for Turkey’s Aegean coastal province of Izmir.

Turkey

Iran’s housing sector keeps building

Iran’s housing sector is on track to escape its yearslong stagnancy, yet Iranian tenants are still squeezed by rising rents.

Iran

Ethiopian dam talks jammed with no compromise in sight

Another meeting between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia on the massive Nile dam ended in an impasse, leaving many questions about its construction unanswered.

Egypt